Only a few new books this week.
The Splendour Falls, by Rosemary Clement-Moore (220 pages) – Sylvie is a ballerina. She broke a leg, her father died, and her mother remarried! Also, she might be losing her mind (or it might be ghosts). To cheer her up her mother moves her from an Manhattan apartment to a haunted Alabama mansion, where she meets the mysterious yet attractive Rhys.
First line: ‘For months, I relived the pas de deux in my dreams, in that multisensory Technicolor of a memory I’d much rather forget.‘
The Polar Bear Ward, edited by Tessa Duder and James Norcliffe (118 pages) -This is the seventh Re-Draft anthology, which we finally have (it came out in 2008!) It collects works by young NZ writers and poets.
The 13 Curses, by Michelle Harrison (454 pages) – This is the sequel to 13 Treasures. Rowan Fox makes a deal with the fairy court; she will find the cursed charms from a bracelet in exchange for her brother, who was stolen by the fairies. And there’s no guarantee the fairies will keep their side of the bargain – they have a secret up their little fairy sleeves.
First line: ‘As midnight approached in Hangman’s Wood two girls fled through the forest, desperately searching for a way out.‘
The Phoenix Files : Contact, by Chris Morphew (309 pages) – This is the second book in a series. It is part sci-fi, part thiller, part conspiracy theory paranioa, and it’s all leading up to the end of the world. Great stuff! There’s a website here.
First line: ‘Someone’s phone was ringing.‘
The Medusa Project : The Hostage, by Sophie McKenzie (244 pages) – This is also the second book in a series. It also has a website! This series is about four teens, who all exhibit psychic abilities. They are brought together to secretly fight crime – with their minds.
First line: ‘Like I didn’t have enough problems?‘
Winter’s End, by Jean-Claude Mourlevat (trans. Anthea Bell) (415 page) – This is originally French, and it’s also been released as Winter Song. It made one of our Top 10 lists (Books in Which Winter Stars) under that title, and you can read about it there.
First line: ‘At a sign from the supervisor, a girl in the front row rose to her feet and went over to press the metal switch.‘
About a Girl, by Joanne Horniman (188 pages)
Raven Summer, by David Almond (198 pages)
There are not many new books this week. But there are enough to keep you going.
Hunger, by Michael Grant (600 pages) – This weighty tome is the sequel to Gone (we mention it here), and here is its official website. Which will save me writing a synopsis!
First line: ‘Sam Temple was on his board.‘
Hell’s Heroes, by Darren Shan (235 pages) – This here book is the tenth in The Demonata series. It is also the last! Luckily for me it too is a series with its own website. The copy I have here is signed by the author btw.
First lines: ‘“I miss Cal,” Dervish says. “We fought a lot when we were young, like all brothers, but we were always there for one another.”‘
The Uninvited, by Tim Wynne-Jones (351 pages) – Catalogue says: ‘After a disturbing freshman year at New York University, Mimi is happy to get away to her father’s remote Canadian cottage only to discover a stranger living there who has never heard of her or her father and who is convinced that Mimi is responsible for leaving sinister tokens around the property.’ The tokens are are like dead animals and creepy, Blair Witch-like things. Creeeeepy.
First line: ‘Waylin Pitney was gone.‘
Blue Plate Special, by Michelle D. Kwasney (366 pages) – Three girls from different decades (70s, 90s, and the 00s) learn about empathy, forgiveness, and self-respect as their stories weave together.
First line: ‘“Register found is now open with no waiting,” a celing voice booms, interrupting the Stevie Wonder tune playing over the intercom.‘
Nothing But Ghosts, by Beth Kephart (278 pages) – Katie’s mother has died and she is left to live with her genius, art-restoring father in a massive old house. She gets a job at an estate and along with a pair of brothers and a ‘glamorous librarian’ (obviously all librarians are glamorous) she ’soon becomes embroiled in decoding a mystery.’ ‘Heartfelt, lyrical,’ says the blurb.
First line: ‘There are the things that have been and the things that haven’t happened yet.‘
Lips Touch : Three Times, by Laini Taylor (265 pages) – Here is collected three stories (all nicely illustrated, in my opinion!) about romance. There is a strong fairy-tale/supernatural flavour to each story as well.
First line (of the first story): ‘There is a certain kind of girl the goblins crave.‘
Alice in Love & War, by Ann Turnbull (324 pages) – 1644, England, and the Civil War leads an army of Royalists to Alice Newcombe’s uncle’s farm. She falls in love with a soldier, Robin, and leaves the farm to travel with him (well, she travels with the other army women).
First line: ‘Alice was upstairs stripping beds, the windows flung open to sweeten the air, when she heard the drums.‘
Blood Ninja, by Nick Lake (369 pages) – This has ninjas. It also has vampires. It is set in imperial Japan. What more could you possibly want in a book? NOT MUCH. “A fast-paced, gripping book with ninjas. It’s all I ask for, really.” – Conn Iggulden, author of The Dangerous Book for Boys.
First line: ‘This was not a good place to be out at night, all alone.‘
The Mitochondrial Curiosities of Marcels 1-19, by Jocelyn Brown (141 pages)
Black Tuesday, by Susan Colebank (264 pages)
The Kites are Flying, by Michael Morpurgo and Laura Carlin (76 pages)
Read a children’s book from 1972 (the olden days) which attempted to depict what life would be like in 2010. Which is the year we’re in now, as you are aware! It gets a few thing right, although the robot arm that throws you your toast and the jumpsuits everyone wears are a bit of a stretch.
Why hello there. Here are SOME of this week’s (and last week’s) new books. (The rest are forthcoming.)
Lifegame, by Alison Allen-Gray (339 pages) – Fella and Grebe escape from the island to the outside world; a world, so they’ve been led to believe, has been subject to a cataclysmic disaster. But has it? Fella has a diary that belonged to his mother, who came from the Outside. Sci-fi thrill!
First line: ‘The baby was brought to the Orphanage straight from the car accident that killed his mother.’
Threads, by Sophia Bennett (254 pages) – A fairy tale about for London girls and fashion. There’s a website with more details! Interactive. ‘Girls will love it’, says Jacqueline Wilson.
First line: ‘We’re standing in a fashion designer’s studio in Hoxton, admiring ourselves in the mirror.‘
Crossing the Line, by Gillian Philip (267 pages) – Nick’s sister’s boyfriend was murdered; his father drinks and his mother is a religious maniac. He’s also in love with Orla, the sister of his murdered sister’s boyfriend. She (Orla) blames him (Nick) for his (the brother’s) death. Grim.
First line: ‘In this life you have to look after yourself.‘
Forbidden Island, Malcolm Rose (230 pages) – Mike and his pals explore an island off the Scottish coast. There are warnings! But they ignore them and find that the island is much, much more dangerous than other Scottish islands. Like Mull, Eigg, Yell, or even Fuaigh Mòr.
First line: ‘”There’s land ahead!” Mike shouted about the growl of the motor.‘
Morning in a Different Place, by Mary Ann McGuigan (195 pages) – ‘In 1963 in the Bronx, New York, eighth-graders Fiona and Yolanda help one another face hard decisions at home despite family and social opposition to their interracial friendship, but Fiona is on her own when popular classmates start paying attention to her and give her a glimpse of both a different way of life and a new kind of hatefulness.’ (Copied from the catalogue entry. Full credit!)
First line: ‘Now I know what invisible feels like.‘
You Are So Undead To Me, by Stacey Jay (265 pages) – Megan can communicate with zombies, semi-dead people who aren’t too troublesome. But someone in her school uses black magic and she and friend Ethan must team up to save homecoming from a ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE!
First line: ‘The cold wind swept across the hill, whistling through the headstones that poked from the ground like dozens of crooked baby teeth.‘
Dreaming of Amelia, by Jaclyn Moriarty (519 pages) – Amelia and Riley have transferred to Ashbury, a rich kids’ school, from Brookfield High. They are brilliant and mysterious, and soon everyone at Ashbury is obsessed with them. However! They have dark secrets. And ghosts. Also, locked doors, femme fatales, madness and passion feature.
First line: ‘My first look at her was her name.‘
The Wisdom of Dead Men, by Oisín McGann (468 pages) – Berto is the head of the ‘rich and ruthless’ Wildenstern family. He and his younger brother, Nate, want to change the cruel ways typical to their family. Nate and his sister-in-law Daisy must also investigate a spate of spontaneous combustion – and the deaths mightn’t be the fault of a Wildenstern.
First line: ‘Vicky Miller stumbled dizzily out into the darkness, away from the house and the stranger who lay dead inside it – the man she had just killed.‘
Voices in the Dark : The Last Descendants Trilogy Book II, by Catherine Banner (455 pages) – From the reliable old catalogue, source of so many synopses: ‘Sixteen-year-old Anselm Andros’s world is turned upside-down when he learns the identity of his birth father, and this personal upheaval mirrors that of his country, Malonia, which is on the brink of another war after fifteen years of relative peace.’
First line: ‘I want more than anything to tell you the truth about my life.‘
Here’s a small amount of new stuff (no book covers though, as the server’s currently down). The little hooks are how we rate the first sentence.
Fade, by Lisa McMann (248 pages) – the sequel to Wake. Cassandra Clare calls the book “shuddersome”, which is kind of a cool word. The dream catchers Janie and Cabel must expose something horrid that’s going on at Fieldridge High.
First sentence: Janie spirits through the snowy yards from two streets away and slips quietly through the front door of her house.
Hate List, by Jennifer Brown (408 pages) – Val’s boyfriend, Nick, uses a list he and she created (of things and people they hate) to mow down their classmates in the cafeteria. The story is about Val coming to grips with her role in what has happened, the loss of her boyfriend, and how to move on.
First sentence: The scene in the Garvin High School cafeteria, known as the Commons, is being described as “grim” by investigators who are working to identify the victims of a shooting spree that erupted Friday morning.
Killer, by Sara Shepard (A Pretty Little Liars novel, 321 pages) – the sixth book in the series, the first paragraph on the dust jacket says it all: “In picture-perfect Rosewood, Pennsylvania, ash-blond highlights gleam in the winter sun and frozen lakes sparkle like Swarovski crystal. But pictures often lie – and so do Rosewood’s four prettiest girls.”
First sentence: What if, all of a sudden, you could remember every single second of your entire life?
When Irish Guys are Smiling, by Suzanne Supplee (211 pages), and The Great Call of China, by Cynthea Liu (246 pages) – these two titles are part of the series S.A.S.S., or Students Across the Seven Seas, about girls (mostly I think) who go on exchange, experience culture shock, learn about themselves, meet cute guys, and all the other things you’d expect.
Ember Fury, by Cathy Brett (232 pages) – Ember Fury’s parents are celebrities, and they are more interested in their own rise to the top than they are in Ember. So Ember – who hates the whole celebrity world – is a pyromaniac.
First sentence: ‘Fizzzzz … crack … whoosh … It was a tiny tongue at first, then it spread like a rippling, orange blanket over the floorboards and poured itself up the walls.’
Brainjack, by Brian Falkner (438 pages) – Sam Wilson, brilliant teenage computer hacker, has a go at the computer systems of the White House. This reckless obsession leads Sam into a dangerous world of ‘espionage and intrigue; of cybercrime and imminent war.’ Dangerous, sure, but pretty exciting you must admit.
First sentence: ‘On Friday, on his way to school, Sam Wilson brought the United States of America to its knees.‘
Mwah Mwah, by Chloe Rayban (263 pages) – Hannah’s plans for the holidays are foiled by her mother, who sends her off to Paris for a fortnight. Hannah isn’t too happy as she will have to stay with the unpleasant Matthilde (although I think we’d all like to grin and bear it if it means a couple of weeks in Paris).
First sentence: ‘”Mayjesweesewer. Annaseraravy! Weegrobeezoo. Abeeantow.”‘
Swerve, by Phillip Gwynne (228 pages)
Trashed (A Year in Girl Hell), by Meredith Costain (151 pages).
Judging from a website titled Ultramarines The Movie there is to be an Ultramarines movie. It seems a fair conclusion to reach. What are Ultramarines? Why, they’re genetically-modified super-soldiers in space, and part of the Warhammer 40k gaming universe. The movie probably won’t be out for a while, but once a trailer appears we will post it!
While the library doesn’t have gaming, we do have a rulebook (for the Warhammer fantasy RPG); we also carry White Dwarf magazine, and we have some of the related novels (and here’s 5 good reasons why you should read them if you haven’t already).
Yes! More new anime, and it’s on the catalogue so you can reserve it now. We have the first fourteen DVDs of Bleach : Agent of the Soul Reaper, which is pretty exciting (it’s very good) (website) and My-HiME : My Otome, which can be read about on Wikipedia (or through the official website in Japanese). Both series should be available from next week.
Some of the others we will be getting are mentioned in this previous post.
(All of the Samura Champloo series will soon become available through the library, although probably as an adult DVD only.)
There are only six, which is less than usual! Never mind.
The Wednesday Wars, by Gary D. Schmidt (264 pages) – This came out in 2007 and won a Newbery Honor Medal in 2008. It’s about a boy growing up in 1967 on Long Island, in the U.S. A pretty tumultuous time.
First line: ‘Of all the kids in the seventh grade at Camillo Junior High, there was one kid that Mrs. Baker hated with heat whiter than the sun.‘
Pink, by Lili Wilkinson (288 pages) – Ava takes on a new image – she doesn’t want to wear black and she doesn’t want to like girls, so she takes to wearing pink and acting perky and even tries to get a boyfriend. Her new ’shiny reinvented life is far more fragile than she imagines.’
First line: ‘”You’re leaving?’ Chloe dropped my hand. “I know, it sucks,” I lied. ‘My parents think I’ll get better marks at a new school.” Another lie.’
Troubadour, by Mary Hoffman (290 pages) – Set in France during the Crusades. Elinor, a young noblewoman, is told she must marry a much older man. So she scarpers and becomes a troubadour, a wandering poet, like the guy she’s in love with, Bertram.
First line: ‘A small group of monks was making its way down to the river crossing.‘
King of the Screwups : A Novel, by K. L. Going (310 pages) – After getting in trouble yet again, popular high school senior Liam, who never seems to live up to his wealthy father’s expectations, is sent to live in a trailer park with his gay “glam-rocker” uncle [Catalogue description].
First line (well, of the second chapter): ‘“You’re a screwup, Liam. Do you think being Mr. Popularity will be enough to get you by in life?”‘
Time of Trial : The Fourth Volume of The Laws of Magic, by Michael Pryor (427 pages) – I’ve not read these and it’s difficult to find out the story’s premise. It looks cool! If anyone has read the series please comment.
First line: ‘Aubrey Fitzwilliam braced himself for the next attack from his young, tall and menacing adversary.‘
Raw Blue, by Kirsty Eagar (273 pages)
Daniel X : Watch The Skies, by James Patterson (251 pages) – Further adventures of teenage alien hunter, Daniel X. This time the alien menace threatens humanity via television.
First line: ‘It was a pretty regular early-summer night at 72 Little Lane.‘
Girls Against Girls, by Bonnie Burton (128 pages) – This non-fiction book looks at the reasons why girls are sometimes mean to one another, what to do if one is being bullied, and why it is better to treat others with respect.
Girl Meets Cake, by Susie Day (215 pages) – Heidi has invented a boyfriend (she had to – it was an emergency). Now, because he’s so perfect, Heidi’s friends are messaging him all kinds of secrets.
First lines: ‘“Poop on a fork, Heidi. What part of ‘I don’t want to see your face in here Saturday’ did you not follow?” Betsy yells before I’m even halfway through the door of the Little Leaf cafe.‘
The Road of the Dead, by Kevin Brooks (292 pages) – Brother Ruben and Cole learn that their sister has been found, murdered, many miles from home. Determined to find out what happened, the brothers retrace her steps.
First line: ‘When the Dead Man got Rachel I was sitting in the back of a wrecked Mercedes wondering if the rain was going to stop.‘
Nicholas Dane, by Melvin Burgess (408 pages) – Fourteen-year-old Nick is sent to a boys’ home after his mother’s death, and things get much, much worse. Much worse.
First line: ‘Nick Dane lifted his head and stared blearily at the doorway.‘
Devil’s Kiss, by Sarwat Chadda (278 pages) – Billi SanGreal’s father belongs to The Order, who protect the world from the Unholy. She’s about to go through her Ordeal, which is he chance to join the Order. Look, an official website!
First line: ‘Killing him should be easy; he’s only six.‘
The Witching Hour, by Elizabeth Laird (417 pages) – 17th century Scotland; a bad time to be accused of witchcraft. Maggie’s grandmother is accused and so Maggie must flee to her uncle’s holdings, where he’s defying the English King. Historic thrills!
First line: ‘I was the first one to see the whale lying dead on the san at Scalpsie Bay.‘
Here’s some books that are the latest in continuing series:
Carpe Corpus : Book Six of The Morganville Vampires, by Rachel Caine (243 pages)
The Diamond Secret : Once Upon a Time, by Suzanne Weyn (209 pages)
Burned : A Year in Girl Hell 3, by Meredith Costain (139 pages)
Death by Denim : Death By 3, by Linda Gerber (211 pages)
My (Dating Disasters) Diary by Kelly Ann, by Liz Rettig (355 pages)
In brief:
Get Your Paws Off!, by Rachel Wright (145 pages)
New books for the week - part two.
Eagle Day, by Robert Muchamore (405 pages) – The much-awaited latest book in the Henderson’s Boys series. Charles Henderson is a British spy, who leads some kids in actions against the Germans during WWII (it’s not set in the present, obviously). There’s an official website with all kinds of interesting content and downloads.
First line: ‘It was eleven at night, but the port of Bordeaux crackled with life.’
Goldstrike, by Matt Whyman (265 pages) – Teen hacker Carl is being pursued by a bounty hunter and an al-Queda assassin. His only recourse is to hide out in a warehouse guarded by Cleo, a hyper-super-computer that doesn’t like intruders …
First line: ‘In black suits and dark glasses, the three men stand out among the throng.‘
Stolen, by Vivian Vande Velde (158 pages) – On the same day that a child-stealing witch is supposedly immolated in a house-fire, a girl appears in the forest with no memory of where she’s from. Could she have been taken by the witch six years earlier?
First line: ‘The old witch saw that she had gone too far.‘
Eternal, by Cynthia Leitich Smith (307 pages) – Miranda’s life is saved by her guardian angel, Zachary, but she’s consequently converted into a vampire. She is adopted by the King of the Mantle of Dracul, and Zachary pretends to be her assistant in an effort to save her soul. Has werewolves and romance also.
First line: ‘I may be heaven-sent, but I’m not perfect.‘
The Bower Bird, by Ann Kelley (196 pages) – Twelve-year-old Gussie has many plans; she wants to be a photographer, loves animals, and needs to cope with her parents’ divorce. Alas! She also needs a heart and lung transplant, and time isn’t on her side.
First lines: ‘We’ve been here for two weeks. I’m still not well enought to start at the local school.‘
Plague of the Undead : Chronicles of Blood, by Gary Cross (300 pages) – It’s 1650, and Lucius’ father – a newly-made vampire – has just killed his family. Lucius survived, and joins an elite band of vampire hunters, tracking down the master vampire who wants to turn the world into a vampire race. Written by a NZer!
First line: ‘The boy knew his father was going to kill him.‘
Fat Hoochie Prom Queen, by Nico Medina (290 pages) – Margarita “Madge” Diaz is ‘fat, foxy, and fabulous’; she and her rival, student-body president Bridget Benson, decide to compete with one another be named prom queen. The loser will back off, for good. Both will do whatever it takes to win.
First line: ‘I hate Bridget Benson.‘
Saving Rafael, by Leslie Wilson (410 pages) – Jenny and Raf are in love, but they live in Nazi-ruled Berlin – and Raf is Jewish. They join with others who must try to stay alive and eventually flee from immense danger.
First line: ‘We were in a cow byre, ten of us, cleaning out the stalls in our thin striped calico skirts and jackets.‘
Blood Sun, by David Gilman (400 pages) – This is the third in the Danger Zone series of books about eco-hero teen Max Gordon. Official website here!
First lines: ‘Darkness devoured him. Eyes wide with terror, he saw only the gaping void, heard his desperate breathing hammering through his skull as the rasping one-eyed monster pursued him.‘
Raven Rise : Pendragon Book Nine, by D. J. Machale (544 pages) – book nine is the second to last in the series and finds Bobby Pendragon trapped and the final battle for Halla about to begin. Can he save the world? The book cover says this is The Lord of the Rings for the Alex Rider generation. Discuss.
First sentence(s): “Ibara!” The tunnel remained silent.
Ghost Medicine, by Andrew Smith (357 pages) – After the death of his mother, Troy just wants to spend the summer hanging out with his friends and being sort of invisible, but life gets in the way with complex, dangerous twists and turns.
First sentence: I can see myself lying in the dirt, on my back, on a warm, starry night, with my feet up on those rocks, ringing a swirling and noisy fire, listening, laughing, seeing the sparks that corkscrew, spinning above me into the black like dying stars, fading, disappearing, becoming something else; my hat back on my head so I can just see my friends from the corners of my eyes.
Half Way to Good, by Kirsten Murphy (320 pages) – from the back cover: “A funny and moving novel about dealing with love, death and everything in between.”
First sentence: Waiting wasn’t anyone’s idea of fun.
The Stepsister Scheme, by Jim C. Hines (344 pages) – Cinderella (real name Danielle) is attacked by her stepsister Charlotte shortly after her (Cinderella, that is) marries Prince Armand. Martial arts expert and fairy-blessed Talia – or Sleeping Beauty – comes to the rescue, but not before Armand is taken to the Realm of the Fairies. Talia, and Snow White, both part of the Queen’s Secret Service, join with Danielle to get Armand back.
First line: ‘Danielle Whiteshore, formerly Danielle de Glas, would never be a proper princess.‘
The Poison Garden, by Sarah Singleton (284 pages) – Thomas’ recently deceased grandmother leaves him a magic box that enables him to enter a mysterious garden. He encounters her ghost there, where she reveals that she belonged to arcane guild of chemists. She was poisoned during a struggle for power, and now Thomas must find the murderer before he himself becomes a victim.
First line: ‘High in the tower the bell tolled, counting out eleven hours.‘
Bang, Bang, You’re Dead, by Narinder Dhami (247 pages) – A gunman is rumoured to be somewhere in Mia’s school, and the place is being evacuated. Mia has a dreadful feeling that the gunman is her brother, Jamie, who has been acting very weird lately. Can she get to him in time? This book has a terrific twist at the end that’s right I read the end first
First line: ‘The scene is normal: a family at breakfast on Monday morning before the kids go off to school.‘
In brief:
Brown Skin Blue, by Belinda Jeffrey (211 pages)
Butterfly, by Sonya Hartnett (214 pages)
Lunch with Lenin and Other Stories, by Deborah Ellis (169 pages) – a collection of short stories about teens whose lives are affected by the drug trade.
There are heaps of new books this week. Heaps!
The Dead Girls’ Dance : The Morganville Vampires Book Two, by Rachel Caine (248 pages)
Midnight Alley : The Morganville Vampires Book Three, by Rachel Caine (245 pages)
Feast of Fools : The Morganville Vampires Book Four, by Rachel Caine (242 pages)
Lord of Misrule : The Morganville Vampires Book Five, by Rachel Caine (244 pages) – These bring the library’s collection of these big-in-the-US vampire books up-to-date. The next book is due out this month, and book six is due later this year.
Damosel : In Which the Lady of the Lake Renders a Frank and Often Startling Account of Her Wondrous Life and Times, by Stephanie Spinner (198 pages) – The Lady of the Lake, as everyone knows, was the one who gave King Arthur his sword. This is as adaption of the myth with her as its central character.
First line: ‘I am so well versed in The Rules Governing the Ladies of the Lake that I could recite them backward on a dare, but the wisdom I treasure most was gleaned not from that vast, ancient compendium, but from my own earnest blundering.‘
Something, Maybe, by Elizabeth Scott (217 pages) – Hannah’s parents are famous and notorious, and she’s managed to live life under the radar. But! Nothing is ever that simple, especially with crazy parents and falling in lurve.
First line: ‘Everyone’s seen my mother naked.‘
Highway to Hell, by Rosemary Clement-Moore (357 pages) -Maggie Quinn and friend Lisa look forward to spending their spring break (which is a holiday in the US when everyone goes to the beach) in a waterfront hotel and taking a break from fighting evil. But! They get stuck in a small town in Texas, where weird, probably evil things are happening.
First line: ‘Some people think that Texas has only one season, that it’s summer all year long.‘
Walkaway, by Alden R. Carter (202 pages) – Andy is fed up with his family and decides to walk away, into the Wisconsin woods. His skills allow him to survive but can he escape own ‘emotional demons’? It’s like Man vs Wild but with a dysfunctional family.
First line: ‘I’m between the car and the garage door.‘
First Strike, by Jack Higgins and Justin Richards (295 pages) – Twins Jade and Rich have saved the life of the US President, and during a tour of the White House they find themselves embroiled in a potential third world war.
First line: ‘Rich watched the tanks rolling down the main street.‘
Jarvis 24, by David Metzenthen (255 pages) – So far, Marc E. Jarvis has lost a white football boot, a school tie and a best friend. But when he completes ‘work experience’ at a local car yard he is truly shaken up. Then he meets Electra and nothing will ever be the same again. (From the book cover)
First line: ‘I tend to worry, I know I do, but only because I think there is lots of things to worry about.‘
The Dust of 100 Dogs, by A. S. King (330 pages) – In the seventeenth century, ‘famed teenage pirate’ Emer Morrisey was cursed to have to live the lives of 100 dogs. Now, centuries later, she’s a contempary American teenager with only one goal; to dig up her buried treasure in Jamaica.
First line: ‘With one last, almighty roar, the Frenchman fell to his knees and died.‘
Freefall : Book Three of The Tunnels Series, by Roderick Gordon and Brian Williams (579 pages) – This follows Tunnels and Deeper in a series. A pretty popular series, too. Learn more about it all at the official website.
First line: ‘“Herrrrrph,” Chester Rawls groaned softly to himself.‘
The Thirteenth Child : Frontier Magic Book 1, by Patricia Wrene (344 pages) – Eff is a thirteenth child (bringing bad luck), and her twin brother is a seventh son (bringing good luck); I had to think about this for a few moments, but it does make sense. Their father is to be a professor of magic at the frontier (the magical divide that protects settlers from the beasts of the wilderness) and all kinds of crazy stuff goes down.
First line: ‘ Everybody knows that a seventh son is lucky.’
In brief:
Triple Shot Bettys In Love, by Jody Gehrman (249 pages)
Running on the Cracks, by Julia Donaldson (335 pages)
A Year in Girl Hell 2 : Dumped, by Meredith Costain (154 pages)
The Sweetest Thing : An Inside Girl Novel, by J. Minter (248 pages)
Starclimber, by Kenneth Oppel (390 pages) – This is the sequel to Airborn and Skybreaker. Matt and Kate travel are astralnauts on board the spaceship Starclimber. An exciting race to the stars turns ‘into a battle to save their lives.’
First sentence: ‘Rising into the wind, I flew, Paris spread before me.’
Twilight : Director’s Notebook, by Catherine Hardwicke (163 pages) – The story of how they made the film. We wrote about it here.
Revelations : A Blue Bloods Novel, by Melissa de la Cruz (264 pages) – The third novel in the Blue Bloods series about vampires. Is Schuyler Van Alen a Blue Blood, or a sinister Silver Blood? ‘Romance, glamour, and vampire lore …’
First sentence: ‘On an early and bitterly cold morning in late March, Schuyler Van Alen let herself inside the glass doors of the Duchesne School, feeling relieved as she walked into the soaring barrel-ceiling entryway dominated by an imposing John Singer Sargent portrait of the school’s founders.‘
Glass Houses : The Morganville Vampires Book One, by Rachel Caine (247 pages) – This was the runner-up to the Selector vote-for-a-new-series thing we ran not so long ago. It seemed pretty good (and is very popular in the US) and worth getting. The Texas town of Morganville is home to a large number of vampires, who lived in peace with the resident mortals. Until the evil Bishop arrives, that is …
First sentence: ‘On the day Claire became a member of the Glass House, somebody stole her laundry.‘
Alligator Bayou, by Donna Jo Napoli (280 pages) – Set in Tallulah, Louisiana, the US, in 1899. A Sicilian family is caught in the middle of tensions between the black and white communities. Disaster dogs their family at every turn.
First sentence: ‘The night is so dark, I can barely see my hands.‘
Perfect Match : An Inside Girl Novel, by J. Minter (227 pages)
Inside Girl : An Inside Girl Novel, by J. Minter (229 pages)
Girls We Love : An Insiders Girls Novel, by J. Minter (215 pages)
The Inside Girl series won our Selector competition a few months ago, and they’re finally in! The third title is part of the parent series that a reader recommended we get.
The Vanishing of Katharina Linden, by Helen Grant (342 pages)
The Good Daughter, by Amra Pajalic (314 pages)
The Lucky Ones, by Tohby Riddle (211 pages)
Cracked Up To Be, by Courtney Summers (214 pages)
There are new books in this week. (The old books may be in the library’s booksale which is on right now.)
Theodork, by Jessica Green (177 pages) – On his first day in year seven Theo is rather cruelly labelled a dork, and all his efforts to reverse this only make things worse. A comedy.
First sentence: ‘I’m lying here in hospital, one arm in plaster, two legs hanging from a frame, and bruises fading in places I’d rather not think about.‘
Keepinitreal, by Don Henderson (229 pages) – A bike gang war is started when Kid Kabula knocks Fatts Charvetto into a pond display at the local mall. Whichsoundsabitroughbutshouldbeokayintheend.
First sentence: ‘Because this is pretty much a story about how I stopped being an egg-heaed idiot, I might as well start at the moment Kid Kabula exploded through the upstairs doors of the Victory Garden Mall.‘
Fever Crumb, by Philip Reeve (321 pages) – A new book in the Infernal Engines world; huge, armoured fortresses that move across the wastelands. The book has a neat cover!
First sentence: ‘That morning they were making paper boys.‘
Gauntanamo Boy, by Anna Perera (339 pages) – Khalid, a British teenager, goes to Pakistan to see his family. There he is kidnapped and forced into a prison in Cuba called Guantanamo Bay, which you may have heard about in recent years.
First sentence: ‘ Sometimes, Khalid things as he drags himself home after another boring day at school, I’d rather be anywhere but here.’
Nathaniel Wolfe and the Bodysnatchers, by Brian Keane (197 pages) – Ghost hunter, Nathaniel Wolfe, must travel to the Other Side to vanquish whatever it is that the bodysnatchers plundering the graveyard have stirred up.
First sentence: ‘Lady Huntercombe was a thin woman with a pointed nose and rather distrustful expression.‘
The Game of Triumphs, by Laura Powell (308 pages) – Fifteen-year-old Cat enters a dangerous world called The Arcanum, where a deadly card game is played out in this mix of reality of fantasy.
First sentence: ‘It was his breathing that she noticed first: the hoarse, ragged wheezes of someone who has been running hard.‘
The Madman of Venice, by Sophie Masson (293 pages) - A vengeful Venetian Countess, a girl accused of witchcraft, a horde of pirates, murder and secrecy, and a madman that haunts the city - Venice, 1602, has it all, and English merchant Matthew Ashby, his daughter and his young assistant must investigate.
First sentence: ‘The city is a riot of laughter and parties and noise.‘
Love, Lies and Lizzie, by Rosie Rushton (216 pages) – This is the fourth of Rosie Rushton’s Austen adaptions. This time she’s updated Pride and Prejudice for the 21st Century. Lizzie Bennet and her sisters are ’swept up in a glamorous life of partying and country pursuits’.
First sentences: ‘“So you dumped him? Just like that? In the middle of the school trip? Are you crazy?”‘
The Forest of Hands and Teeth, by Carrie Ryan (310 pages) – From the catalogue – Through twists and turns of fate, orphaned Mary seeks knowledge of life, love, and especially what lies beyond her walled village and the surrounding forest, where dwell the Unconsecrated, aggressive flesh-eating people who were once dead. Creepy!
First sentence: ‘My mother used to tell me about the ocean.‘
Solar Nation, by Erica Blaney (344 pages) – Solly and Lalune must lead the people of Clandoi out of the darkness and into the sun. Sci fi! A sequel to Cyber Nation.
First sentence: ‘”Ruined!” bellowed the cook, hurling a pan of scalded soup out of the door.‘
Being Nikki, by Meg Cabot (336 pages) – This is the second in Cabot’s Airhead series of books, about Emerson Watts, a ‘braniac in the body of a teenage supermodel’ – a mixture of sci fi, romance, mystery, and chick(en) lit.
First sentence: ‘I’m cold.‘
Remember This, by S. T. Underdahl (282 pages) – Lucy’s looking foward to summer. But she embarrasses herself when trying out for the cheerleading team, ends up dating a boy she previously disliked, and has to watch her grandmother suffer from the onset of Alzheimer’s disease.
First sentences: ‘Remember this: I love you. It was the special saying my Nana Lucy and I had for each other, ever since I was tiny.‘
Sword : A Novel, by Da Chen (232 pages) – Martial arts expert Miu Miu turns fifteen and is told by her mother about her father’s violent death. Miu Miu is asked to avenge her father, and to find her fated true love, all in the faraway city of Chang’an. The Emperor has ‘other plans’.
First sentence: ‘On the morning of Miu Miu’s fifteenth birthday, her mother did not arrange a visit by a matchmaker, as all the mothers of Goose Village did when their daughters reached marriageable age.‘
The Bloodstone Bird, by Inbali Iserles (326 pages) – Sash finds a riddle in his father’s study, which leads him – and his enemy, Verity – on the search for a magical bird. Their search takes them to a dazzling new world.
First sentence: ‘“In the beginning, Aqarti was a lush paradise surrounded by endless sea.”‘
Sharp Shot, by Jack Higgins and Justin Richards (297 pages) – Twins Jade and Rich are kidnapped and find themselves at the centre of a deadly plot, involving the first Gulf War and explosives. This is the third book in a series.
First sentence: ‘John Chance raised his powerful binoculars and focused on the low building on the other side of the sand dune.‘
The Other Side of the Island : A Novel, by Allegra Goodman (280 pages) – Honor and her family move to Island 365, where the weather is always nice, there’s no unhappiness or violence, and everyone prays to Earth Mother and her Corporation. Honor and her family don’t fit in, however, and she meets Helix; together they uncover a terrible secret about the island.
First sentence: ‘All this happened many years ago, before the streets were air-conditioned.‘
Crushed : A Year in Girl Hell, by Meredith Costain (137 pages) – It’s Lexi’s first year of high school and life is changing fast. Her friends split up and Lexi has to choose between her old friends and her new, cooler friends. And she develops a crush on Jack, one of the cool kids. For younger teens.
First sentence: ‘“Lexi, can you hurry up please?”‘
Undiscovered Country : A Novel, by Lin Enger (308 pages) – Seventeen-year-old Jesse is out hunting with his father in Minnesota on a cold, wintery day. His father is shot; and it looks like he had killed himself. His father’s ghost begins to haunt Jesse, and he soon uncovers family secrets and his own, new responsibility. This book is a ‘bold reinvention’ of Shakespeare’s Hamlet.
First sentence: ‘As I write this, I am sitting in the kitchen of the small house where we’ve lived now for a decade.‘
Fouth Comings : A Novel, by Megan McCafferty (310 pages) – This is the fourth Jessica Darling book and it will be very difficult to summarise in my usual two or three sentences. But if you’ve read the others you will be hanging out for this (I know Grimm will probably be first to read it).
First sentence: ‘”Waiting sucks.” The voice was male and came from behind my right shoulder.”
Bliss, by Lauren Myracle (444 pages) – Bliss has grown up in a Californian commune, and is sent to live with her strict grandmother and to study at Crestview, an exclusive school for the rich with an old, dark history. There she is targetted by Sandy, a girl obsessed with the occult. A ‘contagiously creepy tale of high school horror.’
First sentence: ‘Grandmother won’t tolerate occultism, even of the nose-twitching sort made so adorable by Samantha Stevens, so I’m not allowed to watch Bewitched.’
In brief:
The Beginner’s Guide to Living, by Lia Hills (248 pages)
A Small Free Kiss in the Dark, by Glenda Millard (225 pages)
Dead is a State of Mind, by Marlene Perez (175 pages)
Miguel de Cervantes’ Don Quixote, retold by Martin Jenkins and illustrated by Chris Riddell (347 pages)
Saving Sam, by Susan Brocker (192 pages)
New DVDs:
Skykids (Rated M) – Two friends sneak aboard a plane for a look and it takes off. They discover a bomb and then – to compound the dire situation further – realise that they’re the only ones left on board.
Grange Hill Series 1 & 2 (Rated PG) – Grange Hill was a British drama series about a group of kids at a high school. It lasted from 1978 until late last year. This DVD collects the first two series. Very retro. Maybe.
That’s right – new books (and a few DVDs)! All can be reserved or – if you’re quick – taken from the shelves.
Heroes of the Valley, by Jonathan Stroud (389 pages) – An epic fantasy novel by the author of the Bartimaeus Trilogy. Halli loves stories about the past, when heroes were heroes and adventure was everywhere. So when he gets the chance to go on a daring quest of his own, he’s dead keen.
First sentence: ‘Listen then, and I’ll tell you again of the Battle of the Rock.’
3 Willows : A New Sisterhood Grows, by Ann Brashares (318 pages) – This is the fifth Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants book, and now there is a new sisterhood; Polly, Jo, and Ana. And of course the pants, which can’t be washed and are magical. A bit like my old Levi 528s.
First sentence: ‘The last day of school was a half day.’
Eon : Rise of the Dragoneye, by Alison Goodman (429 pages) – Another epic fantasy, Eon is inspired by the myths of Ancient China. Eon has the potential to become a Dragoneye, an apprentice to the terrifying Rat Dragon. He – or rather she, as Eon is in fact Eona – finds herself in the dangerous and opulent Imperial court.
First sentence: ‘No one knows how the first Dragoneyes made their dangerous bargain with the twelve energy dragons of good fortune.‘
Call me Mimi, by Francis Chalifour (178 pages) – Mimi lives in her own fantasy world; she loves beauty, the Queen, and chocolate. She doesn’t think she is beautiful, however, thanks to all the chocolate. Leaving her doting mother, Mimi heads to Toronto to try to find her father, and ends up finding much, much more. ‘Poignant, funny, and real.’
First sentences: ‘Call me Mimi. I used to be a pretty normal kid (I think) until high school, when I was accepted at St. Mary’s Academy for Girls.‘
Isabelle’s Boyfriend, by Caroline Hickey (185 pages) - Fifteen-year-old Taryn befriends Isabelle, the girlfriend of the guy Taryn thinks is perfect and has a crush on, so that she can steal him. Probably not the best plan, as Taryn quickly finds out.
First sentence: ‘When I get home from school, the dog is scratching at the back door, demanding to go out and pee.‘
Deadville, by Ron Koertge (212 pages) – Ryan’s sister died from cancer two years ago, and since then he’s been floating through life, doing as little as possible. When a popular senior has an accident and falls into a coma, Ryan finds himself visiting her daily. While at the hospital he encounters a boy who claims he can speak with the dead.
First sentence: ‘I’m washing my hands in the bathroom a couple of doors down from the principal’s office.‘
Winter Song, by Jean-Claude Mourlevat (420 pages) – Four teenagers flee across icy mountains, trying to escape a pack of dog-men sent by the regime that had imprisoned them and searching for a secret resistance movement. This novel, about a despotic not-too-distant future, is translated from the French.
First sentence: ‘At a sign from the supervisor, a girl in the front row rose to her feet and went over to press the metal switch.‘
In brief:
Parsifal’s Page, by Gerald Morris (232 pages) - Book 4 in The Squire’s Tales series.
Blade : Breaking Free, by Tim Bowler (145 pages) -
A Beautiful Place for a Murder, by Berlie Doherty (147 pages) – Murder/mystery.
The Long Weekend, by Savita Kalhan (180 pages) – Thriller.
New DVDs:
The Tribal Eye : The Complete Series – David Attenborough looks at tribal art around the world.
Gossip Girl : The Complete First Season – This series is very popular with librarians.
Beast Wars : Transformers (Season One) and
Beast Wars : Transformers (Season Three) - This came out about 10 years ago, and its use of CG and well-written stories ‘brought fans back to the Transformers!’
The Superbowl is the championship game for the NFL, which means it’s a bit like the U.S. version of the Rugby World Cup. But with American football, not rugby. It is screened on the telly and about two-thirds of all Americans watch it; it is incredibly popular. Which means that advertisement time is sold at a premium, and many new films show their movie trailers for the first time.
We’re not as interested in the Superbowl (sorry) as we are in the film trailers that premiered on Monday, during Superbowl XLIII. While we can’t embed any of them – they’re not officially on Youtube (I did try!) - they are all available from Quicktime, and include Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, G. I. Joe, Land of the Lost, Star Trek, and The Fast and the Furious 4, among others. Enjoy.
Can’t wait for G. I. Joe, as it has ninjas. <3
Other film trailers to look out for are Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Astroboy, and Dragonball Z: Evolution (in French, but it’s official!)
More new books from last week and this week. Christmas week!
Last Kiss of the Butterfly, by Jill Hucklesby (287 pages) – Jaz is a London girl and proud of it, but her mother – who has cancer – wants the two of them to spend a final summer in a cottage on the marshes. Not quite what Jaz wants, until she meets Ethan, who’s quiet but a bit of a stunner.
First sentence: ‘Here with me.’
Hunting Elephants, by James Roy (339 pages) – Harry’s Uncle Frank’s Vietnam War experiences threaten to exacerbate family tensions. And! There may be a crazed gunman in the bushes.
First sentence: ‘Harry was dying.’
The Celebutantes : In The Club, The Celebutantes : To The Penthouse, and The Celebutantes : On The Avenue, all by Antonion Pagliarulo (327, 356, and 340 pages respectively) – The Hamiton triplets are named Madison, Park, and Lexington, and are rich heiresses living in New York. Sort of like the Gossip Girl books, but with richer, more famous girls.
First sentences (in order): ‘She reached for her sunglasses.’ ‘The Ambassadors for the Arts Luncheon, held annually in the legendary Conrad Suite of the Waldorf-Astoria hotel, had officially begun.’ ‘Night fell cool and crazy over Manhattan, the streets buzzing with the first hint of spring.’
Antsy Does Time, by Neal Shüsterman (247 pages) – Fourteen-year-old Ansty (short for Anthony) learns about life when his terminally-ill friend (with the awesome name, Gunnar Ümlaut) feels hopeful for the future.
First sentences: ‘It was all my idea. The stupid ones usually are.’
Into the Dark : An Echo Falls Mystery, by Peter Abrahams (262 pages) – Super-sleuth Ingrid Levin-Hill finds a body while out snowshoeing (which is when you walk on snow while wearing shoes that resemble tennis racquets). Unfortunately, the body is on her grandfather’s land and he’s sent to jail. Ingrid needs to uncover the past to find out the truth.
First sentence: ‘“Brucie?” said Jill Monteiro, director of the Prescott Players.’
Gay America : Struggle for Equality, by Linas Alsenas (160 pages)[Non-fiction] - This is an extensive and very interesting history of gay rights in America, written for teen readers.
Let it Snow: Three Holiday Romances, by John Green, Maureen Johnson, and Lauren Myracle (352 pages) – There are three stories in this book about high school romance. Although written by different authors the stories are connected. As the title suggests the stories rely rather on a white Christmas – but we’re used to that.
First sentence from each story: ‘It was the night before Christmas.’ ‘JP and the Duke and I were four movies in to our James Bond marathon when my mother called home for the sixth time in five hours.’ ‘Being me sucked.’
A World Away, by Pauline Francis (316 pages) – Nadie is an American Indian girl who is taken by the early settlers of America back to England, to display to Queen Elizabeth I. There she falls in love with Tom, a blacksmith; can he survive with her, back in her own country? I could tell you … but I won’t.
First sentence: ‘Flames light the length of my mother’s body and lick around her slender neck.‘
The Mendini Canticle, by Brian Keaney (201 pages) – This is book three in the science fiction series, Promises of Dr Sigmundus.
First sentence: ‘The storm that had raged over the south of Gehenna had finally blown itself out.’
Crowboy, by David Calcutt (233 pages) – A war-torn city with gangs of warring children. Sort of a cross between Mad Max and Lord of the Flies, according to Amazon (where it reviews well).
First sentence: ‘So I’m outside the city one evening on me usual rounds, sorting through the leftovers and picking me way through the day’s dead.‘
Drawing Words and Writing Pictures : Making Comics: Manga, Graphic Novels, and Beyond, by Jessica Abel and Matt Madden (282 pages) [non fiction] - This is a ‘definitive course from concept to comic in 15 lessons’. It’s a very, very nice book, laden with illustrations and guides. I’d go so far as to say that it’s the definitive book for people wanting to write and draw their own comics.
Merry Christmas, yall!
Check this collection out (we’re swamped).
The Kingdom on the Waves (Volume II of The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, 561 pages), by M.T. Anderson. Get your thinking caps on, volume two is here (volume one being The Pox Party). This scary-looking tome – an account of the American Revolution from the point of view of a young slave in Boston – is getting absolutely mad rave reviews everywhere. You should read it if you’re interested in history.
First sentence: The rain poured from the heavens as we fled across the mud-flats, that scene of desolation; it soaked through our clothes and bit at the skin with its chill.
Two Parties, One Tux, and a Very Short Film About The Grapes of Wrath, by Steven Goldman (307 pages). Mitchell, a “geek” tries to navigate high school, his complicated friendship with his best friend David, finding himself with not one but two prom dates… a funny book with a “colourful cast of characters”.
First sentence: We are standing at a party, a still, quiet eddy in the swirl of motion and noise.
Strangled Silence, by Oisin McGann (436 pages). Oisin McGann (who is a man, by the way) has written what appears to be a conspiracy-theory/cover up/suspense/thriller story with just a hint of horror. It should be full of action and tension.
First sentence: Ivor McMorris was on his way to buy some milk when his blind eye started hurting him again.
The Disappeared, by Gloria Whelan (136 pages). A story set in 1970s Argentina during a time of civil unrest (known as The Dirty War), when many people were taken from their homes to secret prisons, often never to return. These people were known as The Disappeared. Incidentally, the association called The Mothers of the Disappeared was the inspiration for songs written by U2 (’Mothers of the Disappeared’ from The Joshua Tree) and Sting (’They Dance Alone’).
First sentence: Eduardo, it happened hours ago but I relive it again and again.
Zombie Blondes, by Brian James (232 pages). The girl on the cover has disturbingly large eyes (courtesy of artist Sas Christian). Blonde zombie cheerleaders are the most popular girls in the school that Hannah Sanders finds herself attending. It seems to be a cross between The Stepford Wives and Twilight (the concept of new girl in school coming across the undead, you understand). Worth a look.
First sentence: There aren’t any rules to running away from your problems.
Playing with Matches, by Brian Katcher (294 pages). Trivial fact: Brian Katcher is a school librarian. The book’s about Leon Sanders, who forges a relationship with Melody, the class outcast (due to being burned in a childhood accident) only to be asked out by Amy, the class hottie. What to do? Leon tries to sort out his problem without hurting anyone, but is this possible? The title suggests it’s a dangerous game.
First sentence: “So I was reading this Vonnegut novel,” I said to Samantha.
Argenta, by Stephanie Hills (New Zealand author, 253 pages). A science fiction adventure story, the title refers to a planet where the Clan of the birdpeople is facing extinction. Anquin ends up enlisting the help of Martin, an average Earth boy, in the rather enormous task of saving the Clan and stopping an invasion of Earth.
First sentence: Anquin glided through the cold air, wings outstretched.
The Devouring, by Simon Holt (231 pages). “Your body is here, but not your soul…” says the cover. Yoicks! The Vours are “evil, demonic beings that inhabit human bodies on Sorry Night, the darkest hours of the winter solstice.” (Book cover)
First sentence: On Sorry Night, just a few days before Christmas, you have to snuff the lamps, douse the flames in the fireplace, and spend the night in the cold and dark.
One or two others in brief:
Death by Latte and Death by Bikini, by Linda Gerber. Murder mysteries.
Dead is the New Black, by Marlene Perez. Murder mystery involving vampires.
Saltwater Moons, by Julie Gittus. Love and learning about life.
I Heart You, You Haunt Me, by Lisa Schroeder. Love between the living and the dead. Written in verse.
That’s enough for now (there’s more).
Almost two stacks (a stack is equivalent to nine hardbacks) of books have arrived for this week’s New Book post. Quite a lot!
Impossible, by Nancy Werlin (376 pages) – Seventeen-year-old Lucy discovers that the women of her family were cursed by an Elfin Knight. To break the curse she must perform three impossible tasks and she only has nine months to do them.
First sentence: ‘On the evening of Lucy Scarborough’s seventh birthday, after the biggest party the neighbourhood had seen since, well, Lucy’s sixth birthday, Lucy got one last unexpected gift.‘
The Ashleys : Lip Gloss Jungle, by Melissa de la Cruz (239 pages) - The Ashleys are the three most popular girls at their high school in California somewhere. Lauren Page wanted to destroy them, but now she needs to save them from Sadie.
First sentence: ‘It was just over a month since Ashley Spencer’s blowout Super-Sweet Thirteen birthday party, and Lauren Page was still recovering from the excess of that celebration, not to mention exhaustion from her “relaxing” winter vacation in the Italian Alps.‘
The Sky Inside, by Clare B. Dunkle (229 pages) – HM1 is a suburb that sits under a protective dome. All the children are genetically-engineered, and it is a perfect world. Martin’s sister disappears one day and no one wants to talk about it; should he stay in HM1, where it only seems safe, or should he brave the mysterious outside world?
First sentence: ‘The big television cameras of the You’ve Been Caught Napping game show prowled in the darkness at the edge of the set, their lenses focused on the old man’s face.‘
Things That Are, by Andew Clements (167 pages) – Alicia is blind, and her boyfriend used to be invisible. Now they – and the world – are under threat by a man who is invisible all the time.
First sentence: ‘The phone vibrated under my pillow – dash; dot, dot, dot.’
Lucy Zeezou’s Goal, by Liz Deep-Jones (273 pages) – Lucy’s mum was a supermodel, and she wants Lucy to become one as well; Lucy’s dad was an Italian football hero, and doesn’t think that girls should be in sport. Lucy, however, wants to play football for Australia.
First sentence: ‘The whistle blew … I was taken down inside the box and it didn’t look good.‘
The Carbon Diaries 2015, by Saci Lloyd (379 pages) - It’s 2015, and Britain has introduced carbon rationing. Laura Brown’s diaries chronicles her family life and the fairly sudden changes that global warming brings with it with humour.
First sentence: ‘Exhausted.’
Rumors : A Luxe Novel, by Anna Gobbersen (423 pages) – This is the sequel to The Luxe, and it appears to be a kind of Gossip Girl book set in 1899 Manhatten.
First sentence: ‘It has become almost regular for the lower classes of New York to catch glimpses of our native aristocracy in her city streets, tripping in for breakfast at Sherry’s after one of their epic parties, or perhaps racing sleighs in Central Park, that great democratic meeting place.‘
Take Me There, by Susane Colasanti (290 pages) – An ‘insightful, humorous, moving and never dull,’ this is the story of three New York teenagers trying to sort out relationships, family, and their future.
First sentence: ‘My life could not possibly suck more than it does right now.‘
Firefight, by K. Wild (317 pages) – Freedom Smith is a gypsy boy with extraordinary strength and agility. he works for Phoenix, a special police operation. This is a sequel in a series with its own website!
First sentence: ‘Three months ago I was just another gypsy boy – moving from place to place, earning a crust of bread here and there, and maybe getting into a few scrapes.‘
Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist, by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan (183 pages) – This came out two years ago, but this particular copy has photos from the film. Nick asks a stranger, Norah, to pretend to be his date for five minutes, and so begins their first date in the ‘middle-of-the-night mystic maze of Manhattan’.
First sentence: ‘The day begins in the middle of the night.‘
Into White Silence, by Anthony Eaton (393 pages) – In 1922 the exploration vessel Raven got itself stuck in the Antarctic icepack. The crew of 28 are entombed in darkness for months, and things start to get a bit intense.
First sentence: ‘The SS Loongana steamed slowly up the Derwent River towards its berth at the Salamanca Wharf, and Lieutenant (retired) William Downes, a young man distinguished by his service in France during the Great War, leaned on the portside rail, watching the city of Hobart slip slowly past in the hazy, late-afternoon light.‘
The Kiss of Death, by Marcus Sedgwick (248 pages) – This is a sequel to My Swordhand is Singing. The vampires here are more ancient-Romanian than Stephenie Meyer/Joss Whedon. It’s set in eighteenth century Venice and is rich with atmosphere.
First sentence: ‘Death can come in many forms, but in Venice, death comes by water.‘ Is this not the best opening sentence?
The Big Game of Everything, by Chris Lynch (275 pages) – Jock’s grandfather wears a kilt and is more than just a little eccentric, and when his similarly bizarre family end up working at Grampus’ golf course, they end up learning the rules of “The Big Game of Everything”.
First sentence: ‘You have to love your family.‘
My Mother is a French Fry and Further Proof of my Fuzzed-Up Life, by Colleen Sydor (255 pages) – Eli’s mother is uninhibited and can’t be embarrassed; which is bad luck for Eli, who blames her mother for making her life a misery. Things get worse when Eli’s mother gets pregnant and Eli soon begins to feel that she’s losing hold of everything.
First four sentences: ‘My mother is a french fry. Seriously. No shiz. She found her calling after applying for a part-time job at Burgers ‘n’ Frize one day and came home dressed as a gigantic carton of french fries.‘
We’d wondered where all the new books were this week, as it was Thursday already. But then they arrived! All catalogued, barcoded, and encased in plastic so they don’t fall apart too soon.
Magic in the Mirrorstone : Tales of Fantasy, edited by Steve Berman (295 pages) – This is a collection of fifteen short stories. The stories are ‘filled with magic’; Mirrorstone is a publishing company that produces fantasy books for kids and teens.
Would You, by Marthe Jocelyn (165 pages) – Nat’s sister, Claire, is struck by a car and ends up in a coma. Nat’s life swiftly changes. ‘A tear jerker in a major way,’ according to an Amazon reviewer. (I cheated and read the final chapters, and yes, it is very moving, but I shan’t say why!)
Unraveling, by Michelle Baldini and Lynn Biederman (230 pages) – Fifteen-year-old Amanda Himmelfarb has frizzy hair, a pointy chin, an unfortunate name, and she argues constantly with her mother, nick-named ‘The Captain’. This book comes highly recommended; it’s a very funny and very touching story of ‘love, friendship, and forgiveness’.
Night Road, by A. M. Jenkins (362 pages) – This book uses the rather clever (I thought) label ‘Hemovore’ for vampires. Cole is one such hemovore – he looks like a teen but is really much older. Freshly minted hemovore Gordon needs someone to teach him, and with one other vamp they find themselves on the road. The night road. A refreshing take on the vampire mythos!
Bloodchild, by Tim Bowler (339 pages) – Will wakes up in hospital, and can only recall lying in a ditch and thinking that he was dying. Are the two people with him his parents? Why are strangers so hostile? A full-on supernatural thriller that will scare the living daylights out of you (with a surprise ending!).
The Thirteenth Skull : Alfred Kropp II 3, by Rick Yancey (297 pages) – From the publisher’s description: “When a vision foretells a cataclysmic battle between the ‘Sons of Light’ and the ‘Sons of Darkness’, Alfred is called into action. Whoever finds the fabled 13th skull of Merlin, will have in his hands the power to usher in a new Dark Age. And so the race is on to find the skull, which rests at the bottom of an abyss called Krubera – a place so terrifying it nearly drove Alfred’s mentor, Op-Nine, insane. ”
Fortune and Fate, by Sharon Shinn (403 pages) – This is a novel of the Twelve Houses series. Warrior Rider Wen wanders Gillengaria, assisting those in need but never making friends, in penance for failing to protect the king. Until one day, when she helps an abducted heiress, she must face the past …
In Mozart’s Shadow : His Sister’s Story, by Carolyn Meyer (350 pages) – Wolfgang’s older sister, Nannerl, had a rough time of it; her brother’s increasing fame meant that her talent was often ignored. Her music might not bring her fame – but can it bring her happiness? (She had quite an interesting life – read more about it.)
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