Great Books

This page is frequently updated with new reviews . If you would like to add a review, please email sara.korman@galen.vic.edu.au

Historical and War

Anchor 1

Reviewed by Ms Korman

The War that Saved my Life

This book has an interesting plot, that keeps you thinking and feeling for the characters throughout. When it ends, you will wish there was more!

The main character Ada is abused by her mother because she has a deformed foot. Her life changes when she is sent to the country with her brother during World War Two. Ada learns things she had never dreamed of. How to walk, ride a pony and make friends. But these things don't come easy for Ada. However, she is determined and feisty, fighting until the end.

The book is emotional without being soppy and the author doesn't tell you what to think, rather letting you make up your own mind. The author also leaves some clues about characters that you need to work out for yourself, rather than making everything obvious.

Available in print at the library and also as an ebook here.

Watch a teen review of "The War that Saved my Life"

Reviewed by Ms Korman

Our Castle by the Sea

Twelve-year-old Petra lives in a lighthouse on the coast of England, so close to Europe that she can see right across to France on a clear day. When the war begins, she finds that everything about her life is turned upside down. Her German-born mother is accused of supporting the enemy by sending secret messages to the Nazis and is sent to a prison camp. However, Petra knows her mother is innocent and it becomes clear that someone else close to her has been sending information to the Nazis. But you will have to read the book to find out who the real culprit is.

Once I began reading this book I couldn't stop. The mystery set against the backdrop of World War II is intriguing and keeps you guessing right until the end. Petra is also a smart, interesting and brave character and it is enjoyable to follow her journey through the book.

Watch the author talk about "Our Castle by the Sea"

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Reviewed by Ms Korman

Beyond Belief

For fans of the Once series by Morris Gleitzman...

An engaging and fast paced story set in Paris during World War II; inspired by the true story of Muslims who saved the lives of Jewish children in the Second World War.

In order to evade capture by the Nazi's Ruben hides out in a mosque, protected by the Imam and his family. In order to stay protected and to save those hiding him, he must learn how to pass himself off as Muslim. At the same time as protecting himself, Ruben is also desperate to find away to be reunited with his family.

This is a very powerful and at times heart-breaking book. It shows the lengths that many went to during the war in order to protect those that were being persecuted. It is a reminder that different religions can work together for the common good.

Reviewed by Ms Korman

When we were Warriors

A body washed up on the beach . . . Evacuation to an old house with forbidden rooms and dark secrets . . . An animal rescue service . . .Set in World War Two

Set during WWII in England, this book tells three, interwoven short stories about young adult characters that find themselves in the midst of war.

I really enjoyed the fact that each story shows a very different experience of war, from finding a German soldier washed up on a beach, to being sent to live in a country mansion and to finding a way to protect animals and pets from a bombing raid: this book has something for everyone.

Being short, each story is also to the point and fast paced, making them great for anyone who enjoys a quick read. I found once I read a page or two in each story it drew me in and I had to keep reading!

Available in print at the library and also as an ebook here.

Watch from 1.10 for a discussion of "When we Were Warriors"

Mystery and Crime

Anchor 2

Reviewed by Ms Korman

The Book of Chance

This book was inspired by a true-crime mystery that took over a decade to solve.

Chance's life has always revolved around her mum, her dog and her best friend Alek. Along with the Truth, they are the most important things in her life. Chance’s mother has kept detailed diaries of their lives from the moment she was born, and she knows every part by heart, including the tragic death of her father just a week before she was born.

However, Chance's understanding of her life and the truth are torn apart when a reality TV show arrives at her home and reveals the holes in the stories her mother has told her.

These revelations lead Chance on a search for a truth that will change everything she knows about her life so far.

Available in print at the Galen Library.

Listen to the author introduce her book, "The Book of Chance"

Reviewed by Ms Korman

The Tell

A fast paced, Aussie crime thriller.

Rey's father is a notorious Sydney crime boss currently imprisoned in maximum security.

Rey's sick of the reputation, stress and drama of being a part of a crime family and wants to leave it all behind. However, when his father escapes maximum security, Rey is thrown right into the thick of Sydney's criminal underground.

This book will leave you on the edge of your seat, drawn along with the action and characters.

Listen to the first chapter of "The Tell"

Reviewed by Ms Korman

My Father's Shadow

Where do you turn when those closest to you cannot be trusted?

Kaya is suffering from PTSD after a traumatic experience that has left her with memory loss. All she knows is that her father is dead and her and her mother have had to flee Sydney to Mt Wilson in the upper Blue Mountains.

As fragments of her memory return, parts of her mother's story begin to not add up, and it seems that there are dangers other than what her mother has revealed.

If you enjoy mysteries where the truth is gradually revealed, leaving you guessing right up until the last pages, this book could be for you.

Available in print at the Galen Library.

Reviewed by Ms Korman

The Goldfish Boy

This book is for people that love a quirky, strange main character.

Matthew has OCD and refuses to leave his home for fear of germs. Instead, he spends his time looking out the window and spying on the neighborhood. Which seems weird, but when the toddler next door goes missing Matthew’s spying maybe the key to solving the mystery.

Watch a teen review of "The Goldfish Boy"

Fantasy

Anchor 3

Reviewed by Ms Korman

Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow

If you love Harry Potter, Morrigan Crow may just be the next series for you.

Fully of mystery, magic and adventure, the plot is fast paced, interesting and even has some laughs.

Morrigan is cursed to die on her 12th birthday. However, no one, even her parents, seem to care. Her curse has brought them all bad luck and they are looking forward to time after Morrigan!

Lucky for Morrigan she is whisked away to Nevermore before her death. If she wants to stay and live she has to pass a series of seemingly impossible trials!

When the book ended I wanted more! Lucky there is a sequel!

Available in print at the Galen Library.

Watch a reading from the beginning of "Nevermoor".

Reviewed by Ms L Taylor

The Ten-Thousand Doors of January

If you like books, stories and escapism I think you will like this book. Part historical novel and part fantasy novel, the book is set in the early 1900s. January Scaller is a ward of the powerful Mr. Locke. Her father is a frequently absent figure in her life due to the mysterious work he performs for Mr. Locke.

January’s joy for life and independent nature are gradually eroded as she is molded by Mr. Locke’s desire for her to be “civilized”. One day she finds a book that carries the scent of other worlds and tells a story of secret doors, love, adventure and danger.

January gradually discovers who she is and sets out to find a door to her parents and a new life of her own. This book is beautifully written and contains a magical tale about the power of stories and love.

Listen to an audio preview of the book.

Realist

Anchor 4

Reviewed by Ms Korman

Long Way Down

Great if you are looking for something different.

The action of the novel takes place in the 60 seconds its takes the main character to travel in a lift from their apartment to the ground floor. Will grabs a gun and jumps in the lift, intent on getting revenge.

During the ride to the ground floor he is visited by memories and visions of people he knows. They all have an opinion on what he should do next.

This book is emotional, raw and fast-paced. It’s unlike anything you have read before and it will leave you guessing right until the end.

This verse novel is available in print from the Galen Library and as an ebook here.

Listen to a clip of the author reading an excerpt of "Long Way Down"

Reviewed by Ms Korman

The January Stars

Clancy and Tash have kidnapped their grandfather from an aged care home. He’s a stroke survivor in a wheelchair whose main form of communication is just a few words: ‘yes’, ‘nah’ and ‘sp-sp-sp-’. They don’t really have any plans at first beyond taking him back to his now-empty house in Rosella, a place outside the city the girls now live in.

When it is revealed on their trip that Pa hates the home, the girls set off to find him somewhere else to stay, successfully avoiding police and nosy waitresses, and meeting and making old and new friends along the way.

This is a warm hearted book with a cast of quirky and lovable characters and you will love seeing Clancy and Tash succeed where the adults in their lives have failed. The characters, themes and action of this book kept me interested from the first page to the last!

Reviewed by Mrs Hines

Untidy Towns

Finding your way...

This book was an excellent read, with realistic characters and set in a small country town it was easy to find a connection with the characters. The story explores change, how it forces us all to reassess our lives and question the decisions we have made. And how sometimes what you really want is much closer than you think.

Watch an interview with author Kate O'Donnell

Reviewed by Ms L Taylor

A Monster Calls

This is such a beautiful, touching, terrible and heartbreaking book.

The monster is not what you might think.

It will probably make you cry.

It is written by Patrick Ness and based on an idea by Siobhan Dowd, an award-winning children’s author who died at the age of 47 of cancer before she could write the book.

This book is about grief, anger, guilt and family connections and disconnections.

Beware – it can be raw and emotional and dark but I think it is a must read for everyone.

This novel is available in print from the Galen Library and as an ebook here.

Book trailer for "A Monster Calls"

Anchor 5

Dystopia & Sci-Fi

Reviewed by Ms L Taylor

Hive

Hayley lives in a world of six hexagonal houses. Life is controlled and ordered. No one questions and everyone follows the rules. They have lived this way for many generations. Or so they think.

When Hayley discovers a drip in the ceiling where a drip should not be it makes her question everything. She believes water can only come from one place, the Source. Then the drip disappears. Hayley begins to think she is going mad, which is the worst thing that can happen to someone in her society.

Hayley then meets the son, and a monster and witnesses a death. Things are starting to change … will Hayley discover the truth?

An Australian dystopian novel set in an unknown future, this book builds to an exciting finish, leaving us waiting for book two – Rogue.

This novel is available in print from the Galen Library and as an ebook here.

Reviewed by Ms L Taylor

Dry

Dry is an action packed climate change, end of the world as we know it novel.

In California, Alyssa's world changes in a heartbeat as the taps run dry. With no water available from the taps, civilisation slowly but surely descends into chaos, desperation and violence.

A human can survive without water for approximately three days. Would you know where to find drinkable water if you could not get it from a tap?

Ask yourself - what would you do to survive? Steal? Betray? Kill?

This book is an all too believable tale of the threat of climate change and the power of survival at all costs.

This novel is available in print at the Galen Library and also as an ebook here.

reckoning-the-silver-blackthorn-trilogy-

Reviewed by Mrs Hines

The Reckoning

Be careful what you wish for …

Trapped in a difficult world, Silver Blackthorn looks forward to her coming of age test which determines her future and her place in the hierarchy of the society. If she makes the grade she will become an Offering for the King and live in the palace as his body guard, a place of honour. But worrying rumours are circulating, rumours that echo in her head as she realises that finding truth is almost as hard as finding who to trust … and now for Silver there is only one decision left, how to fight back. This is the first book in a trilogy.

This novel is available in print form from the Galen Library.

Reviewed by Mrs Hines

The Reckoning

Be careful what you wish for …

This novel is available in print form from the Galen Library.

Reviewed by Ms L Taylor

Unwind

In a dark and dystopian future Earth, a war has been fought over the question of existence. Pro-life versus Pro-choice. Set in America, a constitutional amendment has been created to satisfy both sides. It states human life cannot be harmed from the moment of conception until a child reaches the age of thirteen.

However, between the ages of thirteen and eighteen, a parent may choose to retroactively “abort” their child on the condition that the child’s life doesn’t technically end. This process is called unwinding.

Connor’s parents have chosen to unwind him, they do not know that he knows this. Rather than be unwound, Connor runs away. Whilst on the run he meets companions in a similar situation. Where is a safe place they can hide? The police are always on the lookout for runaway unwinds. Can Connor overcome his anger and find a solution for himself and his friends? Or will he be unwound, destined to live as parts for other humans?

Reviewed by Ms Korman

The Vanishing Deep

Seventeen year old Tempest is born to a world drowned by water. To survive, the inhabitants have built floating islands from which many dive to the cities below, retrieving treasures to be traded for currency.

Tempest once dove the drowned cities with her sister until Elysea mysteriously drowns. Tempest is determined to earn enough money to pay for her sister to be brought back to life for 24 hours, not because she loves her but because she is sure she had something to do with their parents deaths. However, once her sister is re-animated, a chain of events neither could of predicted is unleashed.

Although the world of this book is vastly different to our own, I felt that the author was able to quickly build a picture of life there, whilst progressing with the action and character building. The limited 24 hour time frame in which the whole story occurs also means that this was a fast paced read with each chapter ending on a cliff-hanger.

Romance

Anchor 6

Reviewed by Mrs Hines

Layoverland

A Quirky love story.

I really enjoyed this book. It has one of the strangest settings for a love story, but it is that very quirkiness that helps set is apart from so many others of the genre.

Bea, wakes to find, well, that she's dead. But that's not the worst part, the way she has lived is going to keep her in this "halfway place" where life goes on with such monotony unless she can atone.

In this strange place, Bea finds new friends, real meaning, and even the start of something more. But sometimes in life and in death, to really love something or someone, is to let go.