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Showing posts from December, 2019

KS5/Adult LRC Book Recommendation - The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri

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In the midst of war, he found love In the midst of darkness, he found courage In the midst of tragedy, he found hope. Nuri is a beekeeper; his wife, Afra, an artist. They live a simple life, rich in family and friends, in the beautiful Syrian city of Aleppo - until the unthinkable happens. When all they care for is destroyed by war, they are forced to escape. As Nuri and Afra travel through a broken world, they must confront not only the pain of their own unspeakable loss, but dangers that would overwhelm the bravest of souls. Above all - and perhaps this is the hardest thing they face - they must journey to find each other again. Moving, powerful, compassionate and beautifully written,  The Beekeeper of Aleppo  is a testament to the triumph of the human spirit. Told with deceptive simplicity, it is the kind of book that reminds us of the power of storytelling. 

KS4 LRC Book Recommendation - The End and Other Beginnings: Stories from the Future by Veronica Roth

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From the best-selling author of  Divergent  and  Carve the Mark  comes a stunning collection of futuristic short stories. Illustrated throughout with striking black-and-white illustrations. Within this masterful collection, NO WORLD IS LIKE THE OTHER. Full of friendship and revenge, each story and setting is more strange and wonderful than the last, brimming with new technologies and beings. And yet, in these futuristic lands, the people must still confront deeply human emotions and dilemmas.

KS3 LRC Book Recommendation - All Fall Down by Sally Nicholls

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A deadly contagion races through England... Isabel and her family have nowhere to run from a disease that has killed half of Europe. When the world she knows and loves ends for ever, her only weapon is courage. The Black Death of 1349 was the deadliest plague in human history. All Fall Down is a powerful and inspiring story of survival in the face of real-life horror.

KS3 LRC Book Recommendation - Curiosity House: The Fearsome Firebird by Authors Lauren Oliver and H. C. Chester

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Sam, Philippa, Thomas, and Max have just started to recover from their capture and subsequent escape from Rattigan. But the children's lives don't stay quiet for long. A slew of bank robberies is terrorizing the city. And when Professor Farnum, the ringmaster of the museum's now immensely popular flea circus, is charged with murder, the search for the real killer uncovers a plot much bigger than any individual crime-a plot that can only be the work of Nicholas Rattigan.

KS4 LRC Book Recommendation - Deeplight by Frances Hardinge

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From Frances Hardinge, the Costa Award-winning author of  The Lie Tree comes  Deeplight . The gods of The Myriad were as real as the coastlines and currents, and as merciless as the winds and whirlpools. Now the gods are dead, but their remains are stirring beneath the waves ... On the streets of the Island of Lady's Crave live 14-year-old street urchins Hark and his best friend Jelt. They are scavengers: diving for relics of the gods, desperate for anything they can sell. But there is something dangerous in the deep waters of the undersea, calling to someone brave enough to retrieve it. When the waves try to claim Jelt, Hark will do anything to save him. Even if it means compromising not just who Jelt is, but  what  he is...

KS5/Adult LRC Book Recommendation - Rooms by Lauren Oliver

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Wealthy Richard Walker has just died, leaving behind his country house full of rooms packed with the detritus of a lifetime. His estranged family - bitter ex-wife Caroline, troubled teenage son Trenton, and unforgiving daughter Minna - have arrived for their inheritance. But the Walkers are not alone. Prim Alice and the cynical Sandra, long dead former residents bound to the house, linger within its claustrophobic walls. Jostling for space, memory, and supremacy, they observe the family, trading barbs and reminiscences about their past lives. Though their voices cannot be heard, Alice and Sandra speak through the house itself - in the hiss of the radiator, a creak in the stairs, the dimming of a light bulb. The living and dead are each haunted by painful truths that will soon surface with explosive force. When a new ghost appears, and Trenton begins to communicate with her, the spirit and human worlds collide - with cataclysmic results.

KS5/Adult LRC Book Recommendation - Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo

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The mesmerizing adult debut from the  New York Times  bestselling author  Leigh Bardugo Galaxy 'Alex' Stern is the most unlikely member of Yale's freshman class. Raised in the Los Angeles hinterlands by a hippie mom, Alex dropped out of school early and into a world of shady drug dealer boyfriends, dead-end jobs, and much, much worse. By age twenty, she is the sole survivor of a horrific, unsolved multiple homicide. Some might say she's thrown her life away. But at her hospital bed, Alex is offered a second chance: to attend one of the world's most elite universities on a full ride. What's the catch, and why her?

KS4 LRC Book Recommendation - The Power of Nunchi: The Korean Secret to Happiness and Success by Euny Hong

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Nunchi (noon-chee): eye measure. The subtle art of gauging other people's thoughts, and feelings in order to build trust, harmony and connection. Nunchi is the guiding principle of Korean life, but anyone can use it: it's the art of reading a room, your way of understanding what other people are thinking and feeling, and using that to get ahead. Korean parents believe that teaching their children nunchi is as important as teaching them to cross the road safely. With great nunchi, it feels like the world is on your side. Without it, you might get hit by something you never saw coming. If you're thinking 'not another Eastern fad, Marie Kondo already made me throw half my clothes away', don't worry: it's not a fad. Koreans have been using nunchi to overcome slings and arrows for over 5000 years. The great news is that anyone can hone their nunchi, immediately: all you need are your eyes and ears. In everything, from finding love to excelling at work,

KS3 LRC Book Recommendation - The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy

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Waterstones Book of the Year 2019,  The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse  was an instant favourite with our booksellers. A book to bring people together, Charlie Mackesy’s inspirational paintings and delicate calligraphic text are a celebration of kindness, compassion and understanding, conveying an essential message for our time. Winner of the  Waterstones Book of the Year 2019 ‘This delicately illustrated tale shows that love towards yourself and others is the only thing that truly matters in our hectic world’ – Nia at Cardiff ‘One of the most beautiful and meaningful books I have ever read’ – Jacquie at St. Albans ‘A poignantly human, refreshingly pure and beautifully curated book’ – Izzy at Piccadilly  Soothing balm for the soul in these turbulent, polarised times, former Spectator cartoonist Charlie Mackesy's tender illustrations have already become an online phenomenon. Now, his finest artwork has been gathered together in this beautifully produced