Book Review: Two Can Keep a Secret

Author: Karen M. McManus   Published: 2019 Genres: Mystery, YA By: Nicole As a fan of mystery novels, I was excited to read Two Can Keep a Secret. I wondered how McManus would combine the disappearance of a high school senior, the murder of a homecoming queen and the return of their killer with ordinary high school characters.  Katrin, Lacey and Ellery seemed like typical characters from young adult novels – the … Continue reading Book Review: Two Can Keep a Secret

Book Review: Step Closer

Authors: Andrea Waggener, Elley Cooper, Kelly Parra & Scott Cawthon   Published: 2020 Genres: Horror, Video games, Fantasy, YA Series: Five Nights at Freddy’s: Fazbear Frights #4 By: Kyle Star Rating: 3/5 stars In this story in the wonderful Fazbear Frights series, we meet Suzie and Samantha, two sisters who are the complete opposites of each over. Suzie loves adventure and playing around, she likes to name trees and has great … Continue reading Book Review: Step Closer

Book Review: The Calling

Author: Fleur Beale   Published: 2021 Genres: Historical fiction, Religion, YA By: Lucinda Star Rating: 4/5 stars The Calling is beautifully written, from the point of view of a young woman, Molly, who seeks out who she is in the unforgiving bush of the north island of New Zealand. It was the dream of Molly’s dying mother that she would become a nun but not of her Methodist father who wishes her … Continue reading Book Review: The Calling

Māpuna Library’s Display: BOOKFLIX

The most recent display in our library is BOOKFLIX! To promote the various book to movie/TV show adaptation books we have – the idea was to mimic the Netflix home screen as much as possible! We included some ‘Binge-worthy series’ and some ‘Trending Movies’ and ‘Trending Now’ with a ‘Top Picks for You’ at the end. #BOOKFLIXLibraryDisplays Thank you for the help from our Library … Continue reading Māpuna Library’s Display: BOOKFLIX

Māpuna Library’s Display: TIME Magazine’s 100 Best YA Books of all time!

The most recent display in our library is to promote the TIME Magazine’s curated list of their voted ‘100 Best Young Adult Books of All Time’! We were impressed that in our library we have quite a number of these “100 best” books! #TIMEMagazine100BestYABooks We had help from our Library staff and a group of student librarian’s who collected and displayed the books and covers. … Continue reading Māpuna Library’s Display: TIME Magazine’s 100 Best YA Books of all time!

Book Review: Caraval

Author: Stephanie Garber   Published: 2016 Genres: Fantasy, Magic, Mystery, YA By: Rosie Star Rating: 4.5/5 stars Would you compete in a game to win your heart’s desire, your one true wish? This is the premise of Stephanie Garber’s wondrous tale, Caraval. From a dull hometown life to a spellbinding tale of adventure, Caraval is definitely a book for your reading list. The story entails the escapades of two sisters, Scarlett, and Donatella. It has … Continue reading Book Review: Caraval

Book Review: This Impossible Light

Author: Lily Myers   Published: 2017 Genres: Poetry, Contemporary, Mental Health, YA By: Ashlin Lily Myers’s novel This Impossible Light is an abstract glimpse into Ivy’s life as she experiences a chain of changes in her life, not all of which are for the better.  This book is beautiful, eloquent and insightful. Ivy is seeing changes in her appearance as she develops a more womanly figure; changes in the relationship she has with … Continue reading Book Review: This Impossible Light

Book Review: Five Feet Apart

Author: Rachael Lippincott   Published: 2018 Genres: Romance, YA By: Zoe C Star Rating: 4.5/5 stars Five Feet Apart is a genuine, compelling, and heart-wrenching novel. It follows the relationship between teens Stella Grant and Will Newman, who are both suffering from Cystic Fibrosis (CF). This chronic, inherited disease damages and severely impacts the lungs and digestive system, often resulting in malnutrition, frequent respiratory infections, and a shorter life expectancy. Unfortunately, … Continue reading Book Review: Five Feet Apart

Book Review: The Recruit

Author: Robert Muchamore   Published: 2006 Genres: Action, Spy, Adventure, YA, Contemporary By: Joel Star Rating: 5/5 stars ‘The Recruit’ is the first book in the CHERUB series. It follows James Choke through his messy life, as he gets into trouble, sees his mum die and gets sent off to a children’s home. At this home, he has a roommate who he thinks is just a normal kid, but who is … Continue reading Book Review: The Recruit