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 Life, Intrrupted by Tanya Damian Kelleher
This book is heart-breakingly brilliant. Luke and Jesse live with their Mum after their Dad walked out on them years ago. Accident-prone Jesse is football mad and Luke spends most of his time with his mates - super-smart Jake and wacky Freya. Mum (Pat) is a nurse, so when she collapses at work one day it seems she is in the right place. The boys visit her in the hospital but don't know the full extent of her illness until it becomes apparent that she won't be coming home for a while. With a crabby cigarette-smoking old woman to care for them at home and their Mum not seeming to get any better, life couldn't get any worse, or could it? A cleverly crafted poignant novel about love, loss, letting go and carrying on
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 Everthing Beautiful by Simmone Howell
Riley Rose is stuck at Spirit Ranch Holiday Camp, a nightmarish place full of cheerful, mantra-filled, jumpsuit-wearing counsellors. But as Riley discovers the camp isn't all that it seems and after a series of near-escapes she may find a few things out about herself as well.
Riley is not coping with the death of her beloved mother and her 'acting out' is becoming unbearable. Her father and his new partner send her to a Christian camp, hoping the values will rub off on her. Riley rebels by smoking, drinking, and running away. But she meet Tyler, a wheelchair bound ex-counsellor. Will they manage to break each other's armour, or will they destroy each other instead? This is a refreshing and bold read. |
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Knife by M J Anderson
Knife is a captured fairy who wakes inside some kind of box and has no idea of how she got there, or how long she has been captured. A fantastical adventure set in another world, a world of fairy queens and goblins.
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 Uncle Montague's Tales of Terror
Edgar's Uncle Montague tells tall tales about the mysterious objects that fill his gothic mansion. Edgar is unsure what is real and what is made up. This novel is fun and freaky at the same time, a great read to snuggle up by the fire with |
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 Octavian Nothing. Traitor to the Nation by M T Anderson
Octavian is no ordinary African slave in America in 1775. His masters are professors from the College of Lucidity in Boston. From birth, Octavian and his African princess mother, have been the subject of an experiment to prove that even with a classical education, Africans are less clever than Caucasians. A very interesting fictional account of slavery and the conflict between the colonists and the British in the United States of America.
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 Jackdaw Summer by David Almond
David Almond is a multi award-winning writer for children and young adults. This book is about a long hot summer full of intrigue and mystery for Liam, who follows a jackdaw one day and his life changes forever. David Almond's stories are imaginative, cunning, and suspenseful. A well-written page-turner
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New Zealand Authors
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 Jacko Moran- Sniper by Ken Catran.
Following on from Letters in the Coffin Trenches in Gallipoli, we pick up with the story of Jacko Moran, a crackshot regular in the NZ Army now posted to France. Read all four stories in this series to follow the lives and wars of Jacko's family through the generations. - Lynnaire
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 See Ya Simon by David Hill
This award- winning book has become a NZ classic. Simon has muscular dystrophy- a muscle wasting disease that often means you die in your teens. The story of Simon's last year of life is told through the eyes of his best friend, Nathan. This cool book is filled with humour, insight, courage and sadness, as Simon, his family, friends and a community face his impending death. - Lynnaire
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 Face It by Denis Martin
Meet teens Greg, Lawrence and Libby who are alone on an island in the Marlborough Sounds. Things quickly turn to custard when they witness a murder aboard a boat that pulls into their bay. Suddenly they become targets themselves. This book's fast-paced action has you on the edge of your seat as the three friends work out how to survive this ordeal. This first novel from Blenheim author, Denis Martin, really hits the spot - look out for his next two novels Playing for Keeps and The Silence of Fear. - Lynnaire
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 Gatty's Tale by Kevin Crossley-Holland
In the year 1203, nine companions set out from Wales on a great pilgrimage across Europe to Jerusalem. Not all of them will come home. At the heart of this enthralling story, with its highs and lows and knuckle-biting dramas is Gatty, the field-girl beloved already by readers of the Arthur trilogy. Eager, bold and resolute, wide open to new experiences, she has an extraordinary journey of her own to make. - Kay
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Mishaps by Nansi Kunze
Sometimes bad luck is more than coincidence! Pen O'Connell is, without a doubt, the unluckiest girl at Callindra College. Her dream date has just fallen through, her dog has literally eaten her homework, and don't even mention the incident at school camp. But when Pen meets Sebastian, teenage genius and genetics expert, she begins to wonder if everything that happens to her is just bad luck.- Kay |
Jango by William Nicholson
TRILOGY: The Nobel Warriors, Book 2. Seeker, Morning Star and the Wildman are about to discover the secret to the power of the Noble Warriors. And they'll need it . . . The mighty warlord of the Orlan nation is gathering his forces and has vowed to destroy Anacrea - and all who come in his path.-Kay |
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After The Wreck, I Picked Myself Up, Spread my Wings and Flew Away by Carol Joyce Oates
Before the wreck, Jenna was leading a normal life with her mum in suburban New York. After the wreck, she is alone, desperate to forget what happened that day on the bridge. Then Jenna meets Crow, and her life is once again turned upside down. He begins to break down the wall that Jenna has built around her emotions. But can she bring herself to face the memories she's tried so hard to erase? -Kay |
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