‘A Skinful of Shadows’ Frances Hardinge

I can never feel neutral about Frances Hardinge’s books – some I have loved and some enjoyed much less.  Her writing has a totally unique quality to it – somehow it is intense and ‘dense’ and it always takes me much longer to read them than I expect!

‘A Skinful of Shadows‘ has made it onto this year’s Carnegie shortlist, but I’m not sure it’s my favourite of her novels.  Using a mix of historical/supernatural and fantasy that have become familiar themes in her novels, we meet Makepeace.  Living at a time of great upheaval in England when parliament is beginning to flex its strength against the monarchy, Makepeace is living with her Mother.  However, Makepeace has a terrible affliction.  Ghosts/spirits are drawn to her and try to slip their way inside her being.  She has started to learn ways to defend herself against them, but after letting down her guard, one manages to step inside.  It is raw and wild and angry, and in her fright the only answer seems to be with her father’s cruel and powerful family.  However, their plans for her soon become clear, and Makepeace has to decide between total possession or fleeing and trying to find a solution.

As with many of her books, Frances Hardinge’s main character is a girl living in poor circumstances where the course of her life may very well appear to be entirely determined by others.  However, as in all her books, our main character has resolve, determination and resources, even when it seems she must be completely powerless.  The book is full of dichotomies.  Aristocracy and poverty, puritans and royalists, poverty and excess.  Through the book each one has their flaws exposed – the civil war propaganda from both sides is especially interesting in this time of exposing fake news.  Perhaps it has always been so – just with a new name?

As always, I’m sure Frances Hardinge will split our students.  Not sure this is likely to win this year, but I’m certainly glad I read it.

‘Wonderscape’ Jennifer Bell

We’re very close now to introducing BookBuzz to our new Yr7 students, and for the first time in 2 years we’ll be showing the introduction film to the whole year group in the lecture theatre. Not only does this limit the teaching time we have to borrow, but it really does help create the buzz that makes this such an exciting project!

‘Wonderscape’ is a fantastic addition to the choices this year. Three young people, Arthur, Ren & Cecily are thrown together following a bizarre explosion. They are trapped in the year 2473 within an in-reality adventure game, and will need to work together to find a way out. Along the way they meet a host of famous heroes, and realise that they are also trapped, so the race is on to defeat the two creators. Time is running out to help everyone return to their proper time and place.

This is such a great BookBuzz choice. It’s going to have a really wide appeal for students who like fantasy, adventure, puzzles, logic, science, mental health and titles about friendship. I love that there are lots of logic puzzles to solve. These are done with a light touch and fully explained so I don’t think anyone will feel that they are impossible to solve. Many of the trapped famous people are ones students will have heard of, and it’s a great way of introducing some amazing historical characters from a wide range of fields.

The writing is pacy and the setting is wonderfully imaginative. I think this might be a huge hit with our students!

‘The Midnight Library’ Matt Haig

I don’t often get the chance to read an adult title, but I ordered this for school and had been hearing such strong recommendations that I thought I just have to try this one. ‘The Midnight Library’ features Nora. She is living alone, has just lost her job and the final straw is the sudden death of her cat. Nora has been battling depression for some time, and these events coming so close together really are the final straw. Nora sees no point at all in continuing her life, and decides to end it. However, in a precarious place between life and death, she finds herself in the familiar surroundings of a vast library, with Mrs Elm, the librarian from her school days. The shelves are filled with books that are all green, but vary in shade and thickness, and Mrs Elm explains that each one contains a different pathway Nora’s life might have taken at a decisive point. Guided by her regrets, Nora has the opportunity to try some of these alternative lives with the prospect of being able to continue living in the one that she decides is absolutely right for her. Ranging from lives where Nora is a glaciologist, wife and mother, publican and rock star, Nora struggles to find a place that is truly satisfying.

This is a beautiful book that I could just not put down. Nora is so ordinary, and her life so narrow, but the writing is utterly empathic and understanding, and I felt a huge connection with her. All our lives contain turning points, some of which are huge and obvious, but some will be far deeper and smaller and all our decisions alter our life path in ways it may often be hard to forsee. It may sound as if this is a heavy read, but the writing has a light touch that shows true compassion – and for me this was one of those books you just don’t want to end (although I was also desparate to find out what Nora chooses in the end). This title is being added to a new collection of science-related books that we are creating in school mainly for older students and 6th formers. Touching regularly on string theory and quantum physics, again this could be baffling, but is handled so deftly by the author.

I will be recommending this to some of our older students, and may well need to buy another copy!

‘Fire Boy’ J.M. Joseph

The first in a new series, as well as part of this year’s BookBuzz offering, ‘Fire Boy’ is a totally joyful read.

Aiden receives a mysterious package marked ‘top secret’ which contains a jar of sweets, which obviously have to be tasted! Aiden shares these with his two closest friends, Sadie & Hussein and after having one each it soon becomes clear these aren’t just normal sweets. They each develop a superpower suited to their individual DNA, and Aiden is able to light pretty much any part of his body on fire. However, as we all know, with great power comes great responsibility and the 3 friends are soon contacted by a man who is determined to get the sweets for himself. With the unlikely help of Aiden’s feisty (and rather scary) Gran, the friends find themselves cornered by a man absolutely determined to get them back at any cost.

This is a light and fast-paced read that is great fun. The chapters are often quite short which keeps the story moving along, however unlikely the circumstances! I loved the relationship between the three friends which feels very realistic, although I did find the Gran character something of a caricature. This is a great middle grade story!

‘When life gives you mangoes’ Kereen Getten

Another BookBuzz title, which is a great addition to the offer! ‘When life gives you mangoes’ is a lovely read, seemingly relatively predictable at the start, although beautifully written. Cora lives in a village on a Caribbean island. It’s a close-knit community, and there are very few children to play with. Cora is pretty excited when best friend Gaynah announces that a new girl about their age has arrived, and Cora and Rudy soon became very close. Cora has clearly fallen out with super-critical and sulky Gaynah, so with a new friend to introduce to their village home the summer starts to look promising.

It is clear, though, that not all is well in this paradise. Cora’s uncle who lives in a big house higher up the hill has become more or less a recluse after the village pastor tells terrible stories about him, and it becomes clear that Cora herself holds a secret to do with the sea and an event that took place the previous year. It will be a summer of revelations, recovered memories and forgiveness.

This lovely book is ultimately about friendship. Cora’s developing friendship with quirky Rudy is full of sensitivity, fun and honesty – all of which seem to be oddly missing when she is with Gaynor. Cora is a lively and appealing character, although clearly troubled deeply by an event she can’t remember. Facing up to gradually returning memories will challenge Cora to come to terms with a terrible tragedy that is revealed to the reader in an unexpected huge plot twist.

This is a quick to read title but is packed full of adventure and drama. It’s also one I’ll include in empathy displays, and I hope will be a popular BookBuzz choice for our new students

‘Show us who you are’ Elle McNicoll

I’m currently working my way through both the Bristol Teen Book Award shortlist, and the BookBuzz titles we’ll be offering to the new year 7 students in September. ‘Show us who you are’ is from the BTBA shortlist, although, having read it I’m going to remove the YA sticker as, one incident of swearing aside, it’s absolutely fine for Yr7.

Cora is an unusual child. She has been diagnosed as autistic, and found that after her diagnosis and the death of her mother, the few friends she had have drifted away. Making a new friend was the furthest thing on Cora’s mind when she meets Adrien at a party in his parent’s house. Like her, Adrien needed a quiet place away from the adults and so they both find themselves in a garden. Adrien recognises that he and Cora have a connection immediately (he has ADHD) and both find they are able to be absolutely themselves with each other. Still immersed in grief over her mother’s death, Cora becomes fascinated by the work that Adrien’s Dad does at the mysterious Pomegranate Institute and despite Adrien’s warnings wants to explore their hologram technology further. They become drawn into a web of deception and secrets woven by the charismatic Dr Gold, and it may be that Cora is the only one who can stand up and tell the world what is actiually going on at the institute.

This is neurodiversity laid bare. I love the honest way Cora and Adrien talk about what it means to them to be different, and it’s hard to hear the reactions of others when they try so hard to ‘fit in’. They both have incredibly enquiring minds which enables them to see past the facde of the Pomegratate Institue, and helps Cora work out how to expose it. Their friendship is instant and deep, despote Cora’s initial hesitation. They have fun together and support each other, even when tragedy strikes. One of my lovely students has been diagnosed as autistic, and she loves to read books that represent her in such an honest and postitive way – we will both be recommending this one!

‘The Outlaws Scarlett & Browne’ Jonathan Stroud

So exciting to have a new Jonathan Stroud title in my hands – and they never disappoint! I confess, one of my all-time favourite series is Lockwood & Co – a perfect mix of action, imaginations and brilliantly sassy characters. ‘The Outlaws Scarlett & Browne’ takes us in a very new direction – a future where a series of terrible events has left huge parts of the country underwater, with much of the surviving population living in very individual fortified communities. Each one is hanging on to its own traditions, and often seem very suspicious of others. Strange and terrifying creatures roam the spaces in between, along with a few brave nomadic souls, such as Scarlett.

Scarlett is a fantastic character. Strong, independent, furiously clever, but with an undeniable compassion, even though she makes a very dubious living robbing banks. In stumbling across a recent coach crash, and hoping there might be useful items to steal, Scarlett meets Albert. He is almost the polar opposite of Scarlett, hopelessly naive and oddly dazzled by the world around him, it is clear there is much more to his story. As Scarlett reluctantly journeys on with Albert, it is soon clear that their skills really do complement one another, but it is also clear that there is much more to Albert than meets the eye. They are relentlessly pursued by a ruthless group, determined to capture Albert, but oddly fearful of him. What reason can they possibly have for their absolute determination to detain him?

Loved it! Fast-paced and full of unexpected twists and turns, this is a great read. The world the author has created feels scarily possible, and is vividly drawn for the reader. Although antagonistic at first, the way the relationship between Scarlett & Albert develops is really compelling, and I know this title will go down well in my school!

‘The Fountains of Silence’ Ruta Sepetys

This year’s Carnegie shortlist is such a strong one. I have loved everything Ruta Sepetys has published so far and ‘The Fountains of Silence’ was a shortlisted title I looked forward to trying.

The first thing to say, and forgive me for being trivial, is that it’s a big book. I mention this because for some students this will pose an immediate barrier for them. However, I found that I got absorbed into the book really quickly, and sped through it, and I know that many of our shadowers felt the same. I was fascinated by the setting of this book in Madrid in 1957. General Franco was at the height of his harsh nationalist rule at this point, and this was an area of history I realised I knew very little about. His dictatorship lasted until his death in 1975, which is shockingly recent. The scene-setting in this book is absolutely glorious, we get a really strong feel for the place and time as the writing somehow has a very visual quality. For me, this was strongly reflected in the wonderful colours of the cover, evoking the heat of the city in high summer.

Daniel is a young, wealthy American visiting the city with his parents. In his hotel he meets their maid, Ana and the two form a strong connection, although in a very delicate way as Ana cannot afford to lose the job her family depends on. Daniel is a keen photgrapher, and is hoping to put together a photographic record of what life is really like in Franco’s Spain. Through Ana, he sees beyond the tourist facade to the lives of real Spaniards, including Puri, Ana’s cousin working in an orphanage and a local up and coming bullfighter. Their lives connect in various ways as the book progresses, and we see the story unfold from each of their persepectives as the brutalities of the regime including stealing babies and murdering dissidents touch all of these characters.

This is a truly fantastic intense and evocative read, and I loved it. It’s written with a delicacy and sensitivity that I loved, and at the same time is very engaging. This is crossover fiction at its very best!

‘That Asian Kid’ Savita Kalhan

This is another title from the 2021 Bristol Teen Book Award shortlist.

Jeevan is 15 and building up to GCSEs in school. He works hard and usually enjoys school, but he can’t escape the creeping feeling that he is being marked down in his English assignments, and eventually comes to the conclusion that it is because he is Asian. To make matters even worse, he then sees his English teacher meeting another teacher in some secluded woodland and films them having sex on his phone. Jeevan is then left not only with disturbing images, but with the dilemma of what to do with what he has filmed. It could give him leverage with the teacher, but he is torn, knowing full well that morally this would be totally wrong. His close friends are voices of reason, but also have very different ideas on what he should do. Events start to spiral out of control when the video is accidentally released, and Jeevan is left fighting for his place in school, and to restore his shattered reputation.

This is a powerful book, especially appealling to older teen boys in the couple of years building up to GCSEs. The relationships between Jeevan and his close friends ring very true, and he has great support from them, but their views on what he should do are very different, leaving him torn and confused. I loved the way his family was portrayed – also very supportive, but at the same time influenced by their own experiences of racism, and to some extent by cultural expectations. There are touches of humour throughout, even with such serious subject matter, but nothing is trivialised or insensitive.

A|lthough deeply uncomfortable at times, this is a book I will definitely be recommending to students.

‘Rat’ Patrice Lawrence

I was asked to buy a few copies of each of the 3 titles in a new series from OUP in conjunction with Barrington Stoke. ‘Rat’ is published in their immediately recognisable format, on cream coloured paper, a very readable font with slightly wider spacing than usual.

Our reading mentor will be using these titles with small groups of students needing extra reading support, so it’s really important to read them thoroughly so we know what’s coming up.

Al lives with his Mum in a small flat. Things are very tough for them both. He has no friends, except his two pet rats, and is full of anger, and Mum is struggling to manage the day to day since leaving prison. With no food in the house, she goes to the local shop and is caught shoplifting, and ends up back in prison. Al blames their downstairs neighbour, and vows to take his revenge.

This is a fast-paced story, and although it’s a quicker read, it feels satisfyingly full of detail and drama. The main characters don’t have too much space to develop, but Al is especially well done and we can really see where his anger comes from. I especially love the sense of community in the book, where people with very little themselves are reaching out to help others. Al learns not to judge others, and I didn’t feel that this this lesson was preachy or patronising – it was just real.

We are looking to use these titles with Yr8 students, and I had wondered if this might be a little old for them, but I think it could work very well, especially with the thoughtful and useful guidance notes at the end.

‘Wrecked’ Louisa Reid

I wasn’t really meant to be reading this one yet, but as I was adding it to stock in work, I read a couple of pages & was absolutely unable to put this down. ‘Wrecked’ is a powerful verse novel, aimed at a YA audience. Told from the point of view of 18 year old Joe, we very quickly learn that he has been in a very intense relationship, but that something has gone terribly wrong, and he is now on trial for dangerous driving for causing the death of a woman in a car accident.

The narrative swaps between the current trial and the months before it, when he first meets Imogen. They quickly fall for each other, but it becomes clear that Imogen is a very complex person and their relationship features great highs along with desperate lows. Through Joe’s voice we hear how confused he is about his feelings for Imogen, sometimes feeling deeply in love, yet at others not so sure. Ultimately, he initially says he was driving the car that caused the death of the woman, but the circumstances were not at all straightforward and Joe has backed himself into a corner that he may not be able to find a way out of.

Joe is a wonderful character, and this book gives the reader a relatively unusual voice that couldn’t be further from the toxic masculinity that I feel is often depicted in YA titles. Joe is aware that, as a big, good-looking lad, others often see him as hard, yet we see his uncertainty, sensitivity, and constant battle to try to do the right thing, be that for his family, friends or for Imogen. For me, this focus is very welcome indeed, and I think it’s a shame that many YA male characters aren’t always shown as having such sensitivity. Books need to give young people an honest view of others, and skewing in a more negative direction gives a false impression of masculinity.

There are many other themes explored in this title, including terminal illness, domestic violence and abortion. These are delt with seriously and nothing is trivialised. This is an excellent YA verse novel, and I am looking forward to a time when I can actively promote this to students when we do finally return fully to school.