Cambridge High School Library 2024

By: Michale Grant Loction: FIC GRA Genre: Sci Fi Series: Gone #7   This is like the Gone series on steroids YES_ A nice book in this most popular series!!!  I really should have bought a few copies, this is going to be HOT! In the stunning follow-up to the globally bestselling Gone series, Michael Grant continues the story of the teens who morph into superheroes—and supermonsters—when they ingest an alien virus. Four years after the events of the FAYZ, new meteorites are hitting Earth, and the whole world is exposed to a strange alien virus that gives humans unique superpowers. As some teens become heroes and others become dangerously out of control with their new powers, the world will become more terrifying than the FAYZ—and only a monstrous battle between good and evil can save them  

By:Anna Banks Location: FIC BAN Genre:  Fantasy A thrilling futuristic fantasy in which the fate of the world's energy source is in the hands of a prince and princess who are rivals, by the New York Times -bestselling author of the Syrena Legac y "Such a well paced, interestingly written fantasy. Based around a fantastical version of Egypt with Parna people and snake dragons. I loved it. Such an interesting story and REALLY excited for book two!"  Ben “I would rather hide in desolation and poverty, whether it be in the Baseborn Quarters or the Tenantless, than be the cause of thousands of deaths in all the five kingdoms.” The princess didn't expect to fall in love--with her nemesis. Princess Sepora of Serubel is the last Forger in all the five kingdoms. The spectorium she creates provides energy for all, but now her father has found a way to weaponize it, and his intentions to incite war force her to flee from his grasp. She escapes across en...

By: Claudia Gray Locatyion: FIC GRA Genre: Sci, Romance, Fantasy Series: Firebird #3 A million universes. A million dangers. One destiny. In the conclusion to Claudia Gray’s Firebird trilogy, fate and family will be questioned, loves will be won and lost, and the multiverse will be forever changed. It’s a battle of the Marguerites…and only one can win. “Songs and movies tell us that when you meet the one you love, the planet stops spinning, the clouds open up, and your heart begins to sing. Reality is messier than that. The truth is, we meet new people all the time, but we can never tell exactly what they might mean to us. You never know who you’ll forget, or who you’ll need forever.” The fate of the multiverse rests in Marguerite Caine’s hands. Marguerite has been at the center of a cross-dimensional feud since she first traveled to another universe using her parents’ invention, the Firebird. Only now has she learned the true plans of the evil Triad Corporation...

By: Sierra Abrams Location: FIC ABR Genre: Romance- contemporary For fans of Stephanie Perkins and Morgan Matson, THE COLOR PROJECT is a story about the three great loves of life—family, friendship, and romance—and the bonds that withstand tragedy . I think this book is for everyone enjoying a contemporary book that is both, full of fluff, but also deals with a tough topic. But it also is very hopeful and the end left me with wanting to read a bit more about Bee and Levi, smiling a little while closing the book!   Readalot- Goodreads  Bernice Aurora Wescott has one thing she doesn't want anyone to know: her name! That is, until Bee meets Levi, the local golden boy who runs a charity organization called The Color Project. Levi is not at all shy about attempting to guess Bee’s real name; his persistence is one of the many reasons why Bee falls for him. But while Levi is everything she never knew she needed, giving up her name would feel like a stamp on ...

By: Neil Gaiman Location: FIC GAI Genre: Norse Mythology The fun comes in telling them yourself—something I warmly encourage you to do, you person reading this. Read the stories in this book, then make them your own, ― Neil Gaiman, Norse Mythology  Read the quotes below from this book and I will bet you come and get it out- they are stunning, especially the last one! “Because,” said Thor, “when something goes wrong, the first thing I always think is, it is Loki’s fault. It saves a lot of time.” “He said nothing: seldom do those who are silent make mistakes.” “I’m not happy about any of this,” said Thor. “I’m going to kill somebody soon, just to relieve the tension. You’ll see.”   “Fair enough,” said Thor. “What’s the price?” “Freya’s hand in marriage.” “He just wants her hand?” asked Thor hopefully. She had two hands, after all, and might be persuaded to give up one of them without too much of an argument. Tyr had, after all. “...

By: Robin Sloan Location: FIC SLO Genre: Magic realism- and FOOD!! I loved Mr Penumbras 24-Hour Bookstore. it was a different read for me, but it worked.! And it had an luminous  cover!! So I am excited that this book has arrived in our library! "DELIGHTFUL...SMART, HIP AND WITTY " Washington Post "CHARMING, GENTLY COMEDIC, SWEETLY NERDY" - Irish Times, "Food is history of the deepest kind. Everything we eat tells a tale of ingenuity and creation, domination and injustice—and does so more vividly than any other artifact, any other media." "Sourdough is quirky, compelling, thought-provoking, and tremendously enjoyable.The book has a fascinating cast of characters and a terrific premise. Who among us hasn't wished we could be in a position to pursue what we feel most passionate about? How many of us have dreamed of being part of a community of people that truly "gets" us?  As I discovered when I read Mr. Penumbra...

By: Clare Atkins Location: FIC ATK Genre: Cultural Romance I loved the Bone Sparrow- this one sits along it nicely! "I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The characters were so believable and I could identify with them. Atkins has an excellent skill in character portrayal, with a minimum of words she is able to place the reader right in the middle of the plot, feeling along with the main characters. The reader is slowly exposed to the traumas and inhumane conditions of detention. Rather than lecturing us we become aware of the issues faced by refugees as the plot unfolds A wonderful, well written, heartbreaking story of our current times."- Annette   Is it possible for two very different teenagers to fall in love despite high barbed-wire fences and a political wilderness between them? Anahita is passionate, curious and determined. She is also an Iranian asylum seeker who is only allowed out of detention to attend school. On weekdays, during school hours, ...

By: Nicholas Bowling Location: FIC BOW Genre: Fantasy Historical Fiction Alternative History!!! Mary Queen of Scots, Elizabeth the First,and Witchcraft- what a combo and oh my- what a cover!!!!! It's 1577. Queen Elizabeth I has imprisoned scheming Mary Queen of Scots, and Alyce's mother is burned at the stake for witchcraft. Alyce kills the witchfinder and flees to London - but the chase isn't over yet. As she discovers her own dark magic, powerful political forces are on her trail. She can't help but wonder: why is she so important? Soon she finds herself deep in a secret battle between rival queens, the fate of England resting on her shoulders... "I do love a bit of history, and I do love witches and magic, so of course I had to read this! I still wasn't entirely sure what to expect going in to the book, the back of the proof had a certain amount of information but not too much and I found myself being pleasantly surprised as I was...

By: Scott Reintgen Location:FIC NYX Genre; SCI FI Series: Nyxia Triad #1 “But they don’t tell you the pain comes with you. They don’t tell you that hurt travels at light-speed too.” If Marie Lu liked it- this will be good "A high-octane thriller with a fully realized, complex cast and twists at every turn. Scott Reintgen knows exactly how to hook you into a story from the first line and keep you flying through the pages until you've reached the wild ending!" Emmett Atwater isn’t just leaving Detroit; he’s leaving Earth. Why the Babel Corporation recruited him is a mystery, but the number of zeroes on their contract has him boarding their lightship and hoping to return to Earth with enough money to take care of his family. Forever. Before long, Emmett discovers that he is one of ten recruits, all of whom have troubled pasts and are a long way from home. Now each recruit must earn the right to travel down to the planet of Eden—a planet that Babel has kep...

By: Seanan McGuire Location: FIC MCG Genre: Fantasy/Horror Series:Wayward Children#2 “There are worlds built on rainbows and worlds built on rain. There are worlds of pure mathematics, where every number chimes like crystal as it rolls into reality. There are worlds of light and worlds of darkness, worlds of rhyme and worlds of reason, and worlds where the only thing that matters is the goodness in a hero's heart. ” This is the story of what happened first… Jacqueline was her mother’s perfect daughter—polite and quiet, always dressed as a princess. If her mother was sometimes a little strict, it’s because crafting the perfect daughter takes discipline. Jillian was her father’s perfect daughter—adventurous, thrill-seeking, and a bit of a tom-boy. He really would have preferred a son, but you work with what you've got. They were five when they learned that grown-ups can’t be trusted. They were twelve when they walked down the impossible staircase and discovere...

By: Kristin Cashore Location: FIC CAS Genre: Fantasy If you could change your story, would you? This was a bizarrely delightful puzzle box of a book and I enjoyed every second of it. Part Gothic mystery, part choose your own adventure, Jane, Unlimited is full of more stories than should possibly be able to be contained in a single novel. Jane is feeling lost in the world. Her beloved guardian aunt recently died, and she's dropped out of college, which leaves her drifting. She is grieving, and doesn't know where her life is going to lead her next. And then she gets invited to Tu Reviens, an island mansion, and she is faced with a choice that will drastically alter her life, no matter what decision she makes. From the very beginning, I knew this book would be special. It is unbelievably odd, but fits together so many stories in a way that is always unexpected. With each choice Jane makes, she is thrust not only into a different version of her life, but also into ...

By: Tara Sim Location: FIC SIM Genre: Steampunk/Fantasy/LGBGT Series: Timekeeper#1 "What a beautiful, lovely wonderfully unique story Tara Sim has given us! I fell in love with Danny, our melancholy clocktower mechanic and the mysterious, bright, delightful clock spirit he discovers. With a thrilling pace, kisses as magical as sunsets, and a world that is sooty and brilliant and unique "- Kelly The first book in a dazzling new steampunk-fantasy trilogy, Timekeeper introduces a magical world of mythology and innovation that readers will never want to leave. I was in an accident. I got out. I'm safe now." An alternate Victorian world controlled by clock towers, where a damaged clock can fracture time--and a destroyed one can stop it completely. A prodigy mechanic who can repair not only clockwork, but time itself, determined to rescue his father from a Stopped town.A series of mysterious bombings that could jeopardize all of England. A boy who would...

By: Hiro Arikawa Location: FIC ARI Genre: Cats, friends, life and.... I thought this would be a great book to read over summer, highly reviewed, its going to be made into a movie and it has a cat that speaks in it. A nice purry kind of summer read to make me feel nice and stroked. It is narrated in turns by Nana the cat and by his owner- Satoru. This is a funny, uplifting, heartrending story of a cat that is profoundly human. Nana was a stray, a survivor but one that was injured and Satoru was a single guy that lived in an apartment close by and owned the van that Nana called home. Soon Nana lived in the flat and owned it- as cats do. The story is about road trips that Satoru and Nana embark on around Japan, we discover the country, the food, the culture, and the story of Satoru's life and the lives of his mates they visit. Along the way, we get the enjoyable and often cynical voice of Nana, who ensures we smile in the midst of the sadness in peoples stories and reminds u...

By: Pam Smy Location: FIC SMY Genre: Paranormal, Horror and Ghosts- Its scary! Perfect for fans of Neil Gaiman's Coraline, this story is haunting, mysterious and touching. 1982: Mary is a lonely orphan at the Thornhill Institute For Children at the very moment that it's shutting its doors. When her few friends are all adopted or re-homed and she's left to face a volatile bully alone, her revenge will have a lasting effect on the bully, on Mary, and on Thornhill itself. 2016: Ella has just moved to a new town where she knows no one. From her room on the top floor of her new home, she has a perfect view of the dilapidated, abandoned Thornhill Institute across the way, where she glimpses a girl in the window. Determined to befriend the girl, Ella resolves to unravel Thornhill's shadowy past. "It's dark and gothic, exploring bullying, loneliness, and anger. The illustrations are a delight and really add to the melancholy of the story. This ...

By Alastair Reynolds Location: FIC REY Genre: Sci Fi- Space opera From the author of the Revelation Space series comes an interstellar adventure of war, identity, betrayal, and the preservation of civilization itself. A vast conflict, one that has encompassed hundreds of worlds and solar systems, appears to be finally at an end. A conscripted soldier is beginning to consider her life after the war and the family she has left behind. But for Scur—and for humanity—peace is not to be. On the brink of the ceasefire, Scur is captured by a renegade war criminal, and left for dead in the ruins of a bunker. She revives aboard a prisoner transport vessel. Something has gone terribly wrong with the ship. Passengers—combatants from both sides of the war—are waking up from hibernation far too soon. Their memories, embedded in bullets, are the only links to a world which is no longer recognizable. And Scur will be reacquainted with her old enemy, but with much higher stakes than ...

  By: Romina Russell Location: FIC RUS Genre: Fantasy/Sci/Fi     Book #1- Zodiac Book #2 - Wandering Star Book #3-  Black Moon Book #4 - Thirteen Rising At the dawn of time, there were 13 Houses in the Zodiac Galaxy. Now only 12 remain…. Rhoma Grace is a 16-year-old student from House Cancer with an unusual way of reading the stars. While her classmates use measurements to make accurate astrological predictions, Rho can’t solve for ‘x’ to save her life—so instead, she looks up at the night sky and makes up stories. When a violent blast strikes the moons of Cancer, sending its ocean planet off-kilter and killing thousands of citizens—including its beloved Guardian—Rho is more surprised than anyone when she is named the House’s new leader. But, a true Cancrian who loves her home fiercely and will protect her people no matter what, Rho accepts. Then, when more Houses fall victim to freak weather catastrophes, Rho starts see...

By: Sarah Moon Location: FIC MOO Genre: Mental Health-Fiction "I loved this book. It's beautifully written, and it captures a real experience that many middle schoolers face. I can't wait to hand this to my students, fellow teachers, and anyone interested in the mental health of today's teenagers. Sparrow's journey is familiar and important." Chelsea  Sparrow has always had a difficult time making friends. She would always rather have stayed home on the weekends with her mother, an affluent IT Executive at a Manhattan bank, reading, or watching the birds, than playing with other kids. And that's made school a lonely experience for her. It's made LIFE a lonely experience. But when the one teacher who really understood her -- Mrs. Wexler, the school librarian, a woman who let her eat her lunch in the library office rather than hide in a bathroom stall, a woman who shared her passion for novels and knew just the ones she'd love -- ...

By:Kerr Thomson Location: FIC THO Genre: Wolves-Adventure A classic, atmospheric adventure set on an enchantingly remote Scottish island, from the author of the 2014  Times /Chicken House Children's Fiction Innis Munro is walking home across the bleak wilderness of Nin Island when he hears the chilling howl of a wolf. But there are no wolves on the island - not since they were hunted to extinction, centuries ago. He decides to investigate his island home and accepts an ancient challenge: he who jumps the Bonnie Laddie's Leap wins a fortune. As the wolves rise from the darkness of history, and long-buried secrets resurface, Innis's adventure truly begins...   "This magical and enlightening adventure story, set against the atmospheric back drop of the Scottish coast, is a touching tale of friendship and hidden strengths . . . an extraordinary, must-read story.LANCASHIRE EVENING POST "

By: N.J.Cambell Location:FIC CAM Genre: Magic Realism/SCIFI Mystery "A page-turner, an onion peel of a story surrounding nothing less than the central questions of human existence. The reader is led down a rabbit hole and back out again, confused, afraid, but nevertheless also ever so slightly amused. This is a weird little book full of momentum, intrigue, and weighty ideas to mull over."― Publishers Weekly "A wicked metafictional mystery [and] dizzying epistolary novel about dreams, perception, and the human psyche."― Kirkus Reviews     “You bein' here reminds me a deese things. You here searchin' reminds me a dat way. Dat kind of man who wants to see the soul of another man's world without buyin' da hardships dat come wit dat kind of understandin'.” Amrapali Anna Singh is an historian and analyst capable of discerning the most cryptic and trivial details from audio recordings. One day, a mysterious man appears at her offi...

By: Kate Ling Location: FIC LIN Genre: Sci/Fi, Dystopic- Romance Series: Ventura Saga #2 Sequel to -The Loneliness of Distant Beings "Let's wind back a little bit to Distant Beings -- this was a science fiction YA firmly rooted in the idea of making sacrifices for humanity, sacrifices you'd never reap the benefits of and the implications that can have for individual mental health. It's a topic that has popped up across science fiction and always makes me ponder; how would people on long space explorations really cope with knowing they'd never see a home, and that the ship would be all they knew. Where Distant Beings dealt with the implications of that life, The Glow of Fallen Stars explores the implications of abandoning it. The Ventura Saga is a great series of young adult fiction that explores philosophical questions around sacrifice, love, mental health and exploration. I've been impressed in both books how Ling will take time to build c...

By: Kate O'Hearn Location: FIC OHE Genre: Mythological Fantasy  Norse legends are hot potatoes right now- here is another one!   Freya is dreading the start of her fourteenth year. This marks the official end of her childhood and when she takes up the full duties of a Valkyrie - an angel of death and collector of souls from humanity's battlefields. But Freya is unlike any other Valkyrie. She doesn't want to follow in the footsteps of the legends before her. As she observes humanity from her norse home on Asgard, she tries to understand what it is to be human: to share in the simple pleasures of friendship with girls her own age and laugh with boys, without the fear of causing their death with one touch. Little does she know that her dreams will soon be realized: on her first battlefield mission, Freya reaps the soul of a soldier with unfinished business that will send her to the human world on a deadly quest. And there she must battle both ordinary and e...

By: Andy Weir Location: FIC WEI Genre:SCI FI “It’s a simple idiot-proofing scheme that’s very effective. But no idiot-proofing can overcome a determined idiot.” "I was thoroughly entertained during the entire read. The pacing is great, the reveals believable, the twists unexpected, and the action, delightful. I really couldn't ask for more when it comes to fun science fiction."-- Bradley, Goodreads the flip side is this... "This book is awful. It's not just awful, it's offensive and immature and badly written. I wasn't expecting a masterpiece, but I'd enjoyed The Martian and hoped the followup would be fun in a similar way. It wasn't. There was nothing fun about this book."- Shaun from Goodreads Jazz is a small time criminal, subsidising work as a porter on the moon with smuggling a little contraband. But it’s never enough. When she’s offered the chance to get rich quick she jumps at it. But planning the perfect cr...

By: E. Lockhart Location: FIC LOC Genre: Mystery, Thriller "This book is very very good and super mind twisty." Cait  This is a great quote and would make a stunning question to pose at dinner with a bunch of mates...   “Do you think a person is as bad as her worst actions?...I mean, do our worst actions define us when we're alive? Or, do you think human beings are better than the very worst things we have ever done? ”     From the author of the unforgettable New York Times bestseller We Were Liars comes a masterful new psychological suspense novel--the story of a young woman whose diabolical smarts are her ticket into a charmed life. But how many times can someone reinvent themselves? You be the judge. Imogen is a runaway heiress, an orphan, a cook, and a cheat. Jule is a fighter, a social chameleon, and an athlete. An intense friendship. A disappearance. A murder, or maybe two. A bad romance, or maybe three. Blunt o...

By: Cally Black Location: FIC BLA Genre: Sci/Fi- Thriller The latest winner of the Ampersand Prize is a genre-smashing kidnapping drama about Tamara, who's faced with an impossible choice when she falls for her captors.  A stand-out entry with a blindingly original voice: raw, strange and deeply sympathetic. With its vivid and immersive world-building, this electrifying debut is The Knife of Never Letting Go meets Homeland , for the next generation of sci-fi readers . Yet this is no ordinary kidnapping. Tamara has been living on a freighter in deep space, and her kidnappers are terrifying Crowpeople – the only aliens humanity has ever encountered. No-one has ever survived a Crowpeople attack, until now – and Tamara must use everything she has just to stay alive. But survival always comes at a price, and there’s no handbook for this hostage crisis. As Tamara comes to know the Crowpeople's way of life, and the threats they face from humanity's exploration...

By: Scott Stambach Location: FIC STA Genre: Russia, love, disabilities, teenagers- all merged into one . “So that, logically, in the brief time allotted to us, we should be as kind to one another as is humanly possible and face the harsh facts of reality without fear or flinching.” In The Invisible Life of Ivan Isaenko , Scott Stambach presents a hilarious, heart-wrenching, and powerful debut novel about an orphaned boy who finds love and hope in a Russian hospital. Seventeen-year-old Ivan Isaenko is a life-long resident of the Mazyr Hospital for Gravely Ill Children in Belarus. Born deformed yet mentally keen with a frighteningly sharp wit, strong intellect, and a voracious appetite for books, Ivan is forced to interact with the world through the vivid prism of his mind. For the most part, every day is exactly the same for Ivan, which is why he turns everything into a game, manipulating people and events around him for his own amusement. That is, until a new reside...

BY: Non Pratt Location: FIC PRA Genre: Young adult Contemporary How far is too far when it comes to the people you love?    These covers drive me crazy!!!! which is the front and which is the back- where do I put the stickers!!! "Truth or Dare is a YA book, that is quite unusual. It is split into two. You get to read Claire’s point of view, and then Sefs’ from the same story. With the two meeting in the middle, albeit upside down to one another. Claire Casey attends West Bridge High School, where one of the pupils, Kamran (Kam), a couple of years, above her has been brain damaged after falling from a bridge, into the river below. As part of her Duke of Edinburgh award scheme, Claire has offered to help out in the local hospital for Neurodisability, where she will be reading to the patients. The hospital assigns her to Kam. Kam’s brother Yousef (Sef), is struggling to come to terms with his brother’s transformation from an able bodied young man, to someone w...

By: Lauren James Location: FIC JAM Genre: Sci/Fi...LOVE Miss Featonby wants to read this book, so therefore it must be good! It is a psychological thriller set in space Can you fall in love with someone you’ve never met, never even spoken to – someone who is light years away Romy Silvers is the only surviving crew-member of a spaceship travelling to a new planet, on a mission to establish a second home for humanity amongst the stars. Alone in space, she is the loneliest girl in the universe until she hears about a new ship which has launched from Earth – with a single passenger on board. A boy called J. Their only communication with each other is via email – and due to the distance between them, their messages take months to transmit across space. And yet Romy finds herself falling in love. But what does Romy really know about J? And what do the mysterious messages which have started arriving from Earth really mean? Sometimes, there’s something worse than being alone...

By: neal Shusterman Location: FIC SHU Genre:Dystopia Series: Arc of a Scythe #1 Maggie Stiefvater rated it amazing    ***** I have been waiting and waiting for this to arrive and over summer it finally did! The best part obout being a librarin is those packages that come in the mail, and we get to open them, smell them and say "finally"!!!! A dark, gripping and witty thriller in which the only thing humanity has control over is death.  In a world where disease, war and crime have been eliminated, the only way to die is to be randomly killed ("gleaned") by professional scythes. Citra and Rowan are teenagers who have been selected to be scythes' apprentices, and despite wanting nothing to do with the vocation, they must learn the art of killing and understand the necessity of what they do. Only one of them will be chosen as a scythe's apprentice and as Citra and Rowan come up against a terrifyingly corrupt Scythedom...

It is 2018 and the CHS library blog is back. I read some great books in the break, my favourite was this one! I will do a full blog on it once I have cleared the backlog of a few new youth fiction screaming to get on our shelves! Holidays are stunning for reading, and as work has hit like a whirlwind, those lazt beanbag days with a cuppa and my shades are seem a long way past. But for what it is worth here are my top  summer reads: The Sixteen Trees of the Somme by Lars Mytting The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa Date without End by Sebastian Barry Sleeps Standing- Moetu by Witi Ihimaera A nice little mixture if I say so myself. So lets get cracking with 2018!