Bluefish - Pat Schmatz

This was recommended to me by our wonderful new librarian, Wendy Wright. So thanks to her I think we'll be ordering a class set of this, probably for Yr 10 or Yr 11 classes.

Travis has been raised by his grandfather in small town, rural America. Financial difficulties force Travis and his grandad to move into town and closer to the school Travis hates so much. At school nothing seems to make sense to Travis, learning just doesn't 'fit'. However meeting Mr McQueen and teaming up with new friends,Velveeta and Randy, opens up a new world for him.

While being incredibly well crafted in terms of it's language and structure, it is also very realistic in terms of the a teenage boy struggling to overcome a serious learning issue while trying to hide the truth about it.

Extremely loud and incredibly close - Jonathan Safran Foer

9 year old Oskar's father 'disappeared' on Sept 11. A chance find of a key leads Oskar to believe that his father left a clue to his whereabouts - a clue that he must solve. So he begins his journey to look for the lock that the key fits - even if it means looking for every possible lock in New York City.

Oskar's journey brings him into contact with an array of interesting characters on the way to discovering some truths about himself, his family and his father.

Wonderfully written, interspersed with graphic images and cartoon pages - highly recommended.

Now - Morris Gleitzman

The third in a the series - this follows on from Once and Then, Now picks up the story of Felix 50 years after the end of WW2. He escaped the horrors of post war Germany and has resettled in Australia, where he became a successful surgeon.

The story is set in a small rural, bush community during very hot summer. The Zelda of Now is Felix's grandaughter, who struggles to find her identity and place in the new school and town she has moved to. Modern disasters prove to be as harrowing as those of the past and we are reminded of the speed in which someone's life can change.

The style is as captivating as Once and Then, but Now can be read as a stand alone, but I would recommend making the effort to read them first. The issues of identity, remorse and regret as well as the need for closure are key to the novel. A moving story for young teens.

American Youth - Phil LaMarche

It's not often that I don't like a book that's been recommended - but this is one of those times.

I really expected to be won over by this story of Terry, an ordinary boy from small town America, whose life is changed by a fatal mistake. After his family tries to cover up and hide the truth Terry's issues become internalised. The novel has been lauded as 'great' by American critics. I simply did not 'warm' to any of the characters.

I guess the scary thing is, is that fiction mirrors life. Read about the real life NZ case here...

Homer and Langley - E L Doctorow

I read about this novel awhile ago and it took me some time to find a copy. Worth the wait! An incredibly interesting tale based on the lives of the Collyer brothers who lived in New York through to the 1960s. They were renowned for their compulsive 'hoarding' - you can see some of it here . The events are told from the narrative point of view of Homer, as he slowly went blind. His views on some of the most radical times of the 2oth century are as eccentric as the brothers themselves. They say that fact is stranger than fiction - and so it is with Homer and Langley.

You can read about Homer and Langley here

The hungry ghosts - Anne Berry

This unusual novel is set in Hong Kong during the 'hey day' of British rule and the handover to the Chinese in 1997. The 'hungry ghosts' of the title are the spirits of those who have died but do not want to move on into the next world. In this case, Alice's life is complicated by the 'hungry ghost' of a young girl murdered during the occupation of HK by Japan in WW2. The complications of this inhabitation form the basis of the novel. Other ghosts join her the course of her life, creating further issues.

The underlying themes of love and the lack of create a group of characters at times have few, if any redeeming features.

Interesting.