Cambridge High School Library 2024

By: LEGO Location: All around the tables of the library Genre: Lego Big Ben, Sydney Opera House, Empire State Building, Eiffel Tower, The White House, the Brandenburg Gate, The Leaning Tower of Pisa I challenge you go on- name one- name a building that is world famous... It is in this awesome lego book. I bought this cause I knew my sons would love it if they were still hanging out here. It is classic. That,s all I have to say-classic!!!

By: John Hornor Jacobs Location: FIC JAC Genre: Epic Fantasy Ok is this the cover of the year so far- it is very cool! I could not figure out what genre to place this under - it has it all! adventure, alternate-history, fantasy, paranormal, steampunk, science-fiction, epic-fantasy “I was once a useful political piece for you to play on the board. You did, even though I begged you not to. And now I am no longer a useful piece for you. My name has been sullied irrevocably. In the forum and the senate hall and the finest tricliniums in Rume, when they speak my name they whisper – matron macula. I will never marry again. I will never be able to appear in any public familial function for fear of shaming the Cornelian name. And why? Because as a strategist, you played me poorly! "What a strange mash up. Its a fantasy world with elves, dwarfs, magic and demons but the setting is pretty much the wild west if it was run by the Roman Empire. Its pretty much ...

By: Phil Klay Location: Genre: What war does to peoples souls! National Book Award for Fiction (2014) ,  Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award Nominee (2014) ,  National Book Critics Circle Award for John Leonard Prize (2014) War- why? I am pleased we have this book in the library, but I know it will be a hard read for anyone that chooses to read it- but that is the point!! Phil Klay's  Redeployment  takes readers to the front lines of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, asking us to understand what happened there, and what happened to the soldiers who returned.  Interwoven with themes of brutality and faith, guilt and fear, helplessness and survival, the characters in these stories struggle to make meaning out of chaos. "Incredible. Correspondent Dexter Filkins has called this the "best book on what the war did to people's souls" and I think he's right. The confusion of combat, it's terror and excitement, is on full display h...

By: Morgan Matson Location: FIC MAT Genre: Youth Fiction- nice chick lit 18.700 ratings on Goodreads.com with a ranking of 4.18 stars- that is pretty darn good- so why? I think because it is real, there are no major dramas, no suicides, no bigs angst's- just real teenage life that is connectable and relate-able. I love how these students reviewed this book Five stars isn't enough for this book! Can I give it seven or eight? From the very first chapter I was sucked in. I was curious about what happened to Sloane, and how Emily was going to complete this list. I immediately fell in love with these characters. Emily is the best female protagonist I've ever read. She's not annoying, she's brave, and she undergoes major character development. I can relate to her so much. It was comforting to see a character that was so similar to me, yet different as well. I also enjoyed our other characters: Sloane, Dawn, Collins, Beckett. Oh and of course Frank Porter. I need ...

By: Paul Lunde Location: NF 652.8 LUN Genre: Signs, Symbols, Ciphers and Secret Languages I got his book on appro and the boys demanded I purchase it- so here it is. The Sudoku fans, those that love a good code-cracker puzzle in the newspaper and those fascinated with secrets of the coded variety are going to love this book. It looks at international Codes and how they and ciphers work, why they were invented and how they have been cracked. It has over 500 photos and illustrations which are great to peruse through. It looks at a hot topic- secret surveillance- how this is done and why it is done, so if you are worried you are being spied on- then this book is for you! It looks at different codes that deal with war, love, commerce and crime from the earliest of human days until the cyber digital age. If you want to understand the world of hidden messages and codes- then give this book a crack!

By: John Green, Maureen Johnson and Lauren Myracle. Location: FIC GRE Genre: Youth Fiction "Contemporary culture, humorous romantic developments and strong characters enhance this collaborative effort." “ Once you think a thought, it is extremely difficult to unthink it.”  ―  John Green ,  Let It Snow It's 3 short stories by different authors, that all connect. So it's like ONE book but in three parts with three points of view, and they are all set at Christmas time in the snow! Must not be in NZ then I guess!     The first story is by Maureen Johnson, is titled  The Jubilee Express   a girl-meets-boy-in-a-blizzard. Jubilee  finds herself stranded on a train in Gracetown in a huge snowstorm. A trip to the Waffle House introduces her to Stuart and friendship, or maybe something more, starts to form... A Cheetastic Christmas Miracle  is written by the incredible (and hilarious) John Green.  Tobin, JP and the Duke (aka Angie) are...

By: Guy Andrews Location: 629.28 AND Genre: On ya bike Hay something a bit different:) a Non Fiction!! I have started cycling, actually lots of people in the mighty town of Cambridge have. We have awesome cycle trials in  and around town now and we have some great multi day rides not far away. I ride to work at least three times a week and I love it! I did the "Alps to Ocean" in the holidays- that was stunning, I borrowed a bike because my $50.00 KMart bike would fall apart. I  have no idea how to fix it- so this book would be a good place for my husband to start:) "Road Bike Maintenance" provides cycling enthusiasts with step-by-step guidance to maintaining and repairing their bikes, combining an easy-to-use format and design with high quality photographs of the latest equipment. This book guides the reader through every repair possible on a road bike and also give tips on how to spot the early warning signs of trouble so that you can fix the problem befo...

By: Libby Hathorn Location: FIC HAT Genre : WWI This is the time of year I get goosebumps and it is not because of the change of weather either. It is getting very close to our official 100th anniversary of the landings at Gallipoli. Last year I did a stack of research on the boys from our school who died in WWI. Boys that wore our school uniform and lived in our houses in our streets- who are now buried on foreign soil in no mans land. Can anyone- anyone tell me one good reason why WWI happened? Can anyone tell me why so many of our boys had to die such lonely, ugly, cold and violent deaths- they were honorable but the war around them was not. I look at the 18 year old lads that walk into my office and it gives me goosebumps! This story is about two boys- who are 18. Maurice who is serving in the great war and Oliver- who is Maurice's great-great nephew. Oliver is facing his own battles- against himself and his difficult family situations. He is given his Uncles war di...

By: Reif Larsen Location: FIC LAR Genre: hmm this is tricky: Novel x Science Textbook x Art Book I saw the movie- it was really good. It was made by the same director as "Amelie" and so it is directed from quirky  unusual angles in how it expressed the journey of T.S. Spivet. How he speaks and expresses himself reminds me of some our the students in our school- I had a deep empathy for this young man. The movie packed a punch- so I bought the book! Dear Spivet Family, I have gone for a while to do some work. Don't worry, I'll be fine. I didn't want to bother you by telling about it ahead of time. Thank you for taking care of me. You are one of the best families in the world.  Love, T.S. T.S. makes sense of his chaotic family life by drawing beautiful, meticulous maps kept in innumerable colour-coded notebooks. He is brilliant, and the Smithsonian Institution agrees, though when they award him a major scientific prize they don't suspect for a moment tha...

By: Dan Smith Location: FIC SMI Genre: Adventure  Great book for some of our Year 9-10 boys who liked Hatchett! I wonder how our Year 13 lads- Nick and James would go in a modern test of manhood? I am sure they would do better in modern tests but not an ancient one- can't see them killing anything, they cant even get flies in my office! But Anastazia would rock it- she is awesome with a bow and arrow, but she is a chick so it would not count! 13-year-old Oskari is sent into the cold wilderness of Finland  on an ancient test of manhood. He must survive armed only with a bow and arrow. But instead, he stumbles upon an escape pod from a burning airliner: Air Force One. Terrorists have shot down the President of the United States. The boy hunter and the world's most powerful man are suddenly the hunted, in a race against a deadly enemy...

By: David Arnold. First book trailer for the year, we have this ordered and it is on its way...

By: Teri Terry Location: FIC TER Genre: Dystopic / Sci Fi Good thing: It is a stand alone. You don't have to read a series.   We  put implants in our doggies- but us?? Luna lives in a world where the majority of the population has an implant allowing them access to a virtual world. Everyone learns, lives, plays and interacts in this virtual world. Luna is one of few “Refusers”, who choose not to have an implant and do things the old way, like learn in a physical classroom with physical teachers. When she does enter the virtual world, we discover that she has a dangerous secret: she is aware of both the virtual world  and  the real world around her. The idea of the implant technology is creepy because it’s really not hard to imagine that it could happen in  our  society in the future. The thought of being able to attend school whilst actually chilling at home in pyjamas, being able to alter how you look, visit different worlds, it all sounds gre...

By: Michaela and Elaine DePrince Location : NF 920 DEP Genre: My fav- real life African story of hopelessness turned into hope because someone decided to make a difference! This book is inspirational and here is why- it shows that despite the discussion that cross cultural adoption is not acceptable in some peoples minds- it rescues, saves, gives hope and redemption! Here is a young child whose parents have been taken from her in war torn Sierra Leone, who has ended up in an orphanage with little hope- now performing on the worlds ballet stage.  Here is a family that adopted this girl, gave her love, identity, courage and security- Who are the hero's- they all are. We can all make a difference- we just have to decide what our avenue is and do it! Michaela DePrince was born in war-torn Sierra Leone during the decade long civil war that took place there. After rebels killed her father, and her mother died, her uncle left her at an orphan...

By: Miles Cameron Location: FIC CAM Genre: Fantasy Series: #1 in Traitor Son Cycle “Do well. Act with courtesy and dignity … because it is the only way to live. And that is as true for my kind as for yours.” " This is for real- This is bloody dirty work" Wow. The best fully realized high Medieval tale since Tolkien. Chivalry, courtly love, feudal politics, the art and logistics of Medieval warfare. So detailed it borders on fussy. But wait, there’s more. Complex, deeply realized adversarial culture, too.  All seen from the “inside.” Divisions, doubt, love, sacrifice—it’s got them all.  REVIEW SUMMARY: A new tale of knights and daring deeds worthy of a place amongst some of our most cherished chivalry legends. BRIEF SYNOPSIS: The Red Knight and his merry band of mercenaries take a commission to rid an Abbey of a monster problem. It turns out that the monster problem is more complex than any could have imagined and the whole kingdom of Alba is in ...

By: Shane Koyczan Location: GRA KOY Genre: a graphic  novel poem that sits beside "All the Bright places" THIS BOOK IS FOR THE "BULLIED AND THE BEAUTIFUL OVER HALF OF STUDENTS HAVE WITNESSED BULLYING AT SCHOOL WOW- this is a graphic novel based on a poem about the effects of bullying at school. It started of as a video on YouTube and it went viral- its intent was to "put an arm around the shoulder of someone who needs it". In two days it had 1.4 million hits, it grew to over 7 million hits- then Shane Koyczan  was asked to speak for TED Talks with music as a backdrop- it was hit 1.3 million times Now we have the book- illustrated  by various graphic artists in a variety of styles- it looks stunning.  Its message is powerful! 1 in 7 KIDS HAS EITHER BEEN A VICTIM OF BULLYING OR A BULLY I was bullied at school, I was 14, just shifted into a new town, new kid on the block, a "good" girl in a world of back f...

By: Haruki Murakami Location: FIC MUR Genre: A weird fantasy with art and mystery "What a creepy, weird little book. I enjoyed it immensely." 'All I did was go to the library to borrow some books'. On his way home from school, the young narrator of  The Strange Library  finds himself wondering how taxes were collected in the Ottoman Empire. He pops into the local library to see if it has a book on the subject. This is his first mistake.  He gets more than he bargained for when he ends up being led by an old man to a special “reading room” in a maze under the library where he finds himself imprisoned with only a “sheep man”, who makes excellent doughnuts, and a girl who can talk with her hands. Oh and the old man? He seems to have an appetite for eating small boys’ brains.  This is a weird little book, lavishly illustrated creating kind of a multi media experience, it is a beautiful book!    Murakami’s ultimate message: that it is through mean...

By: Victoria Aveyard Location: FIC AVE                                            Genre: Fantasy First book in the trilogy and wow what a cover!! “In the stories, the old fairy tales, a hero comes. But all my heroes are gone or dead. No one is coming for me.”   It's like an X-Men dystopia stuck in a high fantasy world on accelerated mode. The poverty stricken Reds are commoners, living under the rule of the Silvers, elite warriors with god-like powers. To Mare Barrow, a 17-year-old Red girl from The Stilts, it looks like nothing will ever change.  If you're a Silver, then you are born with supernatural abilities that entitle you to riches, education and power. They are the ultimate superiors. Reds are normal human beings, treated by Silvers as the dirt on their shoes and forced to fight their wars so they can live long, happy lives without moving a finger. B...