Cambridge High School Library 2024

By: Amy Plum Location: FIC PLU Genre:   crime-mystery, dystopian, paranormal-fantasy-science-fiction, thriller-suspense, young-adult . So Russia and the West are having a spat, ISIS is scaring the heck out the world with its insanity in the name of a religion it has twisted and redefined, Ebola is running rampant as we scramble to contain its poison. What if a World War breaks out, then what if a bunch of people go isolate themselves from the uncontrollable carnage's of this age- but what if it is all a lie, a fabrication! What if we have all been sucked in down here in Godzone New Zealand? She’s searching for answers to her past. They’re hunting her to save their future. World War III has left the world ravaged by nuclear radiation. A lucky few escaped to the Alaskan wilderness. They've survived for the last thirty years by living off the land, being one with nature, and hiding from whoever else might still be out ther...

By: Amana Fontanella-Khan Location: NF 920 FON Genre: Social Justice in real life India's struggle with justice for women in the 21st century is becoming one of the most prominent news stories of the moment. In the last few months, another terrible gang rape hit the headlines. Women's collectives are growing up all over the country and beginning to fight back. The most prominent and potent is the Pink Sari Gang. This is their story.    From BBC Radio 4 - Book of the Week: I have been to India and seen the appalling way girls and woman are treated. I have watched how the caste system minimizes and offers no hope to those who are born into it. I have seen and heard the stores of those wanting love marriages but being forced into an unwanted arranged marriage at a ridiculous age. I have seen young girls beg and woman siting on the pavement with a death look in their eyes. It is awesome that a bunch of woman are saying - this is enough, we will stand together and we wil...

By: Sebastien De Castell Location: Fic  DEC Genre: Epic Fantasy " A wild dance of fights, treachery and jaw dropping surprises" Dave Duncan "One hell of a good book" Conn Iggulden. There is nothing like a good swashbuckling.  I love the movie Princess Bride- it is full of good ol swashbuckling. swash·buck·ler (swshbklr, swôsh-) n. 1. A flamboyant swordsman or adventurer.  But mix that with fantasy and history and you have a potent combo! n Traitor’s Blade , Sebastien de Castell has succeeded in deftly crafting a sword and sorcery delight that harkens back to a simpler time when grimdark did not rule the shelves and fantasy readers expected to be entertained with humor as well as action. Here, the characters’ playful banter and sword fighting flare is near equal to the legendary Three Musketeers and makes this a debut novel that should not be missed by any true fan of action and adventure tales. The simple fact is that Traitor’s Blade is a sw...

The movie is on its way. Tell me - why do all amazing books need to be made into movies- why cant they let them be!!! Well I guess this great story will be at least seen by those who cannot be bothered to read it!!

By: Michael Morpurgo Location: PIC MOR Genre: The War Some books resonate. Some books make you inspired, others make you reflect, and some like this one make you be still. I had a great uncle who went to war. He was a bit scary, very quiet, he had hidden worlds, untold stories, a depth you could not touch. We were told never- ever- talk to Uncle Ray about the war. Funny thing- in his 80's he published his story, I bet he was waiting for someone to pierce his darkness, they never did, so he wrote about it. He was a POW in Nazi Germany- twice! I read his story, but I wish I had heard it.  We lose much by being silent, the healing we can give but can't because there are things "never to be told"- is a lost gift. In this story a grandson is banned from ever, never asking about his grandfathers face, his burns, his scars. He had hidden worlds that were forbidden to be pierced- except his grandson did, he entered the story of his grandfather and the healing of worlds...

By: Robert Dinsdale Location: FIC DIN Genre: History x Fairy Story Fairy tale and history, wilderness and civilisation collide in this brilliant and magical new novel. In the depths of winter in the land of Belarus, where ancient forests straddle modern country borders, an orphaned boy and his grandfather go to scatter his mother’s ashes in the woodlands. Her last request to rest where she grew up will be fulfilled. But the driving snow, which masks the tracks of forest life, also hides a frozen history of long-buried secrets. And as man and boy travel deeper among the trees, grandfather’s tales begin to interweave with the shocking reality of his own past, until soon the boy’s unbreakable promise to mama is tested in unimaginable ways. This a beautifully crafted book, its word images alone were enough to keep me turning pages. Meanwhile the story was totally absorbing. I felt suspended in its world, and putting the book down was like making myself wake up from a dream. It drew ...

This blog has been a bit quiet of late, that is because you cannot access the  Internet in Magugu. Magugu is in Tanzania and for three weeks I was privileged to be there and work in the Joshua Foundation School. The cool thing is that we are setting up three libraries , two in Magugu and one in Arusha. Soon the kids there will know the joy of choosing and reading a book. I am sure they will never read this blog, in many ways it will be meaningless to them, what they need, what they want- is books with paper pages to turn. Stories to get lost in, stories to expand their world. Working with the teachers in the Joshua School was a wonderful experience and watching the kids reading was stunning. So sorry for not being here, but it was fantastic being with them! I read a bit myself when I was away, the best book was called -A Man Called Ove, by Fredrik Backman, it is a stunning story of community building in Sweden, which is as far away from Magugu as you can get, but the essence of b...