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Showing posts from July, 2022

The Library Weekly Book Recommendation - KS3 - Which Way to Anywhere by Cressida Cowell

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  K2 O'Hero is a seemingly ordinary boy - after all, he and his twin sister Izzabird have been sworn to keep their family's magical history a secret. Not even their infuriating stepsiblings, Theo and Mabel, know that magic exists. They believe K2 to be the most hopeless person they have ever known. But K2 has a secret gift: he draws maps of worlds that are beyond the wildest of imaginations. Worlds with six hundred moons, burning rivers and dark, twisty jungles alive with plants that hunt by the smell of fear. But what K2 doesn't know, is that the maps he draws are  real . When their baby sister Annipeck is kidnapped, the warring stepsiblings will have to use K2's gift to find a crossing point into one of those worlds and embark on a daring rescue mission. With a terrible beast and a petrifying robot assassin in their way, they must learn to work together quickly - because the future of their family is at stake ... Publisher:  Hachette Children's Group ISBN:  978144

The Library Weekly Book Recommendation - KS4 - Oxygen Mask: A Graphic Novel by Jason Reynolds (author), Jason Griffin (illustrator)

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  And so for anyone who didn't really know what it means to not be able to breathe, REALLY breathe, for generations, now you know. And those who already do, you'll be nodding yep yep, that is exactly how it is... Intimately set within the walls of a family home, this book is an incredible artefact of the historic year we have all lived through. We travel from the depths of despair but not without hope; the mundane details contained within four walls becomes our sanctuary. This is a gift in commemoration of a time and place, of a world wide pandemic and  of loss. It is a reminder of how, in uncertain times, we can cling to the simple things for respite, for hope. A reminder of how comforting books and artworks are in times of extreme stress. Publisher:  Faber & Faber ISBN:  9780571374748 Number of pages:  384

The Library Weekly Book Recommendation - KS5/Adult - The House of Sorrowing Stars by Beth Cartwright

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  How do you heal a broken house? First you unlock its secrets. Alone on an island, surrounded by flowers that shine as dusk begins to fall, sits an old, faded house. Rooms cannot be rented here and visits are only for those haunted by the memory of loss. When Liddy receives an invitation, she thinks there must be some mistake - she's never experienced loss. But with her curiosity stirred, and no other way to escape a life in which she feels trapped, she decides to accept. Once there, she meets Vivienne, a beautiful, austere woman whose glare leaves Liddy unsettled; Ben, the reserved gardener; and Raphael, the enigmatic Keymaker. If Liddy is to discover her true purpose in the house, she must find the root of their sorrow - but the house won't give up its secrets so easily... Publisher:  Cornerstone ISBN:  9781529100693 Number of pages:  400

The Library Weekly Book Recommendation - KS5/Adult - The Twyford Code by Janice Hallett

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  It's time to solve the murder of the century... Forty years ago, Steven Smith found a copy of a famous children's book, its margins full of strange markings and annotations. He took it to his remedial English teacher, Miss Isles, who became convinced it was the key to solving a puzzle. That a message in secret code ran through all Edith Twyford's novels. Then Miss Isles disappeared on a class field trip, and Steven's memory won't allow him to remember what happened. Now, out of prison after a long stretch, Steven decides to investigate the mystery that has haunted him for decades. Was Miss Isles murdered? Was she deluded? Or was she right about the code? And is it still in use today? Desperate to recover his memories and find out what really happened to Miss Isles, Steven revisits the people and places of his childhood. But it soon becomes clear that Edith Twyford wasn't just a writer of forgotten children's stories. The Twyford Code has great power, and h

The Library Weekly Book Recommendation - KS4 - Aftershocks by Anne Fine

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  A family mix-up means Louie has to tag along with his engineer father and his team as they head for a routine job in the farthest flung and most neglected province of the Federation. A massive earthquake, with ensuing tsunami, devastates the entire isolated coastal region, laying bare the other-worldly manner in which the silent and strange Endlanders deal with life, death and the hinterlands of memory and loss. Their curious and unsettling ways raise ghosts for Louie, who has recently lost his own brother. This modern fable - part ghost-story, part coming-of-age novel and part astute social and family observation - explores the ways in which grief can affect not only individuals, but communities at large. Publisher:  Old Barn Books ISBN:  9781910646779 Number of pages:  288

The Library Weekly Book Recommendation - KS3 - Not All Heroes Wear Capes: 10 Things We Can Learn From the Ordinary People Doing Extraordinary Things by Ben Brooks

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  What do you think of when you hear the word 'hero'? Is it the wall-climbing, cape-wearing, villain-fighter you see in comics and films? Heroes can actually come in  all  forms, shapes and sizes. Some cook for the hungry. Some nurse the poorly back to health. Others raise money for important causes. From small acts of kindness to inventions that have saved the lives of hundreds of people, every person in this book has found their passion - or their superpower. No matter how big or small it might be, your power can be used to change the world for the better too. So put away the cape, climb down from that wall and discover how ordinary people can still do extraordinary things and become heroes. Written by Ben Brooks, the bestselling author of the Dare to Be Different books, and paired with vibrant comic-style illustrations throughout, this is the perfect guide for the budding superhero in your life! Publisher:  Hachette Children's Group ISBN:  9781526362896 Number of pages: 

The Library Weekly Book Recommendation - KS5/Adult - The Man Who Died Twice: (The Thursday Murder Club 2) - The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

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  The second novel in the record-breaking, million-copy bestselling Thursday Murder Club series by Richard Osman. It's the following Thursday. Elizabeth has received a letter from an old colleague, a man with whom she has a long history. He’s made a big mistake, and he needs her help. His story involves stolen diamonds, a violent mobster, and a very real threat to his life. As bodies start piling up, Elizabeth enlists Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron in the hunt for a ruthless murderer. And if they find the diamonds too? Well, wouldn't that be a bonus? But this time they are up against an enemy who wouldn't bat an eyelid at knocking off four septuagenarians. Can The Thursday Murder Club find the killer (and the diamonds) before the killer finds them? Publisher:  Penguin Books Ltd ISBN:  9780241988244 Number of pages:  448

The Library Weekly Book Recommendation - KS4 - Running with Horses by Jason Cockcroft

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  Rabbit and his mum have moved to the coast to run a small caravan park. Rabbit has been struggling since he saw his father die - he finds it hard to speak. When he befriends a local boy, Joe, Rabbit begins to feel better - but he keeps having strange dreams of a frightened white horse. Hunting for the animal, the two boys stumble across something much more dangerous: a man being held hostage by a criminal gang. Their discovery will set them on a dangerous path that will risk everything Rabbit holds dear... Publisher:  Andersen Press Ltd ISBN:  9781839132087 Number of pages:  240

The Library Weekly Book Recommendation - KS3 - When I See Blue by Lily Bailey

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  New town, new school, but the bully is in Ben's head... There are 4 things you should know about Ben: 1. He's 12 years old 2. He's the new kid at school 3. His special number is 4 4. He has a bully in his brain Sometimes Ben's brain makes him count to 4 to prevent bad things happening. Sometimes it makes him tap or blink in 4s. Mostly it makes the smallest things feel impossible. And with a new school, a moody big brother, an absent dad and a mum battling her own demons, Ben feels more out of control than ever. But then he meets April, and with his new friend, Ben might finally figure out how to stand up to the bully in his brain, once and for all. Publisher:  Hachette Children's Group ISBN:  9781510109803 Number of pages:  272