New Review! Teenage fiction

 

Title: Firewallers

Author: Simon Packham

IBSN: 9781848123076

Price: £6.99

 Jess is a normal teenage girl with a cheating ex-boyfriend who she is considering getting back with, unhelpful best friend, boring work experience job at her father’s office, and an excruciatingly perfect older sister Millie aka ‘The Golden One’. However one day she returns home after a particularly tough day at school to find her mother and her sister crying and the house surrounded by the press. Her father has done something, they said, he has lost his job at the bank because he lost his money. However Jess senses there is more to the story when the next day they pack their bags and leave driving all the way to an island off the coast of Scotland inhabited by a strange group of people called the ‘Dawdlers’, who Jess’s mother has heard of through her friend Sue who is one of them . They are an anti-consumerism, anti-modernisation society and wear only eco-friendly unlabelled clothes, eat only natural foods directly sourced from nature and live without technology. Jess’s horror at having to give up her hair straighteners, make up shampoo and mobile phone is almost too great to describe, but her mother seems unusually happy at having no connection whatsoever to society, even if the lack of skin products seems daunting. Jess is told she must try to fit in with the other ‘striplings’ which is the word the Dawdlers use for teenagers, but she finds them hostile and cannot understand why they live contentedly without modern technology, skincare or fast food. Meanwhile ‘The Golden One’ seems to have changed dramatically and begins to rebel for the first time in her life. Jess obediently listens to the leader Eric and goes to the lessons and meetings with the other striplings, but Millie stays indoors, barely speaking to her mother or to Jess,  refusing to take part in anything.

                Jess grows more suspicious that there is something she has not been told, and worries even more that it is particularly about her dad, but any time Millie comes close to telling her she suddenly stops and closes up again, refusing to say anything. Jess becomes increasingly worried about Millie and the effect the island is having on her, but she also feels secretly glad that there is something she is better at than Millie because she finds herself liking the striplings as they are not all what they first appeared to be, particularly Campbell, who takes her on a date. However Campbell too has a secret, and his is also about his father, but will Jess ever uncover the truth about anything?

                This story is cleverly written and really does put you in the mind of a teenager dealing with an impossible situation. Although humorous at times it contains mature themes and powerful underlying messages and how a young person could deal with them. Jess seems shallow and silly, if creative and amusing at first, but eventually you see another side to her emerge; of loyalty courage and strength as she saves her family from falling apart.

          I would give this book  7/10!

Bang Bang you're dead! Book review by Katy Handley

Title: Bang Bang You’re Dead

Author: Narinder Dhami

ISBN: 978052560436

I would describe this as a teen thriller with a shocking twist. It follows Mia an ordinary school girl on an extraordinary day at school. There is a gunman on the loose in school, holding Class 9B hostage in the outbuilding. Mia is shy, insecure and weak, she is often told, but when she realises her twin brother Jamie is missing, and was last seen heading towards the location of the gunman, she takes it on herself to go looking for the potential killer.

As all the action takes place, we also learn about earlier times from Mia’s life and her struggle to live with her unstable mother, her grandad’s death and her rather strange brother Jamie. Every time someone hurts Mia, they are punished in some way for their actions and Mia can’t help but wonder if Jamie has something to do with it. Jamie is not shy or weak, but strong, bright and confident and constantly telling Mia she should stand up for herself more, especially to the bullies at school.

She knew that day, that something bad was going to happen. Her mum had another of her panic attacks that morning, after planning to use another of her credit cards to buy new things they couldn’t afford then losing her temper. Mia’s mum had been like this as long as they could remember and since Grandad is no longer around to take care of her Mia constantly turns to Jamie for help and support, but she often fears what he might too, if his own temper is pushed to the brink. And today, she knows, he has a plan.

In this thrilling tale Mia pursues the gunman through the school determined to stop what could ruin so many lives, it is a terrifying game of cat and mouse, but who will win? What if all is not as Mia suspects, or what if it is? Mia soon realises she is in more danger than she ever could have imagined. Easy to read, but also shocking and dramatic this page-turner wil have you on the edge of your seat!

I would give this 8/10

We have a mural

The Hit

 

Title: The Hit

Author: Melvin Burgess

ISBN- 978-1-908435-33-0

Out in April!

Imagine the most amazing drug in the world, with the greatest price. For one week, your intelligence, your strength and appearance becomes superhuman and your senses of taste, smell sight and hearing are heightened. However at the end of the hit is one colossal come down; death. The drug binds itself to the human brain and within a week the user is dead. Soon the drug becomes so popular that suicide rates among young people have tripled in a year, particularly after a famous singer, Jimmy Earle, dies suddenly, spectacularly at the end of his concert due to the drug. A teenage couple, Lizzie and Adam are at the concert and witness the riots that follow, encouraged by the Zealots a revolutionary gang who are handing out hundreds of free ‘death’ pills on the streets of London. At one point Adam would never have dreamed of suicide, but from that night on his life begins to spiral downwards dramatically. He never feels good enough for his rich pretty girlfriend, Lizzie who is constantly encouraged by her parents and friends to dump him. On the day they promise to lose their virginities to one another Adam finds out the terrible news that he will never see his brother again; now he must give up school in order to work as his father is handicapped and his brother Jess had been the main source of income. He feels he is on the brink of losing everything anyway, and is tempted by the ultimate high followed by escape from life. It’s up to Lizzie to save him from the worst decision he could possibly make. However she has her own problems as the Christian Ballentine, the heavily medicated, unbalanced son of an immensely powerful drug dealer has taken an interest in her and he refuses to give up. The Ballentines are linked with the drug ‘death’ and with the Zealots, but who is in control? 

                This book is dramatic and difficult to put down, however I would have preferred it longer, or split into a few books in order to learn more about the characters and focus on the events; I had to read the end a couple of times before I actually understood everything- it all happened so quickly! Nevertheless it’s an amazing storyline and it will have you on the edge of your seat!

I would rate this 8/10!

Humans

Title- The Humans

Author – Matt Hang

ISBN- (hardback)- 9780857868756

ISBN-(paperback)- 9780857868763

Out soon!

Sorry there is no picture as the book has not been published yet.

This book will change the way you think about life, the human race and the universe. What if aliens really did exist and were more advanced and intelligent than us? And what if they walked among us disguised as humans, influencing events in order to control the progression of the human race? This is not a story about Professor Andrew Martin of Cambridge University, a workaholic who ignores his family in order to solve the greatest mathematical riddle of our time- the pattern of prime numbers. In doing this he has unlocked the secret to technological advancement which will send the human race hurtling towards the future. This story is not about Professor Andre Martin, however, this story is about the alien, who after he had been killed, took over his body in order to prevent the answer to this riddle falling into the clutches of a civilisation who were not ready. Thrown into his disguise, this alien’s only guide to earth was what lay in the pages of that the ‘Cosmopolitan’, consequently his first event on earth involves being arrested for public display of nudity.    Soon, however he begins to blend in, and he begins to proceed with his task; to kill anyone who may have any knowledge of Andrew Martin’s solution. His kind have no emotions, relationships or favouritism, they strive for knowledge, and the greatest good for the greatest number, working to preserve their race rather than themselves. They also view humans as inferior, disposable beings. Therefore when the fake Andrew Martin becomes a little attached to his wife Isobel and their son Gulliver, as he tries to help them deal with the problems caused by the real Professor, who abandoned and ignored them, the situation becomes more complicated. Despite his initial hatred of his disguise, human food and tastes, he finds himself growing strangely fond of peanut butter, poetry (especially Emily Dickinson), and David Bowie’s Space Oddity’ which ‘tells you nothing about space, but is very pleasing to the ears’. Suddenly Andrew Martin has become a much better father, husband, and allround human being than he ever was, but can he save his newfound family by the fate his kind has in store for them? Or will he finally ‘remember who he truly is and what his ‘kind’ is fighting for’.

                This is a humorous charming, often tragic depiction of humanity; desperate, often selfish, but loving. I would fully recommend it for a life-changing read. Remember, (from 97 pieces of advice for a human), No. 25: ‘there is only one genre in fiction, that genre is a book’

I would rate this as a 9/10!

Saturday 12th January Review of Just one Day by Gayle Forman

Title: Just One Day

Author: Gayle Forman

ISBN: 978-1-849-41566-8

Price: £6.99

                To begin with Allyson Healey lives a very normal, if rigidly organised life. When she graduates her parents pay for her to go on a tour of Europe and evenly though it is informative, well-organised and most of the other graduates including her friend Mel have a lot fun, Allyson feels that something is missing. She is seeing the countries as an American tourist but not feeling the atmosphere or living as they would. She used to be satisfied with staying in while everyone went out, studying hard in order to get into medical school and generally obeying her Mother completely. Things seem to change quickly, however, when she meets Willem a young Dutchman who had travelled for two years and somehow ended up joining a cast of amateur actors, performing Shakespeare. As Allyson watches him acting Sebastian in the acting group’s rendition of ‘Twelf Night’ she begins to fall for him. He calls her ‘Lulu’ stating she looks similar to the 1920s American actress Louise Brooks, due to her short black hairstyle and dark, deep eyes. For the first time in her life Allyson feels special, different and more confident and when Willem offers her an enchanting offer to visit Paris, just for one day, she finds it impossible to refuse…

                Just one day becomes a truer statement than Allyson could have imagined, as Willem disappears mysteriously, leaving her stranded in Paris. Heartbroken, Allyson manages to get home but she is devastated feeling she has lost not only Willem, but also the person she became while she was with him; ‘Lulu’. She hates university and constantly struggles to fit in with her parent’s expectations, often falling short. Eventually Allyson decides to take action, she will find Willem and with him find answers, and hopefully also find the confident, interesting Lulu, such a contrast to the shy boring Allyson.

                This is not your typical American love story. It is, I admit, an American love story, but it contains stunning descriptions of Paris and wonderful elements of different cultures which you never thought you knew. Have you ever heard Shakespeare in French? Did you know there is a word in Mandarin for ‘double-happiness’?

This is also a story about self-discovery, life and loss. In her search Allyson eventually discovers who she really is, after meeting a variety of different personalities and nationalities both friends and enemies. She learns about love and about herself, finding it incredible how just one day in Paris could change someone’s life forever. This book might not have the conventional happy ending, or even be a tragedy, but it does have love, happiness and friendship as well as heartbreak and despair and the trials of growing up and finding out who you really are.

“If Music be the food of love, play on” Duke Orsino, ‘Twelfth Night’ by William Shakespeare.

New Book Reviews

Title: Hidden

Author: Marianne Curley

ISBN: 978-1-4088-2262-3

Price: £6.99

If you enjoy twilight and various other vampire/mythical creature stories but are looking for a change this is an excellent book. It falls under the genre of teen fantasy which has recently become very popular worldwide. However this story is not about vampires or werewolves but angels. What would happen if an angel was taken at birth and hidden somewhere on earth with a mortal family? Ebony lives a sheltered life, never truly understanding why her parents keep her enclosed and isolated, away from the life her friends lead. Everything changes when at a school dance she literally bumps into Jordan and instantly feels a connection with him. Jordan is an unlucky boy whose life never seemed to go right for him. He also has a terrible secret, something he regrets, which has turned his childhood best friend Adam into his worst enemy. When Adam sees Jordan talking to his girlfriend Sophie, tension builds and a fight ensues. Ebony feels an incredible urge to protect this boy who she has only just met and when she returns home that night she feels that her life is not what she understands it to be. She soon begins to suspect that her parents have not revealed the entire truth to her about her birth- that she was born with a twin brother who died- and starts to demand the whole story. However her parents had been told that informing their daughter of her true identity would bring doom on the family and the entire village. Meanwhile Jordan meets Thane, an extraordinary man who promises to change his unfortunate life and make him happier, but first Jordan must help him find the lost angel, the one he had been searching for all his life so he could return to Avena, the human concept of heaven and marry his fiancé who has waited for him for many years… But Ebony has been brought up by atheist parents and refuses to believe talk of angels, heaven or anything out of the ordinary. Jordan realises that making her realise her role in this other world and her past life will be no easy task. Meanwhile the dark Prince Luca, a fallen angel who rules an abandoned realm is growing in power and he is also searching for something. The same thing as Thane and he refuses to be defeated.

Title: The Legacy

Author: Gemma Malley

ISBN: 978-1-4088-3689-7

Price: £6.99

                Before the Hunger Games there was ‘The Legacy’. This is part of a series which I would fully recommend reading all of. It is set in the future where Albert Fern has managed to create a drug that cures cancer in order to save his daughter Elizabeth’s life. However not only does his formula prevent all disease it also create s cells that do not age. In essence he has created everlasting life. But Albert knows the price that comes with this and also knows that he must protect the circle of life at all costs. However his assistant and son in law Richard Pincent does not understand this concept. He wants to recreate the formula into a revolutionary drug that will give people eternal live and make him rich. He orders his bodyguard to get rid of Albert. Albert refuses to give him the formula but Richard has a sample and knows that other scientists will be able to retrace the process. However Albert gives him a warning; he may be able to derive the formula but nature will always win and he must always remember the circle of life. This warning will later haunt Richard as his perfect scheme of eternal life is suddenly threatened by a virus which his drug ‘longevity’ cannot cure. It seems that the unbeatable cure may be under threat; meanwhile there is an uprising from the Surpluses and their supporters who call themselves, The Underground. As people have chosen to live forever they give up the right to have children and any children born to those taking ‘longevity’ are taken to ‘Surplus Halls’ and subjected to cruel treatment and slavery, later they are secretly sent to a Pincent Laboratory, their bodies used for experiments and to create the new drug longevity plus.  Such a fate happened to Sheila once after her friend Anna was released by Peter the surplus son of a former mistress of the Surplus Hall Margaret Pincent. Margaret was never told that Peter was her son, he was a surplus and so quietly smuggled away from his house by his father. Now we see Margaret in prison with a death sentence for murdering her husband after she found out what he had done to their child. Anna and Peter live happily together with Anna’s baby brother and their own child. Sheila too had a happy ending, as she was saved by         Margaret’s other son and Peters brother. They both now work under Pip, leader of the Underground and fight against longevity and all it stands for, but Sheila had always been determined that she was not a surplus, that her parents had wanted her and not chosen longevity and now she wants to find them, but Pip knows this is a terrible idea. Meanwhile, Peter and Anna live happily together, far away from the problems of the real world, with Anna’s little brother and their own child. But Peter is becoming restless and knows that the resistance is struggling, as Pincent, terrified by the virus which threatens his legacy locks down on rebels with further vigilance. As people begin to grow suspicious of their neighbours seeming ill then mysteriously disappearing late at night, and more children are taken to surplus halls every day, Richard Pincent’s world seems to be crumbling around him. There is only one course he must take, he must find the original formula and understand what Albert meant when he said the ‘circle or life’. Otherwise the whole of Britain could die.

Title: Billy & Girl

Author: Deborah Levy

ISBN: 978-1-4088-4068-9

Price: £7.99

This is a story about a boy named Billy and his sister who everyone has always called ‘Girl’. It is a strange yet charming modern fairytale about two very different teenagers growing up. This is not a story for young children though, it is gritty and sad filled with the tragedy of real life. The two children live alone after their father died in a fire and their mother abandoned them. They are determined to find their lost mother and when they meet Louise, a mentally handicapped girl who works in a supermarket ‘Freezerworld’,      Girl feels that she can help them. She feels a connection to Louise and not only because Louise is girls real name. Girl gives her clothes and shoes trying to improve her style, and Louise is flattered by the interest of the two damaged, stylish teenagers and so tries to help them.  Raj is Billy’s sole confident and in love with Girl and he too becomes drawn into their plans and schemes, entrance by their strange lives. The story is at times witty and abstract and at others hard-hitting and painfully real and a criticism of modern society. As you disciver the full story behind the siblings past and their situation it becomes a thought provoking, heart breaking tale. I would definitely recommend this book; it is profound, comedic and serious all at the same time.