(10-13 year olds) - Born a world apart, united by magic. This story, written by two authors living in Sweden and Aotearoa, follows two children born at the exact same moment—one in each country. They discover they have the ability to teleport to each other's homes. Through this instant connection, they forge an unbreakable bond of friendship, helping each other navigate the challenges of bullying and underscoring the vital roles of friendship and family.
Ben's mum has died, his dad is in prison and his older brother Sam seems to be making some seriously bad decisions. Ben and Sam's aunt and uncle reluctantly agree to foster them. Ben is lonely and quiet but then he encounters a frightened unwanted guard dog whom he names Layla and begins to train her. Meanwhile Sam seems to be going from bad to worse - does his mean vindictive PE teacher have anything to do with it? This is the story about the healing bond that develops between Ben and Layla and it is also about self-esteem, developing resilience and standing up for what is right. A great coming of age read.
YA - This book has been sitting on our school library shelf without being issued for the past 6 years. I decided to read it over the holidays and absolutely loved it. 14 year old Arnold Spirit (Junior) lives on an Indian reservation in Spokane, WA. He was born brain damaged to alcoholic parents, and it was just assumed that he would stay on the reservation all his life with his destiny being the same as most kids that stay there - live in poverty and drink a lot. After an incident at school, he decides to change schools and begins attending the all white school in a nearby town. He has two things going for him - he is bright and a great shooter at basketball. This book is written in diary format and it is really funny - heartbreaking, but incredibly funny. But behind the laughs are serious messages about what life is like on the reservations. PS - I am going to keep this book in our library, put an age restriction on it and begin to promote it more.
Horror. This starts out as a boat trip. A married couple are on the verge of divorcing and they set out on a boat trip with the captain, the wife's best friend and the husband's ex-best friend who is in love with the wife. Next minute the boat is hit by a rogue wave and capsizes in shark and jellyfish infested waters. The survivors end up on an island inhabited by Komodo dragons. This becomes a story of betrayal, revenge with lots of savage deaths and gore. The action is fast paced, the chapters short and the reader learns heaps about komodo dragons.
YA - Set in a hospice for teenagers with terminal illnesses. Five teenagers meet at midnight each night to tell scary tales. They make a pact that whoever dies first will try and contact the others from beyond the grave. A sad read as the characters share their real fears about death, unfulfilled dreams and the unknown.
I love the premise behind this book. On the day that you are going to die, you get an early morning call (usually between midnight and 1am) by a caller from an organisation called Death-Cast to say that you are going to die that die. So recipients have less than 24 hours to get their affairs in order. The story follows two teenage boys Mateo (aged 18) and Rufus (aged 17) who are strangers who both receive the Death-Cast call on the same day and are brought together through an app called Last Friend and they decide to meet to spend their remaining time on Earth together. Mateo is an introvert whereas Rufus was in the middle of punching someone when he got his call. They try to live a lifetime of experiences in less than 24 hours. This book is all about whether you are living or existing. It is about friendship, morality and courage. Couldn't put it down.
Eleven years ago there was a traumatic incident at the local kindergarten and six children disappeared without a trace. Now five of them have returned and are now teenagers but they have no memory of where they have been and they have no memory of the child who is still missing. So the two big questions are: What happened to Max (the sixth child) and why hasn’t he returned with the others; and where have they been and why do they have no memories? What a fantastic idea for a story. I was riveted by the plot, although I did feel that the author could have executed it a bit better - particularly the ending which left me feeling disappointed.
Kay is returning to her hometown for a week. It holds painful memories for her after the death of her aunt and her best friend Ivy who died under mysterious circumstances. She is staying with her cousin and Uncle and on her arrival finds a threatening note on her bed signed by "Monday" stating that there are going to be a series of events happening each day finishing with her (Kay's) death on Monday. At first Kay thinks that it is a joke.... but then awful things start happening as per the note. This story is full of suspense and intrigue and I thought that I knew who "Monday" was but was totally wrong. A riveting read that keeps you guessing right up until the end.
Book two in the Unwind series set in a dystopian world where children under the age of 17 can be "unwound" - either as part of a tithe, or because their parents have signed a consent form. Being unwound means that you are killed off and your body parts distributed to those in need. Lots of action for our three main characters with revenge, violence and betrayal on the agenda. The author is definitely setting the scene for a big show down.