Monsters of Men

Patrick Ness

Book 3 of the Chaos Walking Trilogy.

Okay, I’ll admit this book was a slog. Why? Because it was depressing and such an accurate reminder of how stupid humans can be. Monsters of Men is the final instalment in the Chaos Walking trilogy and poor old Todd gets manipulated into this horrific kind of living hell, with people dying in all manner of shocking ways just so someone can claim ultimate power. The war closes in on three fronts and no one is safe.

As tough as it was to read, this trilogy really is BRILLANT and I think it will be going into my Top Ten Best Young Adult Fiction EVER list. Why? Because it makes you consider goodness, evil, courage, defiance and how people can be so easily manipulated. Plus Viola is such an amazing character who constantly questions her reasons for doing things. Monsters of Men reminds us that war is hell and that teenagers are tougher than most adults give them credit for. Society’s youth should question and contribute to shaping the world, wherever that world happens to be.

Speaking of worlds, Patrick Ness (genius) has created a believable and detailed environment and one that might have been beautiful if described during peace time, instead of during a war. It is unique and interesting and one of the reasons this book deserves to be read.

The movie rights to this series have just been sold with some claiming it might be the next Twilight. Maybe in money terms but otherwise there is no comparison. Twilight is one girl’s romantic love triangle. The Chaos Walking Trilogy is two people holding onto love when everything around them descends into horror and madness. Below is a book trailer. Please view this on our site rather than YouTube because some of the comments reveal plot points and character deaths. Please DO NOT read the comments until after you finish the trilogy. Trust me on this. I’m a librarian

PS. If Manchee is the best dog ever then Angharrad is definitely the best horse.

Super Human

Michael Carroll

 ‘No. I am not a god. Nor am I human.’

The beginning of this book plays out in Egypt around four and a half thousand years ago. Then it jumps to the present day, where some humans have developed special powers. They are referred to as Superhumans and are known and idolised by the rest of society. But there are some who don’t want to use their powers for good and this leads to a mystery virus being unleashed and a handful of teenagers being left to save the world. Michael Carroll (author of the Quantum Prophecy, in fact this is a prequel), has created a full on action story, the plot jumping from the different characters and the different situations they are in. It sort of plays out like a movie or a comic book.

A TV series based on the Conspiracy 360 Series by Gabrielle Lord is about to hit our screens. Basically the story centres around a teenager whose father dies leaving him caught in a kind of cover up. To survive he has one year to solve the mystery.

I haven’t seen the show so I can’t vouch for whether it’s any good or not but if you like the books and/or the idea then it could be worth checking out. It’s available on pay tv, screening Saturday January 14th at 7pm on FMC.

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 dog is just the beginning.

This book has been out for several years and although it was recommended to me ages ago I just never got around to it. The cover made me think I was getting a soppy romance or something. How wonderfully wrong I was. I would perhaps not recommend this for Year 7 students as you might find it confusing or, (it hurts me to say) boring. But for senior students looking for something original and heart felt then this is worth a go. Reminds me a little of Markus Zusak.

Make sure you check out the Tintin graphic novels in the library. And if you consider yourself a Tintin “expert”, you might like to try the Tintin Trivia Quiz.

If you’re a teacher and would like some ideas on how to use the Tintin graphic novels in the classroom, check the “tintin” tag at Graphic novels in the classroom.

Here’s an excerpt:

A New York City subway train holds 1,200 people. This blog was viewed about 3,900 times in 2011. If it were a NYC subway train, it would take about 3 trips to carry that many people.

Click here to see the complete report.

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 and Wes and how they meet and fall for each other. Like the blurb suggests, this isn’t so much a romance but rather a story of being in love. Spread out over a year, the book is marked out by chapters and seasons. This is intelligent story telling that focuses on the real rather than the ideal. Recommended for the mature reader. Top marks for the cover which stands out from so many others.

Wolf Blood

N.M Browne

The Roman army are the bad guys in this action based story, with the chapters bouncing from Trista (warrior) to Morcant’s (shapeshifter) perspective. This is fantasy in the more traditional sense with events unfolding in the ancient past. Our heroine is practical and kick-ass, although I wished she used the work “seeress” a little less. Wolf Blood reminded me a bit of Garth Nix’s Sabriel, with a guy and a girl teaming up to fight off constant assaults. This is no nonsense, historical fantasy that will appeal to young adults and adults alike.

The Dead Tossed Waves

Carrie Ryan

Yep, that right. This book has a love triangle going on in the middle of a Zombie plague. As I’ve mentioned before I am not a die-hard fan of romance books but this series is definitely different. The Dead-Tossed Waves is Book Two and I like how the hero Gabrielle is with the hot guy, thinking he might kiss her but then suddenly the Mudo (short for mute, speechless) are coming and our heroine has to break off her romantic reverie so she can sever some heads with a shovel. As you do.

I also like the idea of ‘The Breaker’. To find out what that is you’ll just have to read the book.

Here is the trailer for The Dead-Tossed Waves (although Gabry has blonde hair so not sure why they went with a brunette).