Tag Archives: Orphans

Flood World

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Flood World by Tom Huddleston

Book of the Week: 1 December 2019

Cover by Manuel Sumberac
Inside map by Jensine Eckwall

It is some time in the future, when rising floodwaters have turned London into a nightmare version of Venice. There is a walled central district protecting the rich and powerful and a Victorian-style slum called The Shanties, where the poor live in the upper floors of submerged high-rise blocks. Fifteen-year old Kara, and the much younger Joe, scratch a living by working for Colpeper, a minor criminal and Fagin-like character. Joe dives into the polluted sea to search for anything that Copper’s clients say they will pay money for. There is an evocative scene early on in the book where Joe explores an underwater world of churches, supermarkets and cinemas, wondering what the Earth must once have been like.

Joe and Kara’s dreams of escaping the hunger and hard work of the Shanties is disrupted by a fatal accident, where a desperate young man on a jet ski avoids hurting Joe and dies himself. He leaves Joe with some information, a lasting impression and a world of trouble. He and Kara are now wanted by everyone from law enforcement to local gangsters and eco-pirates. Fortunately, Joe is inventive and sparky and Kara could give Katniss Everdeen a run for her money.

Expect an action-filled plot and some memorable characters, both good and bad, in this story set in a beautifully-described, watery world.

Knights of the Borrowed Dark

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Knights of the Borrowed Dark by Dave Rudden

Book of the Week: 7 May 2017

We get an idea of what kind of place Crosscaper Orphanage is straightaway as its Director, Mr Ackerby, stares out of his office window at children standing in line to get in the library. He despairs. His own bookcases are full of untouched, leather-bound works, whereas the children are queuing for books that are full of magic and imagination and which have been read to pieces.

Denizen Hardwick is one of these book-loving orphans who is amazed to discover, as the story opens, that he has an aunt who wants her to come and live with him. The only downside, in Denizen’s view, is that he will miss his best friend Simon, who has shared his dormitory for the last ten years. At least, this is what Denizen believes is the only disadvantage. But when the charismatic Graham McCarron arrives to take him to his aunt’s house and they encounter a fearsome and fantastical creature on the way, he realizes his life is about to change in all kinds of dangerous ways.

This is a magical debut novel from Dave Rudden which has been compared to books by J.K. Rowling, Rick Riordan, Derek Landy and Eoin Colfer. The sequel, The Forever Court, is also available to borrow from the School Library.

The Bubble Boy

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The Bubble Boy by Stewart Foster

Book of the Week: 18 September 2016

bubble-boy

Joe has an immune deficiency condition that means he has had to spend his entire life in a sterile hospital room. As if this isn’t enough, his parents were killed in a car crash some years ago and his only relative is his sister Beth who is studying to be a doctor. Beth visits him as often as she can but she has her own life to lead and her studies mean she has to move from London to Edinburgh. Joe’s other relationships are with the nurses and doctors who take care of him, particularly his nurse, Greg, who calls him ‘mate’, and with Henry who lives in America and has a similar condition.

Joe is frequently poorly and understandably anxious about the outside world. He likes watching football and superhero movies and sometimes the life that goes on outside his hospital windows. Into this closed environment comes a new nurse, Amir, who acts slightly crazy and who seems to believe in extra-terrestrials. Joe wonders if he is for real but also finds that Amir has plans to enliven the routine of hospital life. Should he go along with Amir’s schemes or carry on with life as he knows it?

If you are looking for an action-packed plot then this is probably not the book for you. If, however, you enjoyed books such as Wonder by R.J. Palacio, Ways to Live Forever by Sally Nichols and Life Interrupted by Damian Kelleher you may like this.