Cambridge High School Library 2024

By:Monique Polak Genre: Youth fiction- Family/religion Location: FIC POL 16 year old Ani lives in a tiny Quebec town of Sainte-Anee-de-Beaupre, where the family runs Saintly Souvenirs- a tourist shop catering to the many pilgrims who come to the town seeking a miracle. Ani is a good girl- devout and obedient, her sister though is the opposite: irreverent, over- sexed and hyperactive. When Ani's faith is tested and she is confronted with something shocking in her mothers past- she has to rethink her whole existence.. I started to flick through this book and ten minutes later I realised it had grabbed me- students were waiting at the library desk while I was getting to know Ani and Colette. As for the secret- well it is an issue that the catholic church is facing and so it is a topical book that handles it very well . It may not be in the library in the holidays- I will have it.

By: Richard Harland Genre: Fiction Thriller Location: FIC HAR CONSPIRACY + MURDER + STEAM POWERED ACTION. Starwars cross Mortal Engines Col and Riff led the oppressed Filthies to victory, but now the revolution on their mountain sized juggernaut is falling apart. A saboteur strikes, and suspicion and paranoia reign. Will Riff deny her love and brand Col a traitor? Can anyone stop the extremists taking over? And can they defeat the juggernauts massing for war? "A page-turner pulse pounding read" " A terrific novel- hard to put down.."

By: TOP GEAR and THE STIG Genre: What do you think? Location: NF 629.222 TOP Porsche, Jaguar, Ferrari, Lotus, BMW, Maserati, Lamborghini, Alfa Romeo, MG, Audi... the fast cars, amazing stats, photos, cool factors and Top Gear repartee.

By:Sarah Dessen Genre: Family youth fiction Location: FIC DES Insomnia, parents divorce, summer at the beach with Dad and his new family, gossiping girls at work, crushes and ELI- a fellow insomniac who becomes her nocturnal guide. With an endless supply of long summer nights between them, almost anything can happen...

By: Andy McNabb Genre: War fiction Location: FIC McN Series: Drop Zone This wasn't going to be a situation he could negotiate; it was a fight for his life. Andy McNab goes Cherub SAS style... some say that this series will rival Muchamores Cherub series- that's a big call, but McNab has been around the block and this could just be his biggest success ever.17 year old Ethan Blake goes skydiving for fun- except he doesn't- he is actually on a crack SAS covert operation unit. Homeless teenagers are scattering the streets- dead- and they need an undercover agent to go into the organised crime unit called The Raiders- to see what is going on. Ethan's life just got very dangerous.

By: Lauren DeStefano Genre: Sci Fi - Chic lit Location: FIC DES WHAT IF YOU KNEW EXACTLY WHEN YOU WOULD DIE ? In our brave new future, DNA engineering has resulted in a terrible genetic flaw, woman die at the age of 20, men at 25. Young girls are being abducted and forced to breed in a desperate attempt to keep humanity ahead of the disease that threatens to eradicate it... 16 year old Rhine Ellery is kidnapped and sold as a bride to Linden, a rich young man with a dying wife- even though he is kind to Rhine- she is desperate to escape. With the help of a servant called Gabriel she attempts to escape... in what little time she has left.

By: Karen Rivers Genre: Youth Fiction Location: FIC RIV My life used to be a pitcher of white, pure, clean, delicious milk just bubbling over goddamn wholesomeness. My entire life. My whole family was shiny and perfect, snipped right out of the stereotype catalogue, Mum, Dad, me, Chelsea and our loyal dog Glob.... I'm seventeen now and that's all gone. seventeen doesn't sound old. But it is . Trust me.... How the perfect life becomes a life of hell.... the pitcher of nice milk turned sour.

By: Sharon E. McKay Genre: Fiction- Cultural Location: FIC MCK A powerful novel of enduring friendship set amid the terror and chaos of present-day Afghanistan. Best friends Tamanna and Yasmin cannot believe their good fortune when a school is set up in their Afghan village;however, their dreams for the future are shattered when the Taliban burn down the school and threaten the teacher and students with death. Tamanna faces an arranged marriage with an older man, and the Taliban target Yasmin's family- the girls realise that they must flee....

By: John Grisham Genre: Youth Fiction Location: FIC GRI A perfect murder A faceless witness A lone courtroom champion knows the whole truth and he's only thirteen years old. meet THEODORE BOONE.

By: Theresa Breslin Genre: Historical Fiction Location: Fic BRE " Unputdownable" The Times This book has a fantastic cover- if you judge a book by its cover- then you will read this book. I bought this book for the library before I even turned a page- but then I also love history. So what is it about.. The flames begin to rise around her... Z arita, only daughter of the town magistrate, lives a life of wealth and privilege. Saulo, son of a beggar, witnesses his father wrongfully arrested and brutally dealt with. Hauled off to be a slave at sea, he swears vengeance on the magistrate and his family. The cruel agents of the Inquisition arrive in Zarita's town bringing suspicion, terror and death. Then, amid the intrigues of the royal court, Zarita and Saulo meet once more, to face final acts of betrayal and revenge.

B y: Nahal Tajadod Genre: Non fiction- travel Location: NF 920 TAJ Tehran, Lipstick and loopholes is a wry and humorous account of Nahal Tajad's quest to get her Iranian passport renewed. She embarks on a bizarre journey, meeting a colourful cast of characters along the way: two photographers who specialise in Islamic portraits, a forensic surgeon who specialises in human organs and a grandmother who offers a live chicken to an implacable official. "She knows that the people have no weapon against all oppression: laughter. Laughter that brings about mutual support and quite simply makes life possible.

By: Michael Seed Genre: Autobiography Location: NF 920 SEE "This book has the rare ability to distress, shock, inspire and, in Fr Michael's own inimitable way, to amuse. Michael was starved, tortured and abused by his father. his mother committed suicide, he was badly bullied at school, yet despite this appalling start in life Michael refused to surrender, and with incredible resilience and determination he grew up to become hugely successful and influential in both church and the secular world. After a lifetime of silence, he now feels able to tell his story. It is shockingly painful yet has raw courage and he shows how you can triumph over the horrors of a stolen childhood.

By: Kelly Gardiner Genre: Youth Fiction- Historical Location: Fic Gar "When ideas were dangerous, one girls found the courage to act" ENGLAND 1640: Sixteen year old Isabella is forced to flee her home when her fathers radical ideas lead him into a suicidal stand against Cromwell's army. Taking refugee in Amsterdam, Isabella finds work with an elderly printer, Master de Aquila. He travels to Venice to publish his radical book and Isabella discovers a world of possibilities- where woman work alongside men and where books and beliefs are treasured. But Europe is in the throws of religious upheaval and intolerance- will they survive.

By: David Almond Genre: Youth Fiction Location: FIC ALM Mina's a rebel. She can't be controlled and she won't fit in. People say she is weird. Some say she's just crazy. But all she wants is to be free, to be happy and to be herself.. One night she sits in the moonlight, she picks up an empty notebook and begins to write. What follows is a clever, quirky, witty and engaging story- that celebrates the richness of the everyday world Mina lives in.

By: Loung Ung Genre: Autobiography Location: NF 920 "A daughter of Cambodia remembers" We purchased this book to tell support the unit studies about human rights, that then look at the Khmer Rouge. It is the personal story behind the historical facts, and will give you a heart, probably a broken one concerning people that live through such horror. This is the story of the daughter of a high ranking government official pre Pol Pott, its the story of a families desperate fight for survival and how the fight was lost, and yet won. Its harrowing- yet hopeful. It is about courage and love in the face of unspeakable brutality.

By: Chaim Potok Genre: Jewish Fiction Location: FIC POT A Library should always have the librarians favourite book of all time- ever- in the collection. This book is mine. I love the way Potok writes, I love the complex simplicity he writes with, I love how he paints pictures in my head with the words he writes, and I love how this book connected with my own upbringing. How can you challenge the very culture you are encased with as a child, yet keep the fragments of it that matter the most. How do you protest against smothering cultural expectations without rejecting the basis of them? Asher Lev does- and that is why I like him.

By: Philippe Petit Genre: Non Fiction autobiography Location: Non Fiction NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE On a hot summer morning in New York City, 1974 , a bold young Frenchman named Philippe Petit walked a high wire he'd illegally rigged between the World trade centre's twin towers. At daybreak he gave the high wire performance of all time, making eight crossings in over an hour. It was a six year quest achieved . How did he do it? This book is awe- inspiring !!!

By: Judy Westwater Genre: Autobiography Location NF 920 One child's desperate fight for survival. Judy was three years old when she was snatched from her mother. Kept like a dog in his backyard- she ate from bins to stay alive. Judy was taken to South Africa where her life became unimaginably appalling. Beaten , treated as a slave and subjected to horrifying cruelty- escape was her only option. But living on the streets was just as dangerous. Through sheer determination she survived and she determined that she would care for those children on the streets as she once was. She formed the Pagasus Children's Trust, an organisation that now works in several countries giving street children a home, an education and hope.

By: Nechama Tec Genre: NF War Location: NF NOW A MAJOR FILM This is the true story of the Bielski Partisans. In 1942 a small group of Jewish resistance fighters established a community deep in the forests of Belorussia . They offered protection to any Jewish fugitives who could find there way to them. Within two years they numbered more than 1200- men and woman, old and young. It was the largest armed rescue operation of Jews by Jews in the war, perhaps in any war ever.. This story was told by their leader Tuvia Bielski two weeks before he died to the author of this book. "We may be hunted like animals , but we will not become animals...Every day of freedom is an act of faith"

By: Karen Healey Location: FIC HEA Genre: Youth Fiction I had a plan for what to do if a member of my family was murdered. It went 1. Find the killer 2. Make sure that they were guilty. 3. Destroy them . Completely. But what if it is suicide- or is it?

By: Evan Wright Location NF 920 Genre: War NOW A 7-PART MINI-SERIES. "A pungently written combat narrative and a close range study of a bunch of twentysomething warriors trying to get a handle on who they are." Time "A complex portrait of able young men raised on video game as and trained as killers" The New York Times Generation Kill on TV grabbed my attention and the final in the episode made me sit in silence and ponder for a long time.. This is the story of Generation Kill- funny, frightening and sometimes profane , a first hand account of the personal toll of victory and of the randomness, brutality and camaraderie of the new American war.

By: Vikki Wakefield Genre: Youth fiction Location: FIC WAK "A thriller, a gritty romance, and a sparkling journey into hope. I loved this book" Paul Griffin RULE NUMBER ONE: I will not turn out like my mother. Mim wants to be anywhere but home- in a dead suburb and with a mother who won't get off the couch. She's set herself rules to live by, but she's starting to break them... and in nine days she will turn 17. What she doesn't know is her life is about to change forever...