Post Grad

Post Grad (Film tie-in edition) by Emily Cassel

'shitshitshit'

Its the most important moment in your life and your best friend is by your side. Unfortunately your family are creating an embarrassing sceptical of themselves, just at the moment you are taking the stage to accept your diploma. Why couldn't they have forgotten all about this and just stayed at home...?

When Ryden was very young she had come up with "the Plan". It was a simple plan, do well in high school, get collage scholarship, and try not to get too drunk too often. So far in her life everything had gone according to that plan. Until the moment she was about to complete step four, and get everything she thought she wanted.

The last and most important part of "the Plan" had been to land her dream job. Unfortunately for Ryden this was the one thing she had no control over. Interview after interview had been one disaster after another. Ryden now found herself broke, unemployed and moving back in with her family.

Post Grad is not just about what happens after collage but is about life, love and figuring out what it is that you really want. There are some very funny moments, as well as some very cringe-worthy moments, and overall it's not a bad book. However it is somewhat clichéd so expect your typical Hollywood ending.

 

Emily Cassel @ Pan Macmillan

 

On sale: 01 January 2010
Price (AU): $16.99
ISBN: 9780330425001
Recommended age: 14+
In a word: Life
Re-read it: possibly
Recommend: possibly
Star rating: two out of five
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When You Reach Me

When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead

Diamond-Jumping Can Be Hazardous, Not To Mention Confusing!

A young girl and her brother are approached by three strange women. They are then taken on a journey through time and space to rescue a father they barely knew. It was a dangerous and thrilling journey, but it was also just a story. A story about family and adventure and time travel. Which is possible, according to Marcus, at least in theory.

Miranda's life was simple, she had her mother and she had Sal, her best friend. What more could she want? Then one day something happened to change all that. For no apparent reason Sal got hit, Sal stopped talking to her, and a letter arrived.

Other letters soon followed about things that had yet to happen, that had already happened. Could the lives of two people really lie in Miranda's hands; a twelve year old who had just lost her best friend and was all but alone in the world? But as we see there is more then one way to save a life...

When You Reach Me is a circular story that is deeply thoughtful, philosophical and also just about a girl. 'Tell me a story' the letters had said, and she did. Miranda's story is simply about life, about friendships, about growing up and making mistakes. And also about time-travel.

 

Rebecca Stead Webpage

Rebecca Stead @ Text Publishing

 

On sale: 01 February 2010
Price (AU): $16.95
ISBN: 9781921656064
Recommended age: 12+
In a word: Time
Re-read it: yes
Recommend: yes
Star rating: four out of five
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Fallen #1

FALLEN:
Fallen by Lauren Kate

... Then An Angel Fell For A Mortal!

In the beginning he would search for her, when he didn't find her she would find him. In every life they would come together only to be torn apart. They were in love. They were domed. Time and time again he would lose her, and she would die. Time and time again he would remember and she would forget. It was always the same. Until now...

Ever since she can remember, Lucinda has seen things no one else can. Shadows. Luce had always feared them, but they had always kept their distance. Until the day they got too close and took a life. After the 'accident' things changed. People looked at her differently, with fear, even her parents. And Lucinda was sent away.

Stepping through the gates of Sword & Cross was like stepping into another world. On her first day at reform school Luce met a boy. He was cold and aloof, but somehow mesmerising. Was she crazy or had they met before? But no matter how many times he told her she was, she was sure she was not crazy.

Fallen is the story of an age old battle, one that has been reining since the beginning of time, one that will last to the end. The fate of all eternal souls rests in the hands of a pair of star-crossed-lovers. And Lucinda and Daniel are as domed and as much in love as Romeo and Juliet.

Natural and flowing language guides Lucinda through a new and thrilling world, where the only thing that's more important than survival is love. For all those who have had enough of vampires, now there are angels. And waiting for what happens next will be Torment.

 

Lauren Kate Webpage
Lauren Kate @ Random House

On sale: 08 December 2009
Price (AU): $29.95
ISBN: 9780385618021
Recommended age: 12+
In a word: Love
Re-read it: yes
Recommend: yes
Star rating: five out of five
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Drake Chronicles #1

DRAKE CHRONICLES:
My Love Lies Bleeding by Alyxandra Harvey

There's Nothing Like A Prophecy To Make Enemies!

Solange Drake is a vampire who was born, not made. She is not the first to be born a vampire, but she is the first female to be born. A lot of people are happy about this and a lot of people are not, such as Lady Natasha wouldbe Queen of the vampires.

There is a prophecy that all the vampire clans will unite under the Queen-ship of a female born vampire. For this reason Solange's life has just become under threat by bounty hunters. However she is also being hunted by her own kind, they can sense she is about to change, become a full vampire which will take place when she turns sixteen. The change leaves her highly attractive to her own kind, as well as vulnerable and close to death.

Lucy has been Solange's best friend for as long as either can remember. Lucy has also been fighting with Nicholas, Solange's brother, for just as long. But now things are changing. Lucy may just have discovered her feelings for NIcholas, but it is at a time that she may lose Solagne forever. Can a bounty hunter be trusted so save Solange when no one else can?

My Love Lies Bleeding is a story of teen romance, with vampires thrown in for fun. There is a lot of emphases on family and friendship which is nice, but there is also a lot of inconsistencies and plot hole throughout this story. It is evident Alyxandra Harvey has a thing for romance, and any teen girl will instantly take a liking to this new series.

Violet Hills - map

 

Alyxandra Harvey Webpage

Alyxandra Harvey @ Allen & Unwin

 

On sale: 01 January 2010
Price (AU): $14.99
ISBN: 9781408803400
Recommended age: 14-18
In a word: Blood
Re-read it: possibly
Recommend: possibly
Star rating: two out of five
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Harper Connelly #4

HARPER CONNELLY:
Grave Secret by Charlaine Harris

The Dead Can Wait For A Long, Long Time!

Harper and Tolliver were heading to Dallas. This was not a business trip, it was personal. A visit to their sisters, and Tolliver's brother. However if making a quick stop off was going to make a very rich Lizzie Joyce very happy and also put some money in their hands then what is the harm in that?

Just as things had started to come together for Harper and Tolliver, their past comes back to haunt them. Although they live with the scares of their past everyday, this time their past has appeared in the form of Matthew, Toliver's father. Matthew is desperate for reconciliation with his sons; he is also stalking his daughters.

However Tolliver has just been shot and others have been murdered, although Harper maybe the real one in danger. And after all these years there is also sudden news of Cameron, Harpers missing sister. Harper is left to figure out what role if any Matthew plays in all this, or is everything that's going wrong all to do with the job they did for Lizzie Joyce?

The fourth and final book in the Harper Connelly series, Grave Secret brings Harper's story to a close tying up all the loose ends in a neat package. Harpers life while not conventional in any sense of the word is a source of mystery and intrigue. A fitting end to a short but ever so intriguing whodunit series.

 

Charlaine Harris Webpage

Charlaine Harris @ Hachette

 

On sale: 01 November 2009
Price (AU): $29.99
ISBN: 9780575085541
Recommended age: 18+
In a word: Family
Re-read it: probably
Recommend: to those reading the series
Star rating: four out of five
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The Wolves of Mercy Falls #1

THE WOLVES OF MERCY FALLS:
Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

A Wolf In Boy's Clothing, A Boy In Wolf's Clothing!

The first time Grace saw those yellow eyes they belonged to a wolf, a wolf who saved her. The first time Grace was bitten she had thought she would die. Later when Grace saw those yellow eyes they belonged to a boy, a boy who she saved. Later when she was bitten she thought the wolf would die.

For years Grace watched the wolves that lived in the woods surrounding her home, for years the wolves watched her. She thought about them all the time, they were her wolves. Every winter the wolves would be there, a constant companion to the snow. In the summer they were gone. She never thought more about that.

For a while Grace and Sam were living like they had all the time in the world, like a future was possible for them, like the end wasn't coming. For a while they were the happiest they had ever been, but their time together was shadowed, by men and wolves and the constant threat of the cold. It had taken six years for them to finally reach each other, and now they were only a snow fall away from losing each other for ever.

Shiver is a love story told with simple elegance that is heartbreaking, tender and terrifying. The relationship between Grace and Sam is honest and thoughtful, pitched against the dangers of their separate worlds that are about to collide. A story of werewolves as you have never read before, with no full moons and no silver bullets; just the bite of a wolf and the call of winter. A highly recommended read for teens, fantasy readers and romantics; and anyone who loves a good story.

 

Maggie Stiefvater Webpage

Maggie Stiefvater @ Scholastic

On sale: 01 August 2009
Price (AU): $29.99
ISBN: 9780545123266
Recommended age: 13+
In a word: Wolves
Re-read it: yes
Recommend: yes
Star rating: five out of five
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Book 1 of The Binding

THE BINDING:
Shadow Queen by Deborah Kalin

'Walking Dead Among The Dead'

Matilde is a young woman on the cusp of becoming Queen, if ever her grandmother would relinquish the title. It is a role she was groomed for since birth. It was hers by right and she waited impatiently for it. However the arrival of her exiled aunt sets into motion a series of events that would see her fight to keep control not only of her position but her very life.

As Matilde's world fall around her she finds her every turn bared. She may have escaped with her life, for now, but she is trapped in a cage of her own binding, and undermined and manipulated by those who have secured her in both mind and body. It was only a matter of time before those around her decided her life was no longer useful.

In a time where no one can be trusted and danger lies with one wrong move, Matilde must navigate the treacherous waters of diplomacy, assassination and war in order to gain back that which is rightfully hers. Every step she makes leads her closer to her goal, but brings with it unwanted allegiances and danger. In the end will her actions justify all she is able to win back, or has she just lost all to the most deadly enemy of all.

Shadow Queen introduces a world that is ancient and ominous, steeped with tradition, history and magic. It is a story as mysterious as it is complex and will have you hooked from the first, surprising you at every turn. Matilde is a character both honest and empathising; although questioning her own motives for the best way forward, she is able to read others recognising their motives. A book for any fantasy lover. Looking forward to Book 2.

 

Deborah Kalin Webpage

Deborah Kalin @ Allen & Unwin

 

On sale: 01 September 2009
Price (AU): $19.99
ISBN: 9781741759327
Recommended age: 18+
In a word: Shadow's
Re-read it: yes
Recommend: yes
Star rating: four out of five
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FLOWER FAIRIES: Fairyopolis

FLOWER FAIRIES:
Fairyopolis - A Flower Fairies Journal
by Cicely Mary Barker

Fairies Are Fun!

During the summer of 1920 Cicely Mary Barker kept a journal of her time in Storrington, it was during this time she felt most inspired by her fairy friends, and so decided to entrust her journal to The British Faerie Folklore Society for preservation. It is this journal we are presented with here.

Storrington is a place of tranquillity surrounded by beauty and wild flowers. And as Cicely Mary Barker discovered, it is also surrounded by fairies. Day after day Cicely discovers more and more evidence of fairies. From tiny foot prints, to enchanting music, fairy wings and fairy dust, and also fairy's in photos.

It is an invaluable journal full of tips and hints on identifying fairies, and where they can be found. There is a guide to fairy trees and fairy rings and also tales of fairy. And there is also a recipe for blackberry jam! But above all else there are fairies themselves dancing through the pages of this journal.

I love the interactivity with this book. Fairyopolis is a magical guide into a world not often seen, but often imagined. There is so much magic and beauty to discover within these pages, and I hope any fairy lover will take the time to uncover it.

 

Cicely Mary Barker - Flower Fairies

 

On sale: 21 November 2005
ISBN: 9780723257240
Recommended age: 6+
In a word: Fairies
Re-read it: yes
Recommend: yes
Star rating: five out of five
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Quantum Enchantment - Book One

QUANTUM ENCHANTMENT:

The Spell Of Rosette by Kim Falconer

Sometimes You Have To Die To Survive!

Earth in the 21st Century is facing an environmental crisis. The organisation ASSIST has been formed to engage this problem. To help ASSIST is the JARROD, unfortunately for JARROD ASSIST does not like what it hears and has taken action against JARROD. The only hope lies with a Techno-Witch and a DNA splicing scientist.

Gaela is a world that's pure in its beauty and its resources. It is a world of peace with few villages and fewer cities, with small farms dotting the lands. Technology has not touched this world, but magic has. It is the perfect hiding place for a hunted technology that looks human, and is the key to saving the Earth.

Rosette is born to a world that is not her own. After a brutal tragedy leaves her alone, she decides it is too dangerous for her live. Five years later her choices will begin a chain of event that exposes everyone and their secrets. Rosette will also discover her life is not as she believed, and that although Gaela is her home, it is Earth that she must save.

The Spell Of Rosette is a epic journey. It is a science-fiction story with a future Earth, portals to other worlds, and sentient computers. It is also a fantasy story filled with magic, Lupins, talking cats, and sword fighting. Rosette has a habit of passing-out at the most inopportune of times; there's also a great deal of astrology reflecting Kim Falconer's own interests, but knowledge of this is not necessary to enjoy this spellbinding book.

Gaela - map

 

Kim Falconer Webpage

Kim Falconer @ Harper Collins

 

On sale: 01 January 2009
Price (AU): $20.99
ISBN: 9780732287719
Recommended age: 18+
In a word: Rosette
Re-read it: yes
Recommend: yes
Star rating: four out of five
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Little Blue

Little Blue by Gaye Chapman

'Little Blue Was Lost'

Little Blue had been lost for a very long time. Alone in the forest Little Blue was one day discovered by Will, a boy out walking in the forest.

Little Blue's home had steps to the mountains; Will's home has a path to the hills. Little Blue's home had blue trees; Will's home has green trees. Little Blue's home had Father and bluebirds; Will's home has Grandmother and hens.

Little Blue and Will searched all over but still could not find Little Blue's home. But as Little Blue followed Will to his home they made an unexpected and pleasant surprise.

Little Blue is a simple yet delicate and touching story that is absolutely beautifully presented. A charming book to treasure and share with those you love.

 

Gaye Chapman Webpage

Gaye Chapman @ Little Hare Books Hardie Grant Publishing

 

On sale: 01 December 2009
Price (AU): $19.99
ISBN: 9781921541209
Recommended age: 3+
In a word: Lost
Re-read it: yes
Recommend: to children
Star rating: five out of five
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