Monthly Archives: September 2018

Mud

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Mud by Emily Thomas

Book of the Week: 30 September 2018

Illustration by Helen Musselwhite

Lydia is horrified when her dad has money problems and moves her and her siblings Elsa, Harry and Sam to live on a decrepit Thames barge called Lady Beatrice. Even worse, they have to move in with dad’s ‘lady friend’ Kate and her three children: Sally, Eric and Jake. Lydia’s worst fears are realised when she moves into her cramped cabin that has no electricity and damp running down the walls. When her rebellious older sister Elsa leaves for Cambridge University, Lydia is left with her squabbling family, trying to fit in with new classmates and a father who takes to drink.

Lydia is a quirky and funny narrator but the family’s precarious situation is portrayed in a clear-eyed, unsentimental way and real anxieties are never glossed over. This book has been compared to the classic I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith and there are similaries. Mud, however, is much less of a fairytale and more a nicely observed slice of life.

Girl in the Window

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Girl in the Window by Penny Joelson

Book of the Week: 23 September 2018

Cover design by Lisa Horton

Confined to the house, and often to her room, Kasia has Chronic Fatigue Syndrome or ME. She is unable to go to school and Ellie is the only one of her friends who still visits her. Her older brother has left home to work in Poland and she is often bored and lonely as well as poorly. One evening, she sees a man jump out of a car and pull a young woman into the back seat. Seconds later, she notices movement in an upstairs window of the house across the street and thinks that someone else must have seen the event too. Kasia rings the police to tell them about the incident and the other possible witness, but when the neighbours are questioned they say there is no girl living there. But then Kasia sees her again.

Although this is the central mystery of the story, there is a lot more to this book than solving the puzzle of the enigmatic girl in the window. We are given a detailed picture of what it is like to struggle with a debilitating condition and the isolation that goes with it and what Kasia lacks in terms of a wider life, she makes up for in terms of an inner life, being curious, thoughtful and determined.

You will enjoy this if you read Penny Jolson’s previous book I Have No Secrets. If you enjoy stories where someone observes from their bedroom window and has to solve a mystery, you could try The Goldfish Boy too.

Floored

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Floored by Sara Barnard, Holly Bourne, Tanya Byrne, Non Pratt, Melinda Salisbury, Lisa Williamson and Eleanor Wood

Book of the Week: 16 September 2018

Illustrations by Laura Callaghan

A book choice for older readers this week which has been written by seven writers.

Six young people get in a lift at the television company UKB for various reasons. Dawson is visiting his mum’s office: he thinks of himself as a sixteen year old has-been because he was once in a successful tv show but now can’t find work. Velvet is on work experience and worried about her uncomfortable shoes, whilst Kaitlyn’s school sent her to UKB for work experience because her failing eyesight means she can no longer pursue her dream of being a beautician. Joe is on a school trip, but has sneaked into the lift to pretend he’s also on the work experience scheme, and Hugo, the son of an MP and a UKB executive, is on work placement for the sake of his CV. The sixth young person is Sasha who is trying to deliver a parcel. A seventh person gets into the lift with them and then something horrible happens that has a lasting effect on their lives.

We meet up with all the characters over the years as they deal with successes and difficulties and their relationships with one another change and grow. Events are told by each character in turn with a narrator’s voice making brief appearances throughout. Some events are told in the form of messages in the WhatsApp group that they all drop in and out of.

All the authors are experienced writers for teenagers and young adults and if you have enjoyed books by any of them you may be able to spot their writing styles.

Due to the story containing some strong language, sexual content, drinking and drug-taking it is more suited to older readers in Year 11 and above.

The Boy Who Lied

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The Boy Who Lied by Kim Slater

Book of the Week: 9 September 2018

Cover illustration by Helen Crawford-White

Welcome back (or just welcome if you are new to School) to Book of the Week. I hope you all had a good summer. I’m looking forward to hearing about any good books you read over the six-week holiday. Let’s start with our first choice for the new academic year: The Boy Who Lied, which covers seven unforgettable days in the life of Ed Clayton whose brother Sam goes missing.

Ed is meant to be looking after his eight-year-old brother when they visit Bulwell Hall Park, but Ed is on top of the climbing frame when he sees Sam talking to someone by the swings. In that instant, Ed falls to the ground and is knocked unconscious. When he wakes up in hospital his memory is hazy and Sam has been reported missing. Ed feels it’s all his fault because he is the one who so often has to look after Sam when their mum is feeling sad and tired and unable to cope. Ed and Sam’s father is in prison and life has been tough since he went away. Fortunately, his mum’s best friend, Augustine, and her partner Charlie are there to offer support and the police and newspapers are doing their best to discover the truth. But will Sam ever be found and will the truth ever come out when Ed is someone who likes making things up?

This is Kim Slater’s fourth book and has her characteristic mix of warm family life, identifiable characters, flawed grown-ups and a mystery that needs to be solved. You can read more about her other books here and they are all available to borrow from the School Library.