The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak

-Synopsis

Nine year old Liesel lives with her foster family on Himmel Street during the dark days of the Third Reich, or the Nazi regime. Her Communist parents have been transported to a concentration camp and during the funerals for her brother, she manages to steal a grim book: it is, in fact, a gravediggers' instruction manual. As a foster girl, Liesel scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can't resist - books. With the help of her accordion-playing father, she learns to read and shares her stolen book with her neighbours during bombing raids as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement before he marched to Dachau. Both Liesel and her fellow inhabitants of Himmel Street will find themselves changed by both words on the printed page and the horrendous events happening around them.

It's just a small story really, about among other things: a girl, some words, an accordionist, some fanatical Germans, a Jewish fist-fighter and quite a lot of thievery.

-Review

'Death takes the reader by the hand and leads us through the lives and deaths of people in Liesel's world. This is an astonishing book - the writing is great - with an unusual style - that fits perfectly with the voice of Death - and that of the unforgettable Liesel'

-Rating

5/5

Website - http://www.booksattransworld.co.uk/thebookthief/

Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief, by Rick Riordan

-Synopsis

Percy Jackson is about to be kicked out of boarding school...again. And that's the least of his troubles. Lately, mythological monsters and the gods of Mount Olympus seem to be walking straight out of the pages of Percy's Greek mythology textbook and into his life. Worse still, he's angered a few of them, Zeus's master lightning bolt had been stolen and Percy is the prime suspect.

Now he and his friends have just ten days to find and return Zeus's stolen property and bring peace to a warring Mount Olympus. But to succeed on his quest, Percy will have to do more that catch the true thief: he must come to terms with the father who abandoned him, solve the riddle of the Oracle, (which warns of a betrayal by a friend), and unravel a treachery more powerful than the gods themselves.

-Review

'I loved this book, before reading it I had my doubts about whether this type of story would appeal to me and I found it surprisingly good. Highly recommended for young readers in search of an original and imaginative series. The plot is extremely unique and keeps you fascinated throughout the entire course of the story.'

-Rating

4/5

-Media

A movie has been recently released of this first book, and was popular with families and teenagers.




Website - http://www.percyjackson.co.uk/site/pj_main.php

Death Note, by Tsugumi Ohba/Takeshi Obata

-Synopsis

Light Yagami is an ace student with great prospects - and he's bored out of his mind. But all that changes when he finds the Death Note, a notebook dropped by a rouge Shinigami death God. Any human whose name is written in the notebook dies, and now Light has vowed to use the power of the death note to rid the world of evil, using the name Kira. But when criminals begin dropping dead, the authorities send the legendary detective 'L' to track down the killer.


With L hot on his heels, will Light lose sight of his noble goal....or his life? Light tests the boundaries of the death note's powers as L and the police begin to close in. Luckily his father is the head of the Japanese National Police Agency and leaves vital information about the case lying around the house. With access to his father's files, Light can keep one step ahead of the authorities.


However, L seems to figure each of Kira's plans and quickly suspects Light to be the murderer, how can Light guard against enemies whose name he doesn't know?

-Review

'I seriously recommend this to anyone new to manga looking for a good introduction as well as hardened veterans, or anyone looking for a dark read. It was fantastic, brilliant story, and I would definitely read the whole set of books.'

-Rating

5/5

-Media

Accompanying the manga, is the anime series and the live action movie, using actors instead of animation, as is usually the case. All of which are extremely popular and Death Note now has it's own huge franchise around the world.





Website - http://deathnote.viz.com/

Eldest - Christopher Paolini

- Synopsis

Picking up from the exact point where Eragon, the first title in the Inheritance series, gave way, Eldest begins with dragon rider and now shade slayer, Eragon, on the battlefield of his greatest triumph. He is saddened by the death and carnage before him, and fearful for the future. King Galbatorix is, despite the battle won, still the cruel ruler of the Empire and must be defeated. Together with the beautiful and elegant, Saphira, with whom he can communicate without speech, they must travel to Ellesmera - fabled land of the elves to undergo further training in magic, swordsmanship and other worldly necessities.

Meanwhile, in his homeland, in the village of Carvahall, Eragon's cousin Roran faces challenges of his own. The King's men, and the dark creature that instructs them, lay siege to the tiny mountain community, in the hope of finding Roran , and thus lead them to Eragon. After fierce resistance, Roran leads the villagers on a long, arduous journey, to salvation (hopefully) with the community known as the Varden.

Will the King's dark hands strangle all resistance? Eragon may not escape with even his life...


-Review

This book grabs your attention immediately, and the chapters from Roran' point of view refreshes the plot. You learn a lot more about the elves than you do in the first, and about the the Riders themselves. I personally recommend this book to any dragon-loving teenager.


-Rating

4/5



Website - http://www.alagaesia.com/eldest.htm

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling

Synopsis -

Harry has been burdened with the dark, dangerous and seeminly impossible task: that of finding and destroying Voldemort's remaining Horcruxes. Never has Harry felt so alone, or faced a future so full of shadows. But Harry must somehow find within himself the strength to complete the task he has been given.

Review - This book was magnificent! I loved this book; all the different places they had to hide, all the times they almost died, all the twists and turns. This book was absolutely astonishing, Rowling does it again!

Rating - 5/5

Website - http://www.jkrowling.com

Artemis Fowl: The Arctic Incident by Eoin Colfer

Synopsis -

Artemis is at a boarding school in Ireland when he suddenly receives an urgent video e-mail from Russia. In it is a plea from his father, who has been kidnapped by the Russian Mafia. As Artemis rushes to his rescue, he is stopped by Captain Holly Short of the LEPrecon fairy police. But this time, instead of battling the fairies, he is going to have to join forces with them if he wants to save one of the few people in the world that he loves.

Review -

Very interesting, it was full of plot and detail and it also had some very unexpected twists in it. The writer has definitely done a good job.

Rating - 4/5

Website - http://www.artemisfowl.com

Atonement by Ian McEwan

Synopsis -

On a fateful day, a young girl (who aspires to be a writer) makes a terrible mistake that has life-changing effects for many people. Consequently she seeks living atonement - which leads to an expolration on the nature of writing.

Review -

Very interesting, it was good how it gave two sides of a story and how it changed character to give their view too.

Rating - 4/5

Website - http://www.ianmcewan.com