NEW BOYS’ READING LIST 2019Books chosen by boys, beaks and staff. All books are available from the Vaughan Library.

The Goldfish Boy by Lisa Thompson

A story about finding friendship and hope when you are lonely and frightened. Twelve-year-old Matthew is trapped in his bedroom by crippling OCD, spending most of his time staring out of his window as his neighbours in Chestnut Close go about their business. When his next-door neighbour’s toddler, Teddy, goes missing, Matthew must turn detective and unravel the mystery of Teddy’s disappearance.

Saint Death by Marcus Sedgewick

Anapra is one of the poorest neighbourhoods in the Mexican city of Juarez – 20 metres outside town lies a fence and, beyond it, America. Faustino is trying to escape from the gang he has been working for. He has dipped into a pile of dollars he was supposed to be hiding and now he is on the run. He and his friend, Arturo, have 36 hours to replace the missing money, or they are as good as dead. Watching over them is Saint Death, she of pure bone and charcoal-black eye, she of absolute loyalty and neutral morality, holy patron to rich and poor, to prostitute and narco-lord, criminal and police-chief. A folk saint, a rebel angel, a sinister guardian.

Rebound by Kwame Alexander

It is 1988 and Charlie Bell is mourning his father and struggling over his feelings for his best friend, CJ. When he gets into trouble one too many times, he’s packed off to stay with his grandparents for the summer. There his cousin Roxie introduces him to the whole new world of basketball. A legend on the courts is born. Can Charlie resist when trouble comes knocking once again?

Boy 23 by Jim Carrington

One dark night, Boy 23 is thrown in the back of the van and driven out of My Place, the only home he has ever known. He is abandoned in a forest with a rucksack containing the bare essentials for survival. As the van drives away, a voice tells him he must run as far as he can. His life depends on it. Boy 23 has never known another human. Why do people want to kill him and who is the voice that wants to save him?

The Boy in the Tower by Polly Ho-Yen

Ade loves living at the top of a tower block. From his window, he feels like he can see the whole world stretching out beneath him. His mum doesn’t like looking outside and she hates going out. She is happier sleeping all day inside their tower, where it is safe. One day, other tower blocks on the estate start falling down around them and strange, menacing plants begin to appear. Now their tower isn’t safe anymore. Ade and his mum are trapped and there’s no way out.

All the Lonely People by David Owen

Kat doesn’t fit in at school but, online, she can be who she wants to be, away from bullying and judgements: until the cyber bullies invade that safe space. Kat’s decision to ‘Escape, Delete and Disappear’ has unexpected consequences in the real world. A gripping read.

Thirteen by Tom Hoyle

Born at midnight in London, on the stroke of the new millennium, Adam is the target of a cult that believes boys born on this date must die before the end of their thirteenth year. Twelve boys have been killed so far. Coron, the cult leader, will stop at nothing to bring in his new kingdom and is planning a bombing spectacle across London to celebrate the sacrifice of his final victim: Adam.

Thin Air by Michelle Paver

The Himalayas, 1935. Kangchenjunga. The sacred mountain. Biggest killer of them all. Five Englishmen set out to conquer it, but courage can only take them so far. The higher they climb, the darker it gets. A gripping story which unsettles the reader from the very first page.

The Hunt for Red October by Tom Clancy

The hunt is on beneath the chill Atlantic waters. Russia’s ultra-secret missile submarine, the Red October, is heading west. The Americans want her. The Russians want her back. With all-out war only seconds away, the superpowers race across the ocean on the most desperate mission of a lifetime.

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

In 2044, most of humanity spends their lives plugged in to OASIS, a sprawling virtual utopia where you can be anything you want to be. Wade Watts is obsessed by the ultimate lottery ticket: fame, fortune and control of OASIS, which is on offer to the gamer who can solve the riddles scattered throughout the virtual world. He stumbles upon the key to the first puzzle and finds himself pitted against thousands of competitors in a desperate, thrilling race to claim the ultimate prize, a chase that soon takes on terrifying real-world dimensions.

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Ketterdam is a bustling hub of international trade where anything can be had for the right price, and no one knows that better than criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker. Kaz is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams, but he can’t pull it off alone. Kaz’s crew of six dangerous outcasts is the only thing that might stand between the world and destruction, if they don’t kill each other first.

The Boy with Two Heads by Andy Mulligan

How would you feel if you woke up and found another head growing out of your neck? A living, breathing, talking head, with a rude, sharp tongue and an evil sense of humour. It knows all your darkest thoughts and it’s not afraid to say what it thinks. That’s what happens to Richard Westlake, and life becomes very, very complicated. Thriller, horror, comedy, this is one of the most riveting novels about fear and friendship that you will ever read.

Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy

Meet Skulduggery Pleasant: detective, magician, warrior. Oh yes, and dead.Stephanie’s Uncle Gordon is a writer of horror fiction. When he dies and leaves her his estate, Stephanie learns that, while he may have written horror, it certainly wasn’t fiction. Pursued by evil forces intent on recovering a mysterious key, Stephanie finds help from the wisecracking skeleton of a dead wizard.

A Boy Called Ocean by Chris Higgins

Kai has been best friends with Jen since he and his mum moved to Cornwall, but now his feelings are deepening. It’s ridiculous to imagine Jen would feel the same, especially since she has been hanging out with surf-pro Macca. Frustrated by his feelings, Kai makes a snap decision that will put his life in great danger. Stranded at sea, with only his thoughts to occupy him, he must face some buried truths about his past and confront his future with the girl back on shore, if the ocean doesn’t take him first.

The House of Silk by Anthony Horowitz

It is November 1890 and London is gripped by a merciless winter. Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson are enjoying tea by the fire when an agitated gentleman arrives unannounced at 221b Baker Street. He begs Holmes for help, telling the unnerving story of a scar-faced man with piercing eyes who has stalked him in recent weeks. Intrigued, Holmes and Watson find themselves swiftly drawn into a series of puzzling and sinister events, stretching from the gas-lit streets of London to the teeming criminal underworld of Boston and the mysterious ‘House of Silk’.

Magnus Chase and the Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan

Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard is a trilogy based on Norse mythology. Magnus is an orphaned 16-year-old who has just discovered he is a Norse demigod. He voyages across the nine worlds meeting giants, monsters and angry gods.

And the Ocean Was Our Sky by Patrick Ness

The whales of Bathsheba’s pod live for the hunt, led by the formidable Captain Alexandra. They fight a never-ending war against men. Then the whales attack a man ship and, instead of easy prey, they find the trail of a myth, a monster, perhaps the devil himself. With their relentless Captain leading the chase, they embark on the final hunt, one that will forever change the worlds of whales and men.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon

Detective, and narrator, Christopher Boone is 15 and has Asperger’s syndrome. He knows a very great deal about maths and very little about human beings. He loves lists, patterns and the truth. He hates the colours yellow and brown and being touched. He has never gone further than the end of the road on his own. When he finds a neighbour’s dog murdered, he sets out on a terrifying journey, which will turn his whole world upside down.

The Call by Peadar O’Guilin

Nessa and her friends attend Boyle College to train for the most dangerous time of their lives. Without warning, each one of them will wake in a terrifying land, alone and hunted, with a slim chance of returning alive. No one believes Nessa can make it, but she is determined to prove them all wrong and she will need every ounce of spirit and courage in order to survive. A brutal but compelling read combining Irish folklore and fantasy.

Orphan Monster Spy by Matt Killeen

Sarah has played many roles, but now she faces her most challenging of all. There is only one way for a Jewish orphan spy to survive at a school for the Nazi elite, to become a monster like them. They think she is just a little girl, but she is the weapon they never saw coming, with a mission to destroy them all.

Running Girl by Simon Mason

Garvie Smith has the highest IQ ever recorded at Marsh Academy, with the lowest-ever grades. Nothing surprising ever happens, until Chloe Dow’s body is pulled from a pond. DI Singh is already on the case, ambitious, uptight, methodical. He is determined to solve the mystery. He doesn’t need any ‘“assistance” from notorious slacker, Smith, or does he?

Bone Talk by Candy Gourlay

Set in the Philippines 100 years ago. A boy called Samkad wants to become a man. He is desperate to be given his own shield, spear and axe. His best friend Luki wants to be a warrior too, but she is a girl and that is forbidden. Then a new boy arrives in the village and everything changes. He brings news that a people called ‘Americans’ are bringing war right to his home.

Shtum by Jem Lester

Ten-year-old Jonah lives in a world of his own. He likes colours, feathers and the feel of fresh air on his skin. He dislikes sudden loud noises and any change to his daily routine. Jonah has never spoken, yet somehow he communicates better than the adults in his life. Inspired by the author’s experiences with his own son, Shtum is a novel about three generations of a family learning to get along.

Boy 87 by Ele Fountain

Shif is just an ordinary boy who likes chess, maths and racing his best friend home from school. One day, soldiers with guns come to his door – and he knows that he is no longer safe. Shif is forced to leave his mother and little sister and embark on a dangerous journey: a journey through imprisonment and escape, new lands and strange voices, and a perilous crossing by land and sea. He will encounter cruelty and kindness and become separated from the people he loves.

Orangeboy by Patrice Lawrence

Sixteen-year-old Marlon has made his mum a promise to never follow his big brother Andre down the wrong path. So far, it has been easy but, when a date ends in tragedy, Marlon finds himself hunted. They are after the mysterious Mr Orange and they are going to use Marlon to get to him. Marlon’s out of choices. Can he become the person he never wanted to be to protect everyone he loves? A gripping story from the outset.

Glass Town Wars by Celia Rees

A boy in a coma is the premise of this cleverly constructed story. His comatose state gets hijacked by fantasy games and clever literary references to the Brontës. A beautifully crafted, multi-layered story with a gripping adventure.

The Trap by Alan Gibbons

Kate, an MI5 agent, receives a tip-off about an asset who seems too good to be true. Amir and Nasima are trying to make friends at their new school but are struggling to keep a terrible secret. A group of jihadists are planning something. Behind it all stands Majid: brother, son, hero, terrorist. Spanning Iraq, Syria and England, The Trap grapples with one of the greatest challenges of our time.

What Not to Do If You Turn Invisible by Ross Welford

Turning invisible at will is one way of curing your acne, but far more drastic than 13 year-old Ethel intended when she tried a combination of untested medicines and a sunbed. Being invisible is fun at first; aided by her friend Boydy, she manages to keep her extraordinary ability secret. When, one day, the invisibility fails to wear off, Ethel is thrown into a nightmare of lies and deception as she struggles to keep herself safe, to find the remedy that will make her be seen again and to solve the mystery of her own birth.

Mr Godley’s Phantom by Mal Peet

It is 1945 and Martin Heath, like many men at that time, is struggling to settle, to find his place again after the horrors of war. When an old comrade sends him a letter telling of a position that’s just come up with an elderly fellow called Mr Godley in the deepest and loneliest part of Devon, Martin travels there, and so begins a dark mystery.

The Boy Who Lied by Kim Slater

Ed Clayton is a liar. It started when his dad went to prison and now he can’t seem to stop. When his younger brother Sam goes missing one day, nobody believes Ed when he says he can’t remember what happened. Living without his brother is impossible. With the police and press asking questions and friends turning against the family, Ed is left trying to find Sam with only the help of his new neighbour, Fallon. When the two stumble on a secret that even Ed could never have imagined, it’s up to the liar to uncover the truth.

ClassicsDecline and Fall by Evelyn Waugh

Expelled from Oxford in outrageous circumstances, Paul Pennyfeather is oddly unsurprised to find himself qualifying for the position of schoolmaster at Llanabba Castle. His colleagues are an assortment of misfits, including Prendy (plagued by doubts) and Captain Grimes, who is always in the soup (or just plain drunk). Then Sports Day arrives and, with it, the delectable Margot Beste-Chetwynde, floating on a scented breeze. As the farce unfolds and the young run riot, no one is safe, least of all Paul.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

The unforgettable novel of a childhood in a sleepy Southern town and the crisis of conscience that rocked it, To Kill a Mockingbird became both an instant bestseller and a critical success when published in 1960. Compassionate, dramatic and deeply moving, To Kill a Mockingbird takes readers to the roots of human behaviour – to innocence and experience, kindness and cruelty, love and hatred, humour and pathos.

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

Drifters in search of work, George and his childlike friend Lennie have nothing in the world except the clothes on their back and a dream that one day they will have some land of their own. Eventually, they find work on a ranch in California’s Salinas Valley, but their hopes are dashed as Lennie, struggling against extreme cruelty, misunderstanding and feelings of jealousy, becomes a victim of his own strength. Tackling universal themes of friendship and shared vision, and giving a voice to America’s lonely and dispossessed, Of Mice and Men remains Steinbeck’s most popular work.

His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman

Northern Lights introduces Lyra, an orphan, who lives in a parallel universe in which science, theology and magic are entwined. Lyra’s search for a kidnapped friend uncovers a sinister plot involving stolen children, and turns into a quest to understand a mysterious phenomenon called Dust. In The Subtle Knife, she is joined on her journey by Will, a boy who possesses a knife that can cut windows between worlds. As Lyra learns the truth about her parents and her prophesied destiny, the two young people are caught up in a war against celestial powers that

Summer 2019

ranges across many worlds and leads to a thrilling conclusion in The Amber Spyglass.

Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson

When a mysterious sailor dies in sinister circumstances at the Admiral Benbow inn, young Jim Hawkins stumbles across a treasure map among the dead man’s possessions. Jim soon becomes only too aware that he is not the only one who knows of the map’s existence, and his bravery and cunning are tested to the full when, with his friends Squire Trelawney and Dr Livesey, he sets sail in the Hispaniola to track down the treasure. A quintessential adventure story that first established pirates in the popular imagination.

The Once and Future King by T H White

T H White’s retelling of the Arthurian legend is an abiding classic. This is the tale of King Arthur and his shining Camelot; of Merlyn and Owl and Guinevere; of beasts who talk and men who fly; of knights, wizardry and war. It is the book of all things lost and wonderful and sad; a masterpiece of fantasy.

Lord of the Flies by William Golding

The compelling story of a group of very ordinary small boys marooned on a coral island has become a modern classic. At first, it seems as though it is all going to be great fun but, before long, the fun becomes furious and life on the island turns into a nightmare of panic and death. As ordinary standards of behaviour collapse, the whole world the boys know collapses with them, the world of cricket and homework and adventure stories, and another world is revealed beneath, primitive and terrible.

The Body in the Library by Agatha Christie

It’s seven o’clock in the morning. The Bantrys wake to find the body of a young woman in their library. She is wearing evening dress and heavy make-up, which is now smeared across her cheeks. Who is she? How did she get there? What is the connection with another dead girl whose charred remains are later discovered in an abandoned quarry? The respectable Bantrys invite Miss Marple to solve the mystery before tongues start to wag.

Non-fictionOur Planet by Alastair Fothergill

Featuring some of the world’s rarest creatures and previously unseen parts of the Earth, Our Planet takes nature-lovers deep into the science of our natural world. Revealing the most amazing sights on Earth in unprecedented ways, alongside stories of the ways humans are affecting the world’s ecosystems, this book captures in one concise narrative a fundamental message: what we do in the next 20 years will determine the future of not just the natural world but humanity itself. First Man In: Leading from the Front by Ant Middleton

No one is born a leader but, through sheer determination and by confronting life’s challenges, Ant Middleton has come to know the meaning of true leadership. In First Man In, he shares the core lessons he’s learned over the course of his fascinating, exhilarating life. He served in the SBS, the naval wing of the special forces, the Royal Marines and 9 Parachute Squadron Royal, achieving what is known as the ‘Holy Trinity’ of the UK’s elite forces.

The Kindness of Strangers edited by Fearghal O’Nuallain

Travel opens our minds to the world; it helps us to embrace risk and uncertainty, overcome challenges and understand the people we meet and the places we visit. The Kindness of Strangers explores what it means to be vulnerable and to be helped by someone we’ve never met before, someone who could have walked past, but chose not to.

Bounce by Matthew Syed

What are the real secrets of sporting success, and what lessons do they offer about life? Two-time Olympian, sports writer and broadcaster Matthew Syed draws on the latest in neuroscience and psychology to uncover the secrets of our top athletes. The mind-bending Bounce is a must-read for the hardened sports enthusiast or brand-new convert.

Shell Reading Group

The Shell Reading Group meets on alternate Tuesdays in the Vaughan Library. We discuss contemporary and classic books and review new books and films. If you are unsure what to read next or want to share your favourite book then please join us. We also have book-based games, quizzes and refreshments. Please ask for more details at the Vaughan Library.

Websiteswww.goodreads.comwww.booktrust.org.uk/books/teenagerswww.childrensbooksequels.co.ukwww.carnegiegreenaway.org.ukwww.theguardian.com/childrens-books-sitewww.lovereading4kids.co.ukwww.teenreads.com

VAUGHAN LIBRARY Summer 2019

How to Think Like an Absolute Genius by Phillipe Brasseur

Develop your talents by drawing inspiration from the greatest of geniuses. Meet 27 geniuses from different eras and disciplines – artists, scientists, thinkers or writers – and learn from their ‘creative methods’. Packed with facts, games and activity ideas to boost your intelligence and creative, inventive and critical thinking skills, this book will show you that you can become awesome at whatever you put your mind to.

The Big Ones: How Natural Disasters Have Shaped Us by Dr Lucy Jones

Dr Jones investigates some of the most impactful natural disasters and how their reverberations are still felt today. With populations in hazardous regions growing and temperatures around the world rising, the impacts of natural disasters are greater than ever before. The Big Ones is more than just a work of history or science; it is a call to action. Natural hazards are inevitable; human catastrophes are not.

Gut by Giulia Enders

Our gut is as important as our brain or heart, yet we know very little about how it works and many of us are too embarrassed to ask questions. Giulia Enders breaks this taboo, revealing the latest science on how much our digestive system has to offer. This entertaining and informative health handbook shows that we can all benefit from getting to know the wondrous world of our inner workings.