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Librarian's top picks
20 March 2020
Need a good book to curl up with? Look no further than these Top Book Picks from your very own school librarian! Whether you’re looking for something fresh and new or seeking out a classic, there should be something in this for everyone. The best part is they’re all available in the school library!
The Huntress – by Malinda Lo – Fantasy (suitable for all years)
Nature is out of balance in the human world. The sun hasn't shone in years, and crops are failing. Worse yet, strange and hostile creatures have begun to appear. The people's survival hangs in the balance.
To solve the crisis, the oracle stones are cast, and Kaede and Taisin, two seventeen-year-old girls, are picked to go on a dangerous and unheard-of journey to Tanlili, the city of the Fairy Queen. Taisin is a sage, thrumming with magic, and Kaede is of the earth, without a speck of the otherworldly. And yet the two girls' destinies are drawn together during the mission. As members of their party succumb to unearthly attacks and fairy tricks, the two come to rely on each other and even begin to fall in love. But the Kingdom needs only one huntress to save it, and what it takes could tear Kaede and Taisin apart forever.
Miss Lee’s Comments: A prequel to Malinda Lo’s “Ash” book, full of adventure and romance. A perfect way to start the short series with no need to read Ash! (Although you can still do that if you’d like). The character chemistry is very entertaining, with lots of banter between the two main characters. It will definitely keep you reading right to the end.
Leah on the Offbeat – LGBT / Friends & Family (suitable for Years 9+)
Leah Burke - girl-band drummer, master of deadpan, and Simon Spier’s best friend from the award-winning Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda - takes centre stage in this novel of first love and senior-year angst.
When it comes to drumming, Leah Burke is usually on beat, but real life isn’t always so rhythmic. An anomaly in her friendship group, she’s the only child of a young, single mom, and her life is decidedly less privileged. She loves to draw but is too self-conscious to show it. And even though her mom knows she’s bisexual, she hasn’t mustered the courage to tell her friends, not even her openly gay BFF, Simon.
So Leah really doesn’t know what to do when her rock-solid friend group starts to fracture in unexpected ways. With prom and college on the horizon, tensions are running high. It’s hard for Leah to strike the right note while the people she loves are fighting - especially when she realizes she might love one of them more than she ever intended.
Miss Lee’s Comments: A sequel book from Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda where we focus on Simon’s best friend Leah. The very sarcastic, curt bi-sexual teen who loves her own body takes centre stage in this book and fans of her character will definitely be pleased. You follow her as her frienship group enter some rough patches as prom and thoughts of university start to trickle in.
No Fixed Address – by Susin Nielson – Friends & Family (suitable for all ages)
Felix Knuttson, twelve, is an endearing kid with an incredible brain for trivia. His mom Astrid is loving but unreliable; she can't hold onto a job, or a home. When they lose their apartment in Vancouver, they move into a camper van, just for August, till Astrid finds a job. September comes, they're still in the van; Felix must keep "home" a secret and give a fake address in order to enrol in school. Luckily, he finds true friends. As the weeks pass and life becomes grim, he struggles not to let anyone know how precarious his situation is. When he gets to compete on a national quiz show, Felix is determined to win - the cash prize will bring them a home. Their luck is about to change! But what happens is not at all what Felix expected.
Miss Lee’s Comments: A book that’s not afraid to address the problems that some face every day. Poverty and homelessness is shown in this book with accurate reality, but
thankfully our protagonist Felix has great friends and a mum who is always there to help. A short read but an uplifting, positive book to eat through.
Librarian top picks
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