REVIEWbyU! 'To kill a mockingbird' by Harper Lee

Rating: 5 stars

To Kill A Mockingbird is a novel that explores the racism and corrupted justice system of America from 1933 in the Great Depression. What makes this book unique is that it is written through the eyes of a young girl, the daughter of a lawyer. The story of a wrongly accused black man and his court-case is all told by a young girl and her experiences of her father trying to defend the innocent. This story has inspired change and will be studied forever.


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REVIEWbyU! Laurinda - by Alice Pung

Rating: 4 stars

Laurinda is an exclusive private school for girls. At its secret core is the Cabinet, a trio of girls who wield power over their classmates, and some of their teachers. Enter Lucy Lam, a scholarship girl. Lucy’s parents are Chinese-Vietnamese refugees, her mother works from home sewing clothes and her father works in a factory. Lucy is caught between the two worlds, trying to make sense of who she is. When she’s at Laurinda, she is made to feel like she doesn’t belong, when she walks around her suburb wearing her uniform, she is just as out of place. Being a teenager is hard. Being a scholarship girl at a private school is harder. 


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Fated - by Alyson Noel

From the author of The Immortals comes a new four book series starting with Fated.  The main character Daire experiences strange and alarming events and will soon discover her life is now to be filled with magic, mystery and an undeniable attraction to Dace.

Daire goes to live with her grandmother where she will learn more about life and her special gifts and why she is fated to be a Soul Seeker. 

The four books in the series have been optioned for films, let’s hope it happens soon.

Lisa @ Ashburton Library

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Vale Mal Peet

Sadly novelist Mal Peet has recently died. His death is a huge loss to young adult writing. He wrote and illustrated for younger readers, however, it is for his young adult novels that he will be best remembered. His triology of Keeper, Penalty and Exposure was set loosely around soccer but dealt with South American politics and much more. Tamar, for which he won the Carnegie medal, is a tense story of WWII special operations agents in The Netherlands. It is intricate and engrossing and has an ending you never see coming. A fabulous read. Life an exploded diagram is, I think, his best work. A

wonderful coming of age book told with humour and understanding with an unforgettable ending. If you haven't read his books do yourself a favour and seek them out.

Rita @ Hawthorn

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'The winner's curse' (The winner's trilogy, #1) by Marie Rutkoski

This is the first book of The winner’s trilogy.

Have you ever dreamed of buying your very own extremely handsome 19 year old slave? That’s what 17 year old Kestrel does after a trip to the local slave market.

Kestrel, the daughter of a General and member of a warrior race who enslave the people they conquer, is given the choice to join the military or marry. However, as she gets to know Arin, her Herrani slave, she begins to question the morality of the world she lives in. As their relationship grows they are forced to choose between the strong desire they feel for each other and their own people. But Arin has a secret which will tear them both apart and change their worlds forever. A gripping novel of love, politics and war.

Caroline @ Kew

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REVIEWbyU! 'Stargirl' (Stargirl, #1) by Jerry Spinelli

Rating: 5 stars

Stargirl Caraway is the new girl at Mica Area High School, and in her mysterious first days of school, she reveals herself to be a true unique individual. She plays a ukalele! She carries around a pet rat! She gives little gifts and cards to people she doesn't know! Soon, all of the high school cannot resist her charm, and she has the entire community under her spell. But after a while, Stargirl's actions become tiresome, irritating, and the question rises among her peers: why can't she just be normal? 

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'The ghosts of Heaven' by Marcus Sedgwick

If you're tired of the same old teen fiction story lines try The ghost of heaven. Written as four novellas which can be read in any order,  this beautifully written book will stay with you long after you have read the last page. Each story is connected to the other by the spiral, a shape which has existed in nature since time began. They can be found in prehistory where a girl uses blood and ochre to make spiral shapes on a cave wall. The spiral is present in the Middle Ages when a young girl is tried as a witch for using herbs to treat the sick. In the early 20th century the spiral haunts a mad poet in a lunatic asylum. Finally, in the distant future an astronaut on a spaceship sent to colonize a planet hundreds of light years from Earth is confronted by the spiral as he chooses his destiny. This is an amazing book which I could not put down or stop thinking about.

Caroline @ Kew

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To love a sunburnt country (Matilda Saga #4) by Jackie French

To love a sunburnt country is set in Australia during WWII. It's main character is Nancy Clancy, granddaughter of Clancy of the Overflow, and a worthy ancestor of Clancy as she is very much a girl who loves to be out in the bush and has a deep love and understanding for her sunburnt country. As the book opens Nancy is in Malaya, having gone there to help her older brother Ben, and his wife Moira pack up to return to Australia. She ends up staying longer than she intended because Moira has given birth to Gavin and she has been too ill to travel. By the time they are ready to do so the Japanese have begun to invade Malaya and, though they flee to Singapore, it is too late. They do escape on a boat but it is torpedoed and sunk and Nancy, Moira and Gavin are washed up on an island and put into a prison camp with 10 other women. Their time in the prison camp and their struggle to survive malnourishment and disease is poignantly narrated by Jackie. Little Gavin is the one thing that binds both the women and their Japanese guards together, and keeps them going. In keeping Gavin alive they have something to cling onto and to live for despite the terrible conditions that they endure.

The book moves back and forth between the family and friends in Australia, and how they are faring during the war, and Nancy’s prison camp. Interspersed are details about what has happened to Nancy's brother, Ben. None of the family and friends know whether Nancy, Moira, Gavin and Ben have survived but they continue to hope. When Nancy left for Malaya she had met, and begun a tentative relationship with, Matilda's son, Michael. It is through his eyes that we see the events unfolding in Australia and the agonising wait everyone has to see if Nancy, Moira , Gavin and Ben will survive.

Even though this is part of the Matilda Saga series it can be read as a standalone book as there is enough information in the book to give you background on all the characters. This I think is her best book yet in the series. It is a wonderful sweeping saga which will keep you engrossed till the end and will shock you at times as well as make you weep and smile.


Rita @ Hawthorn


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Black ice by Becca Fitzpatrick

After becoming stranded in the mountains by an unexpected snow storm, Britt and her best friend Korbie seek shelter in a secluded cabin. However, they are not the first to find the cabin and the girls find themselves held at gun point by two desperate men. Three girls have disappeared in the area in the last year. Will Britt and Korbie be next or will Britt be able to use her wits and survival skills to get them off the mountain? A gripping, tension filled novel with a touch of romance.

Caroline @ Kew

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2015 Inky Awards Longlist announced

To all those fans of the Inky's (and who wouldn't be a fan of book awards selected, judged and voted for by teens), the 2015 Longlist has been announced! See the list below and read more at Insideadog! They're also recruiting for judges, so if you're keen, check it out!

Which books have you read? Which ten books will make it to the Shortlist?

Gold Inky Award Longlist

Nona & Me by Clare Atkins

Head of the River by Pip Harry

The Other Side of Nowhere by Steve Johnston

The Incredible Adventures of Cinnamon Girl by Melissa Keil

Razorhurst by Justine Larbalestier

The Astrologer's Daughter by Rebecca Lim

Clariel by Garth Nix

Laurinda by Alice Pung

The Intern by Gabrielle Tozer

The Protected by Claire Zorn

Silver Inky Award Longlist 

The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson

Bird by Crystal Chan

Spark by Rachael Craw

Half Bad by Sally Green

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew Smith

Afterworlds by Scott Westerfeld

Noggin by John Corey Whaley

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'A boy called Hope' by Lara Williamson

Once in a while a book comes along which makes you laugh out loud and touches your heart at the same time. This is one of those books. Dan Hope has a wish list of things he'd like to happen in his life, at the top of that list is wanting his dad to love him. Dan's dad walked out 4 years ago and Dan hasn't seen him since. When his father appears on the television as a TV presenter Dan begins plotting to get his father's attention and love. But it seems the harder he tries the more things go wrong. Can Dan's hopes come true?

Rita @ Hawthorn

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These broken stars (The Starbound Trilogy #1) by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner

The Icarus, newest and most luxurious spacecraft in the known universe, has crashed on an unpopulated, unknown planet, with the loss of 50,000 lives. Only two people survive. Major Tarver Merendsen, a cynical young war hero from humble beginnings, and Lilac LaRoux, the richest girl in the universe, and daughter of the most powerful man.

Together the two must work together to survive as they journey across the lonely planet in the hopes of rescue. Surprisingly, the largest obstacles they face are their own prejudices about each other, and Lilac’s fear of her father’s disapproval as her dependence on, and friendship, with Tarver blossoms. Yet the planet is more than it seems, with mysterious voices both helping and hindering their progress and their hopes of escape.

This novel, co-written by an Australian and American author, kept me riveted, despite having only two characters. It’s well worth a read, even if sci-fi is not your usual genre.

Caitlin @ Balwyn Library.

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REVIEWbyU! The blood of Olympus (Heroes of Olympus #5) by Rick Riordan

Rating: 5 stars

Amazing book and ending to the exciting series 'Heroes of olympus' which is a sequel to 'percy jackson'. Rated 5 stars for its amazing storyline as well as the ending.


(FYI: This title also won the Goodreads 2014 best book in the Middle Grade and Children's Fiction category!)


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The Osiris Curse (A Tweed and Nightingale Adventure #2) by Paul Crilley

This second tale in the Tweed and Nightingale Adventures  does not disappoint.  Sebastien is questioning his identity after a startling revelation in the climax of the previous book (The Lazarus Machine), and Octavia is annoyed to find herself regarding her counterpart in a disturbing new light.  Sherlock Holmes, Jules Verne and H.G. Wells are all drawn into Crilley’s fantastic steampunk London along with a world of incredible inventions, bloody skirmishes and some surprisingly thoughtful questions about the value of human life which most teenagers, thankfully, do not personally have to face.

Philippa @ Balwyn Library.


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REVIEWbyU x 3!! City of Bones, City of Ashes, City of Glass (The Mortal Instruments #1, #2, #3) by Cassandra Clare

City of Bones

Rating: 4-5 stars

I was instantly enchanted when I read City of Bones, and that enchantment still holds. If I had to describe this book to you in one word it would be impossible because it was intense, jaw dropping, funny, amazing and so much more. Please read it!

City of Ashes

Rating: 4 stars

Clary Fray just wishes that her life would go back to normal. But what's normal when you're a demon-slaying Shadowhunter, your mother is in a magically induced coma, and you can suddenly see Downworlders like werewolves, vampires, and faeries? If Clary left the world of the Shadowhunters behind, it would mean more time with her best friend, Simon, who's becoming more than a friend. But the Shadowhunting world isn't ready to let her go — especially her handsome, infuriating, newfound brother, Jace. And Clary's only chance to help her mother is to track down rogue Shadowhunter Valentine, who is probably insane, certainly evil — and also her father.

City of Glass

Rating: 4 stars

It is the third book in the mortal instruments series and is better than the first and second put together. To save her mother's life, Clary must travel to the City of Glass, the ancestral home of the Shadowhunters - never mind that entering the city without permission is against the Law, and breaking the Law could mean death. To make things worse, she learns that Jace does not want her there, and Simon has been thrown in prison by the Shadowhunters, who are deeply suspicious of a vampire who can withstand sunlight.



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'Sway' by Kat Spears

Jesse Alderman specialises in getting people things they want - term papers, fake ID’s, popularity. His senior year at High School is a series of business transactions with little room for friends or emotions. However, things change when Ken Foster, the good looking captain of the football team, leading candidate for homecoming King and all-round douchebag hires Jesse to get him a date with Bridgett Smalley, the girl who dared to reject him. While following Bridget around to learn the intimate details of her life Jesse falls hopelessly in love, finds an unexpected friendship with her younger brother who has cerebral palsy, starts visiting people at the local nursing home and begins to stick up for the less fortunate.

Despite the fact that Jesse is offensive, uncaring and takes advantage of everyone around him, I loved him as a character. This is a funny, gritty and poignant novel about falling in love and learning to feel again. I really loved this book and highly recommend it. 5 stars!

Caroline @ Kew

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REVIEWbyU: 'Wake' (The Watersong Series #1) by Amanda Hocking

Reviewer: Laura

Amanda hocking’s Wake is the first instalment of the Watersong series that centres around 16 year old Gemma. This paranormal novel is refreshingly different from others in the same genre as it stars Sirens rather than vampires.

When three beautiful sirens arrive in Gemma’s town mysterious things start to happen. Gemma, a budding swimmer along with her bossy older sister Harper, and a few friends become aware that the “pretty girls” are up to no good, although they have no idea that their ultimate goal is to turn Gemma into a siren too.

Wake is an engaging read, albeit poorly written. Hocking has put together a novel that is enjoyable, and can be recommended to anyone who favours supernatural teen fiction.

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'The Duff' by Kody Keplinger

Nothing like seeing a movie trailer to encourage me to read the book!

When ‘hottest boy in school’ Wesley, calls Bianca “the Duff” (that is the Designated Ugly Fat Friend) of her friendship group, she throws her drink in his face and heads home. The insult sticks in her mind and Bianca is soon stuck in a spiral of negative thoughts - which isn’t helped when her home life suffers a blow with her mother increasingly absent and her father teetering on the edge of an alcoholic breakdown after divorce papers arrive. The final straw comes when her English teacher assigns partners for an essay, and she gets, Wesley. In a moment of weakness, she kisses him - and sets off quite the chain of events.

Author Kody Keplinger, was 17 when she wrote this - the same age as the characters in this book.

Sharni @ Balwyn Library 

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REVIEWbyU! The dying of the light (Skulguggery Pleasant #9) by Derek Landy

Rating: 5 stars

The 9th installment in the Skulduggery Pleasant series has got to be one of the best books ever created by Derek Landy excluding the maleficent seven. In this book once again Valkryie Cain and Skulduggery have to work together to destroy the forces of darkness and expel Darquesse into another dimension. In this book Derek ties it all together by adding in all the characters like Melancholia the death bringer and then destroying some of the old ones. But even though Valkrie and Skulduggery are some of the best magicians in the world neither of them will leave this war without being forever changed.


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REVIEWbyU! Falling from Grace by Jane Godwin

Rating: 5 stars

This book Falling From Grace is an emotional book in some ways. The book teaches facts but twists a small amount of facts. This was my first book by Jane Godwin and I give Falling From Grace thumbs up. I recommend anyone who likes facts, history and adventure to read the book.


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