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Showing posts from January, 2024

The Library Weekly Book Recommendation - KS3 - Amazing Octopus by Michael Stavaric (author), Michèle Ganser (illustrator), Oliver Latsch (translator)

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  What do the ocean and space have in common? How did octopuses and humans evolve? What exactly are cephalopods - and why do they have such a funny name? Octopuses are the oldest and most intelligent creatures on our planet, true aliens whose abilities amaze us. Michael Stavaric and Michele Ganser have created a non-fiction book full of surprising twists and turns that offer much more than just imparting knowledge. Together with their readers, they embark on an adventure into the world of the octopus. Full of funny details and vivid descriptions,  Amazing Octopus  is a book that is as unusual as the octopus itself. Publisher:  Pushkin Children's Books ISBN:  9781782694243 Number of pages:  144

The Library Weekly Book Recommendation - KS4 - Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

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  A fragile young teenage girl is held captive. Locked in a cell by The Reestablishment - a harsh dictatorship in charge of a crumbling world. This is no ordinary teenager. Juliette is a threat to The Reestablishment's power. A touch from her can kill - one touch is all it takes. But not only is she a threat, she is potentially the most powerful weapon they could have. Juliette has never fought for herself before but when she's reunited with the one person who ever cared about her, the depth of the emotion and the power within her become explosive. Publisher:  HarperCollins Publishers ISBN:  9780008660239 Number of pages:  352

The Library Weekly Book Recommendation - KS5/Adult - The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward

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  Shortlisted for  The British Book Awards 2022 Pageturner Book of the Year This is the story of a missing child. Revenge. Death. And an ordinary house at the end of an ordinary street. All these things are true. And yet they are all lies. You think you know what's inside the last house on Needless Street. You think you've read this story before. That's where you're wrong. In the dark forest at the end of Needless Street, lies something buried. But it's not what you think... Publisher:  Profile Books Ltd ISBN:  9781788166188 Number of pages:  400

The Library Weekly Book Recommendation - KS5/Adult - Hercule Poirot’s Silent Night - Sophie Hannah (author), Agatha Christie (creator)

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  Can Hercule Poirot solve a baffling murder mystery in time for Christmas? It's 19 December 1931. Hercule Poirot and Inspector Edward Catchpool are called to investigate the murder of a man in the apparent safe haven of a Norfolk hospital ward. Catchpool's mother, the irrepressible Cynthia, insists that Poirot stays in a crumbling mansion by the coast, so that they can all be together for the festive period while Poirot solves the case. Cynthia's friend Arnold is soon to be admitted to that same hospital and his wife is convinced he will be the killer's next victim, though she refuses to explain why. Poirot has less than a week to solve the crime and prevent more murders, if he is to escape from this nightmare scenario and get home in time for Christmas. Meanwhile, someone else - someone utterly ruthless - also has ideas about what ought to happen to Hercule Poirot... Publisher:  HarperCollins Publishers ISBN:  9780008380793 Number of pages:  384

The Library Weekly Book Recommendation - KS4 - Sisters of Sword and Shadow by Laura Bates

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  What if the Knights of the Round Table had been women? An epic fantasy from the UK's leading and bestselling feminist writer Laura Bates - perfect for fans of Leigh Bardugo and Sarah J. Maas. This afternoon Cass's older sister will be married. Soon she will be too. Gone will be days of running through fields and feeling the earth between her toes. So when a beautiful leather-clad woman rides up and offers to take her away, Cass doesn't hesitate to join her. Cass is introduced to the Sisterhood of Silk Knights - a group of women training to fight and working to right the wrongs of men. Cass is drawn into a world of ancient feuds, glorious battles, and deadly intrigue, where soon discovers she holds a power that could change the destiny of her sisterhood. 'An interesting thing happens, when a man is defeated in combat by a woman.' 'He tells nobody.' Publisher:  Simon & Schuster Ltd ISBN:  9781398528864 Number of pages:  400

The Library Weekly Book Recommendation - KS3 - The Island at the End of Everything by Kiran Millwood Hargrave

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There are some places you would not want to go. Even if I told you that we have oceans clear and blue as summer skies, filled with sea-turtles and dolphins, or forest-covered hills lush with birds that call through air thick with warmth. Even if you knew how beautiful the quiet is here, clean and fresh as a glass bell ringing. But nobody comes here because they want to. Amihan lives on Culion Island, where some of the inhabitants - including her mother - have leprosy. Ami loves her home - with its blue seas and lush forests, Culion is all she has ever known. But the arrival of malicious government official Mr Zamora changes her world forever: islanders untouched by sickness are forced to leave. Banished across the sea, she's desperate to return, and finds a strange and fragile hope in a colony of butterflies. Can they lead her home before it's too late? Publisher:  Chicken House Ltd ISBN:  9781910002766 Number of pages:  256  

The Library Weekly Book Recommendation - KS3 - The Troublemakers by Tamzin Merchant

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  Cordelia Hatmaker has finally united the Maker families and restored the kingdom's trust in Maker magic. But mysterious outbreaks of chaotic magic are beginning to happen across London... And then the unthinkable happens. Cordelia is accused of treason. As the guards close in, she must flee London at once. With her father Prospero, and friends Sam and Goose, Cordelia sets sail on her family's ship, the Little Bear, for the adventure of a lifetime. They're determined to solve the mystery of a missing girl, and to clear Cordelia's name once and for all. But soon they are in the dangerous territory of a band of legendary pirates: the Troublemakers, captained by a fierce and unstoppable pirate queen. A breathtaking new adventure from bestselling author of  The Hatmakers  and  The Mapmakers , Tamzin Merchant, featuring beautiful illustrations by Paola Escobar. Publisher:  Penguin Random House Children's UK ISBN:  9780241610398 Number of pages:  448

The Library Weekly Book Recommendation - KS4 - Voyage of the Damned: Signed Exclusive Edition by Frances White

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  To mark the thousandth year of peace in the Empire of Concordia, the emperor's ship embarks upon a twelve-day voyage. Aboard are the heirs of the twelve provinces of Concordia, each graced with a unique magical ability known as a Blessing. Except one: Ganymedes Piscero. When a beloved heir is murdered, everyone is a suspect. Stuck at sea and surrounded by powerful people, odds of survival are slim. But as the bodies pile higher, Ganymedes must become the hero he was not born to be and unmask the killer before he ends up the next victim of their bloody crusade. Publisher:  Penguin Books Ltd ISBN:  2928377240561 Number of pages:  496

The Library Weekly Book Recommendation - KS5/Adult - My Name is Barbra by Barbra Streisand

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  Barbra Streisand is by any account a living legend, a woman who in a career spanning six decades has excelled in every area of entertainment. She is among the handful of EGOT winners (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony) and has one of the greatest and most recognizable voices in popular music. She has been nominated for a Grammy 46 times, and with Yentl she became the first woman to write, produce, direct, and star in a major motion picture. In  My Name Is Barbra , she tells her own story about her life and extraordinary career, from growing up in Brooklyn to her first star-making appearances in New York nightclubs to her breakout performance in Funny Girl (musical and film) to the long string of successes in every medium in the years that followed. The book is, like Barbra herself, frank, funny, opinionated, and charming. She recounts her early struggles to become an actress, eventually turning to singing to earn a living; the recording of some of her acclaimed albums; the years of effor