Favourite Reads
Picture Books:
Use your Imagination by Nicola O'Byrn
- Alternative Fairy Tale theme - Little Red Riding Hood
- Big Bad Wolf is 'helping' Bunny to use his imagination and write a story
- Surprise ending
- Good tool to model story-writing and imagination to students
Children's Fiction:
- An early chapter book with a difference. Bunny has edited his boring 'Birthday Bunny' book to make it more interesting.
- A funny read, but also a great tool for modelling to students how a bit of editing can change the whole feel of a story.
- Awesome illustrations - Bunny has also edited these to tie in with the new story.
- Appropriate for all levels as a modelling tool, or middle/upper primary as a reader.
Big Game by Dan Smith
- Coming of age
- Translated and adapted from a 'Finish' tale
- ISIS connotations, so very topical. One scene where the US President is threatened with being killed on camera, however it is not 'overly' graphic.
- Movie coming out.
- Year 6+ (with warning of how 'realistic' the main issue is)
The Book With No Pictures by B.J. Novak
- Great interactive book to get the kids to talk back to you
- Recommended at a previous meeting
Dragon Knight series by Kyle Mewburn, illustrated by Donovan Bixley
- New series set in the future ... well the future if you are a fan of 'Dinosaur Rescue'
- - Fire / Rats / next coming mid-August
- Brilliant read
- Humorous with snippets of 'fact' interspersed throughout
- Bixley's illustrations enhance the story by giving extra information / descriptiveness
- Year 3+
Goth Girl by Chris Riddell
- A great read - even for adults
- The stories have a strong female character - not girly-girly at all, which boys will enjoy just as much
- References to fairy tales but with a twist.
- Historically accurate but told in a way that will keep students engaged
- Includes a small 'graphic novel' with the animal side-kicks story
- The end-papers are 'too die for' - silver skulls on a black background. And the outer edges of the pages are metalic (purple and red for the first two books!)
- Riddell's use of black & white illustrations add to the descriptiveness of the story
- Year 4+
Araminta Spook series by Angie Sage
- Been out for a while
- New publisher - titles are now 'Araminta Spookie'
- Araminta lives with 'Uncle Drac' & 'Aunty Tabitha'
- Funny scary books
- Year 3+ (7-9yrs)
Stella By Starlight by Sharon M Draper
- 1932 setting, North Carolina
- Klu Klux Klan
- Time of Hoover / Roosevelt presidential change over
- Blacks can't vote
- Stella has learning difficulties at school
-- Gets given a typewriter
-- Pretends to be a reporter
--- Reports about what is happening with KKK
- Lots of 'nasty things' but good comes of it
- Lovely read, Easy read
- More of a girly read
- Well written
- Thoroughly enjoyed
- No Death / Drugs / Broken Hearts
-- Just a lovely nice book
- Year 6+
YA Fiction:
Big Game by Dan Smith
- Coming of age
- Translated and adapted from a 'Finish' tale
- ISIS connotations, so very topical. One scene where the US President is threatened with being killed on camera, however it is not 'overly' graphic.
- Movie coming out.
- Year 6+ (with warning of how 'realistic' the main issue is)
Kete Whakairo : Plaiting flax for Beginners by Margaret Rose Ngawaka
- Non-Fiction
- Exclusive availability through Plaza Books, Hastings (Beattie & Forbes 'other' store)
- Author lives on Great Barrier, But .... Published in USA
- Appropriate from Primary school through to Secondary
I Am J by Chris Beam
- LGBT
If You Find Me by Emily Murdoch
- Abuse
Golden Boy by Abigail Tarttelin
- Intersex (not transgender)
- Pregnancy
-- Decisions about whether to have an abortion or not
- Bullying (by 'best friend')
-- 2 brothers - 16 & 10
-- Parents are Highflying lawyers. Dad running as MP in electorate
-- Best friend, who has always known about his 'situation', rapes the 16yr old
- Amazing read
Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
- Brilliant read
- 'X-men meets Hunger Games'
- Recommended at a previous meeting
All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven
- Well balanced
- Really good book
-- Cried & cried & cried
- Suicide
-- Perspective of mentally ill person has been portrayed really well
--- Not something he could control. Not doing it for attention.
-- Perspective of the survivor guilt portrayed really well
--- Could I have done more?
--- Should I have done things differently?
- Good idea to put a note inside about "seeing the guidance councilor"
Dead Ends by Erin Lange
- Wrote 'Butter'
- Anger issues
-- 18 yr old
-- Has itchy palms - needs to 'thump someone'
-- Suspended if does one more time
- New neighbour moves in with Down Syndrome
- Both have absent dads
-- Down Syndrome boy becomes obsessed with finding dad
- Main character grows as a person while helping his Down Syndrome neighbour
- Wasn't the ending that was expected!
The Unlikely Hero of Room 13B by Teresa Toten
- Really Cool!!!!!
- Suffers from OCD - goes to adolescent OCD group
-- Take on Superhero persona while 'in-group
-- Batman
-- The girl 'Robyn' becomes 'Robin'
- Love story
-- No Love Triangle!!!
- Coming of age
- Parents are separated - Mother issues
- Really good message about sharing your problems
The Martian by Andy Weir
- The science is 'spot-on'
- Really really good book
- Recommended at a previous meeting
Tabula Rasa by Kristen Lippert-Martin
- Thriller
- Main character is undergoing surgery to remove her memory
-- Power goes out as surgery starts
-- 'Something' gets put in her hand
-- Memory starts to come back
- She can't work out if she is there because she is a victim of a perpetrator
- Disappointed by the ending - really rushed!
Pandora Jones series by Barry Jonsberg
- #1 Admission, #2 Deception, #3 Reckoning
- Set in Melbourne, Australia
- Apocalyptic / Post-Plague
I Have a Bad Feeling About This by Geoff Strand
- Loved It!
- LOL read
- Kid gets sent to survival camp
-- Something not quite right about the camp!!!
-- Dodgy teacher
-- Bands up with a couple of other kids and everything 'just goes wrong'
- 'Survival tips' at end of chapters - funny!
- Really good for boys 12+ (probably even 10+), and adults
Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli
- If John Green & Rainbow Rowell had a love child this would be it!!
- LGBT
- Online emailing to 'friend'
-- Accidentally leaves email open and another boy see it
-- Threatens to reveal his secret
- Blackmail
- Dealing with revelation of what happens
- Family dynamics
-- Good family representation
-- Both parents are there
- Nice, Funny, Gentle, Realistic
Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige
- The 'Wicked' series
- Dorothy needs to be assassinated because shy has 'ruined' Oz
- Obligatory 'cute guy' that helps Amy Gunn
- Really funny
Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma
- Interesting reviews
- Incest - 16 & 17 year olds
- Parents not on the scene
-- Trying to raise younger brother & sister
- Ending is what you would expect
- No descriptiveness (of sex scenes)
- Uncomfortable read
Thirst by Lizzie Wilcock
- "Couldn't put it down"
- Set in middle of Australia
- Foster homes
-- Get shipped out to Alice Springs as she & 8yr old boy have been through so many foster homes
-- Accident on way
-- Stuck in middle of outback with 40deg + temperataures
- Survivalist
- Growing bonds of family & friendship
- Both have issues
-- Feeling of hurt about what her mother did
-- Can't get over it
-- He has anger issues
- Really really nice / lovely lovely story
- Feel good book
- Well written, Easy to read
Stella By Starlight by Sharon M Draper
- 1932 setting, North Carolina
- Klu Klux Klan
- Time of Hoover / Roosevelt presidential change over
- Blacks can't vote
- Stella has learning difficulties at school
-- Gets given a typewriter
-- Pretends to be a reporter
--- Reports about what is happening with KKK
- Lots of 'nasty things' but good comes of it
- Lovely read, Easy read
- More of a girly read
- Well written
- Thoroughly enjoyed
- No Death / Drugs / Broken Hearts
-- Just a lovely nice book
- Year 6+
Beneath by Roland Smith
- "Really terrible cover but the boys love it"
- Story is not what the cover depicts
- Mum is an astronaught
- Dad is a Nobel Prize winner
- Secret correspondence with older brother
-- Pat goes to New York to look for him
- Underground community. No taxes etc. With an even deeper community.
- "Where the hell is his brother & what is really going to happen"
- CIA / Anti-Society / Terrorists
- Exciting!!!!
- "Oh Shit!!!! .... It's a series!!!!!"
- Interesting narrative style
-- Pat - 1st person
-- 3rd person
-- Tapes from brother
These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner
- Romance
- Space / Sci-Fi
- The Starbound trilogy
- "Glorious Space Opera"
One of Us by Jeannie Waudby
- Dystopia
- Topical
- Exclusive Bretheren
- Main character is an orphaned girl
-- Parents killed in Brotherhood bombing
-- Lives with Grandmother
- 'Radicilising' kids at a Brotherhood school
-- Girl is asked to infiltrate and spy on what is happening
- Sees events from the perspective of the other side
- 'What is the truth?'
- One-off book
- Satisfying ending
- Well worth the read
- World is not as black & whiteas she was led to believe
- NCEA Level 1 response
The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
- Cannibalistic water horses
- Capture one and it will win the Scorpio Races
- One-off book
- Undercurrent of Celtic magic running through it
- Really good
Cooper Bartholomew is Dead by Rebecca James
- "Couldn't put it down"
- Recommended at a previous meeting
Adult Fiction:
Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
- Brilliant read
- 'X-men meets Hunger Games'
- Recommended at a previous meeting
Elizabeth is Missing by Emma Healy
- Debut novel
- Beginning of Alzheimer's
-- Writes herself notes
--- "Elizabeth is missing"
--- Keeps trying to find Elizabeth
- Hard read at times (especially if own family member has Alzheimer's)
- Lovely story
The Martian by Andy Weir
- The science is 'spot-on'
- "Really really good book"
- Recommended at a previous meeting
Day Shift #2 by Charlene Harris
- Midnight Series incorporates of lot of minor characters from her other series
- A lot happens but it doesn't seem to have a high point that draws you in
- Move about the characters and small town life
Non Fiction:
Kete Whakairo : Plaiting flax for Beginners by Margaret Rose Ngawaka
- Exclusive availability through Plaza Books, Hastings (Beattie & Forbes 'other' store)
- Author lives on Great Barrier, But .... Published in USA
- Appropriate from Primary school through to Secondary
Escape from Camp 14 by Blaine Harden
- North Korean Political Prisons - That don't supposedly exist!!!
- Based on story of one of only escapees - actually born in there
- Brutal descriptions of captivity
- 10 rules in the prison ... end with "break them and you are shot"
- Interaction between China / North Korea / South Korea
-- 'On the ground' interesting reactions of people
-- South Korea to North Korea's relationship is almost schizophrenic
- Children are brought up to 'snitch' on anybody & everybody
- 'Law of association' = everybody is guilty
- Coming from being an 'animal' to being a 'person'
- Fitting into society
- Where possible the book has been backed up with other 'escapees', or those that get let free, views
-- Only the Political Prisoners are never allowed to be released
- Not a hard read at all
- "Loved it"
-- So well done and so interesting, although pretty nasty
-- "Couldn't put it down"
- Year 9+
No comments:
Post a Comment