Cambridge High School Library 2024

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST- THE MOVIE !!! An unexpected romance blooms after the the youngest daughter of a merchant who has fallen on hard times offers herself to the mysterious beast to which her father has become indebted. Be here later in the year!!! Have a great long weekend everyone!!!

Location: FIC ISH Genre: Fantasy- magical-realism-and-allegory By: Kazuo Ishiguro Its is my long weekend read and I cant wait.. The Buried Giant  begins as a couple set off across a troubled land of mist and rain in the hope of finding a son they have not seen in years. Sometimes savage, often intensely moving, Kazuo Ishiguro's first novel in nearly a decade is about lost memories, love, revenge, and war   A sometimes quiet, sometimes tense quest novel, The Buried Giant weaves the pastoral with the magical. An elderly couple start a journey to visit the son they haven't seen in years. Anticipating an easy trip, they soon become entangled with a warrior, a knight, and a sleeping dragon, not to mention pixies and slightly sinister boatmen. Not just a fantasy story, Ishiguro has much to say about marriage, trust, memory and love. With a nod to Charlie Kaufman's The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Ishiguro asks whether or not, if possible, we would ...

By: Terry Jeavons Location:  NF 641 JEA Genre: Smoothies for my new blender I got a George Foreman blender for Christmas and I have had so much fun chucking lots of different fruits in it, pressing the button and drinking what comes out. I have had a few disasters like the mint, cucumber and kale smoothie- I got diarrhea after that one! But I have designed some culinary masterpieces. Best tip- freeze your banana's and chuck them in the blender frozen- oh so creamy, add your feijoa's and throw in some coconut water and natural yogurt- delishimo!!! This book is going to give me a whole lot more ideas to play with and tonight is the night I am going to explore other combinations. Can I use Manderines from our tree I wonder? How about some limes...

By: Holly Smale Location: FIC SMA Genre: fan-girling-ly-fabulous GEEK GIRL has just been announced as the Number One biggest selling teen book in the UK last year.... yes it might make you want to look twice at this book again people! The GEEK GIRL series has been an internationally bestselling No1. smash-hit. It won the Waterstones Teen Prize of the Year and the Leeds book award, was shortlisted for the Roald Dahl Funny Prize and the Branford Boase award, and was long-listed for the Carnegie. Becky has read the others in the series and this is her review on this one.. I have been with Harriet from the start and I absolutely love the series, despite being double the intended age of reader. Harriet is her usual geeky, list loving, fact spouting, loveable self and i always find myself learning things when i read her stories. Despite the unfortunate way Nick and Harriet parted in the last book there were still plenty of flashbacks to satisfy my Nick fix.  Having missed t...

By: Kim Evans Location: NF 641.86 EVA Genre: Yum yum yum This is the recipe book that has been begged for from the cafe of the same name in Auckland. I just went to Goggle Images and oh my... I am now salivating from looking at what this cafe produces. I bought this book on the condition two of my librarians, Elysha and her triplet sister Moira create amazingness for me to devour! This is a brilliant win win! I am heading to Auckland soon and they tell me there is always a line outside the door of this cafe, I am just going to have to stand in it. Its most famous for it delectable delicious donuts!

By: Melanie Dickerson Location: FIC FIC Genre: Robin Hood- retold, with a bit of  Swan Lake. I like Robin Hood, I like the idea of making sure everyone has enough to eat and those with much sharing it with those that have little, it is sadly a shame ol Robin and in this story Odette have to steal to make that happen though- this begs the question is stealing from the rich and giving to the poor the right thing to do? In this " Swan Lake  meet Robin Hood" story,   Odette is the notorious poacher of Thornbeck Forest and her intentions are to help and feed the poor. Though she does know that poaching is against the law, she longs to help people in need, as she once was one. Though she lives with her rich Uncle Rutger, she still has chosen to help the ones in need. But then a handsome forester comes into play and his is name is Jorgen Hartman. Jorgen's job is to protect the wildlife in the king's forest, even if that means he must catch/shoot (with a bow an arrow)...

By: Jonathan Kennett Location: NF 796.6 KEN Genre: On ya bike- go explore On my computer wall paper is a photo that I took on one of these trails. I bought this book for our own use at home and have pawed through it- that is not a spelling mistake either! We have studied this book and we have done it.  Being on your bike and cycling through our wonderful nation is one of my greatest pleasures- and I am so thankful that now we have trails that are not mountain bikers delights but peddle pushers like me who want to bike in our land and not attempt to kill yourself while you do. I did the Alps to Ocean over summer with my daughter, probably the best and most beautiful holiday of my life, I adored it. Then we did the Timber Trail , first day was hard out for me, my hubby cruised it, the second day was awesome. This book was our information guru on both trips, from the distances, grades, places to eat, sleep and rest and now we have a list of the ones we plan to do next. The Rimut...

By: Gregory MaGuire Location: FIC MAG Genre: Fairy Stories Retold This book is has it all, the retell of Cinderella from the Ugly ones, set in Holland  in the 17th century written by a master of the genre! And ... it has amazing quotes, Princess Bride-esk almost! “The thing about a mirror is this: The one who stares into it is condemned to consider the world from her own perspective.”  ―  Gregory Maguire ,  Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister "In the lives of children, pumpkins can turn into coaches, mice and rats into human beings. . . . When we grow up we learn that it's far more common for human beings to turn into rats." We all have heard the story of Cinderella, the beautiful child cast out to slave among the ashes. But what of her stepsisters, the homely pair exiled into ignominy by the fame of their lovely sibling? What fate befell those untouched by beauty . . . and what curses accompanied Cinderella's exquisite looks? Set against the rich backdrop of...

B Ron Palenski Location: NF 796.33 PAL Genre: The All Blacks! I went to the movie called "The Ground We Won" in the weekend about the Reperoa Rugby Club and it players. We have a current All Black from Reperoa- Sam Cane! I wonder what he thinks of the movie and I wonder if the rugby population of NZ is proud to be painted in the way this docomovie paints them. I wonder if our All Blacks past and present know and understand the culture of the country rugby changing sheds, and bus ride home- or has professionalism rescued them from it! This movie has made me wonder a lot of things. But in the midst of all that- we have produced a team of unequaled legacy- The All Blacks! Know everything there is to know about all 1,130 All Blacks—past and current members of the New Zealand team that is current holder of the Rugby World Cup. From the very first player, James Allan in 1884, to the most recent crop selected for the All Blacks , this is an indispensable guide to every All Bl...

By: Sarah J Maas Location: FIC MAA Genre: Fae, Fairy Tales Retold, Paranormal The breathtaking start to a seductive high-fantasy from  New York Times  bestselling author of  Throne of Glass  series. “You look . . . better than before." Was that a compliment? I could have sworn Lucien gave Tamlin an encouraging nod. "And you hair is . . . clean.” Beauty and the Beast- Sarah J Maas styles! !  “Be glad of your human heart, Feyre. Pity those who don’t feel anything at all.” Feyre’s survival rests upon her ability to hunt and kill – the forest where she lives is a cold, bleak place in the long winter months. So when she spots a deer in the forest being pursued by a wolf, she cannot resist fighting it for the flesh. But to do so, she must kill the predator and killing something so precious comes at a price. Dragged to a magical kingdom for the murder of a faerie, Feyre discovers that her captor, his face obscured by a jewelled mask, is hiding far more than...

By: Cathryn Constable Location: FIC CON Genre: Once. .. It is the Genre "Once.." because that is the title of our new display. Once.... there was a time.... This  new display is awesome- based on  Fairy Stories Retold! We have our very own "wee man", a giants foot, a make your own Velcro castle and a whole stack of new books and movies. It is an awesome collection. I will blog a few over the rest of this term! In a modern-day fairytale, orphan Sophie Smith gets lost in Russia on a school trip and discovers a Princess, a dilapidated palace, some albino wolves and a dark, hidden past involving cursed diamonds.  Alone in the world, Sophie dreams of being someone special, but she could never have imagined this.  On a school trip to Russia, Sophie and her two friends find themselves on the wrong train. They are rescued by the beautiful Princess Anna Volkonskaya, who takes them to her winter palace and mesmerises them with stories of lost diamonds and a tragic pa...

By: Bruce Holsinger Location: FIC HOL Genre: Historical Fiction  Prof. Holsinger  is professor for an excellent class entitled "Plagues, Witches and War: The Worlds of Historical Fiction." I want to go to that class! What an awesome combination. Now for a confession- I am a fan of Wills and Kate, George and Charlotte, these guys are great role models, they are able to discern  how society needs them to be and have reacted, I think genuinely , to that. They are genuine, sincere and have managed to carve there own groove in a world of  entrenched structure. I want William to be King, and I hope the monarchy survives so he has a shot because I reckon he will reinvent it to be relevant and give an opportunity for that position to have reputable voice in how society is caring for itself. Wills and Kate can do this and I think they will. So long as the prophecy does not come true! Political intrigue! Machination...

The movie.... yep it is coming this year! I will buy more of the books so you can all read it first, but here is a taster of the movie...

By: Frances Hardinge Location: FIC HAR Genre: Fantasy? Murder Mystery? Historical fiction? All of the above! I love the imagery of the tree. Tolkien used it, Aesop used it, Jesus used it, Maori use it and so do many Aboriginal peoples. This story is about a tree that fruits when it hears lies.... and so much more. Jules from Goodreads.com reviews it this way The Lie Tree is a ‘fantastic’ tale, in the true sense of the word. It is imaginative, extraordinary, dark and at times magical. I’m not sure I’ve ever read anything quite like it. This is a historical novel that focuses on a teenage girl called Faith, her challenging relationship with her parents, and her struggle to be taken seriously as an intelligent young woman in a society that thinks women should be seen and not heard, and shouldn’t worry their tiny little brains with intellectual matters. The death of Faith’s father throws her into a personal mission to find out the cause of his death. As she looks through her father...

By Chris Morphew Location: FIC MOR Genre:Start to the end of the world The Phoenix Series by the same author was really popular here at CHS. This a a new series with a revisit to Phoenix and is sure to please all you who read the first series! if you like Cherub Series- or the Gone series- then this will be for you! As soon as Luke touches down in Phoenix, he knows that something's not right.  The brand-new town is supposed to be a paradise, but it's not long before the cracks begin to show: malfunctioning phone lines, restrictions on car use, and a private security detail instead of a police force.  Then Luke, Peter and Jordan uncover the true reason for the town's existence - a secret that means Phoenix is suddenly both the safest and most dangerous place on Earth.  Someone in Phoenix is plotting to wipe out the human race.  AND THE CLOCK IS ALREADY TICKING

Location: Pic... Genre: Everyone loves a good picture book Authors: A-Z I am being a bit vague but we have a stack of new picture books and they are awesome. Our Year 13's are loving them. The Farmer and the Clown : by Marla Frazee- this book has no words but it still made me sigh! I wanted the old man to have a friend! Mr Tiger goes Wild : by Peter Brown, it is about being happy with who you are not what others determine you should be through the eyes of Mr Tiger. A Book : by Mordicai Gerstein- this is a great story about a girl who wants to write her book but cant decide what her story is going to be.. Wall : By Tom Clohosy Cole- It is about the Berlin wall and  a family split by it and their courageous journey to reunite. The illustrations are haunting.. Art- Seen Art? : By Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith-  This is a book about a boy called Art who gets lost in the New York Museum of Modern Art, of course it has all the master pieces as part of the story. Gaston : ...

By: Erin Bowman Location: FIC BOW Genre: Dystopian Series: #2 in the Taken Series  A world built on lies is bound to collapse. A ruthless dictator with absolute power. An army of young soldiers blinded by lies. And a growing rebellion determined to fight back. "I loved this book. Gray and the gang are as kick-butt as ever, and WHOA. Talk about a twisty plot (in the best possible way). There was one shocker at the end that left me gaping (again, in the best possible way). If you're a fan of high action, dystopian/sci-fi, or survival stories, I definitely recommend FROZEN." Student review "Humans are complex creatures," Adam adds. "We are not all good or all bad. We are shades. Many, many shades. Surely you understand this, Gray, with a name like yours."

Author: Jane Shemilt Location: FIC SHE Genre: Family Drama I have a daughter, she is wonderful, I am so proud of her. As I read the blurb on this book, I felt a real sense of panic- what if... what if my daughter did not come home one night after the school production when she was 15? It is unthinkable, and if you really go there- harrowing. Jenny thinks she has it all, perfect husband, perfect children and the perfect job. That is until their 15 year old daughter Naomi goes missing. As the days roll into weeks, then months, secrets about her family will surface that shocks Jenny to the very core of her being. She will question everything she knew about her loved ones, has she really been blind to her family and what has been going on below the surface with them? What ever the case Jenny's once perfect life has changed forever. Daughter is a haunting tale of guilt, betrayal, truth and family prompting the reader to consider how well we really know the ones we love most.

By: Lonely Planet Location:Check out each Continent  area in the NF 940's to 980's. Genre: Travel from  a non parents world view- not so many Museums in these books. Travel- love it and as a kid I wanted to see all the globe had to offer me- but please  don't take me to a million museums or eternal ruins- show me the real stuff!!!! About Lonely Planet:  Started in 1973, Lonely Planet has become the world's leading travel guide publisher with guidebooks to every destination on the planet, as well as an award-winning website, a suite of mobile and digital travel products, children's books, and a dedicated traveler community. Lonely Planet's mission is to enable curious travelers to experience the world and to truly get to the heart of the places where they travel. This is the info on the Europe .  In this book you'll read about bizarre pastimes from wok racing and mobile phone hurling to grown-up food fights and ...

By: Allen Zadoff Location: FIC ZAD- I know it is hard to find the 'Z' books but just do it!!! Genre: If you love the 'Gone " series, this is for you. ( Or Cherub or James Patterson...) Series: Unknown Assassin Eventually people stop looking at me, stop meeting my eye. There is nothing to meet. There is nobody here.  Boy Nobody  is a trained assassin. Abducted as a pre-teen, he is singled out by The Program for special training. He is to consider himself a patriot, serving his country’s best interests. The training he receives is very practical for an assassin. He demonstrates a mastery of relational psychology as well as using covert violence in order to accomplish a mission.  At the beginning of this book, he’s sixteen years old. This makes the anonymity of the character rather chilling, considering how efficient he is at his job in the very first scene. But it is the second mission we witness as readers that shows us his true character. Getting sprinklings of...

By: Megan Miranda Location: FIC MIR Genre : Sci F i How can you identify your soul? Do we have a soul print? ‘Most souls are free of their pasts. Of their crimes and transgressions, their love and hate. Because a soul has no memory, and that’s a scientific fact. Still, most people agree it’s better not to find out who you once were. And if you do find out, it’s best to keep that knowledge to yourself. Because while the soul has no memory, the world does, and that is usually enough... The last review is everything I love about a book- but this one is probably not, I am not into the whole reincarnation thing- it feels a cop out to me, a place off second chances if you don't grab the first chance you've got with credibility.   Can you be punished for something your soul did a lifetime ago? Apparently, you can. Alina has been locked up ever since she was a little kid for crimes she did not commit - at least not in this life. But because it's common kn...

By: Katherine Clements Location : FIC CLE Genre : Historical Fiction n While based on real people and events from the past this is a work of fiction. Oliver Cromwell, Elizabeth Poole- what a fascinating lady, Witch Hunters, Religious Zealots, Civil Wars and Politics. It even has a bit of f/f friendship - this book is a cocktail of all that I love! Opening line: ‘Sometimes death comes like an arrow, sudden and swift, an unforseen shot from an unheeded bow. THE CRIMSON RIBBON is set in England in 1646, in the midst of the English Civil War. Oliver Cromwell leads the army of the people against a tyrannical king, witches are hunted down, the skies are full of evil portents. A young woman named Ruth Flowers is on the run, trying to find a safe place for herself. She is helped by an enigmatic young soldier named Joseph, but – bruised by the encounter - takes refuge in the house of an extraordinary young woman named Elizabeth Poole. Her beauty and kindness ensnare Ruth, and she u...

By: Mark Stay Location: FIC STA Genre: SCI FI MOVIE COMING!!! Three years ago, Earth was conquered by a force of robots from a distant world. They have one rule: STAY IN YOUR HOMES . Step outside and you get one warning before you are vaporized by a massive robot Sentry, or a crawling Sniper or a Flying Drone. That's if the vast Cube doesn't incinerate you first! but Sean Flynn is convinced that his father-an RAF pilot who fought in the war- is alive. And when he and his gang figure out a way to break the robots' curfew they begin an adventure that will pit them against the might of the ROBOT OVERLORDS. Heroes up against loads of scary robots and a truly nasty collaborator, there is plenty of action in a fast-paced, thrill-filled story. Great fun to read. 

By: John Scieszka and Lane Smaith Location:PIC SIC Genre: Fairly stupid fairy tales is my guess! You will all love it is my other guess ! Chicken Licken, The Princess and the Bowling Ball; The Really Ugly Duckling, and Jack's Bean Problem. Our library is in the midst of a new display called "Once..." It looks so cool with a giants foot, a wee man, banners, castles and a mirror. To support this display we have bought a stack of awesome Fairy Tales retold in a variety of formats. Picture Books, Youth Fiction, Classics and of course a heap of DVD's. Come in and see what wondrous fairy Tales we have collected for youe reading pleasure and your imaginations delight! This picture book is great- it is the retelling of fairy tales that are really rather stupid.

By: Cynthia Hand Location: FIC HAN Genre: Youth Fiction- Suicide, Depression There's death all around us. We just don't pay attention. Until we do. So heartbreaking. Be prepared to cry. And cry. And then cry some more The Last Time We Say Goodbye is not about the phone call, not about the terrible shock, not about the funeral. It’s about the months after, when everyone else seems to move on with their lives but you can’t. It’s about the little things that remind you of that person, about the gaping hole in your chest that starts to unravel more every day. It’s not about “moving on”, but it is about learning to live with it. Lexie's brother, Ty, committed suicide at age 16. A popular, basketball star, with tons of friends and yet decided to end it in only his junior year of high school. And she feels horrible guilt. Why did he do it? And why didn't she see the signs? Why didn't she talk to him? Why couldn't she help him? Should she blame her dad for ...

Oh- one of our popular books is being made into a movie, it is kind of a Fault in our Stars story, but a bit more gritty! Here is the trailer!