THE INK BRIDGE

by Neil Grant   (LWH)

This book really does convey the spirit of Afghanistan and allows you to experience just a glimpse of the realities of living in this war torn country, the heart of the people, the daily struggle and the life of a refugee.

Young Omed will be killed by the Taliban if he stays, they've already cut out his tongue, he can no longer provide for his family and must flee. He is forced to team up with Snake, a very undesirable character, if he is to escape to Australia especially now he can't communicate with anyone.

When he meets Hector in a candle factory in Melbourne they become silent friends. Hector has his own story and since his mother's death hasn't spoken a word. The two 'silent' boys form an unlikely relationship that will last for many years.

 This story is beautifully told and the descriptive writing is exceptional. I really enjoyed this story and although fiction it could be based on many refugee experiences.

THE FORGOTTEN PEARL

by Belinda Murrell   (LWH)

When Chloe has a school assignment about WWII she decides to ask her grandmother, Poppy, for information of what it was like growing up in those years of war in Australia, believing Australia was too far away from the action.

To Chloe's amazement her Grandma has many memories that have remained hidden for many, many years. Some of her grandmother's stories are wonderful and describe growing up in Darwin during the 1940's but others are still very painful to remember, as she recounts surviving the bombing of Darwin by the Japanese, and how close her and her family came to being killed. Friends and family must leave Darwin and help the war efforts and many friends are killed over the period of the war.

This story, based on historical facts, is beautifully written by Belinda and told in a very sensitive way. I must admit I was thrilled when I first saw this new YA fiction as I had recently visited Darwin and learnt a lot of the devastation to Darwin and surrounding areas during this terrible time in our history. Unfortunately at the time lots of information was covered up by the government and the rest of Australia didn't know how close we came to being invaded by the Japanese.

Poppy tells of her time caring for wounded soldiers and civilians, her time in Sydney surviving Sydney Harbour being torpedoed, and of course her carefree days before war came to Australia. I loved reading of the different beaches Poppy would go to for a swim during the wet season as I could picture them so clearly having been there recently. A lovely read

DARK EYES

by William Richter   (LWH)

Fabulous book, great story, fast paced, a few twists and something a little different for a YA fiction.

Wally was adopted from a Russian orphanage as a young girl by a wealthy American family however during her teenage years she rebels and we find her living on the streets after a fall out with her mother.

Wally has so many questions about her real mother and father and the reason she was living in an orphanage. When she is unexpectantly handed a parcel which contains some of her Russian mother's personal items and a letter for Wally, she sets out to find her mother if she is still alive.

When one of her friends is murdered mysteriously, her life becomes very complicated. Her Russian father, Klesko, starts following her and her friends and soon they become hunted by this trained killer, who will stop at nothing to get what he wants. Great story that will keep you guessing right to the end.

THE TRUTH ABOUT VERITY SPARKS

by Susan Green
This was an unusual story that was short-listed in the Book of the Year for Younger Readers category of the 2012 CBCA Awards.


Set in the late 1800's, a thirteen yr old girl named Verity Sparks discovers she is talented in finding lost objects. Verity works as a milliner in London and thinks she is just an ordinary lower class girl until she is accused of steeling some jewellery and her life takes on a very different direction.
She is helped by the Plush family who explain she has an almost perfect memory and possesses the talent of Teleagtivism. They ask her to help them solve cases in their Confidential Inquiry Agency. Soon there are chases through the dark alleys of London and lots of adventure. Will Verity find out the truth about her parents and why she has this special talent? A great story with mystery and suspense.

THE INDUSTRY

by Rose Foster   (LWH)

This was a great read and something a bit different... no vampires in sight! The story starts with Kirra Hayward a 16yr old student who is smart and excels in Maths & Science. Unfortunately she doesn't have any real friends.


She is given a task in her maths class to create a puzzle and when she goes online she discovers an unusual decrypting puzzle. She doesn't know who has put it there or what it means but when the numbers jump out at ther clearly, she decides to fill in the code and press send.


That is when her life changes forever. Shortly after completing the code she feels she is being watched and then she is kidnapped and taken from her family half way across the world. She finds out her ability to solve the puzzle has landed her in this bizarre situation where she is tortured and put in a freezing cell and made to solve other codes. She learns she is one of only three others in the world that can break these important security codes.

Kirra has no idea if she will ever see her family again and doesn't know who she can trust. The plot thickens when another prisoner, a boy named Milo, is thrown into her cell and he seems to be able to break codes like her.

This is a fantastic story, the first in a trilogy by this young debut author who grew up in Melb. and studies creative writing at RMIT.

THE FITZOSBORNE'S AT WAR

by Michelle Cooper  (STAFF)   LWH

What a fabulously captivating historical fiction, which is the last in a trilogy by Michelle Cooper. In this book Sophie and the rest of her family, the royal family of Montmaray, escape their remote island home when the Nazis attack, and flee to England, where they think they will be safe.


Written as Sophie's personal journal, the writer takes you on a ride of emotions as Sophie shares her very private secrets, her heartbreaks and fears during the six years of World War II, and what it was like living through this terrible time as a young adult. Losing family and friends, coping with the bombings and destruction in London, the rationing of food, and even the political events that were all part of this horrid time. There are so many historical facts written into this story yet it flows beautifully. I really connected with Sophie and felt her frustration and loss.


Even though I've read this trilogy out of order I think I'll seek out the other two and complete the journey.

THE KABUL BEAUTY SCHOOL

by Deborah Rodriguez   (LWH)  STAFF

Deborah Rodriguez went to Afghanistan to transform her own life and ended up revolutionizing the lives of many of her Afghan sisters. This book is a look at the lives of women in Afghanistan through the lens of The Kabul Beauty School.

When Deborah helped establish the Kabul Beauty School she not only worked to empower her students, living in this very strict culture, but the beauty school proved a small haven, and through this she made some of the closest friends of her life. 

Woven through the book are the stories of her students: the 12 year-old bride who has been sold into marriage to pay her family's debts, the brilliant former medic who has not left her house for thirty years. All of these women have a story to tell, and all of them bring their stories to the Kabul Beauty School, where, along with Rodriguez herself, they learn the art of perms, of friendship, and of freedom.

A fabulous book, and a second I've read by Deborah, the other being 'Little Coffee Shop of Kabul'. A great in-site into the lives of these beautiful and courageous women.

ARTICLE 5

by Kristen Simmons   (LWH)

Yet another Dystopia YA fiction novel, but wow, it was great! I think this was Kristen's debut novel and she did a great job. I connected with Em and Chase and the story was exciting from start to finish.

There was fear, romance, revenge, chases, danger, death, adventure... everything you could hope for all rolled into one book. It was easy to read and really hard to put down.

Set in America after the 'Bill of Rights' has been revoked and there is a new law... 'Moral Statutes'. People are arrested and don't come back. There are no police only soldiers patrolling and arresting. Life as we knew it has changed and you can get arrested for reading the wrong books or staying out after dark.

Ember Miller has shocked when her mother was arrested and she was sent to girls reformation school as punishment, dobbed in by her so-called friend. There starts her mission to escape and try to find her mother and save her from a trial and possible death. There will be struggles and a few surprises in stall but you'll have to read it to find out more!

TORN PAGES

by Sally Grindley   (LWH)

Orphaned, poor, living in Africa, and a grandmother that hates her, Lydia has the odds stacked against her as she must take on a mother's role and care for her sister and brother, trying just to survive.

This is a wonderful heart wrenching story, that is beautifully told by Sally Grindley. Things are very tough for these children as they try to come to terms with the recent death of their mother to AIDS. Lydia is forced to stay  home from school and work for her horrid grandmother, whose only desire is to cause pain to her grandchildren and take over their home. The every day chores they must undertake just to survive certainly made me realise how much we take for granted living in Australia.

I will certainly be reading more of Sally's lovely books.

RENA'S PROMISE

A Story of Sisters in Auschwitz   (LWH)

by Heather Dune Macadam
Co-author of Rena's Promise

This is one of those book you don’t just read it….it becomes a part of you!
I was very touched by the memoirs of Rena and her story of surviving the Nazi concentration camps with her sister, Danka.

Until I read this book I wasn’t aware that this year, 26 March 2012, marks the 70^th Anniversary of the first transport to Auschwitz concentration camp. That first transport in 1942 was almost entirely young women between the ages of 16 and 22. Among those 999 young Jewish women was #1716, Rena Kornreich, a 21yr old Polish Jew hiding in Slovakia. A few days later, her sister Danka #2779 arrived. This began a trial of love and courage that would last 3 years and 41 days, from the beginning of their journey in Auschwitz, to the death march through the snow, and on to the end of the war. Her motivation to keep her and her sister alive no matter what happened came from a promise to her parents to keep her younger sister safe. Her visions of her mother helped her through the most difficult times.

I also wasn’t aware that women's accounts of the Holocaust are rare, and until ‘Rena's Promise’, there has been no other book written by a survivor from the first transport of women, mainly because not many women survived. And for that reason alone she is historically important. Her details of events are confirmed in many archival documents and plans. There are many more testimonies published from male survivors than women's accounts, yet the fact remains that the first transport was not men but girls on the verge of womanhood. They were targeted by the Nazis as they wanted to stop the continuity of Jewish life.

SHADOW ON THE MOON

by Zoe Marriott   (LWH)

I must admit the beautiful cover is what drew me into picking up this book and deciding to read it.This was a very unusual book and completely different to what I had expected, but I loved it.

This story was like a Japanese Cinderella story. On her 14th birthday, Suzanne is in her garden with her friend, when soldiers come to kill her father, accusing him of treason. She had never seen soldiers before and didn't know how to be frightened, but when they search her and her friend out to kill them they hide. This is when she discovers she is a shadow-weaver and can create a mantle of darkness and light to change her appearance and be anything she wants to be.

She is forced to live with her mother and her new husband Lord Terayama, who she does not trust and believes they both had a hand in killing her beloved father. She has such grief from the death of her father and friend that she resorts to 'cutting herself' to make the pain go away. She falls in love with another shadow-weaver Otiano but will this be enough to make her happy or is her need for revenge of her father more powerful than love. You'll have to read this story to find out!

I felt this was a beautifully written book and Zoe Marriott swept me away to another land, a land of fantasy, of betrayal and strange customs, but it really felt so real. I felt for Suzanne and all that she was going through and just wanted hold her and care for her so she had no more pain. I highly recommend this book but I was uneasy with the self harm that Suzanne felt she needed to inflict on herself to find relief from her grief.

EXTREMELY LOUD AND INCREDIBLY CLOSE

by Jonathan Safron Foer   (LWH)

I must admit I knew nothing about this book and found it rather deep and very unusual. At the time of reading (or letting my Kindle read it to me) I wasn't well so maybe I didn't bond with the story as I usually do. I have now watched the movie and loved it and gave me a greater love for the characters (see video trailer below). It stars Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock.

Oskar is a nine year old boy, who suffers from Autism, and who's father is killed in the 9/11 terrorist attacks. He was let out of school early that day and has a secret he hasn't told anyone. He was the first to come home and hear his father leave 5 phone messages to his family as he was trapped in one of the towers, still alive. They were the last words he said.

Oskar, while going through his father's things, discovers a key in an envelope with the word 'Black' written on it. He believes this is a clue and he decides to look up and track down every person named 'Black' in the phone book. This seems like an unbelievable and unrealistic task but he is determined to do it. Without giving it away too much, he meets several people along the way and he connects with. As I said... I think I'll enjoy the movie more!

THE HAPPIEST REFUEE

by Anh Do

This was a fantastic read. Anh Do, a well known comedian, tells of his life coming to Australia from a war-torn Vietnam, on a boat, along with his family. The journey was filled with danger from drifting at sea with a broken motor, to being raided by pirates, this book is sure to thrill you and at times amaze you.

Anh has a real commitment to his family and this story tells what is was like for him and his family to arrive as refugees with nothing, to completing school, then working hard to make a new life in Australia.

I really loved having a glimpse into his life story, through his hardships and triumphs. The photos were wonderful - I'm glad he included so many. I would recommend this great book to anyone. It just shows what you can accomplish with a lot of hard work. I loved how his mum would always say to give back to this country because it had given them so much. This book has won many awards and rightly so.

LAMENT

by Maggie Stiefvater

I have to admit right from the getgo that I'm not a fan of faeries, magic, vampires, or those types of books, however, I was intrigued after reading the first few chapters. Deirdre was a very gifted musician along with her best friend James. It was at a music competition that a mysterious boy named Luke enters her life and encourages her to even new heights with her music and she also discovers she is a 'cloverhand' someone who can see faeries.

After discovering that Luke is actually a faerie assassin, and she is in fact his next target, she must decide whether to trust what Luke says, that he is in love with her, or follow what her mind and family are telling her, stay away.

I'll admit I kind of liked it up until about half way through and then I got completely bored withthe story  and it was taking me off into an area I don't really like reading so I actually skimmed through to the end (which is something I never usually do). The story was apparently a depiction of Celtic faerie lore and a lot of people do like that genre, but it wasn't for me. It did keep me guessing for a while though and I did like a couple of the characters. The sequel is called "Balled" if you are interested in this genre.

THREE SUMMERS

by Judith Clarke


What a lovely cover that once again made me pick this book up to read.
This story is set mostly in rural Australia and begins in 1959. It follows the life journey of Ruth and her best friend Fee. When I finished the book I felt like I had actually lived along side both of them.

Ruth had lost her mother in a car accident when she was a baby and was raised by her father and her grandmother, which she had a strong connection with. The story tells the tale of the girls receiving their results from their final year of school and the direction their lives followed... Fee craving marriage and motherhood and staying in this country town and Ruth winning a scholarship to a Sydney University, which her grandmother thinks will save her from being trapped in this small town, with all it's quirky characters. She really wants her grand daughter to live life to the fullest and have the opportunities that she was never able to have.

Ruth however is torn by her secret love for Tam, the town casanova, even though she'd never actually dated him, and what she has always wanted, to be educated.


Parts of the book had me engrossed in the trials and tribulations of the characters but at times I found it was a little slow and lost my attention, however I'm glad I persevered because overall it was a wonderful story of friendships and love conquered and lost.

WONDER

WONDER by P.J. Palacio    (LW)


This is a very touching book about a little boy named Auggie who was born with a terribly deformed face. His mum has home schooled him up until now but this year he is going to school, into fifth grade. The book is very easy to read as it has very short chapters and the whole story is divided into eight parts, each told by a different character. As Auggie reluctantly starts school he has many challenges to face including coping with bullies. Finding 'true' friends isn't easy when you are deformed so much that you make others stare, scream, and run away in fright.


Auggie's sister Via is a tower of strength to him but at times she feels she is brushed over by her parents who are always spending time with Auggie and tending to his needs. She is also going through lots of changes and at times feels left out. As each character tells of their experience and their feelings towards Auggie you are taken on a insightful journey. The overall theme of the story is that we should all try to be kinder to each other. I really enjoyed this book.

THE WRONG BOY

THE WRONG BOY  by Suzy Zail   (LW)


What a fantastic read. Although the story is fiction, some of names, places and events the author has written about are based on fact. The concentration camps were indeed real.


This story tells of Hanna Mendel who wanted more than anything else to be a concert pianist, but she wasn't to know that within days her life would be turned upside down. Forced to live in a ghetto, being rounded up into a cattle train and taken to a concentration camp, then falling in love with a German boy who had saved her life.


At times it was heart wrenching to read what Hanna and her sister went through to survive. This story was written so we will never forget what happened during WWII and how the Jews and others were treated. Everyone should read a story like this to keep their stories alive.


The author Suzy Zail's own father was an Auschwitz camp survivor and she has written another book titled "The Tattooed Flower: A Memoir" which tells of his time in the concentration camps and the Nazi occupation.

THE HOUSE OF SILK

by Anthony Horowitz  (LW Kindle)


The game is afoot! How much fun was this book to step back into the life of Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson. I grew up reading Encyclopaedia Brown and then onto Sherlock Holmes and that started my love of  'mystery murders'. Whether it's Agatha Christie, Poirot, or one of the thousands of detective stories I love them all. 


Little did I realise that Anthony Horowitz had been the screenwriter for Midsomer Murders, Foyles War and Poirot, featured on ABC television, all of which I adore.
This book, however, was a first Holmes novel for Anthony, which took 8 years to write. His research and description of the characters and places were excellent and I could picture each scene just like the original Sir Conan Doyle stories. It was hard to put down this book and as always I wanted to find the clues at the same time as Holmes.


Unlike other Holmes novels I have read, this story is written after the death of Sherlock Holmes, Dr Watson is elderly, and he is recounting a story, which is most sinister and shocking. After he had written it it was held at his solicitor's vaults until 100 yrs had passed. It is one last portrait of the great Sherlock Holmes. I think he pulled it off very well. 

TO CALM MY DREAMS: Surviving Auschwitz

by Kazimierz Tyminski   (LW)


I know..I know... the cover looks scary and I must admit I picked this book up a couple of times before I actually decided to read it. However, it was a great book and very easy to read, having a little larger print, and I was able to read it in one day and really enjoyed it. 


It's the story of Kazimierz, a young Polish Uni student, living in Krakow, recently married, had studied engineering, and had a love for music. Unfortunately for him he was arrested and sent to prison and then onto a concentration camp.


Kazimierz's children translated this book to fulfil his wishes of telling his story of his time in the notorious Auschwitz concentration camp, along with other camps, and how he survived the Holocaust, at all odds. He wanted to make sure the events that happened in these camps during WWII will never be forgotten and that the next generation will learn from the past. 


At times it was his ability to play music that saved him from being killed or tortured and he often wondered how he survived when so many of his friends weren't as fortunate. This is a powerful true story written from camp notes he had made at the time, which Kazimierz hoped would help to rid himself of some of the memories that still haunted him many years later.

MISS PEREGRINE'S HOME FOR PECULIAR CHILDREN

by Ransom Riggs  (LW-not in CCB lib)


What an amazing book. I didn't have any preconceived expectations with this book. I'd seen the cover a few times and passed it by, but something drew me back to it. I was glad I gave in... it was amazing but strange! I downloaded it to my Kindle and thought I'll just flick through a few pages... a couple of hours later I still couldn't put it down. Lucky it was on my Kindle cos I even had to read it late into the nights.

I'm not writing any more about it because it will spoil the experience and besides I've included the book trailer and the making of the book trailer to tantilise you.

 Enjoy it my peculiar friends!

This short film is fascinating look at the abandoned houses and castles that author of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, Ransom Riggs and his Dutch urban explorer guide found while scouting locations for the book trailer.

(Taken from 'The Book Slooth' blog:  http://thebookslooth.blogspot.com.au/2011/12/miss-peregrines-making-of-trailer.html)