This month has been a bit of a strange one. I've found it really difficult to get into books, but the ones I have read I've absolutely loved. Here is what I read in March, enjoy!
Fragile Lives - Professor Stephen Westaby
Professor Stephen Westaby took chances and pushed the boundaries of heart surgery, saving thousands of lives over the course of a thirty-five year career. Now, in his astonishing memoir, Westaby details some of his most remarkable and poignant cases - such as the baby who had suffered multiple heart attacks by six months old, a woman who had lived the nightmare of locked-in syndrome, and a man whose life was powered by a battery for eight years.
Fragile Lives is a thought-provoking memoir that I pretty much read in one train journey. I found it so interesting to read about some of the major operations in his career and I appreciated how Westaby included a back story for each patient and operation. When I finished this book, I immediately had to double check I was on the organ donor register. A super read, especially if you are interested in the NHS.
Roy, Tyrone and Prem. Three boys who aren't easy, who attract trouble, who don't fit in. But they know what they want, and they've got the talent to back it up.
I saw this book when I went into Waterstones to spend some World Book Day vouchers for my class and thought I'd give it a read. A totally different read to what I normally enjoy, but I enjoyed this quick and easy read. The themes are relevant and I can imagine reluctant teenage readers would absolutely love this.
Alice Mistlethwaite has been packed off to an unusual boarding school in Scotland. Everyone is talking about the Great Orienteering Challenge, where students are sent off, unsupervised, for three days! Alice sees her chance.. She just needs to persuade her teammates, rule-abiding Jesse and mischief-maker Fergus, to follow her across the wild Scottish highlands and islands, in search of a legendary castle.
I was lucky enough to win a copy of this book on twitter thanks to @MrBoothY6. This book completely took me back to my childhood and I absolutely adored it. It reminded me of reading Famous Five when younger, but with so much more included to keep it up to date. I adored the story line and the theme of relationships between children and adults. A great choice for UKS2 or read aloud class book. I can't wait to read more from Natasha.
An Abundance of Katherines - John Green
When it comes to relationships, Colin Singleton's type is girls named Katherine. And when it comes to girls named Katherine, Colin is always getting dumped. Nineteen times, to be exact. On a road trip miles from home, this anagram-happy, washed-up child prodigy has ten thousand dollars in his pocket, a bloody-thirsty feral hog on his trail, and an overweight Judge Judy loving best friend riding shotgun - but no Katherine. Colin is on a mission to prove The Theorem of Underlying Katherine Predictability, which he hopes will predict the future of any relationship, avenge dumpees everywhere and finally win him the girl.
I haven't read anything else by John Green, but I've got to say I really didn't enjoy this. The characters were really difficult to like and I just found the plot completely bizarre. Sorry!
The thing that makes me different from other eleven-year old boys, apart from my fantastic running ability, is that my parents have learning difficulties. It's no big deal for me. Really it isn't. I don't look after them. We look after each other.
I adored this book which deals with a sensitive topic in such a tender way. I found myself really caring about the character AJ and empathising with his situation. This a perfect book to share with KS2 about the life of a young carer but also to show how easy it is for us to judge situations that others find themselves in. I really do recommend any KS2 teachers share this beautiful book with their class.
When robot Roz opens her eyes for the first time, she discovers that she is alone on a remote, wild island. She has no idea how she got there or what her purpose is - but she knows she needs to survive. But as Roz slowly befriends the animals, the island starts to feel like home - until, one day, her mysterious past comes back to haunt her.
I LOVED THIS! This is such a quirky book about a loveable robot named Roz. It covers so many themes including bullying, families (when not biologically related), the importance of kindness and the relationship between technology and the environment. The short chapters with beautiful black and white illustrations make it a perfect book for KS2 which you could easily link to STEM. I now need to buy The Wild Robot Escapes!
When Lucy was little, she was whisked away to Narnia - and Kirran Island - and Wonderland. She ventured down rabbit holes and womble burrows, into midnight gardens and chocolate factories. She wandered the countryside with Milly-Molly-Mandy, and played by the tracks with the Railway Children. With Charlotte's Web, she discovered death, and with Judy Blume it was boys. No wonder she only left the house for her weekly trip to the library or to spend her pocket money on amassing her own at home.
I noticed this book when perusing the Waterstones website and immediately had to order it. From reading the blurb, Lucy Mangan sounded like a really bookish child that I instantly connected with. I found it really nostalgic to read about books from my childhood that I'd forgotten about and would regularly nod along when reading. I really enjoyed the added details she included about a variety of authors and I will now have to revisit some old favourites. Read this if you're a bookworm, you'll love it.
It's Saturday, it's summer and, although he doesn't know it yet, everything in Adam Thorn's life is going to fall apart. Relationships will change, he'll change, but maybe, just maybe, he'll find freedom in the release. Time is running out though, because way across town a ghost has risen from the lake. Searching, yearning, she leaves a trail of destruction in her wake..
I adore everything that Patrick Ness writes and this was no different. This very personal story focuses on Adam who is a gay teenager living in a very strict Christian family. The characters in this story feel very real which is probably why I felt the story was very character driven. The characters are beautifully written about, particularly Angela who is Adam's Korean-American best friend. This story provides a lot of food for thought about sexuality, self worth and the labels we give people.
Fabio, the world's greatest flamingo detective, just wants to sit on the veranda of the Hotel Royale and drink pink lemonade, not judge the local talent show. But, when Julia the jazz-singing hippo disappears from the stage, Fabio knows he's been served a tall, refreshing glass of crime.
This is a wonderful detective story for young children. It is full of tongue in cheek humour which I adored and the illustrations are beautiful. I really appreciated how twists and turns are included in this story and it will definitely keep children guessing. The story has lots of shorts chapters with a perfect size font for year 2, my class are definitely going to be fighting over this one!
There, in front of Max, was a tiny boy, no bigger than an ant ... and behind the boy, millions of others: a thriving, sprawling civilization. A civilization in need of Max's help!
First of all, how beautiful is the cover of this book?! I have really enjoyed reading this story over the past week or so. It is a fast-paced adventure story with characters I immediately warmed to. I adore the writing style and the strong theme of fitting in and friendship. A beautiful book to highlight how we should appreciate the tiniest things in life. I definitely need to read more books from Ross Montgomery this month.
