Welcome to our Book Review page. Stay a while and read some of the blurbs, check out the video clips and book trailers we've included. You may get inspired to try one of the books that have been reviewed or you may like to write your own review. Ask one of the Library staff how. HAPPY READING!
Yay... the hols are here and I've got plenty of time to catch up on some reading. There are so many great books I want to read there never seems to be enough time to read them all.
Here's some reviews so far....
Let us know what you've been reading and we can post them for everyone to see.
Wow! This story was a great concept and left you thinking how shallow we have become. This is the first book in a trilogy and I'm looking forward to reading the next 'Pretties'.
Set in the future, where your whole world changes when you become 16, Tally is waiting for the day that she will no longer be an 'Ugly' but will have an operation to become 'pretty'. This involves becoming symmetrical, being sculptured, skin sanded, implants and basically cloned to be like a Barbie Doll. Once this operation has been done you then get to live in New Pretty Town where life involves having constant parties and fun, and this is what Tally is waiting for, where she will be united with her good friend Peris.
Tally has a rebellious nature and is always doing 'tricks' on her hoverboard to annoy authorities however when she meets Shay her life goes in a new direction. Shay does not want to become 'pretty' and wants Tally to come with her and escape to the 'Smoke' where you don't have to worry about being perfect and living in a perfect world.
Circumstances arise and Tally has to choose if she will spy on her new friends to save her life and fulfill her dream of becoming 'pretty' or stay an 'ugly' for the rest of her life. The author has created such a wonderful futuristic world which I felt I was living in and I felt close to each of the characters. Clever concepts and great imagination.
It's a pity I hadn't read Book 1 first as it would have given me the overview of what was happening, but it didn't take long to get my head around the Sci Fi jargon and characters, so I could be emersed into this trilogy.
It is action packed from the very first chapter. Rosie is a brave teenager living in a futuristic world. After losing her mother and friend in book 1 to a terrible disease, her father is now in hospital with the same disease, along with many others, and this sequel tells of her plan to find a cure and for revenge to bring down the Helios.
Reilly, who is in charge of operations, goes missing, but before he does he places an implant in her brain to give her the clues to find him if he ever has to flee. The implant however malfunctions and causes Rosie to be in terrible pain and she's only getting distorted messages. As Rosie is once again on the run from the Helios, the implant becomes life threatening, but she must persevere with the help of her friends Pip, Dalton and Cassie to find Reilly and find out what the Helios are building that will effect millions of people.
Along with this fast paced action Rosie has to deal with her feelings between her and Pip, and her new relationship with Dalton. Can Dalton be trusted and will they be able to find a cure for this fatal disease? All will be revealed.
This was my first Baldacci book but my hubby is hooked and has read quite a few.
When LuAnn Tyler is asked to be part of a crooked lottery scheme, she refuses, even though it would mean millions of dollars. But when she is framed for murder, the frightened single mother is forced to participate. Ten years later she has become a wealthy woman determined to live a normal life. But it will take more than money to escape the attention of the FBI who may want her for murder, and the dangerous man from her past who wants to kill her--if she doesn't stop him first.
I must admit it did have me hooked and I will probably read a few more Baldacci's... there's a few to choose from, he's such a prolific writer.
This was a fabulous read. A group of five very different women (Sunny, Yazmina, Candace, Isabel and Halajan, brought together through different circumstances and become friends, meeting together in a little coffee shop in Afghanistan, one of the most dangerous places on earth. They form a unique bond and find they have much more in common than they thought, and are much stronger than they think, and through their actions set about changing things in their community in Kabul.
The story is based on the author's experiences and people she met while living in Afghanistan as a hair dresser. It is an eye opener to what women face living in Afghanistan and how terrible they are treated and punished for things that we would consider normal life.
Read more about how she came to write this book and how living in Afghanistan and returning to America has changed her life and much more on her website.
Another lovely story by Monica. Her books are so easy to read and as always wonderful characters to draw you into her fictional story. This book carries on from 'The ABC Sisters' five years after Anna has died and life has gone on, as it must, but family have dealt with her death differently and continue to deal with the loss of a mother, daughter and grand daughter.
Lola's up to her old tricks matchmaking and this time planning a secret Christmas party at the Motel in the Clare Valley, while her family have all gone on their own holiday. She has invited guests from far and wide for a free holiday and Christmas dinner and is excited about her secret, if she can carry it out on her own. However, circumstances change in everyone's life to threaten her gathering and rearrange plans for them all.
There is never a dull moment in Lola's life, a lively 80+ yr old, who is constantly having to sort out problems between family members. She is witty and charming and a lot of fun. This book is full of drama within relationships and family and thought provoking at the same time. It's good fun!
P.S. I really love the beautiful covers on all of Monica's books
A lovely easy to read book about a young boy named Tommy Peaceful. Tommy tells his story over a 24hr period, each chapter brings you closer from past to present tense. He recounts his life growing up, the death of his father, dealing with the cruelness dealt to his retarded brother, the struggle of his mother providing for the family with little money, and falling in love with his best friend. The relationship with his brother is so strong as he is the one always looking out for Tommy.
He enlists, although underage, as he doesn't wasnt to appear to be a coward, and is now serving alongside his brother as they look out for each other's safety. As he looks over his life he knows death is eminant. The real sense of fear is felt as he describes the situation he is in and the absolute horror of war and loss of lives and how sensless it all seems. The touching end comes with a twist that will leave you in tears.
Although it's aimed as a YA audience, I think anyone would enjoy reading this book.
It took me a while to start to enjoy this book I will admit. The story is told as a letter from one Sister to another which I didn't like at first, but then came to see the layers being peeled away as Beautrice writes to her sister, Tess, who has gone missing, and reveals her inner thoughts and fears.
Living in New York, Beautrice, a successful art designer, gets a message that her sister living in London has gone missing. Single, pregnant, a struggling art student, Tess has been reported missing by the landlord. Was she a runaway, has she suicided or been murdered? ... you will find out as the mystery unravels. Although the Police believe one of these, Beautrice wont stop until she finds out what has really happened to her sister in the lead up to her disappearance.
A gripping story that has a giant twist that I didn't reallly see coming, with a story that is far more complicated than first thought. Throughout the book we see a change in the perfect and well organised Bee until she transforms little to little to be more like her sister than she ever thought possible. There is a connection with her younger brother who died at an early age from Cystic Fribrosis and the disappearance of her sister that will be revealed.
WATCH THIS INTERVIEW WITH MARKUS TO SEE WHAT INSPIRED HIM TO WRITE THIS BOOK...
I so loved this unforgettable book. I was taken on an incredible journey from the very first page and by the time I got to the final chapters, I was ‘sobbing’ all the way to the end. With ‘death’ as the narrator, you may think this would be gruesome, but on the contrary, it is told in such a sensitive way it astonished me. Death explains at the start that he can be cheerful, agreeable, amiable and fair. He refers to himself as the 'soul carrier'. It was like no other book I have ever read… it touched my soul.
I actually forgot it was ‘fiction’ the descriptions were so real. It truly mesmerized me and I found myself re-reading descriptions and sentences over and over. It was wonderful reading it on my Kindle as I highlighted many of the precious thoughts and sentences I wanted to revisit. I also loved the way it flowed, previewing what was going to happen in each chapter was really different, along with many facts.
Set during WWII, (yes another war story… why do I do it to myself), you meet a small girl named Liesel Meminger who is travelling with her mother and brother, to live with her new foster parents outside Munich. On the way her brother dies and they need to bury him. It is snowing and at the site of the grave Liesel discovers a book stuck in the snow. She secretly takes it, although she doesn’t know how to read.
Liesel's foster mother is rather scary and harsh, but she grows to love her foster father, who plays the accordion and through the long nights of her loneliness and nightmares, and begins to teach her to read her only book. From there her love of reading and books grows until she must steal another, and another. Her foster parents hide a Jew in their basement and they must keep this a secret, even from her best friend Rudy, as their lives depend on it.
The story tells of being part of the Hitler Youth, the rationing of food, the difference between the poor and rich during war, the burning of books on Hitler’s birthday, the mayor’s library, giving a gift when you have nothing to give, and much more. With the patience of her foster father Liesel learns to read so well that during the bombing raids she reads to her neighbours, as they are huddled in the basement, bombs landing close by. I’m sure I’ll be reading this novel many more times.
From now on I will try to remember the colours of the day, not just it’s beginning and end.
About the author:
Australian author, Markus Zusak, now lives in Sydney, but grew up hearing stories about Nazi Germany, about the bombing of Munich and about Jews being marched through his mother’s small, German town. He always knew it was a story he wanted to tell.
With the publication of The Book Thief, Mark is now being dubbed a ‘literary phenomenon’ by Australian and U.S. critics. He is also the award-winning author of four previous books for young adults: The Underdog, Fighting Ruben Wolfe, Getting the Girl, and I Am the Messenger, recipient of a 2006 Printz Honor for excellence in young adult literature.
HITLER’S DAUGHTER
HITLER’S DAUGHTER by Jackie French (LWH)
Although this is not a new release this was a great little book and a real easy read. A group of four school friends waiting for their bus ask Anna to tell them a story, which she had done many times before, but this time it was a little different. She tells the story of a girl named Heidi who was the daughter of Hitler. The story is told with such feeling and great detail and the children are mesmerized, none more than Mark, who thinks what he would do if he was put in Heidi’s place. Questions arise for Mark like… if he knew his father was evil or doing terrible things to others would he be able to do anything about it? If your mother or father are capable of evil things does that mean their children will follow in their path?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: There is far too much to write about Jackie French and she is a prolific writer so CLICK HERE to go to her website and find all the questions to everything you need to know, including all her other novels, tips on writing and getting your work published and lots more. There’s even photos of her beautiful garden.
To go to an interview with Jackie about what inspired her to write this book CLICK HERE
This book was quite disturbing as the title would assume it was recounting some of the atrocities of being a doctor in a most inhumane situation. A Hungarian Jewish Physician, Dr Nyiszli became a chief pathologist and retells what he had to endure living through his experience of living in one of the worst concentration camps, Auschwitz, and what he had to do to survive. The writer tells his story and the events of living next to the crematoriums, in great detail. Working for the notorious, Dr Mengele, the writer tells how he was forced to perform many medical experiments and autopsies on the Jews, and particularly those who were twins, dwarfs or had medical abnormalities. He tells of the gruesomeness of seeing and hearing hundreds of thousands of Jews go to their death in the fires and through starvation, disease and exhaustion.
This was not a feel good read but I am fascinated by the plight of the Jews during the Holocaust and how Hitler came to have so much power over the German people. Dr Nyiszli goes into great detail of what happened in the dissection rooms and how occasionally he was able to ‘delay’ death for some.
The main reason for wanting to read this new release YA novel was because it was written by the daughter of one of our teaching staff, Marilyn Tangey (who is currently on leave and teaching in East Timor). This is not Penny's first novel but as I hadn't ever read one of her novels I thought I'd give it a try, especially being a young Australian writer.
Clara, who has just finished VCE and has decided to travel with her mother to Washington and spend the Summer holidays rediscovering herself and to be someone else other than 'a studious geek' which some of her friends describe her. Clara's mum was always working long hours so Clara, who is sick of staying indoors watching TV, decides to don the gloves and scarf for the chilly Winter weather in Washington, to venture out on her own in a new and strange country, where at times she is fearful and very nervous getting around on the subways by herself, and constantly scared she may be mugged. She decides to overcome her fear of leaving the apartment and visit a few museums and do some 'tourist' thngs.
She eventually decides to join a few charity groups to get to know people and stop from getting board. She helps serve breakfast at a women's homeless shelter each morning and makes a few friends, and joins a group called 'Reading Beyond Bars' which sends books to prisoners. Through this group she meets Campbell, falling head over heals for him, and can't wait for the next time they can meet. He is a member/leader of an anarchists group and Clara is swayed into their teaching and ideas, mostly to impress Campbell and his friends. Clara has to comes to terms with what she really believes and what really matters to her.
It wasn't a bad read but I got a little bored with it. It is a 'coming-of-age' story I guess, which I think based was on the author's personal experiences in Washington. Clara wanted an adventure and thought moving to the other side of the world would do that for her but she didn't have much confidence and everything became very overwhelming to her. It was interesting when she joined the Anarchists group and was determined when her VCE results came not to open them as that would put labels on her. I don't think I could've left the envelope unopened if it was me waiting for results. Most YA would identify a little with Clara I suppose so it's worth a read.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:CLICK HERE to read an interview with Penny and Tristan Bancks and learn more about her writing.
Penny's first YA novel 'Loving Richard Feynman' was shortlisted for the CBCA Book of the Year Award for older readers and shortlisted for the WA Premier's Book Award for Young Adults. Penny lives in Melbourne.
This book was my special Christmas treat to myself. I loved reading as a child and in primary school read every book I could get my hands on, but I distinctly remember my favourite book ‘The Velvet Room’ by Zilpha Keatly Snyder. Over the years I had forgotten the actual story except that it was about a girl finding a secret room, draped in velvet curtains, that she would run to when she wanted to get away from her family. I guess that book started me, without me realizing it, to love stories of suspense, mystery, and secret places.
I had searched many libraries and second hand bookshops trying to find this book and was delighted to finally find it online, so I ordered it and hoped that it would live up to all I had remembered about it being a fabulous book. It didn’t disappoint. It was so lovely to read this book and enjoy it as an adult. Memories came flooding back of how I felt when I had first read it in the early 70’s… yes, 40 years ago! Can you believe it?
Welcome to our Book Review page. Stay a while and read some of the blurbs, check out the video clips and book trailers we've included. You may get inspired to try one of the books that have been reviewed or you may like to write your own review. Ask one of the Library staff how. HAPPY READING!
It's a pity I hadn't read Book 1 first as it would have given me the overview of what was happening, but it didn't take long to get my head around the Sci Fi jargon and characters, so I could be emersed into this trilogy. 
SISTER
I so loved this unforgettable book. I was taken on an incredible journey from the very first page and by the time I got to the final chapters, I was ‘sobbing’ all the way to the end. With ‘death’ as the narrator, you may think this would be gruesome, but on the contrary, it is told in such a sensitive way it astonished me. Death explains at the start that he can be cheerful, agreeable, amiable and fair. He refers to himself as the 'soul carrier'. It was like no other book I have ever read… it touched my soul. 
HITLER’S DAUGHTER by Jackie French (LWH)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: There is far too much to write about Jackie French and she is a prolific writer so CLICK HERE to go to her website and find all the questions to everything you need to know, including all her other novels, tips on writing and getting your work published and lots more. There’s even photos of her beautiful garden.
AUSCHWITZ: A DOCTOR’S EYEWITNESS ACCOUNT 
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: CLICK HERE to read an interview with Penny and Tristan Bancks and learn more about her writing.
