iboy - Kevin Brooks

I have been a long time fan of Kevin Brooks. His books often deal with a harsher look at the life of disenfranchised teens. His style is very contemporary and very gritty. iboy is no exception.

A shocking attack begins the story - and for this reason I would recommend this only to mature teen readers. The attack changes Tom and Lucy forever - in different ways. Tom's brain has somehow merged with the mobile phone that is embedded in his head. A phone that provides him with continual online hook-up with the entire mobile network. Just how will he use this power?

Set against a backdrop of housing estate gangs, drugs and violence, Brooks provides a tense and emotional journey.

The Kite Runner

Twelve-year-old Amir is desperate to win the approval of his father and resolves to win the local kite-fighting tournament, to prove that he has the makings of a man. His loyal friend Hassan promises to help him for he always helps Amir, but this is 1970s Afghanistan and Hassan is merely a low-caste servant who is jeered at in the street, although Amir still feels jealous of his natural courage and the place he holds in his father's heart. But neither of the boys could foresee what would happen to Hassan on the afternoon of the tournament, which was to shatter their lives. After the Russians invade and the family is forced to flee to America, Amir realises that one day he must return, to find the one thing that his new world cannot grant him: redemption.

This was an excellent book. I thoroughly enjoyed it and recommend it to a more mature student, probably Y10 upwards