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Redwood School (Tawa)

11,638 pages read and 4,442 team points

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    dianey18

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    Jan L

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    KateC

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Jan L

5,463 pts
(4,334 pages read)

  • The mushroom in the sky

    By Jackie French
    5 stars

    I really enjoyed this book. Written from two perspectives it showed the reality of WWII for many Australians - Kat who lived in the Australian countryside helping Mrs Plum care for the many dogs left behind when their owners went to war - and Ossie, a young lad who enlisted to fight and was captured by the Japanese. Many war stories for children have been told from the point of what happened In Europe but this was the first children's story I'd read set much closer to home. I'm not sure many young New Zealanders would realise how close the war got to our shores. For younger readers it does get quite graphic towards the end of the book as Ossie helps survivors of the Atomic bomb drop and there were definitely tears in my eyes in the late stages of the story, so I would only recommend this book to older readers in our school library. That said, I'm sure many children will find this book an interesting, informative and enjoyable read.

  • Clown Town

    By Mick Herron
    5 stars

    Another thought provoking and addictive read by Mick Herron. Absolutely love these books and am already looking forward to the next one in the series, as is my husband!

  • The last journey

    By Stacy Gregg
    4 stars

    Books with animals as the main character are always popular with children so I was interested to read the latest offering from Stacy Gregg - an author perhaps better known for her 'horsey' books. The story is set in a time and place when cats have become the enemy of the government. Blamed for the disappearance of birds, cats all over the country are being rounded up and killed. Despite having a loving owner, Pusskin, the hero of this story, knows this will be his fate too unless he escapes to 'Cat Island' where there are no humans, only cats. So he rounds up all the cats in his cul-de-sac and convinces them all to come on an epic adventure as they search for safety. The relationship between Pusskin and his owner Lottie is a poignant reminder of the love and companionship that pets offer to their owners (and visa-versa) The decision that Lottie has to make to keep Pusskin safe is definitely an illustration of love in action. I personally enjoyed the small details explaining cat behaviour that were slipped seamlessly into the book. Stacy comes across as someone who deeply cares about animals. And of course, I'm a sucker for any explanation at the end of book that explains where the inspiration for a book came from! This will be a popular book in our school library I'm sure.

  • Kingmaker

    By Sonia Purnell
    4 stars

    This book is an astoundingly detailed account of Pamela Churchill's life. I confess to never having heard of her and yet, as the author reveals, Pamela was incredibly influential in many aspects of both British and American, 20th Century politics. At times the life she led seemed so far-fetched I had to remind myself that this was a meticulously researched book by an author considered an expert in her field. The prejudice and judgement Pamela constantly experienced as a woman trying to succeed in a world dominated by men, would be an aspect of the story that many women will relate too. (The glamour, money and the many men in her life perhaps less relatable!) This wasn't a quick or easy read, and at times it lost me a little in the sheer amount of detail given but I imagine there would be many different readers for this book, particularly those with an interest in politics.

  • Foul Play

    By Fiona McIntosh
    3 stars

    A non-demanding, holiday read. By the end of the book I was reasonably invested in the main character 'Jack Hawksworth' and the mystery he had to solve. For me, as a 'sporty' person, it was interesting to have a sporting angle to this story, with a top football player the target of a blackmail scheme. I would read another 'Jack Hawksworth' novel if it crossed my path, but I wouldn't go searching for it.

  • A month of Sundays

    By Liz Byrski
    3 stars

    This was certainly a book I could relate to in parts. Four 60+ women who have been part of an online book club for many years, decide to meet in person for the very first time. They spend several weeks together in a beautiful home in the Blue Mountains. Each woman has chosen a book for the group to discuss - the twist is that their chosen book has to reveal something about themselves. So far, so intriguing. What unravels is a little less convincing. All four women are dealing with issues many women who fall into the (ahem!) more mature age bracket would also face - loss of a partner, health issues, retirement etc etc. But for me, the way that all these issues are so neatly resolved and how wonderfully the women all understand and support each other almost instantly was a tad unbelievable. That said, this was an easy book to read under the holiday sun with a happily pleasant outcome :)

  • North and the only one

    By Vashti Hardy
    3 stars

    This book wasn't really a hit with me - I was intrigued by the concept of a human girl waking from a deep sleep to find she is living amongst humanoid robots and she is quite possibly the last of her kind. However, the storyline seemed a tad 'clunky' to me, and towards the end of the book, felt downright preachy. That said, I'm not the target audience and I can see this book appealing to a younger reader with a fast moving plot and a lot of 'edge of the seat' action. I did enjoy the connection between Rose and her humanoid mother at the end of the book. That was a nice touch.

  • Rabbit, soldier, angel, thief

    By Katrina Nannesta
    5 stars

    Another great read from Katrina Nannesta. I'm already thinking about the children I will recommend this book too as we have a lot of students who enjoy war stories. This book reminds me very much of the Morris Gleiztman's 'Once' series. I loved the way Katrina structured the story using certain 'found' or stolen objects to act as memory prompts for Sasha as he slowly and painfully pieces the story of his broken life back together. I think the true genius of the story though is just how wonderful the character of Sasha is. Yes, parts of his story are brutal but through it all Sasha chooses to love and that leaves the reader hopeful despite the darkness. This is a story children of the world need to read right now.

  • What happens now?

    By Sophia Money-Coutts
    2 stars

    When a book is recommended as 'perfect for poolside reading' by Hello magazine you can probably guess how it's going to go - and from that point of view this book didn't disappoint. Predictable from the very beginning and often just a little to graphic for me, I whizzed through it in a couple of days. The reason for the two stars was because it was a very non-demanding read at a very demanding time - and there were some funny passages throughout the book from a woman's point of view :) So that lifted it from a one-star rating!

  • Hamnet

    By Maggie O'Farrell
    5 stars

    What a delight of a book. I must confess I only initially read it because it is our book club pick for the month but I really enjoyed it, have recommended it to several people and am now eagerly awaiting the film adaptation! I loved how the author took a tiny slice of history and developed a whole world of characters around it in what was a very poignant read. Highly recommend.

  • Lessons on Living

    By Nigel Latta
    5 stars

    It was with a mixture of sadness and anticipation that I read this book, the last that Nigel Latta will ever share with the world. It didn't disappoint. Filled with his usual common sense advice and in organised into easily digestable chapters I have already recommended it to several friends. If you are only ever going to read one self help book as an adult, then this book is for you. And if you love reading self help books...then this book should also be in the reading pile beside your bed! Highly recommended.

  • Ghost Kiwi

    By Ruth Paul
    5 stars

    I was very curious to read this book as I've only known Ruth Paul to write picture books. However, given her known interest in kiwis I expected it to be an interesting read and it was. It has a very 'Kiwi' feel to the characters and the story moves along at a brisk pace. This is a short fiction book and one that would appeal to children looking for a quick read. I will also be asking a teacher to read it this year to test it's suitability to be read aloud. I think it would be an excellent class read.

  • The Freedom Merchants

    By Sherryl Jordan
    4 stars

    I read this book as part of my 'culling' process in our school library. I really enjoyed it and as a result, even though it is over ten years old, it will stay on the shelves. I can already picture the students I will be recommending this exciting adventure story too!

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