Cambridge High School Library 2024

By: Naomi Novik Location: FIC NOV Genre: Fantasy "Enchanting in every sense" Robin Hobb “If you don't want a man dead, don't bludgeon him over the head repeatedly.”  ―  Naomi Novik ,  Uprooted This fantasy is one part Polish folk tale, one part coming-of-age magical fantasy, and one part horror. The main character is Agnieszka, a 17 year old village girl who is chosen by the local wizard, called the Dragon, to be his servant for ten years, the latest in a long string of local girls who each serve the wizard for a decade, emerging at the end somehow changed. Agnieszka turns out to be both more and less than the Dragon expected, with powerful but rather uncontrolled magic of a nature that no one alive has ever seen before, and they both become deeply embroiled in the Dragon's ongoing battle against the Wood.  Everyone fears the Wood. It encroaches on the valley further each year, or tries to. Those who go into it never are seen again, or worse, they ...

By: Yuri Herrera Location: FIC HER Genre: Mexican Border Crosser- Real life- tough stuff. So Trump wants to build a wall. Yesterday I saw a doco about the Warsaw ghetto and its wall. The wall seemed innocent at first- 100,000 died within that ghetto and those that lived got a train ride to the death camps- 400,000 of them. Innocent walls that separate, condemn and control. This story is set on on the Mexican/USA border- before a wall. Makina is a young woman from a “Little Town” in Mexico. Although poor and inevitably associated with the criminals who dominate the town, she uses her language-skills and intellect to secure a job at the local telephone switch-board  and, thus, a position of some respect. Her mother suddenly instructs her to cross undercover into America to locate their son and brother, who has migrated and since disappeared. Soliciting the help of the local “top dogs” for the crossing, Makina is given a mysterious package to deliver once she arrives, by way of...

By: Sara Novic Location: FIC NOV Genre: War “...I knew in the end the guilt of one side did not prove the innocence of the other.” Will we ever learn- will we!!! This book is set in Zagreb, genocide, child soldiers, brutality in the 1990's. We thought we may have learnt something then- but we haven't. We now have Syria... This past weekend 700 refugees died escaping the horrors of war hoping to find a life that would offer them hope and peace. The Guardian tell us how it unfolded...   " More than 700 people are believed to have drowned in the Mediterranean last week, the deadliest seven days for Europe-bound asylum seekers in more than a year. The casualties happened in three separate incidents on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday after more than 13,000 people set sail from Libya for  Italy  in an eight-day period. Dozens feared dead as migrant boat capsizes in Mediterranean   Read more The full details of the disasters emerged slowly b...

By: Alice Oseman Location: FIC OSE Genre: Young adult, lgbtqia, fandom This is the highest rated Goodreads.com book I have ever reviewed- 4.58 starts with 388 ratings! Here are a few of the comments about it.... "I think  Radio Silence  is an important read for teenagers about to decide what to do after school. It carries some really important messages about education and the pressure put on student to get into a great university and be academically gifted.  Radio Silence  shows that there are other choices, it shows that you can be successful without that degree, it shows that creativity is also important. At the core of this book, the message is that you do what makes you happy and I think that is a really great message. It is also an incredibly realistic book that you  know  is written by one of our own generation, and Alice Oseman doesn't belittle the topic and the stress and emotional and mental strain that academia puts on teenagers these d...

By: Ernest Cline Location: FIC CLI Genre: Sci Fi - Geek Culture- Gaming into reality? Armada  is at once a rollicking, surprising thriller, a classic coming of age adventure, and an alien-invasion tale like nothing you’ve ever read before—one whose every page is infused with author Ernest Cline’s trademark pop-culture savvy. It’s just another day of high school for Zack Lightman. He's daydreaming through another boring math class, with just one more month to go until graduation and freedom—if he can make it that long without getting suspended again. Then he glances out his classroom window and spots the flying saucer. At first, Zack thinks he’s going crazy. A minute later, he’s sure of it. Because the UFO he’s staring at is straight out of the videogame he plays every night, a hugely popular online flight simulator called  Armada— in which gamers just happen to be protecting the earth from alien invaders. But what Zack’s seeing is all too real. And his skills—as well a...

By: Scott Sigler Location: FIC SIG Genre: Mystery Thriller- SciFi in a dystopic world! Its got everything! Series: -The Generations Trilogy #1 Alive  is a mystery / thriller / survival novel that can be described as a fusion of  Divergent ,  The Hunger Games , and  The Maze Runner . My  father-in-law has made his own coffin- it is sitting in the corner of his garage - all lined with his old jerseys... waiting... For fans of  The Hunger Games, Divergent,  and  Red Rising   comes a gripping sci-fi adventure in which a group of teenagers wake up in a mysterious corridor with no knowledge of who they are or how they got trapped. Their only hope lies with an indomitable young woman who must lead them not only to answers but to survival.   I open my eyes to darkness. Total darkness. I hear my own breathing, but nothing else. I lift my head . . . it thumps against something solid and unmoving. There is a board right in front of my ...

By: William Gibson Location: FIC GIB Genre: Sci Fi- Dystopic Books with eyeballs on the cover- really- again- why? they creep me out! AND is this some kind of world where Trump is in charge of the USA and Cameron is in the UK not liking each other in our future worlds... "Wild, richly satisfying, big-screen, pop corn chewing thrills. What a glorious ride "  Guardian “Because people who couldn’t imagine themselves capable of evil were at a major disadvantage in dealing with people who didn’t need to imagine, because they already were.”   Flynne Fisher lives in rural near-future America where jobs are scarce and veterans from the wars are finding it hard to recover. She scrapes a living doing some freelance online game-playing, participating in some pretty weird stuff. Wilf Netherton lives in London, seventy-some years later, on the far side of decades of slow-motion apocalypse. Things though are good for the haves, and there aren't many have-nots left.  Flynne a...

By: Hester Young Location: FIC YOU Genre: Crime- Mystery- Thriller -Gothic "Awesome, Awesome, Awesome!!!! I really enjoyed reading this book. It was pretty spooky at times. There was actually a couple of times that I actually got chills. That's a great thing!"- Susan Soon after the death of her young son, main character Charlie Cates starts having dreams of children coming to her for help. One such dream leads her to the swamps of Louisiana, where she gets entangled in a decades-old cold case of a missing child from a wealthy and powerful family. This book is the perfect blend of mystery, suspense, and romance, with a touch of the paranormal. Charlie is a sympathetic character as a grieving mother determined to do right by her son and help others. My heart broke for her. The mystery was so intriguing – hard to put down, for sure. I will say that I was able to figure out some parts of this multi-layered mystery, but others were quite a surprise. Lots of dark ...

By: C.J.Redwine Location: FIC  RED Genre: Fairy Story retell- Snow White Series: Ravenspire#1 “You don't go into battle because you're sure of victory. You go into battle because it's the right thing to do." "The Shadow Queen is a retelling of Snow White, except that Snow White is a magic-wielding gravity-defying ninja and the huntsman/Prince Charming is a fire-breathing dragon with a weak spot for frat parties"  Helen has this summed up pretty well I reckon! Redwine weaves the story of Snow White into a fascinating fantasy. She fleshed out the land and created additional kingdoms, magic and DRAGONS! The world building was done well allowing me to understand and see the lands of Ravenspire and beyond. The story begins with Irina's marriage to the King and it was dark and delightful.  Lorelai Diederich is the princess of Ravenspire and its rightful Queen. She has spent years hiding as a fugitive and watching Queen Irina destroy her beloved kingd...

    By: Jane Field Lewis, Chris Haddon and Hilary Walker Location: NF 629.226FIE Genre: Quirky Fun! Coverting muchly! This book I bought because of my daughter Sarah, who always wanted a cute rustic or retro caravan to escape into the wonders of NZ. This is her dream and this book will feed her wonderlust- an irresistible desire to travel using a caravan. Not me- I am a campervan person- hate the idea of towing something, I love the idea of roaming, parking and being, not having to unhitch and reverse and yet these little beauties are kind of appealing... The caravans featured in this book are stark, sweet and inspiring. Be forewarned; if you read this book, you'll covet these tiny mansions, and then, you'll likely fantasize about drastically downsizing and slipping away into a towable rustic or retro dwelling of your own.

By: Amy Stewart Location: STE Genre: Historical Crime Fiction " I loved every page of this smart, romping, hilarious novel" ELIZABETH GILBERT From the New York Times best-selling author of The Drunken Botanist comes an enthralling novel based on the forgotten, true story of one of the US's first female deputy sheriffs. "He looked up and said, in a loud, plain voice, “She’s not a regular lady.” "Based on a true story, this fast paced book is about the Kopp sisters, mainly Constance Kopp, who becomes one of the USA's first female deputies. Constance and her two sisters were strong, witty and resourceful women living on their own in the countryside in 1914, and I quickly fell in love with the dynamic of their sisterhood. The trouble starts for them as they venture into town in their buggy and find themselves in an accident with an automobile full of less than desirable men. They soon pair up with the sheriff and try to put a stop to the thugs tha...

By Andy Mulligan Location: FIC MUL Genre: Young Adult contemporary thriller with a few laughs and a crack at the addictive food industry! "For those who wanna win!" From the award-winning author of TRASH comes an action-packed thriller full of danger, hilarity and - above all - friendship. LIQUIDATOR! The brand-new, delicious and wildly popular energy drink. "For those who wanna win!" The company that makes it is set to earn a fortune, with its global launch climaxing at an international rock concert that will SHAKE the planet. The only problem?An innocent child is dying. Meet Vicky and her class-mates - their work experience is about to spin totally out of control as they uncover a secret that could change the world. And put them all in mortal danger ... Liquidator is an amazing new sports drink that people just can’t resist drinking. It’s more addictive than Coca Cola and Coffee, and billed as being good for you! When a couple of kids stumble over the ...

By: Adi Alsaid Location: FIC ALS Genre: Road trip - Youth Fiction Five strangers. Countless adventures. One epic way to get lost. What is it about road trips that changes who we are, what we think, how we react? Why do we do road trips to escape?  Yes it is escape but it is escape that has positive consequences. We are away from our scaffolding, from trusted places and circumstances, we are on an adventure of unknowns that grows us up and changes our world views, it gives us self confidence- we can- when others say we cannot. I think at heart we crave that- something to shudder our world, kick us of of our norm and plonk us into a new challenging and formational reality Leila is a free spirited young woman on the ultimate road trip—she's headed from her home in Louisiana to see the Northern Lights, which she has always wanted to see. Driving her bright red car, moving from place to place, she comes u...

By: Joey Graceffa Location: 920 GRA Genre:  YouTuber! “You have the power and control to be whatever you want to be, no matter where you start in life.”   Joey Graceffa currently has 5.2 million subscribers on his YouTube channel- that is more than the population of our nation! Bullying, loneliness,learning disabilities divorced parents an alcoholic mum, an autistic brother, self doubt, sexuality- this book is a story that encapsulates them all- its Joey's story' Because he has lived through theses issues in many ways he has a right to be a commentary to them- and he does, its honest, real, and inspiring  but also gave advise to his readers as to what they should do, if they were to get caught in the same situations.   In real life is a sad and uplifting, autobiography by youtube star, Joey Graceffa. The book is simply him telling his life story which will make you laugh, cry, and feel inspired to turn your life around. He discusses the struggles he went t...

By: Ali Shaw Location: FIC SHA Genre: Fairytale - magical realism “I should take a photo.” “No. Just remember it, and us in it.” He swallowed. She smiled. Here was rightness of place and time.”  Erica from Goodreads reckons - The Girl with Glass Feet  is a beautiful, achingly romantic tale, full of breathless wonder and untold promises. It captured my heart, and I became a part of the story, part of the enchantment. And I loved it, oh so dearly. This book is like a fairytale, a poetically beautiful fairytale. Yet it’s more reminiscent of the original fairytales, with the flow of the writing and the very detailed descriptions. Ali Shaw, though, is modern, so this fairytale has more of a modern feel, with more developed characters and more emotion. But he still manages to make it feel like an old, graceful captivating tale, and it swept me away with its magical allure. -  An inventive and richly visual novel about young lovers on a quest to find a cure for a mag...

By: John Darnielle Location: FIC DAR Genre: Heavy literature- Sci Fi- Bizarre fiction "It’s the sort of book you read in three hours and then think about it for ten". - Kinga Forever is a question you start asking when you look at the ceiling. It becomes a word you hear in the same way that people who associate sound with color might hear a flat sky-blue. The book introduces Sean Philips, who at the age of 17 suffered a serious accident - one which has left him permanently disfigured,and turned him into a recluse who has retreated into the world of fantasy. But during his recovery Sean has invented a role-playing game which he called Trace Italian, which became his source of income. Trace Italian is an RPG which is played through snail mail, and where players journey through a post-apocalyptic wasteland. Each player picks a move from the list of options and sends it to Sean, who in turn develops the story for them and sends a letter back with new moves to choose. Eve...

By: Lauren Child Location: CHI- right beside Lees books! Genre: Cherub for tweens or Nancy Drew if you are old! Ruby Redfort is a genius code-cracker, a daring detective, and a gadget-laden special agent who just happens to be a 13-year-old girl. She and her slick side-kick butler, Hitch, foil crimes and get into loads of scrapes with evil villains, but they're always ice-cool in a crisis. What's not to like about a smart, wisecracking, codebreaking thirteen-year-old who sees herself as a spy? Well, there's not a lot readers won't enjoy about Ruby Redfort except maybe her clueless but well-meaning parents. Ruby has always been intelligent and observant, and as the prologue shows, she once watched as dognappers stole her neighbor's prize-winning Pekinese. After that incident, she started keeping notebooks about spying. In this title, the first of a promised series, Ruby is hired by an agency to crack a code left unfinished by a previous sleuth. She and her frie...

By: Rachel Henderson Location: NF 746.43 HEN Genre: Craftyness  How are we going to celebrate winter! I know by getting a book that has 25 amazing animal hats for you to knit, crochet or make from fleece. This book teaches you how to knit, crochet and craft them, it is full of tips and ideas. So what hats can you make? A Polar Bear hat- with ear flaps even. An Owl Teabag hat A Cow earflap hat A Crab hat- this one is cute A crocheted Cat Hat:) A Fleece Frog hat- looks like Kermit There is even some for the kids- A fleece fish hat!

By: Jack Andraka Location: NF 920 AND Genre:  Memoir of a teenage world changer Today we have visitors arriving from the States, they are coming to cuddle there granddaughter who was born here three weeks ago. They are bringing their daughter with them- she has cancer. Many years back  I journeyed with a teacher who watched as his daughter fought cancer, the battle was furious and she lost. It was such a painful experience and so hard to know how best to journey with them. Oh if we could stop the pain of cancer, if we could do something, anything to halt its destructive path. Jack saw, he watched and he did! In this book, teen innovator and scientist Jack Andraka tells the story behind his revolutionary discovery. When a dear family friend passed away from pancreatic cancer, Jack was inspired to create a better method of early detection. At the age of fifteen, he garnered international attention for his breakthrough: a four-cent strip of paper capable of detecting pan...

By: Maggie Hall Location: FIC HAL Genre:  YA version of The Da Vinci Code   "A fast-paced international escapade, laced with adrenaline, glamour, and romance--perfect for fans of Kiera Cass and Ally Carter" “Toska.” He leaned forward, too. “It’s a Russian word. It has no translation into any other language, but the closest I’ve heard is the ache. A longing. The sense that something is missing, and even if you’re not sure what it is, you ache for it. Down to your bones.” ― Maggie Hall,  The Conspiracy of Us Maggie Hall's debut novel The Conspiracy of Us is a pure adrenaline rush! Suspenseful and unpredictable from the very first page, I was always wondering what would happen next. With secret societies, conspiracy theories, and international locales, what's not to love about The Conspiracy of Us? I also loved the novel's admiration of the beautiful, ancient cities of Paris and Istanbul and their rich sense of history and culture.  The Circle of Twelve c...

By: Vera Brosgol Location: GRA BRO Genre: Graphic Novel- Ghost Story * Juicy * Spooky * Hilarious * Page Turning * Darkly Humorous  " Really sweet, really funny and really scary" Anya is a teenage schoolgirl with all the usual insecurities about her weight, clothes, friends, etc. compounded by embarrassment over her Russian heritage. She makes an effort to lose her accent, avoid fatty Russian food, and even tells people her surname is Brown instead of her actual lengthy and complex Russian one. Upset after making another social faux pas, she ditches school and heads off to the park, promptly falling down a dry well where she meets the spirit of a long-deceased schoolgirl called Emily. So begins a strange friendship as Anya sets out to discover Emily’s killer. - Sam “Oh, Anya! Let's have an intense spiritual relationship for no believable reason!”  

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children Hollow City Library of Souls By: Ransom Riggs Genre: Young Adult Paranormal "Every so often a book comes along that is pure magic, and "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children" is one such book. Part fantasy, part adventure, part eccentric photo collection, this is a story that will enthrall and enchant teens and adults." - Sarah- Goodreads.com MISS PEREGRINE'S HOME FOR PECULIAR CHILDREN: A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. A strange collection of very curious photographs. It all waits to be discovered in this groundbreaking novel, which mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling new kind of reading experience. As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob Portman journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children.    HOLLOW CITY: September 3, 1940. Ten peculiar chil...