DLR LIBRARY BLOG

The Other Side of Truth
by
Beverley Naidoo

The Other Side of Truth by Beverley Naidoo was an interesting read.It tells the story of Femi and Sade,children to the noted Nigerian journalist, Folarin Solaja,who is one of a few who deems it necessary to tell the truth in his articles. It delves into the importance, but also the consequences of telling the truth. The children have been raised to understand the power of the truth and how it affects mankind,but then they realise that to tell the truth it takes real courage,courage that Femi and Sade don't think they have. To Femi and Sade, its far easier to tell a lie than to tell the truth...but is it ever really?

Filled with very real and important themes in the modern day,yet narrated by a child,it plunges straight in,starting with a family murder, a chilling threat and a hasty escape. So many questions thundering around in the children's heads and then, they are deserted. They realize that telling lies gets you in far more trouble than the truth and how tight a grip the truth has on society.

Tell a lie,play with fire. But don't complain about the smoke!

With their mother's words guiding them, and their father's love helping them,can they overcome a world that tries so hard to oppress the truth?

Mia Ní Challarán

DLR LIBRARY BLOG

Age 14
by
Geert Spillebean

Patrick Condon lives in Watrford city in 1913,but he is bored of his everyday life and dreams of joining the army. However there is one complication,he's 12 years old. Deciding he can't wait any longer, Patrick enrols using his 17 year old  brother's name John Condon.

12 year old Patrick is obviously not even nearly 17 but nobody seems to care and he fits right in. He loves the military life and works hard,but when World War one begins in 1914 he gets more than he asked for.Poor Patrick Condon suffers a gruesome death,choking on poisonous gas at age 14.

This novel is based on a true story. John Condon was killed at age 14 in World War One,but John would have been 18 thatyear,which goes to say that there's a good chance that Patrick Condon was killed in Belgium, at age 14.

I this story has a very interesting plot. However the author didn't quite pull the actual creative writing together well enough for such a good plot.I think that the same ideas just with a different writer would have been better.I didn't think the descriptions were as good as the plot and all the ideas and events in the novel.

However it  was definitely a good and inteesting book and I would recommend it

Katie Ni Dheá

DLR LIBRARY BLOG

No and Me

by

Delphine De Vigan

Lou is a thirteen year old girl living in Paris. She is an exceptional student with an IQ of 160 who is excelling in school.But Lou lives a lonely life with a mother who is suffering with depression and a father who is caught up taking care of her mother. She is a tiny girl, much shorter than her schoolmates,who is neglected by her parents and forgotten about by her classmates. Her intelligence however affords her a freedom on a higher level and Delphine De Vigan uses this to narrate a story on homelessness set against the backdrop of one of the most grandiose and beautiful cities in the world-Paris.

Tenderly written, Delphine De Vigan tackles the issue of homelessness using the voice of Lou. It is a beautiful idea that such a little girl can take on the large problem of homelessness. Lou meets an older homeless girl called No with whom she strikes up a friendship and eventually No comes to live with Lou and her parents. This book gives the reader philosophical insights into how society can continue to let people live on the streets and Lou's innocence generates a powerful narrative. De Vigan tackles the issues head on and her language is simple. These two methods lend the novel a strong emotional foundation.

No and Me topped the bestseller charts in France where it was the bookseller choice in 2007. Bloomsbury is publishing two editions for adults and for teenagers. I didn't know beginning the book that it was a crossover novel but it became clear very quickly. It is highly recommendable for young teenagers, a coming of age story and a good introduction to philosophy.

An interesting read and a super translation from the original French story.

Sarah

Sarah's Books.com

DLR LIBRARY BLOG

Faerie Tales for 12+

List compiled by

Helen Power

Holly Black---------------------Tithe

Melissa Marr--------Wicked Lovely

R.J. Anderson---------Knife

Malinda Lo--------------Ash

Aprilynne Pike -----------------------Spells

Helen Power

DLR LIBRARY BLOG

The Passage

By

Justin Cronin

Are you in the mood for an enjoyably escapist door stopper of a novel to while away the winter evenings? If the answer is yes and you think you might also enjoy the double whammy of a post apocalyptic quest saga that features vampires "The Passage" by Justin Cronin is for you. The book is divided into two different time lines, in the present a military experiment to produce a super soldier killing machine spirals out of control,while a hundred years in the future a band of survivors in a desolated America live out their lives under constant siege.

This is a long book that takes a while to get into but it's worth sticking with. It's not overly scientific or technical with the vampire details but they are agreeably different from the spate of moody demon lovers that have inundated bookshops and libraries recently. Paranormal romance this is not.

The pacing of the plot can be uneven at times but the overall energy of the storytelling kept me up till three in the morning in order to finish it.

Jessica McCarry

DLR LIBRARY BLOG

Helen's Five For This Week:

Halloween Books For 12+

Sarah Rees Brennan.....The Demon's Lexicon.

Holly Black..........................The White Cat (Curse Workers).

Dan Wells................I am not  a Serial Killer.

Catherine Jinks....The Reformed Vampire Support Group.

Jack Gantos.........The Love Curse of the Rumbaughs.

Helen Power