Wonder R.J. Palacio “August Pullman wants to be an ordinary ten-year-old…. But Auggie is far from ordinary. ordinary kids don’t make other ordinary kids run away screaming in playgrounds. Ordinary kids don’t get stared at wherever they go.” (back cover) Auggie has been home-schooled by his parents in an effort to protect him from the [...]
FullyBooked- “Like a lamb to the slaughter” May 17, 2012
“I know about death.”
The Dead I Know Scot Gardner “You wake in the middle of the night, your arms and feet pinned by strong hands. As you thrash your way to consciousness, a calm voice says, ‘steady, we’re here to help.’ Your mind registers a paramedic, a policeman, an ambulance. You are lying on the lookout at Keeper’s [...]
The Increment
The Increment David Ignatius I’ve never been to the Middle East but David Ignatius’ book The Increment made me feel as though I had been there for a long time. From the secret nuclear facility in Tehran, an Iranian scientist ‘Dr Ali’ sends a secret message to the CIA. Back in Washington it was up [...]
Just In Case
Just In Case Meg Rosoff Funny, sad and beautiful are some of the words I’d use to describe this book. Just In Case tells the story of fifteen year old David who decides to outrun fate. In his attempt to dodge disaster he sort of loses the plot; avoiding school, his parents, reality. A make believe [...]
The Big Crunch
The Big Crunch Pete Hautman They do not fall in love at first sight. They do not swoon with scorching desire. They do not believe that they are instant soul mates destined to be together forever. THIS IS NOT THAT KIND OF LOVE STORY. Extract taken from the cover. The Big Crunch tells of June [...]
Grace
Grace Morris Gleitzman This is the blurb on the back of the cover and it totally sucked me in: In the beginning There was me and Mum and Dad And the twins. And talk about happy families, We were bountiful. But it came to pass That I started doing sins. And lo, That’s when [...]
“I want my heart back,” she said between sobs.
The Last Summer of the Death Warriors Francisco X. Stork The above quote sounds like a romance gone sour, but it’s actually from an eight year old cancer patient talking about a black, plastic trinket that she had just given away. I think it’s a nice example of the little details and moments that made this book [...]
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The Unidentified Rae Mariz Imagine a school set up like a computer game. You make the decisions, you control the action, you play the game. If your profile is right, you’ll get branded by one of the sponsors. Then you’re celebrity cool. And that’s what everyone wants, isn’t it? Extract taken from the cover. To [...]
My sister lives on the mantlepiece
“My sister Rose lives on the mantlepiece. Well, some of her does. Three of her fingers, her right elbow and her kneecap are buried in a graveyard in London. Mum and Dad had a bit of an argument when the police found ten bits of her body. Mum wanted a grave that she could visit. [...]
Will this end badly?
“On Damon Styles’s eighteenth birthday, he is expelled from school. But it’s what happens afterwards that changes everything. Now Damon must come up with a plan. It’s the only way he can think straight. First, get his firearms licence. Then, see if the Pigman will give him a job – pig hunting will teach Damon [...]
