Sacrifice

by Joanna Orwin
Published by Harper Collins Publishers, 2011, Auckland

I am impressed! Why are all of the new books so, so good? I liked "Sacrifice" so much, it was hard to stop reading to do the other tasks that needed doing this weekend.  But now it is finished, and I can't wait to get into another new book.

Sacrifice is set in the South Pacific in the future.  But in a way, you could be forgiven if at moments you thought it was in the past.  The residents of New Zealand's Northland are finding life to be very tough.  The residents are food gatherers rather than cultivators because the land has been devastated by volcanoes and tsunamis.  But some of the elders can remember a time when there were particular crops, long gone,  which may once again suit the environment they now find themselves in.  So five young men are sent out on a remarkable journey across the dangerous seas to see if they can find remnants of those crops in the unknown lands to the north.  The survival of the Northland residents depends on the success of these "travellers".  Will the god of the sea protect them in their quest?

Recommended for Year 9 - adults

Ashes

by Kathryn Lasky
Published by Puffin Books, 2010, New York

Kathryn Lasky is another master storyteller!  Thirteen-year-old Gabby is living in Berlin in 1932.  What does she think and how does she feel about the changing political environment she is growing up in?  She is probably more "aware" and more "thoughtful" than most thirteen-year-olds, but this is understandable when you realise that her father is a Professor of Astronomy and the family's close friends include Albert Einstein.

Highly recommended for all readers

Books Change Lives - new display

We are gathering resources for a new display in the library with the theme:  "Books Change Lives".

Please add comments to this post, or come and see a librarian, if you know of someone who has a "book that has changed their life", or have a "story" of your own to share.

Dirt Bomb

by Fleur Beale
Published by Random House New Zealand, 2011, Auckland

BOYS!  Just the story for you, particularly if you like the idea of getting a beaten-up old car to work so that you can have fun in a paddock! Finding a car might be easy, but I think you might need a little bit of luck to find a paddock.

I hope you like the story as much as I did -I couldn't put the book down until I had finished it.   This story is perfect for any male New Zealand teen.

La Rochelle's Road

by Tanya Moir
Published by Black Swan, 2011, Auckland

The Peterson family have bought, unseen, a piece of land on Banks Peninsula, and leave behind a relatively comfortable life in London, to make their fortune in the new colony.

This is in 1866. The resultant life is not easy.  There is much grief and the family is ill-equiped to cope. The story is centred around Hester, the teenage daughter, and a diary or journal written by the previous owner of their land.

This is a good story, which has been well-written.  Look out for more from this author.

Recommended for Senior Students and adults.