BOOK BLURB:
This cleverly constructed narrative consists of three points of view: of Gary, constantly victimised by the school bully in a nasty, name-calling and vindictive way; the bully's friend, David and a new girl to the school, Zoe. All viewpoints are revealing. Gary reveals the painful and often unsuccessful attempts by a young man to control his anger under great provocation - and his inability to communicate. David is someone who is uncomfortable with the bullying but doesn't dare to do anything about it - until the end. Zoe is a young woman who can see Gary through different eyes and is independent, freethinking and brave. Also featured in this title are rampaging tractors, shotguns and cheese puffs.
REVIEW:
Author’s are getting braver all the time so its something to be supported when they create a novel that deals with issues experienced by a number of their readers. Within this offering is a careful look and examination of the problems as well as trauma’s (both physical and mental) caused by bullying as the author lets the reader discover the events and how it made people feel from the three principle protagonists within. Its cleverly written and when you top that off with characters that will just speak not only the same language as the reader but also help them to see that they’re not as isolated as they may feel and it’s a title that I’d recommend all parents to read as well as demanding that their local library purchases a copy.
BOOK BLURB:
Viola doesn't want to go to boarding school, but somehow she ends up at Prefect Academy, an all-girls school in South Bend, Indiana, far far away from her home in Brooklyn, New York. Now Viola is stuck for a whole year in what seems to be the sherbet-coloured-sweater capital of the world. Ick. There's no way Viola's going to survive the year - especially since she has to replace her best friend Andrew with three new roommates who, disturbingly, actually seem to like being at Prefect. She resorts to viewing the world (and hiding) behind the lens of her video camera. But boarding school is nothing like Viola thought it would be, and she soon realises that she may be in for the most incredible year of her life. But first she has to put the camera down and let the world in.
REVIEW:
OK, lets be brutal here. When this offering landed I really wasn’t expecting to much out of the deal. After all, the book blurb wasn’t the type of thing that normally grabs me but since I was at a loose end I decided to give it a go.
What I discovered within was a tale of friendship, of growing up and above all learning from mistakes whilst learning to cope with the changes that life throws at you. It’s beautifully written, the prose almost as if the principle protagonista were an old friend which really sells this title to the readers. Add to the mix a touch of young love, some heartbreak and a new environment for our heroine and it’s a title that shows that you can adapt to anything with good friends/family to help you through. A magical experience and one that I hope a great many others will give a fair crack of the whip to. I will definitely keep an eye out for more by Adriana.
BOOK BLURB:
High on the cliffs near Dover, the Silver family is reeling from the loss of Lily, mother of twins Eliot and Miranda, and beloved wife of Luc. Miranda misses her with particular intensity. Their mazy, capricious house belonged to her mother's ancestors, and to Miranda, newly attuned to spirits, newly hungry for chalk, it seems they have never left. Forcing apples to grow in winter, revealing and concealing secret floors, the house is fiercely possessive of young Miranda. Joining voices with her brother and her best friend Ore, it tells her story: haunting in every sense, and a spine-tingling tribute to the power of magic, myth and memory. Miri I conjure you...
REVIEW:
To be honest a novel that not only confused me but one that took me a while to get into. Not that it’s a bad novel or anything just the almost disjointed way in which the author starts each section fried my mind a little, although personally speaking that’s not a bad thing. What unfurls within this offering is a ghost tale that literally haunt the reader from the first 20 pages to the last few as you’re taken on a journey weirder than the twilight zone. Perhaps not the best book for everyone but one that definitely is worth a look if you want something a little different to the norm.
BOOK BLURB:
