Friday, April 29, 2011

Kaitangata Twitch - Margaret Mahy



Very topical after the recent events in Christchurch!



Meredith's family live on a lifestyle block across the bay from Kaitangata - an island which 'punches' itself into the sky. The beauty of the landscape is about to be over run by developers who see a profit in picturesque beauty of the area.



Meredith seems to feel a deep and spiritual connection to the island - she hears voices and dreams of events that have been and that are yet to come. A series of small quakes (or twitches) seem to begin on the island - perhaps signalling the islands disapproval of its' planned future. can Meredith intervene?


An engaging story - desribed as a supernatural thriller - but also a tale of cultural misunderstandings over the value and sacredness of the land.


Suitable for good junior readers.

Lost riders - Elizabeth Laird




A work of fiction based on the collected stories of young (as young as 3) Pakistani boys who are 'saved' from lives of poverty and deprivation. Instead of a life of education and prosperity in their new homes, they were forced in harsh, dangerous and often violent conditions, to train as camel riders who took part in the notoriously wealthy races in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.




Over 4000 of these young boys were thought to have been 'given' into slavery. Only 1000 were returned home after the practice was 'banned' in recent years.




The story is very readable and I'm sure 'tamed down' for a young audience. Mature junior readers.

Sunday, April 17, 2011

The dead - Charlie Higson


The sequel to Higson's The Enemy is actually a prequel! But it does go a long way into explain how the London (and presumably the rest of England) has been infected by a mystery virus.


Ed and Jack lead a band of boys who have survived the initial infection, in an attempt to escape the chaos of the adults who have succumbed to the virus.


They come under the 'protection' of Greg, a bus driver, who has collected a number of survivors on his tour bus.


Fast paced and action packed - the boys fight there way through to London - in the hope of finding other survivors, more food and a safe refuge. Pretty gruesome in places - mature teen reader material.


If you enjoyed The Enemy then this is a must. Book number three is due out this year - check out Higson's website here

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Virals - Kathy Reichs

Kathry Reichs unleashes her forensic sleuthing style on a teen audience with the start of a new series, featuring teen sleuth Tory Brennan. Tory has a famous Aunt, the forensic scientist Temperance Brennan - and she models herself on her style. Virals is a mixture of sci-fi adventure and crime fiction. Not 100% sure that this works. A slow start, but action becomes more fast paced in the second half of the book. The characters are likeable, if not overly believable. Good junior readers will cope with the content and the scientific 'jargon'.
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