Book Recommendations

This intriguing novel is based on the case of maidservant, Anne

Green, 'hanged for infanticide at Oxford Assizes in 1650.

Restored to the world and died again in 1665'.

Through a cleverly structured dual narrative Anne's story

unfolds from unconsciousness - a woeful tale of seduction by

her Master's grandson, pregnancy then still-birth, followed by

imprisonment, trial and hanging.

Her revival is recounted by Robert Matthews, a young scholar

attending the dissection of Anne's body, who notices the first

flickers of life.

This is strong stuff, with gruesome details aplenty, but Anne and

Robert's voices ring true and it's a fascinating insight into a time

when the upper classes wielded life-or-death power, and ideas

about medicine, science and religion were in constant flux.

Publisher: Definitions

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Interest Level:

Aged 11+

A small boy helps deliver a baby to a fantasy warrior queen;

another finds courage from a mythical hero to confront a school

bully; a terrified, sleepless girl is carried off by Wee Willie

Winkie.

Filled with echoes from other tales, these stories probe that

uncharted, potentially dangerous gap where nightmares,

dreams and legends intersect with everyday life.

When they intrude - often suddenly and shockingly - the results

are sometimes terrifying, sometimes life-affirming.

The writing is lean and concentrated, with heart-stopping

descriptions and beautifully judged juxtapositions, setting

intense fear alongside the smallest details of safe, mundane

normality. Not an easy book - but one that repays perseverance.

Publisher: Definitions

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Interest Level:

Aged 14+

Lying forgotten on top of a wardrobe at the Archway Young

Offenders institution is a notebook. Inside its pages, the

notorious Emily Koll reveals the story she has refused to tell

anyone, even her psychiatrist - the truth about the crime she

committed, and why she did what she did to her best friend,

Juliet.

This taut, tense psychological thriller keeps the reader

guessing as Emily's story is gradually unravelled through the

pages of her notebook, blending her experiences of day-to-day

life at the institution with her memories of the events that have

brought her here. Dark, distinctive and different, Heart Shaped

Bruise is a memorable debut, offering an intriguing exploration

of revenge, identity and perhaps most of all the intensity of

teenage relationships. Readers are guaranteed to be gripped

by Emily's powerful story right up to the shocking final twist.

Publisher: Headline Publishing

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Interest Level:

Aged 14+

Fifteen-year-old Willo has been left alone in the freezing and

snow covered hills that have been his home for years. Willo

doesn’t know where his father and the rest of his family have

gone, but donning the skull of a dog, whose spirit guides him,

he resolves to try and find them. Willo’s journey takes him into

the dangerous world of the city, where people live in fear and

poverty. Soon Willo discovers some unnerving information

about his father and as his fight for survival grows increasingly

urgent, the boy must draw on reserves of strength he never

knew he had.

Tapping into the current trend for dystopian fiction, this bleak

novel is set in a futuristic ice-age and contains haunting scenes

and some strong language; it is a memorable story with an

ultimately hopeful resolution.

Publisher: Macmillan Children's Books

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Interest Level:

Aged 14+

'It's like being in love, discovering your best friend' remarks a

character in this tale of friendship, war and espionage. Two

British girls from totally different backgrounds, form an unlikely

and life-changing friendship when they are stationed together

during World War II. Down-to-earth, Maddie is a skilled pilot,

while bold best friend Julie is from an aristocratic Scottish

family - together, as Julie writes, they are 'a sensational team.'

However, when Julie is captured by the Gestapo after a mission

goes wrong in France, the girls' friendship is tested beyond

anything they had every imagined.

This book makes compelling reading; scenes of Gestapo torture

are interspersed with stories from the girls' experiences before

the war, culminating in a tense and shocking ending. In turns

touching and heart-breaking, this book will stay with readers

long after they have closed the book.

Publisher: Electric Monkey

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Interest Level:

Aged 14+

A year after his brother, Rob’s, death, Jamie contemplates Rob’s

ashes, hoping that retelling last summer’s events might be

cathartic. Wounded by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan, Rob

was desperate to get back there, a rage inside him untouchable

by therapy, cannabis or booze.

Meanwhile, Jamie was falling for Caro; notoriously bad,

expelled from school, shunned by other girls, desperate to do

something politically meaningful. Unaware, innocent, Jamie had

no idea the two people he loved were so deeply damaged, or

that he was entangled between them. He’s still struggling to

forgive them...

Painful and sad as Rob and Caro’s stories are, it’s Jamie’s

unflinching honesty about his own naivety, about the depth of

his deception that stands out in this hard-hitting, compelling

novel.

Publisher: Bloomsbury

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Interest Level:

Aged 14+

In this unusual young adult novel, Pitcher once again creates a

vivid and engaging first person narrative - this time, the story is

told through a series of letters written in the frank and often

funny voice of a 15-year-old girl struggling to come to terms

with her crippling guilt because she is, by her own admission a

murderer. Seeking redemption for her crime, Zoe begins

writing to convicted murderer Stuart Harris, awaiting execution

on Death Row, confessing the secret of what happened, and

spilling out her feelings about a love triangle that went

tragically wrong, as well as the family turmoil she has been

experiencing.

Dealing with some complex and difficult themes and issues,

Ketchup Clouds is perhaps best suited to older teenage readers.

Blending powerful emotion and darkness with ironic humour, it

is a gripping and moving story about secrets, lies and growing

up. Sometimes uncomfortable, sometimes wistful, often funny

and always compassionate, this is a beautifully-crafted and

unexpected coming-of-age story that will win readers’ hearts.

Publisher: Indigo

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Interest Level:

Aged 14+

One night 15-year-old Lina, her mother and young brother are

hauled from their home by Soviet guards, thrown into cattle cars

and sent away. They are being deported to Siberia. An

unimaginable and harrowing journey has begun. Lina doesn't

know if she'll ever see her father or her friends again. But she

refuses to give up hope. Lina hopes for her family. For her

country. For her future. For love - first love, with the boy she

barely knows but knows she does not want to lose ... Will hope

keep Lina alive?

Set in 1941, Between Shades of Grey is an extraordinary and

haunting story based on first-hand family accounts and

memories from survivors.

Publisher: Puffin

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Interest Level:

Aged 14+

Imagine living in a world where smiling, coughing or shivering

would get you killed. That is the reality for 17-year-old Gene, a

human living amongst vampires. Every day he is forced to keep

every natural emotion and physical reaction in check as he

attempts to blend in and stay alive. Then, one fateful day, he is

chosen to participate in The Hunt – a government sponsored

game that sets a few of the last remaining humans free so that

they can be chased and killed by the hunters. How will Gene be

able to compete when the game threatens to expose his true

nature?

This interesting twist on the vampire genre is a breath of fresh

air for horror fans. It is exciting and well-written, with even the

most minute of details carefully thought through. This

captivating novel is a page-turner right to the end; however

readers of a sensitive disposition should note that it contains

graphic scenes of violence and death.

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

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Interest Level:

Aged 14+

Growing up in the hill fort amongst a community of sheepmen, Kita grows up accustomed to hard work, hardship and rigid routine. Life since the Great Havoc has been tough, and the sheepmen are struggling to survive, but Kita chafes in a brutish culture in which women are treated as chattels, friendship and kindness are frowned upon, and every day is dominated by endless, monotonous hard work.

Lurking always in the background is the threat of the sinister and dangerous community of witches that live on the mountain-top, flickering strange green and purple lights by night - witches that are said to use their evil powers to abduct girls and brutally murder sheepmen. But Kita is no longer convinced by the whispers about Witch Crag, and becomes intrigued by the rumours about other young women who have previously escaped the hill fort for good. Finally she makes up her mind to leave in secret, taking her two best friends Raff and Quainy with her. But can they escape the hill fort undetected - and what will they really find waiting for them at Witch Crag?

Publisher: Scholastic

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Interest Level:

Aged 14+

Sophie has always felt alone. Losing her mother so early in life

and growing up in several foster homes has made her distance

herself from almost everyone. Her cousin Dani is the only one

who understands her - Dani may be flaky and emotionally

unstable but she is always there when Sophie needs her.

When it seems that Dani has killed herself by jumping off her

balcony, Sophie refuses to believe it could be suicide. Sophie

and her on-off best friend Reece start to investigate Dani’s life

and the circumstances surrounding her death, but they soon

find themselves embroiled in something far more serious than

they ever could have imagined.

The protagonist of this story is endearing and misunderstood: a

character that gets under your skin and stays there long after

you have finished reading. She is terrified to get close to anyone

in case they hurt her yet she tries so hard to prove that she is

worthy of their love. A moving read blending excitement with a

sweet love story.

Publisher: Macmillan Children's Books

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Interest Level:

Aged 14+

Kyla has been slated. Her memory has been completely wiped, she has been given a new identity and placed with a new family. She should feel lucky as slating is a new start for criminals who would otherwise be executed, but Kyla doesn’t feel lucky. Violent memories that shouldn’t be there haunt her dreams and threaten her idyllic new existence. These memories drive her to find out who she used to be and what she did to get slated, but the more she learns about herself the more she realises she may not want to know the truth.

Set in the not too distant future this book investigates the restrictions on freedom and individuality that are placed on society by an all-controlling government. Readers are encouraged to decide for themselves whether the safety of society can be placed above the rights of the individual. Kyla is an intriguing protagonist and the true nature of her character is withheld until the very end.

Publisher: Orchard Books

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Interest Level:

Aged 14+

Growing up in an oddball family of clairvoyants, 16-year-old Blue is

used to taking the supernatural in her stride - including the long-

standing prediction that she will one day cause her true love to die.

But Blue is shaken on St Mark's Eve, when, following tradition, she

goes to the freezing graveyard where the soon-to-be-dead will pass

by. Usually it's just her clairvoyant mother who can see them, but this

year, a boy emerges from the dark and falls at Blue's feet.

It doesn't take Blue long to discover that his name is Gansey, and that

he's a rich student from exclusive local private school Aligonby. Blue

has always gone out of her way to avoid the spoilt, privileged

Aligonby boys, known as the Raven Boys, but in spite of what she has

seen, she finds herself drawn to the handsome, charismatic Gansey

and his obsessive quest to discover the sleeping Owen Glendower, a

Welsh King who disappeared in the early 15th century.

Also drawn into Gansey's quest are three other Raven Boys: Adam, a

gentle scholarship student who quietly resents the privilege of those

around him, yearning for a different life; Ronan, plunging from fierce

anger to despair following the death of his father; and the enigmatic,

watchful Noah, a troubled soul. Together, the boys and Blue find

themselves tangled in a strange adventure that takes in ley lines,

ghosts, psychics and forests that whisper Latin words - but what will

be the ultimate consequences of Gansey's obsession with

Glendower?

Publisher: Scholastic

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Interest Level:

Aged 14+

Sofia and her family flee their Mozambique village after her

father is killed by bandits. They attempt to start afresh, but the

dangers of war are ever-present, and Sofia is forced to rebuild

her life again when she and her sister are involved in a

landmine explosion.

This beautiful story of tragedy and hope succeeds in being an

eminently positive read, delivered with sensitivity but without

sentimentality.

Publisher: Allen & Unwin Children's Books

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Interest Level:

Aged 13+

Mickey Bolitar is having a difficult time. His father is dead, his

mother is in rehab, and he's been forced to move in with his

estranged uncle Myron, and to start at a new high school. The

only good thing about his new school is fellow new pupil Ashley,

but after just a couple of weeks of getting to know each other,

Mickey's perfect new girlfriend has stopped turning up to

classes, just as if she's simply vanished into thin air.

Unwilling to let another person disappear from his life, Mickey

starts to investigate what has happened. Unexpected help

comes from two fellow school outsiders, Spoon and Ema, who

rapidly become friends - but as the three follow Ashley's trail,

they soon discover that she wasn't all that she appeared to be.

What's more, the mystery of Ashley's disappearance leads to

some extraordinary discoveries about Mickey's own family, and

especially his beloved father.

Publisher: Indigo

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Interest Level:

Aged 13+

Winning the 2010 To Hell With Prizes First Novel Award and being picked up by Canongate isn’t bad for a novel that lay in David Whitehouse’s agent’s drawer of ‘destined for the big time’ manuscripts. And now it’s out, what do we make of Bed. It’s a grotesquely funny, arch and morbid tale of two brothers, one second-best and the other spoilt and lazy. The spoilt lazy one hasn’t left his bed in over twenty years. We’re treated to some pretty disgusting descriptions of what happens to an immobile body as it rots in its own filth, doted on by its mother, and how this becomes Mal (the lazy one)’s unique ticket to fame… doing nothing. Whitehouse has an eye for the one-liner, for the particularly gruesome turn of phrase and for comedy that is both unspoken, physical and witty. Publisher: Canongate

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Interest Level:

Aged 15+

Life ends catastrophically suddenly for Elizabeth Hall, in a road accident. Not for her a future filled with love, marriage and children; instead, she awakes aboard a quiet, white cruise ship, steaming to Elsewhere. Elsewhere is calm, ordered and inhabitants get younger, living backwards until reborn as babies. While the pain of leaving her family never stops, in Elsewhere Liz meets her grandmother, makes new friends and falls in love, as time steadily ticks down to her rebirth. How Elsewhere ‘works’ is elegantly described and Liz's progress from misunderstanding and rage to acceptance of what has happened to her, creates a thought-provoking and absorbing meditation about how we enter and leave life. A book you will want to return to.

Publisher: Bloomsbury Children's Books

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Interest Level:

Aged 13+

HERE IS A SMALL FACT - YOU ARE GOING TO DIE. 1939. Nazi

Germany. The country is holding its breath. Death has never

been busier. Liesel, a nine-year-old girl, is living with a foster

family on Himmel Street. Her parents have been taken away to a

concentration camp. Liesel steals books. This is her story and

the story of the inhabitants of her street when the bombs begin

to fall. SOME IMPORTANT INFORMATION - THIS NOVEL IS

NARRATED BY DEATH. It's a small story, about: a girl, an

accordionist, some fanatical Germans, a Jewish fist fighter, and

quite a lot of thievery. ANOTHER THING YOU SHOULD KNOW -

DEATH WILL VISIT THE BOOK THIEF THREE TIMES.

Publisher: Black Swan

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Interest Level:

Aged 13+

Book one of the Mercy Falls trilogy by Maggie Stiefvater

Set in small-town Minnesota, Stiefvater’s moving and poetic

novel of human/wolf interaction and relationships is a werewolf

story like no other, explaining the condition as the result of a

wolf bite and temperature variation.

The story is told from the viewpoints of Grace, a teenager bitten

as a child but unaffected by temperature, and seventeen-year-

old Sam, the werewolf who saved her and has secretly guarded

her since.

Grace is drawn to the wolves - and to Sam, whose transition from

human to wolf is increasingly susceptible to cold, and who will

ultimately remain a wolf.

Publisher: Scholastic

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Interest Level:

Aged 12+

Hayaat lives in the West Bank after her family were driven from

their land by Israeli settlers.

Grandmother Zeynab dreams longingly of home and fills

Hayaat’s head with her memories; when Zeynab falls

dangerously ill, Hayaat is convinced that some soil from home

might restore her will to live.

Hayaat undertakes a dangerous – and highly illegal – journey to

Jerusalem to fill a hummus jar with the precious earth.

This understated novel about one ordinary family struggling to

survive in a world of random curfews and checkpoints, while

dealing with the physical and mental scars of exile, is a moving

and absorbing (although admittedly partial) novel about the

Middle East situation.

Publisher: Marion Lloyd Books

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Interest Level:

Aged 12+