Tag Archives: YA

The Definition of Us By Sarah Harris | Book of The Week

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This is a heart-warming and endearing novel. A YA novel which can be read by any age. A wonderful book on mental illness that will not just entertain, but also could improve, and even save, some some young people’s lives. We need more books like this. Just stunning and so important.

NORMAL (definition)
(adj.) Conforming to a standard; regular, typical or expected
(urban) A word inapplicable to human beings
(Florence) Round, smooth and bumpy like a cobbled street

Florence doesn’t always see things the way other people do. She feels different.

When Florence meets Jasper, Andrew and Wilf she can’t imagine they’d have much in common – with at least five mental health conditions between them, they all have very different reasons for being referred to Manor Lane Therapy Centre.

It’s only when their therapist, Howard, goes missing that they find a common purpose. Worried by his disappearance and wanting answers, the four of them decide to track him down.

As they cross the country in a ‘borrowed’ van, asking each other Ultimate Questions and facing a series of challenges along the way, they start to reveal their true selves – and Florence realises there’s more to all of them than just a diagnosis . . .

Maybe they’re not so different after all?

Full of irreverent humour, witty dialogue and characters you can’t help but fall in love with, this timely novel is perfect for fans of John Green, Rainbow Rowell and Jennifer Niven.

‘This is without a doubt one of the best (if not THE best) YA book about mental health that I’ve read; Sarah Harris takes such a delicate subject, weaves humour and love and friendship, and creates such a beautiful book’ Beautiful Bookland

‘This endearing story does much to enlighten readers of all ages by dispelling myths surrounding mental health in a rollickingly entertaining manner . . . a heart-warming odyssey’ Peterborough Telegraph

‘I can honestly say that this is the best book about mental health that I’ve read to date. The representation, understanding, acceptance and ‘relatability’ of mental health portrayed in this book was, in my opinion, flawless. It’s juxtaposed with sweetness, humour, romance and friendship and I enjoyed every minute of it’ My Endless Shelf

‘Everything I love about contemporary YA . . . highly recommended’ Goodreads reviewer

The Definition of Us By Sarah Harris is available here.

Christmas Books For Young People | Christmas Gift List

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It is never too early to get a child into books. Hopefully it will become a life-long habit. These are a great selection for tots to teens. christmasbooksforchildren

Deadly 2015 Annual Steve Backshall  Out 6 November, HB £12.99

This is a brilliant book to get your child interested in nature and the wider world. Steve Backshall’s Deadly team travel to all corners of the world to film, visiting the driest deserts, the steamiest rain forests, the highest mountains and the snowiest forests in search of the most awesome wildlife. This annual is full of amazing pictures and facts about these incredible places and the animals that spend their lives there. There is also plenty of puzzles, pictures and fun stuff to enjoy.

Deadly Annual 2015

 

The Art of Being a Brilliant Teenager 

A great idea for a book. Becoming a teenager can be as hard as living with one. This brilliant book is a guide to starting the journey to an ideal life as a teen. It helps support young people to become the very best version of themselves—and shows them how to figure out who that is, exactly. Written by experts in the art of happiness and positive psychology, this new book will help teenagers become brilliant at school, work and life in general. They will learn to stay cool under all the pressures they’re facing and plot a map for the future that takes them wherever it is they want to go.

This is a book for ambitious teens who are ready to become proactive, determined, successful and most importantly: happy! And for parents and teachers desperate to turn a down-beat teenager into a ray of positivity and delight

The Art of Being a Brilliant Teenager

 

Adventures in Raspberry Pi by Carrie Anne Philbin

This is a great book to give your child a head start in life. Computing knowledge is a must and learning how to program will seriously boost their future career prospects. Assuming no prior computing knowledge, Adventures in Raspberry Piuses the wildly successful, low-cost, Raspberry Pi to explain fundamental computing concepts.

 

The Raspberry Pi is a credit card sized computer that, when plugged into a screen and a keyboard, can do many of the things that a desktop PC. Users can experiment by connecting up electronics circuits, learn to program in Scratch and Python, learn to manage programs and files with Linux and much more.

 

Written by Carrie Anne Philbin, a high school teacher of computing who advises the UK government, the book contains nine fun projects that young people will be able to use to learn basic programming and system administration skills. Starting with the very basics of how to plug in the board and turn it on, later chapters (called Adventures) cover areas including Programming Shapes and Building a Raspberry Pi Jukebox. Each project includes a link to a lively and informative video to reinforce the lessons, making it perfect for young, eager self-learners and their parents.

Adventures in Raspberry Pi

 

Tinder Sally Gardner

A great novel for teenagers (and adults) go sink their teeth into: Otto Hundebiss is tired of war, but when he defies Death he walks a dangerous path. A half beast half man gives him shoes and dice which will lead him deep into a web of dark magic and mystery. He meets the beautiful Safire – pure of heart and spirit, the scheming Mistress Jabber and the terrifying Lady of the Nail. He learns the powers of the tinderbox and the wolves whose master he becomes. But will all the riches in the world bring him the thing he most desires?

Fairy tales are often the cruellest stories of all; in this exquisite novel Sally Gardner writes about great love and great loss.

Tinder

 

Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up For Education and Changed The World

The girl of the moment. Nobel Peace prize winner Malala has finally told her story. A wonderful gift to give children of either gender. A testament to how important education and equality is. Written in collaboration with critically acclaimed National Book Award finalist Patricia McCormick. Malala tells her story – from her childhood in the Swat Valley to the shooting, her recovery and new life in England.

Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Changed the World

 

Best Friends Bakery A Spoonful of Secrets By Linda Chapman

A Spoonful of Secrets is a fun and enjoyable read. This is the second book in the series. A great story about friendship, fun and baking. After a difficult beginning, things are starting to look up for the Sugar and Spice Bakery. Business is good, and Hannah is excited about starting school with her new friends. But as school starts, Mia is acting strangely, and it looks as though things aren’t going to be as easy as Hannah had thought…

A Spoonful of Secrets (Best Friends’ Bakery 2)

 

Mariella Mystery Investigates The Spaghetti Yeti By Kate Pankhurst

Book five in the series. A fun and engaging book for your child.

“Mariella Mystery (That’s me!) – totally amazing girl detective, aged 9 and a bit. Able to solve the most mysterious mysteries and perplexing problems, even before breakfast.

Is there really a spaghetti-loving yeti stalking the woods next to Limpet Rocks Campsite? Mariella and the Mystery Girls are determined to find out.”

Mariella Mystery Investigates the Spaghetti Yeti (Mariella Mysteries)

 

The Beaver and the Elephant by Keith Lemon

We were quite surprised that the same person who does the crude TV show Celebrity Juice had written a children’s book, but apparently it is true. A hilarious prequel to the bestselling Being Keith, Little Keith Lemon is a no-holds-barred memoir of Keith’s early life in Leeds.  Keith lifts the lid on all the experiences that have led him to become an international ladies’ man and national treasure – from honing his entrepreneurial skills while organising a topless jelly wrestling competition to turning his back on a breakdancing career. This first book, containing three short stories, brings Keith’s distinctive style to the page and follows the adventures of the bossy Beaver and the bumbling but loveable Elephant – whether they are shopping for shoes, splashing around in the sea on holiday or getting into the Christmas spirit. You might even spot a strawberry blonde Northern businessman in there too.

The Beaver and the Elephant is available here.