Clementine and Rudy

 By: Siobhan  Curham

Location: FIC CUR

Genre: Contemporary- Fiction- Poetry, Art

Rudy is a street artist; Clementine is a poet. The day after Rudy sneaks out late one night and posts her first piece of artwork, Clem discovers it, awestruck. She takes a photo, writes a poem in response and posts them together on Instagram. Soon the two fifteen-year-olds meet and begin their unique friendship, one that nurtures creativity and results in a special creative collaboration. The girls may be from very different backgrounds, and experiencing difficulties at home, but each strives to be true to herself and follow her dreams

‘Clementine and Rudy’ follows the dual perspectives of two fifteen-year old girls called Clementine and Rudy, who connect over their love of street art and decide to join forces to create their own street art using Rudy’s art and Clementine’s poetry. However, the two girls are also dealing with their own personal struggles, as Rudy deals with her mothers new boyfriend moving in, and Clementine has to deal with her horrible stepfather, Vincent.

The friendship between Rudy and Clementine was one of my favourite parts of this book. I loved how throughout the book, you could see the two girls getting closer to each other and learning to confide in each other. I loved the descriptions of all the art work in the book and of all the settings which the book took place in. This book also dealt with a lot of harder topics.
Overall, ‘Clementine and Rudy’ was a fun read and I enjoyed every page of the book. This book is a solid YA book about art, poetry and the importance of friendship.- Sophie

To Kill a Kingdom

 By: Alexandra Christo

Loation: FIC CHR

Genre: Fantasy

“Technically, I’m a murderer, but I like to think that’s one of my better qualities.”

"oh man. this is soooo dark. apparently everything disney taught me about the little mermaid is so very wrong! and honestly, i really dont mind."- jessica

Princess Lira is siren royalty and the most lethal of them all. With the hearts of seventeen princes in her collection, she is revered across the sea. Until a twist of fate forces her to kill one of her own. To punish her daughter, the Sea Queen transforms Lira into the one thing they loathe most—a human. Robbed of her song, Lira has until the winter solstice to deliver Prince Elian’s heart to the Sea Queen or remain a human forever.

The ocean is the only place Prince Elian calls home, even though he is heir to the most powerful kingdom in the world. Hunting sirens is more than an unsavory hobby—it’s his calling. When he rescues a drowning woman in the ocean, she’s more than what she appears. She promises to help him find the key to destroying all of sirenkind for good—But can he trust her? And just how many deals will Elian have to barter to eliminate mankind’s greatest enemy?

Ruby Tuesday

                                                   By: Hayley Lawrence

Location: FIC LAW

Genre: Abuse, Friendship, Redemption

Ruby was named after a song about freedom, but she’s far from free. She’s trapped by her mum’s accident, her past as a famous pianist a distant memory. This was never the plan – both of them invisible and voiceless in a dusty small town. And Ruby wants to be heard.

But that was before Joey Milano.

Before that awful party.
Now the only thing Ruby’s sure of is that she’ll never ever trust anyone again.
When the opportunity of a lifetime comes knocking, and a boy from her past reaches out, Ruby’s not fooled. Some things are broken beyond repair.

Or are they?

"“Let people talk. What they think of you isn’t your responsibility. Just don’t let them make you feel ashamed. Your worth is your own and you don’t negotiate that with anyone.”

I absolutely devoured this book. It was beautifully written and really captured what it’s like to be a girl in high school. I instantly connected with Ruby, she is such a likeable and relatable protagonist. She goes through so much, I just wanted to reach into the book and give her a hug.

This is not a light hearted story and there are many triggers. Ruby Tuesday explores death/loss, assault (both physical and sexual), family dynamics and so much more. It was beautiful but heartbreaking and is definitely an important story for young people to read" Liuchy- Goodreads

The Prison Doctor

 

By: Dr Amanda Brown

Location: NF 920 BRO

Genre: Real life Doctor in prison stories

Dr Amanda Brown has treated inmates in the UK’s most infamous prisons – first in young offenders’ institutions, then at the notorious Wormwood Scrubs and finally at Europe’s largest women-only prison in Europe, Bronzefield. From miraculous pregnancies to dirty protests, and from violent attacks on prisoners to heartbreaking acts of self-harm, she has witnessed it all. In this memoir, Amanda reveals the stories, the patients and the cases that have shaped a career helping those most of us would rather forget. 

"It’s a quick read, structured and emotional without getting too bogged down in facts or opinions. Dr Brown lets the stories and the people speak for themselves, and I think it’s this simplicity that makes it work so well. It’s certainly brought to my attention a forgotten route in healthcare, and might make me think twice about all those missed appointments we get at work from prisoners who fail to turn up for their MRI scans in the future. The level of responsibility is seriously high too - often Dr Brown has to fight to get her patients admitted to hospital when the prison guards are severely understaffed, or is often the first on scene to a suicide attempt, up to her elbows in blood. It’s high risk, high adrenaline stuff.

Fascinating read, that’s made me think above and beyond my own career." Sara

The Other Passenger

 By: Louise Candlish

Location: FIC CAN

Genre; Thriller, Mystery and Crime

‘Twists aplenty, and such wonderful observation - I loved it' Clare Mackintosh
'An addictive, twisty page-turner that will give you nightmares about the suburban dream' Alice Feeney
'A devilishly good thriller with a wicked ending. Loved it' Laura Kemp
'Utterly gripping' RED
'Full of marvellously toxic characters' Best 

FROM THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF OUR HOUSE, WINNER OF THE CRIME & THRILLER BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD

On the morning of Monday 23rd December, Jamie Buckby takes the commuter riverboat from his home in St Mary’s, southeast London, to work in Central London, noting that his good friend and neighbour Kit Roper has not turned up for the 7.30am service they usually catch together.
 
At the London Eye, where he disembarks for his job in a café behind the South Bank Centre, Jamie is met by the police. Kit has been reported missing by his wife.
 
As Jamie is taken in for questioning, he discovers someone saw him arguing with Kit on the boat home late on Friday night. The other passenger believes Jamie committed murder.
 
But what really happened?

The Girl I Used To Be

By: April Henry 
Location: FIC HEN
Genre: Thriller, Mystery

Olivia was only three years old when her mother was killed and everyone suspected her father of murder. But his whereabouts remained a mystery. Fast forward fourteen years. New evidence now proves Olivia's father was actually murdered on the same fateful day her mother died. That means there's a killer still at large.
Now Olivia is determined to uncover who that might be. But can she do that before the killer tracks her down first?

Location: FIC HEN
Genre: Mystery, Thriller

The Girl I Used to Be is another thrilling murder-mystery that'll have you on the edge of your seat from the New York Times-bestselling author April Henry, the author of the Point Last Seen series, Girl, Stolen, and The Girl Who Was Supposed to Die.

"I liked this little YA Thriller. It was a lot of fun, it was fast, and it kept me turning the pages."

When The Ground is Hard

By: Malla Nunn
Location: FIC NUN
Genre:  Historical Fiction, Africa, Coming of Age, Mystery

A stunning and heartrending mystery set in a Swaziland boarding school about two girls of different castes who bond over a shared copy of Jane Eyre.

Adele loves being one of the popular girls at Keziah Christian Academy. She knows the upcoming semester at school will be great with her best friend Delia at her side. Then Delia dumps her for a new girl with more money, and Adele is forced to share a room with Lottie, the school pariah, who doesn't pray and defies teachers' orders.

As they share a copy of Jane Eyre, Lottie's gruff exterior and honesty grow on Adele, and together they take on bullies and protect each other from the vindictive and prejudiced teachers. When a boy goes missing on campus, Adele and Lottie must work together to solve the mystery, in the process learn the true meaning of friendship.

"Every now and then you read a book that is an utter surprise and delight. This book was so good right from the start that I read this in one sitting. I love following these girls throughout their school year. In this story, so many assumptions are made about people based on their class, and those judgments transferred from the parents to their children. What I found so beautiful in this story was watching these two girls, who were seemingly enemies having grown up in very different economic situations, go through the school year together, and really getting to know one another. Through the time they spend together, they realize the assumptions they both held of one another was completely wrong, and the most beautiful friendship forms and it just warms your heart in such a big way. I just loved everything about this story. I didn't hear much about this book, but it most definitely deserved way more buzz than it received." Naomi- Goodreads

Snow

y

 By: Gina Inverarity   

Location: FIC INV

Genre: Fantasy, re-telling

When the girl brought my bowl she was in and out through the door like she couldn’t move fast enough. And when the lock clicked after her I found something she’d left. A knife. And not one for spreading butter, but a sharp one for slitting throats.

Locked in a cell by her stepmother, Snow grows small but she still grows. Even so, she’s hardly a match for a world gone wild, where the sun has disappeared behind clouds for good. The night the hunter takes her into the forest with orders to cut out her heart, Snow makes him a promise she isn’t sure she can keep. And then she runs.

Snow’s life is no fairytale. As she grows up her path will take her into the mountains, over misty passes, desolate gorges and alpine rivers, as well as to the city, where she will make her case for the return of what is hers.

And her childish promise will not be forgotten.

A dark and lyrical Snow White retelling set in a post-climate-change world, Snow is a fairytale of the future.

"Snow by Gina Inverarity is a post climate change, post modern world Snow White retelling that is honestly completely captivating and filled to the brim with a wonderful eerie setting and lyrical, illustrious writing and just such a fitting read for these unusual times that we find ourselves in at the moment.
I was instantly drawn into the frankly mesmerising world of Snow.

Snow was honestly such a captivating journey at every step throughout, with a wholly memorable, admirable and wonderful titular character. I’m definitely calling this one of my new favourite retellings this year and honestly given the time we’re living in and faced with now, I definitely encourage and advocate that everyone read Snow. " Brooke

Punching The Air

 By: Ibi Zoboi and Yusef Salaam

Location: FIC ZOB

Genre: Poetry Fiction, Social Justice, Race

Powerful, lyrical, and emotional. This book is a perfect distillation of impotent rage, creative energy, and hesitant, desperate hope

he story that I thought
was my life
didn’t start on the day
I was born

Amal Shahid has always been an artist and a poet. But even in a diverse art school, he’s seen as disruptive and unmotivated by a biased system. Then one fateful night, an altercation in a gentrifying neighbourhood escalates into tragedy. “Boys just being boys” turns out to be true only when those boys are white.

The story that I think
will be my life
starts today

Suddenly, at just sixteen years old, Amal’s bright future is upended: he is convicted of a crime he didn’t commit and sent to prison. Despair and rage almost sink him until he turns to the refuge of his words, his art. This never should have been his story. But can he change it?

"I don't think I can express how important, poignant and devastating this novel was to read. Written in collaboration with Yusef Salaam, one of the exonerated five, this clearly draws heavily in Salaam's own experiences to help shape the main character of Amal. Amal is simply a boy, in the wrong place, who makes one mistake that leads to devastating consequences.

Being black, Amal speaks candidly of his experiences in jail, of never getting to simply be a kid, and giving up on his dreams of poetry and art because he knows that's not in his expected future. It was heartbreaking to read, and also made me so angry. The injustices that Amal faces are mirrored with what happens in the actual world.

This is also written in verse, and I think it lends itself very well to the text - giving Amal a more human, emotional connection to the reader as we get to experience Amal's life from his deepest, most inner thoughts. The prose are beautiful, and the imagery is perfectly pitched to match Amal's feelings of regret, remorse and grief at the loss of his future.

Such a timely and incredibly important read." Sara- Goodreads

All The Stars and Teeth

By: Adalyn Grace

Location: FIC GRA
Genre: Fantasy, Romance
Series: All Stars and Teeth #1

"I love pirates, but have been let down with a lot of the pirate-type books! However, here is one that totally changed my mind! I'll also add that the cover is one of my favorites of the year!

Amora was pretty freaking awesome! I easily connected with her and what she was going through and had to face! Then there were the boys! I loved Bastian and Ferrick, especially Bastion, though! And Vataea has my heart! She was vicious and lovable at the same time! The bond between the crew was one that I would want to truly be a part of.

All I want in my life right now is to set sail on Keel Haul—that's the ship, by the way! The author put a whole unique spin on the pirate life with wonderful and vivid descriptions that had me captivated from one. Now, give me all the bones and all the magic, and I'm seriously excited for book 2!" Candance

Named as one of Entertainment Weekly's most anticipated books of 2020, Adalyn Grace's All the Stars and Teeth is a thrilling fantasy for fans of Stephanie Garber's Caraval and Sarah J. Maas's Throne of Glass series.

As princess of the island kingdom Visidia, Amora Montara has spent her entire life training to be High Animancer - the master of souls. The rest of the realm can choose their magic, but for Amora, it's never been a choice. To secure her place as heir to the throne, she must prove her mastery of the monarchy's dangerous soul magic.

When her demonstration goes awry, Amora is forced to flee. She strikes a deal with Bastian, a mysterious pirate: he'll help her prove she's fit to rule, if she'll help him reclaim his stolen magic.

But sailing the kingdom holds more wonder - and more peril - than Amora anticipated. A destructive new magic is on the rise, and if Amora is to conquer it, she'll need to face legendary monsters, cross paths with vengeful mermaids, and deal with a stow-away she never expected... or risk the fate of Visidia and lose the crown forever

"THIS BOOK YOU GUYS

I was lucky enough to read an early draft of this book because the and i LOVED IT

Picture Furiosa from Mad Max: Fury Road leading her own Pirates Of The Carribean Ship

This epic sea adventure empowering as hell, exciting, bloody, and it takes no prisoners! It's also powerful--there are parts of this books that gave me goosebumps.

I can't WAIT to read the final draft and then I can't wait for everyone else to read it so we can geek out about it together!!"  Tomi Adeyemi - Author of   Children of Blood and Bone

A Heart In A Body In The World

 By: Deb Caletti

Location: FIC CAL

Genre:  Mental Health, Contemporary Fiction

“She survived something big, and when you survive something big, you are always, always aware that next time you might not.”

“This is one for the ages.” —Gayle Forman,
“A book everyone should read right now.” —The New York Times Book Review
“A vital and heartbreaking story that brings together the #MeToo movement, the effects of gun violence, and the struggle of building oneself up again after crisis.” —Elle

“Equal parts heartbreaking and hopeful.” —BookPage

A Printz Honor Book

Each step in Annabelle’s 2,700-mile cross-country run brings her closer to facing a trauma from her past in National Book Award finalist Deb Caletti’s novel about the heart, all the ways it breaks, and its journey to healing. Because sometimes against our will, against all odds, we go forward.

Then…
Annabelle’s life wasn’t perfect, but it was full—full of friends, family, love. And a boy…whose attention Annabelle found flattering and unsettling all at once.

Until that attention intensified.

Now…
Annabelle is running. Running from the pain and the tragedy from the past year. With only Grandpa Ed and the journal she fills with words she can’t speak out loud, Annabelle runs from Seattle to Washington, DC and toward a destination she doesn’t understand but is determined to reach. With every beat of her heart, every stride of her feet, Annabelle steps closer to healing—and the strength she discovers within herself to let love and hope back into her life.

Annabelle’s journey is the ultimate testament to the human heart, and how it goes on after being broken.

She can't truly outrun her future, but you can't tell her body that.

"This is one of the most powerful and important books I’ve read all year. It’s truly one of those books that I think is a must-read for all readers.

A Heart in a Body in the World is a story about tragedy, but also, surviving and fighting to overcome tragedy. It’s Annabelle’s story. Annabelle is a high school senior who has suffered something horrific. Her life was changed so drastically and she knows no matter what, she will never be the same.

She survived something big, and when you survive something big, you are always, always aware that next time you might not.

Annabelle doesn’t know how to handle or cope with this grief. The only thing that she can think to do, the only thing that helps, is to run. So she does. She decides to run a half-marathon every day until she crosses the country. She is running from Seattle all the way to Washington DC and nothing can hold her back.

There are many ups and downs to her journey. As her story unfolds, you get to know the build up of the tragedy, and watch everything come together. This story was heartbreaking and unfortunately something that could be tomorrows news here in the US. That is why this story is important. It felt real because it could very well be reality for anyone. That is why people need to read this book.

Annabelle is a survivor and she’s got determination and strength unlike any character I’ve read about. She was only able to do what she did with the help of others, mainly her family. Her brother, mom, and a few close friends behind the scenes, along with her Grandpa, which made me so soft. I loved how he always had her back and supported her 100% along the way.

A Heart in a Body in the World is a book I would highly recommend. It’s relevant, momentous, and a truly phenomenal read."

“It's the people who know you and love you that save you.”- Christy- Goodreads

Serious Series

By: ALL your favouite Authors
Location: OUR New Library Stack
Genre: All you favourite series



 We are excited to unleash our new library stack full of your favourute series:

All the Rick Riordan books
Hunger Games
Harry Potter
Mortal Instruments
Mistborn
Selection series
Cherub Series
Young Samurai
Thrine of Glass
Alex Rider
Bodyguard
Twilight