Sunday, May 24, 2009

10pm Question - Kate de Goldi and Tommorow Code - Brian Faulkner



Kate de Goldi's winning novel 10 pm Question is a sophisticated story about an interesting group of characters. It is definitely beautifully written - but I'm not sure that it will appeal to many young teenage NZers. While Frankie, his unusual family and their world are captivating and intriguing, readers would need to have a mature sense of the world to engage with the novel. More for older readers than younger teens would be my suggestion.

My winner would have to have been Brian Falkner's The tomorrow code - a book that will definitely appeal to readers of both sexes - it is a fast paced action drama - much like many of the online games that students these days play. The end is cleverly crafted to hook the reader in to really thinking about the possibilities of creating a loop in time ....

Guantanomo Boy - by Anna Perera


Khalid (15) is born and bred in England. Unfortunately for him his Pakistani born parents take him home to visit ill relatives and pay his respects to his ancestors. Set in the immediate aftermath of 9/11 Khalid is rounded up the security forces and detained for 2 years firstly in Pakistan and then in the notorious Guantanomo Bay.

A work of fiction - but a frighteningly real look at what can happen when civil liberties are abandoned in the search for security.

Little brother - Cory Doctorow


If you are into gaming and beating any electronic systems created - then you will love this book. Set in San Francisco now, Marcus is an uber-game geek and IT whizz kid. During a reality avatar game, he and his team, are caught up in a terrorist attack and 'detained' as terrorist suspects. Upon release nothing will ever be the same. San Francisco is under the control of the Department of Homeland Security and that means total surveillance of the citizens' lives.

Fast packed and believable in this modern world ....
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