June 23

‘My Life as an Alphabet’ by Barry Jonsberg

mylifeasanalphabet‘This isn’t just about me.’

Candice Phee is an hilariously honest and a bit weird twelve year old girl. After the death of her newborn baby sister, Sky, her mother becomes depressed and stays locked in her room for hours non-stop. Her father and Uncle aren’t on speaking terms anymore. Mainly Candice lives a tough life. Can she get her family back together again? Can her Uncle and father talk to each other again? Can Candice make her mum happy again?

At school Candice is given an English assignment. She has to write about something that has happened in her life. The assignment involves writing one paragraph for each letter of the alphabet. But one paragraph isn’t enough to tell her teacher about her life, therefore she decides to write multiple paragraphs for each letter, e.g. ‘A is for Assignment’.

Follow the crazy life of Candice Phee in the novel ‘My life as an Alphabet’ by Barry Jonsberg, a true, heart-filled story. I enjoyed this novel in many ways, like what would the characters do next and whether Candice’s parents could be happy again. It was very interesting how Candice made her parents happy again. The story reminded me that people do go though things like this; everyone doesn’t have a perfect life and family, also people do suffer from depression.

I would recommend this novel for the ages between 11 and 15, who like to read true and humorous stories. When reading this novel young adults would get a full insight into real life problems that other teenagers would be experiencing. This novel keeps you hooked throughout the story with its humour and mysteries that some characters find (you eventually find them out). ‘My Life as an Alphabet’ is truly a great read; therefore I give this novel a rating of 4 out of 5 stars.

Erin S, Year 8  

———————-

You could be around a person your entire life, but that doesn’t mean you know them. My Life As An Alphabet is a novel that reflects a teenage girl’s life through school and relates to the dreams and doubts that happen while growing up, discovering who she is as well as who she wants to be. The novel by Barry Jonsberg reflects all these qualities in the home and suburb of an out of the ordinary girl named Candice Phee and her life explained ‘as an alphabet’.

Candice is not really an ‘alphabet’ but she uses the alphabet as a prop to explain what has happened to her for an English assignment. During her time writing the assignment, Candice goes through her past and the tragedy that happened to her sister as well as the family tension that was created without her. At every letter of the alphabet she goes through her life and explains her feelings and weird ways she understands everything she does while writing her essay.

The character’s personality was portrayed really well in this book and the small funny things that happen once in a while throughout this novel were my favourite parts of reading this book. It had good jokes and new comedic challenges that await Candice, her family and Douglas Benson from another dimension, which in the end bring them closer, with Candice learning from her mistakes as well as others.

I rate this book four stars. It made me laugh, cry and just smile when I was reading small paragraphs in my small space of spare time. This novel made me want to read it every chance I got and once reading I couldn’t stop because of how addictive it was. The book was true to teenagers and heartfelt as well as funny in the most part.

If you thought this book was a good book to read then I would think ‘The Fault in our Stars’ or ‘The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas’ would be another excellent choice to read.

By Angelique, Year 8

—————

‘This isn’t just about me. It’s also about the other people in my life – my mother, my father, my dead sister Sky, my penpal Denille, Rich Uncle Brian, Earth-Pig Fish and Douglas Benson From Another Dimension. These are people [with the exception of Earth-Pig Fish, who is a fish] who have shaped me, made me what I am. I cannot recount my life without recounting elements of theirs. This is a big task, but I am confident I am up to it.’

Candice Phee is a twelve year old girl from the sunny town of Albright. Her life might seem like a piece of cake on the outside but really it’s not. Her baby sister Sky died years ago, her mum is depressed, her dad is angry at his brother and won’t talk to him and her best and only friend believes he’s from another dimension.

One day at school Candice is given an assignment by her English teacher. It has to be 26 paragraphs long and each paragraph has to start with the next letter of the alphabet. She then decides to write multiple paragraphs instead of one for each letter so that she can recount her whole life during this assignment.

I loved ‘My Life As An Alphabet’ because it shows a girl’s experiences as she tries to cope with guilt, depression and family issues while trying to fix everyone else’s problems at the same time. While this book could be sad at times it also was quite touching and humorous. It reminded me that nobody’s life is perfect and that everyone has their own problems. I would recommend this book to both boys and girls of ages 12 and up because this book is based on a 12 year old girl’s everyday life.

Georgia O, Year 8.

Category: Funny books, Realistic fiction, Student Reviews | LEAVE A COMMENT
May 18

‘The fault in our stars’ by John Green

“That’s the thing about pain: it demands to be felt.”

“I fell in love the way you fall asleep: slowly then all at once.”

The fault in our starsThis story, The Fault in Our Stars, is set in a quiet place with not very many people around and it seems a little cold some days and some days are quite warm. This place is Indianapolis.

The main characters in this book, The fault in our stars, are Hazel–Grace and Augustus Waters. Hazel is a 16 year old girl who had been diagnosed with leukaemia and has to carry an oxygen tank around with her so she can breathe properly. Hazel also was very quiet and didn’t like talking in front of a big crowd. She also was sweet, kind, beautiful, loving and demonstrates emotions throughout the book.

The other main character is Augustus Waters. He is 17 years old and had cancer. He had been blinded by cancer and August was also a very good basketball player until he was diagnosed, having to get his leg amputated. Augustus Waters was a very kind and sweet and honest guy and filled with emotions here and there as well.

A little brief about this story is that it is about a teenage girl named Hazel with cancer that meets a guy named Augustus Waters and he had cancer but doesn’t anymore and Hazel falls in love.

The reason why I like the story so much is because it reminds me of my dad and I start to cry and I feel very emotional when I think of this lovely story. It is such an emotional ride while reading this story.

I would recommend this story to children that love to read from the age of 10 all the way up to an adult. It is such an amazing story and great read. I’d rate the book ‘The Fault in our stars’ 5 out of 5 stars. Sophia K., Year 9

Category: Love stories, Realistic fiction, Student Reviews | LEAVE A COMMENT
November 10

‘If I Stay’ by Gayle Forman

ifistay_GayleForman“I realize now that dying is easy. Living is hard.” ― Gayle Forman, If I Stay

What would you do if you had to make the hardest decision of your life? Seventeen-year-old Mia Hall from Gayle Forman’s book If I Stay, had to make that decision. It all began with Mia living a great life with her friends, family and boyfriend Adam. Mia would never have thought that her life would have come this choice.

Mia narrates the story. Throughout the entire book, she explains how she and her family live. Her father had once played in a band but is now a teacher and her mother was a groupie but was now a travel agent.

When Kat and Denny (her parents) first fell pregnant with Mia they were expecting her to be like them, to share their passion for music: punk rock. But as Mia grew older she grew to love the cello. So her parents hired a teacher to teach her how to play, seeing how passionate she was.

As she grew up her love for the cello did as well. Her family were happy, her friends were happy, she and her boyfriend were happy, until one day it all came crashing down in a freak accident.

Everything Mia had once loved and cared for had just disappeared. Not only was Mia left an orphan but also was induced into a dreadful coma. This is where she experienced flash backs of all the wonderful moments she and her family had together. Mia was able to view everything that was happening around her, but was unable to participate. Mia could not feel anything, not even the pain her own body was going through. She knew if she were to continue living her life, she would awaken without her parents and brother; but if she were to leave, she would be with them. On the other hand, if Mia were to stay, she would still have her Grandparents, Aunties, Uncles and friends around her.

If YOU had the choice, would YOU stay?

This book was a beautiful story to read and the category, I believe, would fall under ‘heart filled’. I recommend this book to girls between the ages of 13-25 who also enjoyed The Fault in Our Stars by John Green and or The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky.

I would rate this book If I Stay 4 out of 5 stars because the ending could have been a little more exciting.

Alexia, Year 9

……..

“What if you got the choice to stay or to go?”

Gayle Forman’s ‘If I Stay’ explores the life of Mia, a 17-year-old talented cello player, the daughter of a travel agent and a schoolteacher. As a result of a tragic event, Mia is left without her parents and is placed into an induced coma. With nobody to help her, Mia has to make the biggest decision of her life – will she stay or will she go. While in this coma, Mia’s out-of-body experiences enable her to see everything that is happening around her. Essentially, she is a spirit walking on Earth. In addition to this, Mia has flashbacks of memories and events that happened in her childhood. Eventually, coming close to death, she is triggered to either pass on to the afterlife or awaken from her coma.

‘If I Stay’ draws on many themes that are relevant to young people, including love, loss and the importance of relationships and offers useful insight into human responses to tragedy.

I enjoyed this book because it was heart-filled with emotions, love and romance. A great variety of descriptive language was used throughout the novel and the flashbacks Mia had really made the story come together.

I would rate this book a 9/10 because of the relevance of the themes and language used throughout the text. Teenagers would be the best age group to read this book as it is about love, romance, and making one choice over another. It shows that choices are difficult to make in life and that you have to make your life count because it could be over sooner than you think.

By Taylah, Year 9  

……..

Could you imagine having to choose whether to stay and live in a world without your beloved family or to leave altogether and leave your grandparents, boyfriend and your best friend behind?

In the novel ‘If I Stay’ by Gayle Forman there are adventures of love, heartache and loss.

The novel contains the main character, Mia, narrating on her life. She fell in love with her soul mate Adam. Their relationship was full of ups and downs as Mia was a kind-hearted cello player and Adam was a wilder band member. Mia was close with her grandpa and grandma and was always spending time with them. Her grandparents were a big part of her life and were always there for her. Mia’s parents and brother were all the punk rock type of people with her dad who was in a band, Mum who was always around concerts and music and her brother Teddy who played the drums. They all respected her with the choice of playing the cello instead of a guitar.

One-day Mia’s life was put on edge; the accident affected everyone who had known her family. This is where Mia faced the hard choice: whether to stay or to go. The story of the novel was enjoyable but the end of the book was a bit of a let down.

It is a love story that captures your attention and makes you not want to put it down. This novel shows us how precious family and friends are to everyone because you never know what could happen. I would recommend this novel to teenage girls between the ages of 13 to 18 and/or anyone who enjoys reading heart-filled novels. Overall, this novel was enjoyable to read as it captured your interest throughout the whole novel. I would rate this novel a 4 out of 5 stars.

By Abbie D, Year 9

……

What would you do if you had to choose? To live or to die. To stay or to go. How would it affect you? How would it affect your friends and family? For seventeen-year old Mia, these are the questions she has to face. Now she must make the heart aching decision to stay or to go.

For Mia, surrounded by family, friends and a gorgeous boyfriend, decisions seem tough. Her family all share a love and passion for music. She was working towards her acceptance to the prestigious Julliard school. Her future was full of hope. But life can change in an instant. One cold February morning on a snowy road, Mia’s future changes for the worst. With her mother and father killed at the scene of the car accident and little brother injured, she now must make the decision of a lifetime, to stay with what’s left of her family and with her friends, or leave the world forever, making everything easier for herself.

I loved this book because the story is emotional and every page leaves you wanting to read more. I would recommend this book to thirteen to eighteen-year-old girls, or to anyone who like heart filled novels. I rate this book 4/5 with very high recommendation.

“Everyone has to make choices. Some might break you.”  Hannah C, Year 9   

……

  Imagine if on one ordinary day, nothing different from any other day, your life was turned upside down and it would change everything. But instead of destiny doing its job, imagine if you had a choice to decide your fate. What if you could choose if you wanted to stay or go? This book, “If I Stay” by Gayle Forman is a story about a girl named Mia, who had everything: a happy family, friends who cared for her and a beautiful boyfriend. Her life was perfect until one day her life took a horrific turn and it was changed forever. However, instead of having fate do its work she had a choice on how her ending was going to be. So the question is, will she stay? Or will she go? Will she make the right decision? And will it be a good one or a bad one?

In my opinion I really enjoyed this book since it was filled with drama and action, something perfect for teenage girls. It really showed me that we all have to make our own choices sometime in our lives and making that choice may or may not be easy. From this book I did not only get a good read but I also learned things about how life works. I recommend this story for teenage girls who enjoy dramatic and heart-filled books such as “The Fault In Our Stars” because this book is just the sort that will make you cry and take your breath away.

Tara B. Year 9

 

Category: Love stories, Realistic fiction, Student Reviews | LEAVE A COMMENT
August 6

‘If I Stay’ by Gayle Forman

       This book is an edgy, heartbreaking and gripping story.

      Seventeen-year-old Mia narrates the story. She explains in utter detail every memory of her life and family. Mia is surrounded by a peculiar but wonderful family, several friends and a beautiful boyfriend. Mia has everything a teenage girl would ever want. One February morning Mia and her family are driving on a snowy road. In a blink of an eye Mia’s life is changed forever. Will she decide to stay or go?

      This book would interest girls from ages 12-17 who are interested in novels that have a heart ache storyline or novels about teenage girls who have to make choices that could alter the whole story. This book would not suite teenage boys due to the feminine side of the story.     

     I would rate this book a four out of five due to the personality that the characters had and how Mia dealt with tough choices she had to make. This book can help change your perspective on the decisions you make.

      Olivia, Year 9

————————————————–

     “What would you do if you had to choose?”

     To choose whether to live or die? How would it affect your friends and family? How would it affect you? Would you regret the decision? These are only some of the questions running through Mia’s head, but now she must face the harsh reality and make the heart-wrenching decision to live or die.

 

     The life of 17-year old Mia changes in the blink of an eye. Mia loves to spend time with her family and boyfriend Adam. Her family shares a passion for music. Mia takes a special interest in the cello from a very young age and has been playing it ever since. She is working hard for her acceptance into Julliard School.

    

     It was a cold February morning like no other in Mia’s hometown, Oregon. A thin blanket of white snow covered the ground outside Mia’s house forcing her school to be cancelled for the day. So the family decided to visit a family friend’s house for the day and their grandparents for dinner. Before they know it whilst driving and listening to their favourite song their car was spinning out of control along the slippery snowy road and collided into a tree, leaving Mia’s Mother and father dead at the scene and Teddy, her brother injured. Mia is rushed to the hospital and into the ICU (Intensive Care Unit) with a collapsed lung, ruptured spleen, internal bleeding and damage to the brain. Mia is aware of the extensive damage to her body and must now choose whether she would like to stay and live or die.

 

I absolutely loved this book and would highly recommended it to both male and female teens and adults from the age of at least fourteen years due to the mild coarse language found throughout.  “If I stay” is a heart-achingly painful, sophisticated and gripping book. I would rate it a 9/10 with very high recommendation.

 

-Rielly B Year 9

Category: Love stories, Realistic fiction | LEAVE A COMMENT
May 30

‘The Secret Life of Maeve Lee Kwong’ by Kirsty Murray

 maeve lee kwong  

Meet Maeve Lee Kwong, your average 13 year old girl who loves performing and her two best friends, Steph and Bianca. If you’re looking for a girly, feel-good, page-turning book this novel is perfect for you. Go on a journey with Maeve, who lives a normal life in suburban Sydney with her mother, stepfather and little brother until a terrible accident turns her life upside down. Things will never be the same again.      

 

On a quest to find somewhere to belong, the strength of Maeve, her friends and remaining family members make for an inspiring novel with an intriguing and mysterious feel. Kirsty Murray captures the essence of grief and confusion felt by a 13 year old girl who loses a parent, is ripped from her family and friends and thrown into a whole new environment.

 

After being adopted by her distant Chinese grandparents, Maeve is moved to the Gold Coast by her grandparents and secretly pins all her hopes on her Irish father, who she has never met before. Trying to cling to the things that remind her of how life used to be with her parents, Maeve now struggles to live with her grandparents. They love each other, but fail to understand one another. When given the chance to board at her old high school in Sydney, things finally seem to improve for Maeve. Supported by her friends and music teacher, McCabe, Maeve is encouraged to go looking for her dad and is very surprised at what she finds.

 

 This is a beautifully written novel with likeable characters and strong emphasis on grief, culture and belonging which I thoroughly enjoyed reading. This novel was a page-turner, with twists and turns to keep you up all night reading. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys performing or is just looking for a believable, feminine book that’s different from anything you’ve ever read before. It’s definitely no secret that the Kirsty Murray novel, ‘The Secret life of Maeve Lee Kwong’ is a wonderful book, so head to your local library and check it out today!

 

Millie J., Year 8

 —————————————————————-

Maeve Lee Kwong is a 13 year old Sydney girl who loves to dance. She has a little brother called Ned and a mum called Sue. She is a normal 13 year old girl living a perfectly normal life, when suddenly something terrible happens and her whole world is torn apart. Maeve’s step-father is devastated and all they have is each other, until Maeve and her little brother are split apart and forced to move away from each other.

Maeve lives with her strict Chinese grandparents. She is fighting to hold onto the things she loves most: dancing and her best friends. Maeve secretly tracks down her Irish farther, who doesn’t even know she exists. She is worlds away from her father, yet she has to find a way to get to him. From Sydney to Surfers, from Hong Kong to Ireland, she searches for ways to get there to find a place where she belongs.

Maeve is just an ordinary girl who is caught in the wrong moment of time. So if you love to read thrilling, and mysterious books, then ‘The Secret Life Of Maeve Lee Kwong’ is the book for you. 

Charli, Year 8

Category: Realistic fiction, Student Reviews | LEAVE A COMMENT
October 24

‘If I Stay’ by Gayle Forman

Gayle Forman has written a book ‘If I stay’, which is about a young girl called Mia who is going on a road trip with her family to visit their friends and family. They have a car crash and her father, mother and brother die. She ends up in hospital and she is like a ghost out of her body. She can see and hear everything that goes on around her. I liked this book because it was very interesting and not like other books or movies. It really made me think about when death comes calling. The author writes in a simple uncomplicated way that is easily understood by 13-16 year olds. It’s very easy to read, but very interesting at the same time. This is a book that makes you stop and think about why horrible things happen to good people.  What would you do if you had to choose to leave or stay?  Catherine, Year 9

 

On a day that started like any other…
A young girl named Mia had everything.. a loving family, she is absolutely gorgeous, she had a loving boyfriend, and a bright future full of music and choices. Then, one day it was all almost taken from her. Caught between life and death, her whole family that was in a car crash with her died suddenly, but she didn’t. She was given a choice between a happy past and an unknowable future, so Mia spends one critical day trying to make the only decision she has left…  the most important decision she’ll ever make.
This book is really for readers between the ages of 13-16. It is easy to read and it keeps you interested in the book.
I rate this book about a 7/10. Anna, Year 9

Category: Love stories, Realistic fiction, Student Reviews | LEAVE A COMMENT
August 12

‘A Monster calls’ by Patrick Ness

I opened “A Monster Calls’ with glee, as both Patrick Ness and Siobhan Dowd are favourite authors of mine. There was little hint on the cover of the content of the novel, except that this would be very different to both authors’ previous work. Even the blurb wasn’t very helpful: “…Darkly mischievous and painfully funny…” said nothing to me. The illustrations by Jim Kay were darkly beautiful, but still gave no real clue. Perhaps it was a fantasy?

So I was totally unprepared for the road ahead. I read the book in one sitting. We have all known a Conor. Maybe some of us have been in Conor’s place, but at some time in our life we will journey with him and not forget his story. It’s a story of pain and grief, of mixed emotions in the face of losing someone we love. Told in lyrical, almost mythical prose, this is a beautiful, multi-layered read which slowly unfolds and carries us with it through Conor’s pain (and our own).

It struck me near the end of the book how heart-breakingly close this story was to Siobhan’s heart, and how tenderly Patrick had carried it in his hands, made it his own and truly done it justice. From here on, as Patrick says in the book’s introduction, the story lives on in the heart of the reader. Mrs O.
Reserve ‘A Monster Calls’ here.

Category: Realistic fiction, Teacher Reviews | LEAVE A COMMENT
May 8

‘The Dead I Know’ by Scot Gardner

dead i know“What is life without a memory? Is it death? Sometimes memory was death – slow and painful, eating away at your insides, reeking of decay. Losing your memory would save you from that; wipe your slate clean. But the good would be swept aside with the bad. All the fine things to build a life on would be lost, leaving you just one thing – that moment. No dreams and no history. The ultimate expression of living in the now.” p. 147 -148

Not since Evelyn Waugh’s ‘The Loved One’ have I read a book set in a funeral parlour. They’re rare; books for teenagers with that setting even more so. Just as rare is such a gem of a book about boys coping with feelings of grief, loss and abuse.

We are introduced to the funeral parlour setting in the very first line of this novel, however it takes some time for the main character, Aaron, to allow his story to unfold.  Aaron begins his job as an apprentice undertaker and one by one we meet the funeral parlour’s clients – those who have died and those who mourn them. But the reader develops a greater interest in the undertakers themselves and their families than in the bodies. There are many stories within this book, but Aaron is the character who intrigues us most. Why is he so guarded? Why does he sleep walk? What are his dreams about? Gradually we realise that even the book title is enigmatic and multi-layered: ‘The dead I know’. Through dealing with the dead, the lives of the living unfold, particularly the past histories of Aaron and his boss John Barton. Slowly, we learn about the dead we DON’T know.

Scot Gardner has woven a delicate and touching story of grief and loss. Though not for the faint-hearted, the incidents of violence in the story only serve to highlight the empathy and care of the well-drawn adult characters who enable Aaron to gain some acceptance of his terrible past.  Excellent read for mid-teenagers, particularly boys. Mrs O.

Category: Realistic fiction, Teacher Reviews | LEAVE A COMMENT