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| Latest Book Reviews... |
The Crossroads by Niccolo Ammaniti
Average Rating [8/10]
(1 Review)
Jessica has sent in a review for The
Crossroads by Niccolo Ammaniti. Cristiano is sixteen.
Home life is far from perfect, and when his drink-sozzled
father and two reprobate friends come up with a plan to rob
a bank, Cristiano sees the chance of a better life. But as
a tremendous storm brews that night, the perfect crime will
have shocking consequences for all involved. And Cristiano
must put childhood behind him once and for all... more»»
Jessica
28th February 2010 [8/10]
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Who Really Won the Space Race? by Thom Burnett
Average Rating [8/10]
(1 Review)
Paul has sent in a review for Who
Really Won the Space Race? by Thom Burnett. On October
4 1957, America's self image of being the most technologically
advanced nation on earth, was shattered by the successful
launch of a Soviet satellite, Sputnik, months ahead of its
own satellite program. Four days later President Eisenhower
gave a White House press conference in which he attributed
US failure to the fact that in 1945, the Soviets had captured
all of the German rocket scientists at Peenemunde. But as
this book will show, that presidential statement was far from
true... more»»
Paul
Lappen 28th February 2010
[8/10] |
The Forgotten Past by Heather Hayashi
Average Rating [9/10]
(1 Review)
Molly has sent in a review for The
Forgotten Past: The Arhka Chronicles, Vol 2 by by Heather
Hayashi. Aliens descended upon Arhka, and they did not come
in peace. The world's four races were forced to set aside
their differences - and centuries of civil war - to unite
against the common threat. With the help of the Powers, three
women summoned from Earth, the people of Arhka were able to
take back what was theirs, but at a heavy cost. With the aliens
already rallying, the allies realized the war had only begun...
more»»
Molly
Martin 28th February 2010
[9/10] |
Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn
Average Rating [9/10]
(1 Review)
John Alwyine-Mosely has sent in a review for Ella
Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn. Nevin Nollop left the islanders
of Nollop with the treasured legacy of his pangram "the
quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog". But as the
letters begin to crumble on the monumental inscription, the
island's council forbids the use of the lost letters and silence
threatens Ella and her family... more»»
John Alwyine-Mosely
28th February 2010 [9/10] |
One More Year by Sana Krasikov
Average Rating [8/10]
(1 Review)
Ben Macnair has sent in a review for One
More Year by Sana Krasikov. The protagonists of Sana Krasikova's
indelible stories are mostly women - some of them are new
to America; some still live in the former Soviet Union, in
Georgia or Russia; and some have returned to Russia to find
a country they barely recognize and people they no longer
understand. Mothers leave children behind; children abandon
their parents. Almost all of them look to love to repair their
lives, and when love isn't really there, they attempt to make
do with a paler, lighter imitation of it, with substitutes
for love... more»»
Ben Macnair
28th February 2010 [8/10] |
The Recruit by Robert Muchamore
Average Rating [9/10]
(2 Reviews)
Bethany has kindly sent in a review for The
Recruit by Robert Muchamore. A terrorist doesn’t let strangers
in her flat because they might be undercover police or intelligence
agents, but her children bring their mates home and they run
all over the place. The terrorist doesn’t know that a kid
has bugged every room in her house, cloned the hard drive
on her PC, and copied all the numbers in her phone book. The
kid works for CHERUB. They slip under adult radar and get
information that sends criminals and terrorists to jail. For
official purposes, these children do not exist... more»»
Bethany Clarke
28th February 2010 [9/10] |
Waking Lazarus by T. L. Hines
Average Rating [8/10]
(1 Review)
Gina Hendrix has sent in a review for Waking
Lazarus by T. L. Hines. Jude Allman has died and come
back to life three times, becoming a celebrity against his
own wishes. When the world crushes in around this unlikely
miracle man, this modern-day Lazarus, he escapes into the
vastness of Montana. He changes his name and withdraws from
the public eye, trying to forget all that came before. But
the past, like Jude, won't stay buried. A prowling evil circles
his adopted hometown of Red Lodge, Montana. Children are disappearing,
and Jude may have the key to solving the crimes... more»»
Gina Hendrix
th 28th February 2010 [8/10] |
Snatched! by Graham Marks
Average Rating [7/10]
(1 Review)
Jessica has sent in a review for Snatched!
by Graham Marks. Left for dead in a lion's cage, baby Daniel
is adopted by Hubble, owner of a travelling circus. Twelve
years later, his carefree life as a bareback rider is shattered
by vivid premonitions. When Josie joins the circus, Daniel
realizes that his visions are coming true, but he still cannot
stop the terrible fire that he had foreseen. In the aftermath
he is snatched away - taken to London, gagged and bound, and
he must find a way to escape. But could the city be the place
to finally discover the truth behind his birth... more»»
Jessica
28th February 2010
[7/10] |
First Contact by Patrick Woodrow
Average Rating [7/10]
(1 Review)
Chrissi has reviewed First
Contact by Patrick Woodrow. In the heart of the jungle
lies a powerful secret. They hoped for the trip of a lifetime.
Now they are minutes from death. Mark and Melanie Bridges
are lost in the world's most hostile forest. Their guides
are dead. They have no shelter, no water, no hope. Then, as
the shadows lengthen, they stumble on the wreck of a crashed
helicopter. The pilot and passenger are bones, their doomed
mission to this remote and dangerous land, uncertain. But
the skeletons have left behind both good and bad: vital supplies
to keep the pair alive. And a mystery that threatens to kill
them... more»»
Chrissi
31st January 2010 [7/10] |
The
Kult by Shaun Jeffrey
Average Rating [9/10]
(1 Review)
Nigel has reviewed The
Kult by Shaun Jeffrey. People are predictable. That's
what makes them easy to kill. Acting out of misguided loyalty
to his friends, police officer Prosper Snow is goaded into
helping them perform a copycat killing, but when the real
killer comes after him, it's not only his life on the line,
but his family's too. Now if he goes to his colleagues for
help, he risks being arrested for murder. If he doesn't, he
risks being killed... more»»
Nigel
31st January 2010
[9/10]
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The Boat by Nam Le
Average Rating [7/10]
(1 Review)
Jessica has sent in a review for The
Boat by Nam Le. A dazzling, emotionally riveting debut
collection: the seven stories in Nam Le’s The
Boat take us across the globe as he enters the hearts
and minds of characters from all over the world. Whether Nam
Le is conjuring the story of 14-year-old Juan, a hit man in
Colombia; or an aging painter mourning the death of his much-younger
lover; or a young refugee fleeing Vietnam, crammed in the
ship's hold with 200 others, the result is unexpectedly moving
and powerful. This is an extraordinary work of fiction that
takes us to the heart of what it means to be human... more»»
Jessica
31st January 2010 [7/10]
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Southcrop Forest by Lorne Rothman
Average Rating [9/10]
(1 Review)
Paul has sent in a review for Southcrop
Forest by Lorne Rothman. The trees of Southcrop have made
a striking discovery - one that could change the world for
all their kind. But they are trapped in a forest fragment
and face destruction from human sprawl. They cannot spread
their new-found gift across the land. Then Auja, a young oak,
finds little Fur amongst her branches. Fur is a legendary
creature not seen for a thousand years, a single intelligent
being emerged from a colony of caterpillars. Fur is small
and meek and slow, but can travel through the forest and talk
with trees. Auja persuades the reluctant Fur to help. Fur
embarks on a desperate quest to find the source of all tree
power... more»»
Paul
Lappen 31st January 2010
[9/10] |
Second Chance by Jane Green
Average Rating [9/10]
(1 Review)
Sarah has sent in a review for Second
Chance by Jane Green. Step inside the home of Holly Mac
and meet her successful, distinguished husband Marcus, notice
how beautiful her home is and how gorgeous her children Daisy
and Oliver are. You might say that they are the perfect family,
but you would be very wrong... Holly is desperately lonely.
She has spent her entire marriage trying to be the perfect
wife but she is missing the one thing she really wants - a
husband she can talk to, a soul mate to share everything with,
someone like her first love and best friend Tom. Then a terrible
tragedy finds Holly reunited with some old friends, and she
soon realises that they too are each beset by their own problems...
more»»
Sarah
31st January 2010 [9/10] |
The Wanderers by Richard Price
Average Rating [7/10]
(1 Review)
John Alwyine-Mosely has sent in a review for The
Wanderers by Richard Price, the story of a teenage gang
in the Bronx of the early 1960s. The Wanderers are just trying
to stay alive - and maybe have a little sex. But it's not
going to be easy. They're facing murderous parents, unimpressed
girls, an all-Chinese gang and a pack of mute Irish maniacs,
apathetic teachers, and a ten-year-old cold-blooded killer.
Against these odds, will the Wanderers get what they're after...
more»»
John Alwyine-Mosely
31st January 2010 [7/10] |
The Rachel Papers by Martin Amis
Average Rating [8/10]
(1 Review)
Ben Macnair has sent in a review for The
Rachel Papers by Martin Amis. In his uproarious first
novel Martin Amis, author of the bestselling London Fields,
gave us one of the most noxiously believable - and curiously
touching - adolescents ever to sniffle and lust his way through
the pages of contemporary fiction. Charles Highway, a precociously
intelligent and highly sexed teenager, is determined to sleep
with an older woman before he turns twenty. Rachel fits the
bill perfectly and Charles plans his seduction meticulously,
sets the scene with infinite care - but it doesn't come off
quite as Charles expects... more»»
Ben Macnair
31st January 2010 [8/10] |
The Raven Queen by Pauline Francis
Average Rating [7/10]
(1 Review)
Jessica has sent in a review for The
Raven Queen by Pauline Francis. This is a powerful historical
novel that brings to life an unforgettable story of love,
hope and royal duty, from a hugely talented new author. The
life of Lady Jane Grey, the Nine Day Queen, is all too often
remembered as just a line in a history book, but this stunning
debut novel reveals the full fascinating and tragic story
- a tale of treachery, power struggles, and religious turmoil
in the Tudor court. Intricately woven and passionately written,
The
Raven Queen is also a sensitive story of love against
all odds that will enchant readers... more»»
Jessica
31st January 2010 [7/10]
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How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff
Average Rating [5/10]
(2 Reviews)
Sarah has sent in a review for How
I Live Now by Meg Rosoff. Daisy is sent from New York
to England to spend a summer with cousins she has never met.
They are Isaac, Edmond, Osbert and Piper. And two dogs and
a goat. She's never met anyone quite like them before - and,
as a dreamy English summer progresses, Daisy finds herself
caught in a timeless bubble. It seems like the perfect summer.
But their lives are about to explode. Falling in love is just
the start of it. War breaks out - a war none of them understands,
or really cares about, until it lands on their doorstep...
more»»
Sarah
31st January 2010 [3/10] |
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