We asked Adrienne for a list of her favourite disaster novels, and she out did herself. Here’s her list of ten, plus some extra, genre-defining classics.
1 Life as we knew it, Susan Beth Pfeffer. It’s almost the end of Miranda’s sophomore year in high school, and her journal reflects the busy life of a typical teenager. When Miranda first begins hearing the reports of a meteor on a collision course with the moon, it hardly seems worth a mention in her diary. But after the meteor hits, pushing the moon off its axis and causing worldwide earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanoes, all the things Miranda used to take for granted begin to disappear. Food and gas shortages, along with extreme weather changes, come to her small Pennsylvania town.Her family is forced to make tough choices while they consider their increasingly limited options. The second book in the series is The Dead and the Gone.
2 Little Brother, Cory Doctorow. Not really about the end of the world, but a scary situation anyway. Seventeen-year-old techno-geek “w1n5t0n” (aka Marcus) bypasses the school’s gait-recognition system by placing pebbles in his shoes, chats secretly with friends on his IMParanoid messaging program, and routinely evades school security with his laptop, cell, WifFnder, and ingenuity. While skipping school, Marcus is caught near the site of a terrorist attack on San Francisco and held by the Department of Homeland Security for six days of intensive interrogation. After his release, he vows to use his skills to fight back against an increasingly frightening system of surveillance. Set in the near future, Doctorow’s novel blurs the lines between current and potential technologies, and readers will delight in the details of how Marcus attempts to stage a techno-revolution. You can download this book for free from the authors’ website.
3 H-Bomb Girl, Stephen Baxter. This book is set in Liverpool 1962; a place and time of danger and passion. A thrilling new music is bursting on to the grey streets of the post-war city: a music that electrifies, a music that promises to change everything. But in Cuba, on the other side of the earth, nuclear tensions are at breaking point. The end of the whole world could be just days away. At the heart of it all is fourteen-year-old Laura Mann. She’s on the run, hunted by strange forces fighting over the future of humanity. Laura is the H-Bomb Girl. And Laura is about to discover that her own life is at stake – in ways she could never have imagined. Check out Stephen Baxter’s book Flood. More apocalyptic goodness.
4 Winter of Fire, Sheryl Jordan (NZ author). Elsha is a young girl living in a bleak, cold future where worldwide cloud cover has permanently blocked out the sun. Humans have split into two classes – the Chosen and the Quelled, of which Elsha is the latter. The Quelled are doomed to spend their lives in servitude to the Chosen mining “firestones” – the only means of warmth on the planet. A rebellious girl, Elsha causes trouble for herself – even going so far as being considered for execution – until she is made the unprecedented heir to the Firelord – the leader of the Chosen.
5 Small Minded Giants, Oisin McGann. Beyond the huge domed roof of Ash Harbour, deadly storms and Arctic temperatures have stripped the Earth bare. Sinister bodies reign supreme, and undercover operations are rife. When sixteen-year-old Sol Wheat’s father goes missing and is accused of murder, Sol sets out to find out why, and in doing so uncovers the harsh reality behind the city. Searching through the under-city’s skeletal maze , Sol’s every move is watched by the menacing Clockworkers and the mysterious Dark-Day Fatalists as he tries desperately to find his father. Even more sinister secrets are exposed when it becomes clear that the Machine that keeps the fragile city alive is running out of power…
6 Tomorrow When the War Began (Series), John Marsden. The astonishing adventure begins… Ellie and her friends leave home on a quiet morning, wave goodbye to their parents, and head up into the hills to camp out for a while; seven teenagers filling in time during the school holidays. The world is about to change forever. Their lives will never be the same again. Would you fight? Would you give up everything? Would you sacrifice even life itself?
7 Genesis, Bernard Beckett (NZ Author). In a terrifying and stifling examination environment a young Academy candidate, Anaximander, is put through a gruelling exercise in interpreting the history and origins of her society. Through her answers, we learn that in 2052, New Zealand has been renamed The Republic after a reforming Governor, Plato. It has separated itself from a plague-ridden globe with a gargantuan ring-fence guarded with military outposts. All approaching boats, exploratory air craft or refugees are shot on sight. Society is strictly divided and individuals deviate from their assigned roles at their peril.
8 The City of Ember, Jeanne Du Prau. It is always night in the city of Ember. But there is no moon, no stars. The only light during the regular twelve hours of “day” comes from floodlamps that cast a yellowish glow over the streets of the city. Beyond are the pitch-black Unknown Regions, which no one has ever explored because an understanding of fire and electricity has been lost, and with it the idea of a Moveable Light. Among the many other things the people of Ember have forgotten is their past and a direction for their future. For 250 years they have lived pleasantly, because there has been plenty of everything in the vast storerooms. But now there are more and more empty shelves–and more and more times when the lights flicker and go out, leaving them in terrifying blackness for long minutes. What will happen when the generator finally fails?
Twelve-year-old Doon Harrow and Lina Mayfleet seem to be the only people who are worried. They have just been assigned their life jobs–Lina as a messenger, which leads her to knowledge of some unsettling secrets, and Doon as a Pipeworker, repairing the plumbing in the tunnels under the city where a river roars through the darkness. But when Lina finds a very old paper with enigmatic “Instructions for Egress,” they use the advantages of their jobs to begin to puzzle out the frightening and dangerous way out of their city of darkness.
9 The Knife of Never Letting Go, Patrick Ness. Chased by a madman preacher and possibly the rest of his townsfolk as well, young Todd Hewitt flees his settlement on a planet where war with the natives has killed all the women and infected the men with a germ that broadcasts their thoughts aloud for all to hear. The first of many secrets is revealed when Todd discovers an unsettling hole in the Noise, and quickly realizes that he lives in a much different world than the one he thought he did. Book one in the Chaos Walking trilogy. Grab book two – The Ask and the Answer.
10 The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins. This is the first book of the Hunger Games trilogy. It introduces sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives in a post-apocalyptic world where a powerful government called the Capitol has risen up after several devastating disasters. In the book, the Hunger Games are an annual televised event where the ruthless Capitol randomly selects one boy and one girl from each of the twelve districts, who are then pitted against each other in a game of survival and forced to kill until only one remains.
You won’t be able to put this book down; it has been one of the most popular teen novels of 2009. Watch out for the movie coming soon…
Some classics (after the jump) Read more…
The Phoenix Files by Chris Morphew is another end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it-is-nigh series that kept me guessing. It’s not your usual armageddon story…
Phoenix is a picture-perfect town in the middle of nowhere built by the Shackleton Co-operative to accommodate its employees. The town is brand new, high-tech and immaculate. It seems all too good to be true…
On the first day of school in Phoenix, Luke, Peter and Jordan are drawn together by a series of strange events. Together they uncover the reason behind Phoenix’s existence.
The countdown has started… There are only 100 days left until the entire human race is destroyed, leaving only Phoenix to survive. Luke and his friends must find out what’s going on and stop them before it’s too late.
The first of The Phoenix Files series ‘Arrival’ is in the library, with the sequel ‘Contact’ arriving in Jan/Feb 2010.
What is Zuda Comics? That’s a great question. The short answer is that it’s an all-new line of Web Comics. The longer answer is that Zuda Comics are whatever you make of them.
Zuda Comics is the webcomics division of DC. You can design your own comic for entry into their monthly competition, vote for your favourite entry, or simply enjoy the ones already online.
While we’re on the subject, you can find the DC comics website here, and don’t forget to check out our collection of them in your library branch.
Heard of e-day? No?
E-day gives you the chance to dump your electronic waste for free so it can be recycled and doesn’t end up in landfills. E-day 2008 was a massive success with 946 tonnes of e-waste collected around the country. 122 tonnes were collected in Wellington alone.
The next e-day is soon – on September 12th at Westpac Stadium – so start gathering your junk.
Check out the e-day website for all the info (you can even sign up to be a volunteer on the day), make sure you find out what you can and can’t take to be recycled.
If you’re 13 to 19 and a bit of a writer, we have the perfect competition for you : “Re-Draft” – which is run by the Christchurch School for Young Writers. The best entries each year are published in the school’s annual publication ’Re-Draft’, and your work might be chosen as the title of the book. That’s right your words, in bright bold colours on the front of the book…
This competition is open to all, and you can enter up to three pieces of work on any subject matter, poems or stories. Jump onto their website for info on the competition and details on how to enter.
City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
This book is just incredible and fantastic!It’s about a girl who finds out her mum is a shadowhunter and her dad is a shadowhunter, an evil shadowhunter to put it correctly, and the shadowhunter she loves might turn someone completely different, but still very close.
In the mundane (human) world, the night children (vampires) hunt, werewolves defend their packs, and sexy shadowhunters prowl the streets of New York city. This book I couldn’t put down, and I’m so glad I shared it with you.
A whopping 5 Stars for this popular book!
Thanks, Elena, for sending us your book review. We appreciate that.
Getting and keeping a job is the topic of this week’s Urban Survival Series seminar- Work and Wage. It’s on at the Central Library, Thursday 6th august at 4pm.
A panel of experts will give tips & tricks to teens on finding work. A fast food restaurant manager will talk about what makes a CV stand out when he is looking for employees, our Work & Income expert will give tips on how to stay off the dole and another panel member will talk about how to write a CV when you haven’t actually got any job experience! There will also be heaps of valuable information to take away.
Don’t forget: The Urban Survival Series Competition ends this Friday, 7 August at midnight!
The Urban Survival Series is almost here… The first seminar ‘Food Glorious Food’ kicks off on July 23rd at the Central Library 4-5pm.
It’s all about how to cook a mean feed without blowing the budget and the types of food you should be eating to keep looking good and healthy.
Wow us with your kitchen skills by sending us a recipe for our cooking competition and win yourself the best teen cookbook ever (it even has recipes for impressing your GF/BF).
We’ve scrounged out some stuff that’s going on in the holidays that you might be interested in…
1. School of Rock Holiday Programme
4 Days of intensive rock training in downtown Wellington for 11-17 year olds.
Get tips from pro rockers. Prepare for rock competitions. Team up with other teen rockers. Polish your practice and rehearsal skills. Take to the stage and rev it up!
Vocals! Guitar! Bass! Keyboards! Drums! Orchestral! Its on at ZEAL- 18 Garrett Street, Wgn CBD. Email them to sign up.
2. Wellington School of Rock and ZEAL present… Holiday Splash! Featuring The Philosphers & The Tangle.
These guys are going to be hitting the stage at ZEAL (18 Garret St, Wgn CBD)tomorrow night July 3rd at 7.30pm. Also there- The Tommy Guns, Urban Legends, Rock ‘n’ Roll Camelot and Road Kill Inc. Best yet- It’s only $5! Get there! Visit the zeal site for more info.
Looking for some friday night fun? Head along to Karori Pool on Friday 26th June from 7pm for a pool party. Only $8! Sold!
Free sausage sizzle, a DJ, inflatable, a bomb competition, and zorb action. Like it says on the poster —>
Karori Pool is holding a party for you guys on Friday June 26th 7-10pm. For only 8 bucks (which you can pay on the night) you’ll get all the swimming you desire, a sausage sizzle, big inflatable pool toys, a bombing comp, some zorb action and there’ll even be a DJ working the sounds.
You can find the pool at 22 Donald Street. Grab your mates and get there!
Book lovers have recently been celebrating the New Zealand Post Book Awards. The nominated books have been put through a gruelling test over the last month, but the winners have finally been announced!
The 10pm Question by local gal Kate de Goldi has taken out the award for Young Adult fiction and Book of the Year. Yup- it’s that good!
This is an awesome book, we recommend you get your mitts on it ASAP. Check out the other category winners here.
The good people at the Ministry of Education have put an awesome website together for NCEA students of English, Maths and Sciences, called StudyIt. Bookmark it!
As well as online help and past exam papers, the site includes:
* online forums
* achievement standards written in student friendly language
* study tips
* other subjects – ie forums where other things are being discussed, for example “how to be dux”, “career paths” and other subject areas.
While you’re in the zone, make sure you view our very own study advice webpage Study Stop, which is laden with links to resources both in the library and outside the library.
We’ve got a blog running for New Zealand Music Month here. Check out the reviews, the music news, and get info on the events we’ve got happening. Take a look!
ps: If you’re interested in music don’t forget the NZMM events at the Central Library – there’s ‘Dr’ Lee Prebble on the 26th of May and The Phoenix Foundation on the 28th (find out more).
It was a cold wintery night, but a small group of music fans braved the cold to see Brad Dring from Rapture Ruckus talk about his career path to becoming a famous musician at the Central Library on the 8th of May.
Don’t miss the next New Zealand Music Month session; Music Producer Lee Prebble, from The Surgery, and musician Age Pryor, from the Wellington International Ukulele Orchestra and The Woolshed Sessions, will be at the Central Library on Tuesday 26th May at 4.30pm.
‘Dr’ Lee Prebble is a musician’s dream come true. He is a music production guru, and he’s all ours! Well… for an hour or two anyway.
Lee Prebble has worked with top NZ bands like Trinity Roots, The Black Seeds, Twinset, The Phoenix Foundation, Fly My Pretties and Dave Dobbyn!
You can catch him at the Wellington Central Library on May 26th at 4.30pm. He’ll be giving you guys the tips and tricks about how to get your band recorded and anything else you want him to talk about (you could ask him about that ‘Dr’ title for a start…)
No bookings required!
Event alert! We’ve got another group of musos for NZ Music Month!
Samuel Scott and Luke Buda from The Phoenix Foundation will be at the Wellington Central Library on May 28th at 4.30pm. They’re taking a break from their national tour to visit and give you guys a chance to get up close and personal and ask them about whatever you want to know (like music and stuff).
The Phoenix Foundation did the theme song for that cool NZ Movie Eagle Vs. Shark! Here’s some of their work.
No bookings are required at this free event. Put it in your diaries!
… And we need your help!
If you could ask musicians some questions about their job, what would you want to know?
Post your awesome questions in the comment section below. We’re going to find some musos to quiz, so we need to know what to ask them.
We’ve got some really cool stuff planned for NZMM. First up is a talk by Brad Dring of Rapture Ruckus (pictured) on May 8, 4.30pm at the Central Library. It’s a FREE chance to get up close to a muso who has played all over the world. Check out his website, and also this previous post with a (very catchy) clip from a concert.
Due to a case of the winter snufflies, and a current lack of Twilight Saga books, I found myself at home finishing off a couple of books that you may (or may not) want to hear about.
H-Bomb Girl by Stephen Baxter
This is a bit of a Sci-Fi adventure that will leave you guessing until the last chapter. If you’re a fan of Dr Who and other time-travel stuff then you’ll like this book.
Laura is a 14 year old girl living in Liverpool, England, in October 1962. As the Cuban missle crisis is unfolding before her eyes, weird people start messing with Laura’s life; people that know a little too much about her and seem to all want something from her. Who these people are, and the decisions Laura has to make, will have consequences across the world. Laura’s future is just as uncertain as the rest of the world’s…
Heroes of the Valley by Jonathan Stroud
From the author of the Bartimous Trilogy. Halli Sveinsson dreams of being the hero of his valley but, while he has the courage and noble heart of a hero, he lacks the stature and good looks of a hero – being stumpy, squat and having the face of a toad.
Up on the hills surrounding his village are the burial cairns of his ancestors. The legend says that a terrible creature, called a Trow, lives underground beyond the cairn wall which emerges at night to kill anything that strays past the cairns onto their land. Halli dreams of testing the Trows, but the days of fighting are over and the swords are melted down…
Bored and frustrated, Halli pulls some pranks that ignite an old feud between villages, which sets Halli out on a quest of his own and discovers the true, and terrifying, nature of the trows and the old cairn line.
This is an exciting tale of adventure and mischief; you won’t be able to help liking this unlikely Hero!
From Georgie and Waylon in the Council’s Youth Team …
Wellington City Council are proud to announce the details of our annual Youth Forum: ENGAGE. On Friday 1 May 2009: 9.30am – 3.30pm at the council chamber at the Town Hall, Wakefield St.
ENGAGE will give you an opportunity to:
· Learn about Wellington City Council, the draft Long Term Community Council Plan (LTCCP), how the City is planning for the next 10 years and how young people can have their voices heard
· Meet City Councillors, youth advisors and the Wellington Youth Council
· Meet and talk about the city with other young people from Wellington
They would like as many young people to be a part of this forum as possible and are keen to have a diverse range of ethnic, academic, and cultural backgrounds present.
If you are aged 12-24 and want to take part then all you need to do is contact Waylon (waylon.edwards@wcc.govt.nz) or Georgie (georgina.rhoades@wcc.govt.nz) in the Youth Team at Council by 5pm Thursday 23 April. They are totally keen to ensure that as many of you as possible are informed about how you can be involved and have a say on planning for your city. They can even help you get permission to get out of school for the day.
Oh, and food and drinks will be provided. What more do you need?
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