Newspaper asks our library staff for book reviews!!

At my library, we’re really excited because we’ve been asked by one of our local newspapers to have staff book reviews included each week. So here’s my first! We’ve been asked to review recent titles and as the audience is not generally teens, I have stepped out of my comfort-zone and read an actual novel for ‘grown-ups’!

‘Me Before You’ by Jojo Moyes (2012). Penguin.

Lately I have been caught up in books like ‘The Hunger Games’ so it was a big decision to read a book set in the here and now. Luckily, the book I chose was ‘Me Before You’ by Jojo Moyes.

Most of the story is told by vibrant and quirky Louisa who, somewhat unexpectedly, becomes a carer for Will who has been injured in a motorcycle accident. Before long, she realises she is there for a bigger reason and becomes determined to change the future. However, Will turns the tables on Lou with his own plan to get her to ‘live boldly’.

Jojo Moyes takes time to develop her characters and some of them to tell their story in a chapter making the book even more riveting. She makes them so multi-layered that you hate them one chapter then want to give them a hug the next.

Although this story deals with some challenging issues, it was never predictable. There were times when I’d made up my mind what was going to happen next, then in the last sentence of the chapter, a spanner was thrown in the works. It was like an amazing roller-coaster ride: incredible highs along with incredible lows that were always placed in just the right part of the story.

I came away from ‘Me Before You’ feeling like I need to step out of my comfort-zone and grab every opportunity. So if you, like me, have been avoiding the ‘real world’, maybe you should come back into it with this book: be prepared to feel some real emotions though!

 

Beale, F. (2008). Juno of Taris. Auckland, New Zealand: Random House. [young adult/ science fiction: dystopian] Winner of the Esther Glen Award 2009

“Juno yearns to know about life Outside, just as she yearns to be allowed to grow her hair. It is a rule on Taris that all must have their heads shaved bare. But is it a rule that could be broken? Danger awaits any who suggest it.”

Written by New Zealand author Fleur Beale, Juno of Taris is the first of the Juno series. Juno is one of only 500 people who live on a dome-covered, isolated island called Taris, which has its climate controlled by computers. It has been created as a community designed to survive the potential end of humanity on the Outside. On Taris, members have their heads shaven every week, wear the same clothing and have no access to technology. Juno, who starts the novel aged 12, is struggling to fit in with her society, questions the shaving of their heads and wants to know about life Outside. Her rebelliousness puts her in danger and when her friend Vima refuses to have her head shaved and is followed by others in her learning stratum and in Juno’s, the community discovers secrets that will change Taris forever. A story about friendship, peer pressure, power and change, this book will appeal to young people aged 13 plus who enjoy stories that are about societies different from their own where young people are instrumental in change such as The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins. The story is told in the first person in short chapters with a swift moving but easy-to-follow plot and convincing characters. The writing is detailed but the scientific content is simply written. Each chapter of Juno of Taris ends with three ‘have you heard’ pieces of gossip that fill in some of the gaps in the story and foreshadow what is to come: the ones at the end of the final chapter will make the reader rush to their library or their e-book portal for the next book in the series!

Brocker, S. (2011). The wolf in the wardrobe. Auckland, New Zealand: HarperCollins [animal/ adventure]

“The huge, injured animal he discovers is no dog – but a wolf, escaped from the circus. Finn is bewitched. Instinctively, he knows he must save the wolf, Lupa, and prevent her return to the cruel circus”.

The wolf in the wardrobe by Susan Brocker is about 13 year old Finn’s determination to do whatever it takes to look after a circus wolf, Lupa, and stop Cackles the Clown getting her back. Finn is a realistic character who, like many New Zealand boys, plays rugby, delivers papers, tells tall stories and has divorced parents. The connection Finn has with Nana Eva, who has Alzheimers, makes for many funny, important and special moments in the story. His interactions with other characters including his father’s new girlfriend are also important elements of the story. The wolf in the wardrobe moves at a rapid speed leaving no room for boredom to set in. Although some of the story seems a little unbelievable, the details about wolves are well researched and the quality of the writing hooks the reader in. The New Zealand setting and language provide a familiar feel. Finn and Lupa develop a strong bond but eventually he realises that she doesn’t belong with him and investigates ways to get her back to her natural environment all the while protecting her from the villain who has become more and more threatening. 9-12 year olds will be entertained and moved by The wolf in the wardrobe: the perfect animal adventure story.

Donaldson, J. (2010). Cave Baby (Gravett, E, Illus.). London: Macmillan Children’s Books [picture storybook]

“If you don’t take care, a mammoth’s going to throw you to the big brown bear!”

Cave Baby, written by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Emily Gravett, is the story of a baby who lives in a cave painted with pre-historic animals. Mum is busy painting and Dad is busy being brave. Baby gets bored and looks for something to entertain himself with. Turns out, he’s creative like his mum and discovers a paintbrush and some paint. Of course, his parents growl when he paints over Mum’s work. Dad warns Baby that a woolly mammoth may take him and throw him to a big brown bear. That night, Baby is taken on an adventure by the very mammoth his father warned him about. They encounter a sabre-toothed tiger, hare and a hyena along the way. Finally, it’s the moment to meet the big brown bear. Is the bear as scary as he believes? It seems not as bear is small and asleep and shows that sometimes the things we are afraid of aren’t so scary at all. While bear is sleeping, the mammoth gives Baby a paintbrush and a pot of paint. The walls of this cave are blank, ready for Baby to express himself on. Written in a rhyming style with repetition of the key phrase about the big brown bear, children will enjoy meeting the pre-historic animals made familiar to them by movies such as Ice Age, the detailed illustrations that match the setting perfectly and they will feel safe when Baby returns home at the conclusion. Make sure to read this book in a well-lit room as some of the words are printed in a colour that is challenging to read. Overall, Cave Baby is a delightful, beautifully illustrated tale that will be enjoyed by children aged 1-3 years old as well as the adults reading it.

Without looking back by Tabitha Suzuma

Well, I was going to write a review about this book but the reality is: I didn’t believe it or enjoy it so I have decided to spend my time on something else. Feel free to read it though: it might have just been me.

So many books, so little time

I think I have a serious addiction to YA fiction! How am I going to read/ review all the books I hear begging to be read & shared?! I have just finished The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins which was amazing. Those characters & the themes of war/ peace/ survival will stick with me for a long time. Next up I’m going to move away from the commitment of a series and read  Without Looking Back by Tabitha Suzuma. Watch out for the review that will follow….