Hello book lovers, and welcome to the UHS library in 2014! We are looking forward to another fantastic year in the library with lots of new books and an exciting calendar of library events due to take place over the coming four terms.
To get the year started on the blog, here are a few of the new books that have arrived in the library office this week and are about to make their way onto our shelves!
Allegiant by Veronica Roth
The arrival of Allegiant, the final installation in Roth’s Divergent trilogy, is sure to create excitement for fans of this dystopian series. The book was released in October last year and follows the ongoing adventures of Tris Prior as she deals with a pretty epic raft of problems, both personal and political. Let’s see what Goodreads has to say:
“The faction-based society that Tris Prior once believed in is shattered—fractured by violence and power struggles and scarred by loss and betrayal. So when offered a chance to explore the world past the limits she’s known, Tris is ready. Perhaps beyond the fence, she and Tobias will find a simple new life together, free from complicated lies, tangled loyalties, and painful memories. ”
OR PERHAPS NOT. Read the book to find out!
She Is Not Invisible by Marcus Sedgwick
We are pretty keen to read this unusual-sounding book which is kind of a thriller but also kind of about the power of coincidence. According to the blurb: “Laureth Peak’s father is a writer. For years he’s been trying, and failing, to write a novel about coincidence. His wife thinks he’s obsessed, Laureth thinks he’s on the verge of a breakdown. He’s supposed to be doing research in Austria, so when his notebook shows up in New York, Laureth knows something is wrong. On impulse she steals her mother’s credit card and heads for the States, taking her strange little brother Benjamin with her. Reunited with the notebook, they begin to follow clues inside, trying to find their wayward father. Ahead lie challenges and threats, all of which are that much tougher for Laureth than they would be for any other 16-year old. Because Laureth Peak is blind.”
It’s nice, and sadly still pretty rare, to see an interesting YA book where the main character has a disability, and especially great that Sedgwick has written a character who is not helpless and is not defined but her disability, but is a smart, tough hero.
The League of Sharks by David Logan
All you really need to know about this book is that it is basically about TIME-TRAVELLING SHARK MEN. If that didn’t send you running to the fiction shelves then I don’t know what to say to you. Recommended for lovers of adventure books and fans of the Percy Jackson stories, this is the first book in a forthcoming series. Here’s what Amazon says:
“In a world where humans have disappeared, sharkmen are the ultimate predators.
Junk’s sister has been stolen.
Snatched from her bed in the dead of night, Ambeline doesn’t stand a chance. No one believes Junk saw a monster take his sister. No one believes he’s not to blame.
So begins Junk’s quest to find Ambeline’s kidnapper. His journey will take him to a future world where animal species have evolved, and where the cult of the League of Sharks – the cult that stole Junk’s sister – is etched into folklore…”
When Mr Dog Bites by Brian Conaghan
We can’t wait to read this book: it sounds amazing, kind of like if the movie The Bucket List was about a teenager with Tourette’s syndrome instead of being about two old guys! Here is the blurb from the Bloomsbury website:
“Dylan Mint has Tourette’s. His life is a constant battle to keep the bad stuff in – the swearing, the tics, the howling dog that seems to escape whenever he gets stressed. But a routine visit to the hospital changes everything. Overhearing a hushed conversation between the doctor and his mum, Dylan discovers that he’s going to die in March. So he makes a list of things he must do before he dies: first, he wants to have real sex with gorgeous Michelle Malloy; second, he’s got to find his autistic best friend Amir a new best bud; third, he’s got to get his dad back home from the army so they can say goodbye properly. It’s not a long list, but it’s ambitious, and he doesn’t have much time. Sometimes you’ve just got to go for it – no holding back – and see what happens. “
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