1

1

BRILLIANT BOOKS S1 & S2

August 2014

Grange Academy Library

Inspiration

Favourite books &

Favourite food

Godzilla better watch out!

Barry Hutchison

Welcome Welcome to the first issue of “Brilliant

Books.” This will include blurbs and re-

views on books we have in the school li-

brary. If you would like to add a review to

this magazine or even a drawing of your fa-

vourite book cover. Please see me.

Miss J. Reid

School Librarian

In this issue:

Barry Hutchison 2

Adventure 3

Books made into Films 4

Books that make you think! 5

Classics 6

Crime 7

Family 8

Fantasy 9

Horror 10

Humour 11

Romance 12

Sport 13

Sports 14

1

2

2

BARRY HUTCHISON

What inspired you to write The 13th

Horseman?

I was sharing a flat with three RE-

ALLY annoying people at the time,

and I thought that being one of the

Four Horsemen would be a bit like

that – the others would be getting

on your nerves all the time, and

you’d always be looking for things

to do in order to make time pass

more quickly. That’s why they’re

always playing board games, just to

try to stave off the boredom and

stop themselves going mad.

What is your favourite book (not the ones that

you’ve written)?

That’s tricky. I love most of Neil

Gaiman’s books – American Gods

is a good one for adults, or The

Graveyard Book is great for both

adults and children. Growing up I

read a lot of American comics –

Spider-Man, Batman, Superman,

The Incredible Hulk – all that stuff. I

still love reading comics, and some

of my favourite stories are in graph-

ic novel format.

What is your

favourite food?

Easy – seafood. Prawns,

crab, lobster, mussels, scal-

lops – pretty much anything

that comes out of the sea,

really. If a giant sea monster

rose up out of the ocean

tomorrow I’d be after it with

a fork and a slice of lemon.

Seriously, if Godzilla ever

emerges from the deeps,

he’d better watch his back.

What is your favourite book that you’ve

written?

My favourite is

The 13th

Horseman,

although I’ll

always have a

soft spot for

the Invisible

Fiends series,

with them be-

ing my first published books. I had

a lot more freedom in Horseman

to do anything I liked, and I loved

setting my imagination loose. The

Fiends books are very story driv-

en, so you’re always racing from

one thing to the next. It was nice

to be able to slow down a bit and

sometimes include scenes or con-

versations that don’t really matter

much to the plot.

This full interview can

be found at:

www.bigbooklittlebook.com/2012/0

3/author-interview-barry-hutchison/

This site also has excellent books

reviews.

Our library has all the Mr. Mumbles series and “the book of Doom” is coming soon! 2

3

3

ADVENTURE

Please see Miss Reid to reserve books or check the East Ayrshire Public Library catalogue.

Avenger

Andy McNab

Ex-SAS explosive expert Fergus

Watts, Danny and his friend Elena

are sucked into an undercover

operation to find and destroy

Black Star. The trail soon leads

them to New York and into spiral-

ing danger.

Double or die

Charlie Higson

http://www.charliehigson.co.uk/

Murder and mayhem. It’s just an

ordinary day for an extra-ordinary

boy. Young James Bond must

solve the cyptic clues to rescue

the professor kidnapped at gun-

point.

Girl, missing So-

phie McKenzie

“Who am I?” I sat at the comput-

er in mum’s office and stared at

the essay heading.

Lauren had always known she

was adopted but her world falls

apart when she discovers a

shocking secret. She believes

she was snatched from an Ameri-

can family, as a baby.

The recruit

Robert Muchamore

They call them “cherubs.” Secret

agents aged 10-17 who slip under

the adult radar. Secret agents

who can become friends with ter-

rorist’s children and plant bugs.

Secret agents who can save the

world…. before breakfast! Day

one is training day...

“If anyone is accusing me of cru-

elty, I remind you that the fences

that surround us are not to keep

you in, but to keep your little

chums from slipping in and giving

you a helping hand or a tasty

snack.”

Loved these?

Try these authors:-

David Almond

Enid Blyton

Tim Bowler

Robert Cormier

Catherine MacPhail

Robert Swindells

3

4

4

BOOKS MADE INTO FILMS

Remember to look at the “book of the week” at the librarian’s desk.

Another me

Catherine MacPhail

“What would be the most terrify-

ing thing that could come out of

the fog? And suddenly, here on a

dark December afternoon I had

the answer. The most terrifying

thing that could come out of the

fog was…”

Millions

Frank Cottrell Boyce

Two brothers find a massive bag

of money and only have days to

spend it. So what will they do?

Buy unlimited pizza or go for

world peace.

Percy Jackson and the lightning thief

Rick Riordan

Percy always felt and knew he

was different. When he acci-

dentally vapourizes his maths

teacher, things can only get

stranger….

“ I had weird dreams full of barn-

yard animals. Most of them want-

ed to kill me. The rest wanted

food.!

The Hobbit

J. R. R. Tolkien

Bilbo Baggins is a hobbit who

lives in Bag End and enjoys eat-

ing breakfasts at least twice a

day. When Gandalf the wizard

and his dwarf friends arrive. Bilbo

Baggins is soon persuaded to

set off on a journey to steal

Smaug, the dragon’s gold.

Loved these?

Try these :-

Alice in Wonderland by Lew-

is Carroll

Call of the Wild by Jack London

Cirque du Freak by Darren Shan

The hobbit by J. R. R Tolkien

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s

Stone by J. K. Rowling

Holes by Louis Sachar

Millions by Frank Cottrel Boyce

Mrs. Frisby and the rats of NImh by

Robert C. O’Brien

The Bad beginning by Lemony

Snicket

Miss Reid

“Another classic by this author. Try Cathy’s book, “out of the depths ” about Tyler Lawless. A girl who has a very special

gift!”

4

5

5

BOOKS THAT MAKE YOU THINK!

The new book section is next to Miss Reid’s desk.

The boy in the striped pyjamas

John Boyne

When Bruno makes a new friend,

Shmuel, he is introduced to a

whole new world. In which his

father plays a powerful role.

Traitor

Gudrun Pausewang

When Anna finds an escaped

Russian prisoner of war, she

knows she should hand him to the

authorities. Her brother in the

Hitler Youth would see it as his

duty. But Anna decides to hide

and take care of him.

Ways to live forever

Sally Nicholls

“MY name is Sam. By the time

you read this. I will probably

be dead.”

Sam wants to know about UFOs

and horror movies and ghosts

and scientists, and how it feels to

kiss a girl. He also needs an-

swers to the questions nobody

will answer.

War horse

Michael Morpurgo

When Albert’s dad buys a thor-

oughbred horse he is delighted.

He and the horse become insepa-

rable and Albert is broken-hearted

when Joey is sent off to the “front

line.” But Joeys’ adventures are

just beginning...

Miss Reid

“If you read one book. Make it this one! A moving and powerful book. Which will make you think about the world, your family and

friendship.

Private Peaceful

Michael Morpurgo

When Charlie and Tommo, best

friends, enlist they are sent off to

“the front” in World War One.

What they find can only be de-

scribed as “pure Hell.” Soon they

are fighting for their lives and both

wonder whether they will make it

home.

The Tulip touch

Anne Fine

Nobody likes Tulip, except Na-

talie. She’s rude and tell lies. As

Tulip’s games become more dan-

gerous. Natalie soon realises

things are going too far….

Miss Reid

“Sad. Have tissues

nearby.”

5

6

6

CLASSICS

Also try little women by Louisa M Alcott & White Fang by Jack London

Black Beauty An-

na Sewell

Follow Black Beautys’ adventures

as she grows up and meets many

owners. Some are kind who take

care of her and some are cruel.

The Lion, the witch and the wardrobe

C. S. Lewis

Four children are evacuated and

bored in the big old house until

Lucy discovers a magic wardrobe

that transports them to a magical

other world. A magic world full of

talking animals and a witch who

has cursed the land. N. B. “The

Magicians Nephew “ is the first in

this series.

Call of the wild

Jack London

Buck the St, Bernard, enjoys a life

of luxury until he is stolen and

sold off. When he joins a sledge-

dog team hunting for gold in the

Klondike. He soon realizes he

must fight to survive or die.

Alice’s adventures in wonderland

Lewis Carroll

When Alice follows the white rab-

bit down the rabbit-hole. She

soon discovers a world full of

talking animals, mad Queens and

tea parties.

Treasure island Rob-ert Louis Ste-

venson

Billy collapses and dies, when

handed a “black spot” by Blind

Pew. When searching through

Billy’s chest, Jim discovers a

treasure map and finds himself

setting off to find the treasure with

the local squire and doctor. Un-

fortunately, a mysterious cook on

board known as “Long John Sil-

ver” seems to know the crew. Al-

Charlotte’s web

E. B. White

When Wilbur the pig’s life is under

threat.. There is only one friend,

who can save him. Charlotte the

spider.

“I don’t want to die!” screamed

Wilbur, throwing himself to the

ground.

“You shall not die, said Charlotte,

briskly

What? Really?” cried Wilbur.

“Who’s going to save me?”

“I am.” said Charlotte.

6

7

7

CRIME

Love reading on your kindle! Try daily cheap reads or ereaderiq.uk

Wheels

Catherine MacPhail

James is convinced he has seen

the man who killed his father.

The man who caused the crash.

The man who put James into

wheelchair. Everyone else says

he’s wrong….

Final lap

Malcolm Rose

A new sports centre is being built

but someone keeps sabotaging

it. When the manager vanishes,

Luke and Malc are called in to

investigate.

Tins

Alex Shearer

Fergal is a happy tin-collecting

nerd. Until….. He finds a bloody

finger in one of his tins followed

by a help note in another. Detec-

tive? Fergal is soon on the case

to track down the factory sending

out these tins.

Skulduggery Pleasant

Derek Landy

When Stephanie inherits a mas-

sive mansion from her uncle. She

also inherits a massive problem.

An evil horde who are hunting

down a mysterious key. Only one

man can save the day— The

dead famous Skulduggery Pleas-

ant. A crime-cracking detective,

gifted at playing dirty tricks and

skilled in the “noble” art of burgla-

ry.

The rag and bone shop

Robert Cormier

When Alicia is murdered. Every-

body believes the last person to

see her alive, Jason, is guilty. An

interrogator who is famous for

always getting a confession is

called in. Will Jason reveal the

truth or lie?

“Better be careful, Jason, he

warned himself”.”

Malarkey

Keith Gray

Malarkey has been accused of

stealing report cards and he’s

innocent. The only way he can

prove he is innocent is by finding

Mary Chase and he only has 24

hours. Unfortunately, he soon

discovers that his school is not

run by the teachers!

Miss Reid

“If you enjoy this. Try Dark water by the

same author.”

Miss Reid

“Tight plotting, credible clue

trails and last minute twists

make this real edge of the seat

reading.’ Schools Library

Association.”

7

8

8

FAMILY

Looking for more suggestions. Ask your librarian, Miss Reid.

The Defender

Alan Gibbons

When Ian finds two men on the

doorstep looking for his father.

He is about to invite them in until

he sees the gun. Ian runs for his

life and while on the run he starts

to unravel the mystery of who his

father really was and what he did.

Set in Northern Ireland.

The edge

Alan Gibbons

Cathy and her son have had

enough of the fists and fights.

They decide to run away from the

man they call “the animal.” When

they escape to Cathy’s parents.

They soon realize Danny’s grand

father and the bullies at school

hate him because of his colour.

The white darkness Geraldine

McCaughrean

Sym has an imaginary friend and

advisor. Captain Titus Oates an

Antarctic explorer. So when her

“Uncle” Victor offers her a dream

trip to the Antarctic. She accepts

not realizing he has an evil plan in

mind.

Birthday blues

Anne Cassidy

Julie has been dumped by her

boyfriend and he is now seeing

her best friend, Sara. When Julie

finds a new friend, Tina. She

soon realizes that Tina has an

even bigger problem of her own.

A problem which she has been

hiding from everyone and desper-

ately needs help with.

The forbidden

Judith Waite

Elinor has always been one of the

chosen and will be bonded to

their leader when she turns 16.

Everything changes though, when

she meet Jamie, an outsider. Will

she leave the chosen or will she

convince Jamie to join her?

Holly Starcross

Berlie Doherty

Holly hasn’t seen her dad, after

she and her mum left him. But in

her new family she feels very

lonely and starts asking ques-

tions. Could the mysterious

stranger who has appeared. Help

her?

8

9

9

FANTASY

Also try Garth Nix, Jonathan Stroud or Angie Sage.

Inkheart

Cornelia Funke

Meggie loves stories but her Fa-

ther refuses to read to her. Which

seems strange until Meggie dis-

covers when her father reads a

story aloud the characters step

out of the book and into the real

world. Could this explain why

Meggie’s mother disappeared

mysteriously years ago.

The Blackhope

Teresa Flavin

When Sunni’s step-brother Dean

vanishes into a painting she soon

realizes he may be in big trou-

ble… As

“They found the last skeleton in

the 1800s. It was a man dressed

in clothes from a hundred years

earlier. He was lying in the mid-

dle of the maze like the others.”

Mister Monday

Garth Nix

When Arthur collapses during an

asthma attack. He is visited by

two strangers who give him gifts

with extra-ordinary powers.

“Mister Monday spoke too quickly

for Arthur to make out what he

was saying. He didn’t slow down

until he reached the final few

words. And so let the Will be

done.”

The fire within

Chris D’Lacey

The advert read:

Lodgings available—£40 per

week. Nice room in pleasant fam-

ily house. Meals and laundry in-

cluded. Suit clean, tidy and quiet

student. Please write to: Mrs.

Elizabeth Pennykettle, 42 Way-

ward Crescent, Scrubbley. P. S.

Must like children and cats and

dragons….

The golden compass

Philip Pullman

When Lyra begins an extraordi-

nary journey that will take her to

the frozen lands of the Arctic,

where witch-clans reign and ice-

bears fight. The destiny that

awaits her will have immeasura-

ble consequences far beyond her

own world….

Eragon

Christopher Paolini

When Eragon is out hunting for

deer. A blue stone falls from the

sky, narrowly missing him. This is

no ordinary blue stone. It is a

dragon’s egg. When the egg

hatches and Eragon forms a bond

with the dragon. He becomes a

dragon rider and the fate of the

kingdom lies in his hands.

http://www.alagaesia.com/

9

10

10

HORROR

Remember to look at the Horror display case at the bottom of the library

The vanished

Celia Rees

Dark tales are being sent to the

student newspaper. Tales of

plague graves, forbidden forests

and hidden steps leading to a de-

caying underworld. But they’re

just horror stories—aren’t they?

“Cassie paused, gooseflesh

creeping up her arms as she re-

membered the terror she’d felt

crossing the rotten wooden slats,

not daring to look down in case

she met the cold unblinking eyes

of the dark slimy thing…”

www.celiarees.com

Demons and shadow

Robert Westall

A collection of short stories featur-

ing;-

An empty rocking chair filled with

the souls of the dead and

a kitchen streaked with blood.

If you enjoyed this…. Try

Clay

David Almond

There are many tales and ru-

mours about Stephen Rose. The

stranger in town. One things is

certain: There’s magic in the

weird creatures he makes with

clay.

Cirque Du Freak

Darren Shan

Darren Shan lives an everyday

life in an ordinary town with nor-

mal friends. That is, until his

friend Steve gets tickets to the

banned freak show that’s arrived

in town. He is amazed by the

wolf man, the snake boy and the

goat-eating tarantula. And even

more amazed by Mr. Crepsley,

the resident vampire.

www.darrenshan.com/books

The Creeper

Pete Johnson

When Lucy and Jack listen to a

tape they find in a bookshop they

release a horrible creature seek-

ing revenge. “Remember you

Miss Reid

“I especially enjoyed “a walk on the wild side” and will never look at cats the same

way again!

10

11

11

HUMOUR

These authors and others are available in the librarys’ LOL display.

The Bad beginning

Lemony Snicket

There is nothing to be found in

these pages but misery and des-

pair. I cannot fathom how you will

cope with the greedy and repul-

sive villain, itchy clothing, disas-

trous fire, plot to steal their for-

tune and cold porridge for break-

fast. It is truly too much for one

person to handle!

Billionaire boy Da-

vid Walliams

Joe’s dad invents a luxury product

and becomes a billionaire. Joe

loves his robot dog from Japan,

his roller coaster and his F1 race

track in the garden. But when his

birthday comes, there is one thing

he wants that money can’t buy.

Diary of a wimpy kid

Jeff Kinney

Greg finds himself in a new year

and a new school where weak-

lings share the corridors with pu-

pils who are taller, meaner and

already shaving. Everything is

ok, as long as Greg has his trusty

un-cool side-kick, Rowley. When

his sidekicks’ popularity soars.

Greg plans to use it for his own

plans…...

Artemis Fowl

Eoin Colfer

Artemis Fowl is 12 years old and

has a career as a criminal genius.

He’s planning to get back the

family fortune with a spot of cor-

ruption and kidnapping. Artemis

is planning to kidnap a fairy. Un-

fortunately, he doesn’t realize

they are armed and dangerous.

There’s a boy in the girls’ bathroom

Louis Sachar

No one likes Bradley. Except Carla. She thinks Bradley is sen-sitive and generous and even en-joys his far-fetched stories. Carla knows he can change, if only he weren’t afraid to try.

Miss Reid

“David Walliams has a wicked sense and anyone who has ever read Roald Dahl will

love this book.”

11

12

12

ROMANCE

Also try Karen McCombie, Cathy Hopkins and Megan Hooper

Voices

Sue Mayfield

When Al is dumped by her arro-

gant boyfriend. She decides to

throw a bottle with a message into

the sea. When fun and friendly

Duncan finds her note. They start

to email each other and Al’s bro-

ken heart starts to mend. Until

Duncan is reported missing at

sea.

Never ever

Helena Pielchaty

Liam loves living on the estate—

life’s great! He’s the king around

here. The boys respect him and

the girls fancy him… The new girl,

Erin, won’t be able to resist his

charms.

Erin hates living on the estate.

She could do without stupid Liam

hanging out around too— He

might be good-looking. But that’s

about all he’s got going for him.

Noughts & Crosses

Malorie Blackman

A mature love story set in a world

where white people are seen as

inferior. A world where a white

boy should never fall in love with

a black girl. Welcome to Callum

and Sephy’s world.

The Awakening

L. J. Smith

Elena is used to getting what she

wants and she wants the mysteri-

ous new boy, Stefan. But Stefan

is hiding a deadly secret - a se-

cret that will change Elena’s life

for ever ....

Angus, thongs and full-frontal snogging

Louise Rennison

Georgias’ life is a disaster. She

has spots and needs to know how

to replace her eyebrows she ac-

cidently shaved off.

Miss Reid

“I read the entire book in school! I couldn’t tear myself away from

it.”

Miss Reid

“A roller-coaster ride of a book. I couldn’t

believe the ending!”

The opposite of Chocolate Ju-

lie Bertagna

Sapphire is pregnant and every-

body is trying to tell her what to

do and nobody is listening to what

she wants. She feels alone in the

world until she meets Gil who lis-

tens to her. Unfortunately, Gil

has a secret…..

12

13

13

SPORT

Browse the sports section for non-fiction books at 796

Kick off

Dan Freeman

Jamie Johnson has got so much

to prove. He wants to be the

schools’ star football player. Why

aren’t his family, teacher and best

mate supporting him? The pres-

sure is on! Has Jamie got what it

takes?

“This was Jamie’s chance to

prove himself. This was what

he’d waited six months for.

Kingsfield School didn’t know who

Jamie Johnson really was. They

didn’t know the kind of talent he

head. Now he could show them.”

www.danfreedman.co.uk

Fatboyswim

Catherine Forde

Inside, Jimmy doesn’t feel like

fatboy swim. He’s just normal.

His feet stink and his rooms a

mess. If any classmates talked to

him, they’d find he was just as

clued up as they were on films,

books, and even sport. But he

won’t tell them his secret talent is

cooking. But Jimmy has another

secret that he won’t reveal to any-

one. A secret that will change

him forever.

Keeper

Mal Peet

Paul Faustino, South America's

top sports writer, sits opposite the

man they call El Gato “the Cat”

the world's greatest goalkeeper.

On the table between them

stands the World Cup... In the

hours that follow, El Gato tells his

incredible story, how he, a poor

logger's son, learns to become a

goalkeeper so good he is almost

unbeatable. The man who teach-

es him is the mysterious Keeper,

who haunts a football pitch at the

heart of the claustrophobic for-

est...

Like football books?

Try these authors:-

Neil Arksey

Terence Blacker

Tony Bradman

Michael Coleman

Dan Freedman

Alan Gibbons

Michael Hardcastle

Tom Palmer

Robert Rigby

James Riordan

Ter-

ence Blacker The

transfer

Stanley loves football and using

his mother’s top secret inventions.

When, he creates a super-football

player for his local team. Things

K. O. Kings

Alan Durant

Are you always getting deten-

tions? Do you like playing foot-

ball? Have you got loads of mon-

ey? If the answer to the first two

questions is yes, then, Bad Boyz

is the team for you! (If the answer

to question three is yes, then lend

me a fiver!)

13

14

14

AWARD WINNING BOOKS

If you want more suggestions. Try good reads, fantastic fiction or lovereading4kids online

These books are available in the library. If you would like to read other award winning books. Please check

these online:-

Scottish Book Trust Red House Awards

Blue Peter Awards Carnegie

14