Young World

 By: Soman Chainani  

Location: FIC CHA

Genre: Thriller

‘The PERFECT READ for our tumultuous times.’ - VERONICA ROTH

"A renegade thriller about a teenager elected President of the United States, sparking a global revolution of young leaders—until one of them is murdered and he’s the prime suspect.

"YOUNG WORLD is a wild ride and a fast read; don't let the 400+ pages scare you off. It hits hard and makes you think. Maybe it'll even inspire you to take action." Barb

"Phenomenal writing, and storyline, the art scattered through is surprising and really puts you in the world. So amazing for teenagers who feel politically helpless"

When 17-year-old Benton Young uploads a video daring the world to elect him as US President, the video goes viral. Young people have lost all faith in their leaders, and Benton’s video ignites a national revolution … resulting in Benton as President.

Inspired, young people from across the globe take to the streets, and soon eight of the world’s most powerful nations are led by teenagers. Their mission: to set a bold new course for the future. But, on the eve of their first global summit, one of the leaders is murdered in cold blood … and Benton is the only suspect.

Now Benton must untangle a deadly web of secrets, betrayal and power plays to prove his innocence. The world’s future – and his own – is on the line …

With globe-spanning action, shocking twists and an electric new brand of storytelling, YOUNG WORLD is a heartstopping thriller that asks: what happens when the future really does belong to the young?

• A genre-busting YA thriller of teen leaders, murder, and revolution
• Told in a stunning mixed-media style with 150+ explosive neon-orange visuals
• Perfect for fans of fast-paced, high-stakes thrillers like The Hunger Games, All That’s Left in the World and The Inheritance Games
• Themes include: power, greed, betrayal, activism, revolution, found family, love, friendship, finding your voice

Refugee

 By: Alan Gratz  

Location: GRA GRA

Genre: Graphic Novel- Refugees

The timeless #1 New York Times bestseller Refugee is brought to life in a stunning graphic novel adaptation!

JOSEF is a Jewish boy living in 1930s Nazi Germany. With the threat of concentration camps looming, he and his family board a ship bound for the other side of the world...

ISABEL is a Cuban girl in 1994. With riots and unrest plaguing her country, she and her family set out on a raft, hoping to find safety in America...

MAHMOUD is a Syrian boy in 2015. With his homeland torn apart by violence and destruction, he and his family begin a long trek toward Europe...

All three kids must endure harrowing journeys. All face unimaginable dangers. But there is always the hope of tomorrow. And although Josef, Isabel, and Mahmoud are separated by continents and decades, shocking connections will tie their stories together in the end.

Refugee is a modern classic that has spent over 5 years on the New York Times bestseller list, and garnered several awards and much acclaim. Brought to life with rich, gorgeous illustrations by artist Syd Fini, this hotly anticipated graphic novel will attract a whole new generation of fans.

The Naturals Series- #1- #4

 By: Jennifer Lynn Barnes  

Location: FIC BAR

Genre: Mystery 

Jennifer Lynn Barnes's The Naturals is a gripping novel with killer appeal and a to-die-for romance. Don't miss the other books in the Naturals: Killer Instinct,  All In, and Bad Blood. 

Jennifer Lynn Barnes, #1 bestselling author of  The Inheritance Games , delivers an exhilarating mystery—perfect for fans of Criminal Minds and  A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder

Seventeen-year-old Cassie is a natural at reading people. Piecing together the tiniest details, she can tell you who you are and what you want. But, it's not a skill that she's ever taken seriously. That is, until the FBI come they've begun a classified program that uses exceptional teenagers to crack infamous cold cases, and they need Cassie.

What Cassie doesn't realize is that there's more at risk than a few unsolved homicides—especially when she's sent to live with a group of teens whose gifts are as unusual as her own. Soon, it becomes clear that no one in the Naturals program is what they seem. And when a new killer strikes, danger looms close. Caught in a lethal game of cat and mouse with a killer, the Naturals are going to have to use all of their gifts just to survive.

Jennifer Lynn Barnes's The Naturals is a gripping novel with killer appeal and a to-die-for romance. Don't miss the other books in the Naturals: Killer Instinct,  All In, and Bad Blood.  
 

Review by V

I absolutely loved this series. Each book was very fast-paced and left me wanting to read more at the end of every chapter. I most impressive thing about these books was the attention to detail and research the author did to write such a captivating story. It felt like watching an episode of Criminal Minds, but with teenagers. The romance sub-plot also kept me hooked. Throughout the 4 books, I would never have seen the ending coming. I felt like my jaw dropped so much during these books.

The Shetland Bus

 By: David Haworth  

Location: NF 920 HOW

Genre: Conflicts

From the author of We Die Alone, The Shetland Bus recounts the hundreds of crossings of small boats from the Shetland Islands to German-occupied Norway to supply arms to the Resistors and to rescue refugees--all under constant threat by German U-boats and winter storms.

“...though wars can still bring adventures which can stir the heart, their true nature is of innumerable personal tragedies, of grief, waste and sacrifice, wholly evil and not redeemed by glory.”
― David Howarth, The Shetland Bus: A WWII Epic of Escape, Survival, and Adventure

Review by Peter

WWII seems to have been so overwhelmingly huge that I don't think I'll ever stop finding books that tell stories that surprise me. This one is the story of an undercover supply line between the Shetland islands and occupied Norway. Participants were Norwegian civilian fishermen and UK soldiers and sailors, including the author who was one of the commanders.

I continually had to remind myself that the Norwegians involved were not only volunteers, but were also civilians. These were patriots who wanted to see their country free of the German occupiers and would do anything to help, even something as seemingly small as transporting undercover agents in their fishing boats. Several crews were killed during these operations, yet the remaining crews never faltered in their commitment to the cause.

Stories told include a mission to sink the German battleship Tirpitz, the journey of a single survivor of a mission as he treks over the frozen Scandinavian ice and snow towards neutral Sweden, and descriptions of missions to drop off agents, weapons, and rescue partisans and those in danger of capture by the German secret police.

A briskly told story, the author gives the impression that it was all just a great adventure, but does end with a note explaining how deadly it truly was and how lucky he and the remaining crews were to survive the war.

Once The Deed Is Done

 By: Rachel Seiffert  

Location: FIC SEI

Genre:  Historical Fiction

To be truly alive means having to make choices.
To be truly alive is also, quite simply, to love.

Northern Germany, 1945. Dead of night and dead of winter, a boy hears soldiers and sees strangers - forced labourers - fleeing across the heathland by his small town: shawls and skirts in the snowfall. The end days are close, war brings risk and chance, and Benno is witness to something he barely understands.

Peace brings more soldiers - but English this time - and Red Cross staff officers. Ruth, on her first posting from London, is given charge of a refugee camp on the heathland, crowded with former forced labourers. As ever more keep arriving, she hears whispers, rumours of dark secrets about that snowy night.

The townspeople close ranks, shutting their mouths and minds to the winter's events, but the town children are curious about the refugees on their doorstep, and Benno can't carry his secret alone.

"In a small, isolated town near Hamburg the war is reaching its end. The soldiers in the forced labour camp are deserting and the townspeople know it's only a matter of time before the Allies arrive. A forced march passes through the town one night and the repercussions can only stay shrouded in darkness for so long. This is a tale with multiple narrators, from the Red Cross officer tasked with finding home for the displaced prisoners of war and finding families who have been split up, to the townspeople themselves, some delighted that the war is over, some not. In the background hums a darker catastrophe and shame. This is generously written, beautifully imagined and powerful in scope."- Kate Wheatly

Sing To me

 By: Jesse Browner    

Location: FIC BRO

Genre: Mythlogy 

IF YOU WATCHED  Odyssey THEN THIS BOK IS FOR YOU!

"This beautiful and poignant novel should become a classic." Nancy

"Deeply Bronze Age. I like."

After the fall of Troy, an eleven-year-old boy sets off for the razed city once his father and sister fail to return home; an extraordinary, intimate retelling of a familiar legend, for lovers of Circe.

His family farm and the surrounding community now emptied by war, young Hani embarks on an epic quest – assisted by a brooding yet brilliant donkey – to find his lost sister in the ruins of Troy. Some war stories transcend time and circumstance, and so it is with the resourceful and heartbroken Hani, who must employ every bit of intelligence, every scrap of ingenuity, and ultimately every ounce of his spirit and humor to withstand the forces of civilization’s collapse.

Hani is no ordinary boy, however, and a character unlike any you’ve ever met. His interior world is one of startling depth and complexity. His insights into life, lives, and history are breathtakingly fresh. And his hope for survival--not a given, and in fact, less than likely--will propel you to the startling conclusion of this brief, elegiac, and singular work.

"Sing to Me is a small gem of a book. The setting (after the fall of Troy) is what hooked me, although this story could really be set after any violent conflict. The plot is very simple; thoughful, resourceful, abandoned Hani is from a farming village a few days from Troy and heads there to try to find his family. His interior narration is gentle and compassionate, in a world that is decidedly not so. The prose is lovely, a mixture of rich description and Hani's reflections on what he's learning about the world as he goes. I liked this very much."- Maree

Finns Epic Fails

 By: Phil Earle   

Location: FIC EAR

Genre: Humour

‘A comedy classic and hilarious page-turner from a genuinely brilliant writer.’ Liz Pichon, author of Tom Gates series

A  hilarious new series by award-winning author Phil Earle which introduces Finn N. O. Hope and his life of epic failure! Perfect for readers of Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Loki and Tom Gates. 

Finn just wants to survive Year 7, but his life is destined to be a series of epic fails. It's only Tuesday and his scheming, unicorn-obsessed little sister has already stuck a horn to his head (with superglue) and his properly evil older brother has wedgied him 278 times. And don't even ask what happened at swimming, in front of the WHOLE CLASS. At least he has best friends Laszlo (a hopeless romantic) and Google (ask her anything) by his side as he attempts to turn failure into victory in his very own book that is definitely not a diary. 


 
‘Pure comedy genius – Finn's Epic Fails will have you howling with laughter and cheering for more! This book belongs on every kid's bookshelf!’ – Jenny Pearson, author of The Super Miraculous Journey of Freddie Yates

‘Failure has never been this funny. Finn is my new hero!’ – Rob Biddulph, author of Draw With Rob