The sixth lamentation - William Brodrick

Came across this author's first novel via an accidental conversation with a colleague. A fascinating read into the minds of a range if diverse characters - a Fransiscan monk (an ex lawyer) a Nazi collaborator, a death camp survivor, a woman who risked her life smuggling Jewish children out of Paris and a vast array of their families whose paths cross over the course of the novel.

While no actual historical link for the characters, they are based on people that Brodrick has come across or have links to his family.

The story moves across time periods from the Fall of Paris (1940) to the present day - and the final action is not fully revealed until the last page.

Then - Maurice Gleitzman

I am sure that anyone that has read Once by Gleitzman, could not help but be moved by the story of Felix and Zelda. Then follows on with their escape from the 'death train'. As the title suggests, each chapter begins with the statement 'then'. This simple narrative structure emphasises the idea of cause and event, action and consequence.

Again highly recommended, for a mature junior reader.

Check out Maurice Gleitzman's website here

Monsters of Blood and Honour - Ken Catran

After hearing Ken Catran in our own library last term, I was pretty keen to read his latest book. It's not a book I'd recommend to junior readers as it has some harrowing accounts of World War 2. The novel is in fact three short novels in one collection. The first tale deals with British fighter pilots who lead the bombing raids that wiped out German cities at the end of WW2. The second deals with the memories of a nurse who was held in a Japanese prisoner of war camp in Singapore. The last tale is the story of a Nazi prison guard who managed to escape to NZ but who lives with the ghosts of his past.
Each story has a teenage character who acts as the starting point for the narrative.

Ken spoke to us about how he researches his work and the details in these stories are based on the factual accounts of survivors- the realism is startling at times.