The Thirty Nine Steps is a great classic by John Buchan. It is a story of a man who has come back from an African war to London. He feels that he is almost bored to death in London and he would like to go back to Africa and then suddenly an adventure of national importance springs on him...
This story is great for the the people who want a challenging book and it is
full of adventure and misery. My rating for such a well written book is 100% and I hope you enjoy it.
By Finlay Brown
This book gripped me from the start. It isn’t just a book; it shows us how people can be controlled by fear and how the state can manipulate the truth. It is so realistic but chilling at the same time -the way the world is split in to three which are always at war with each other. It was realistic in that it showed us that we all have a breaking point.
The book is about a man: Winston, who works for the ministry of truth. There are several ministries: the ministry of love, the ministry of peace, and the ministry of plenty. All ironic in their names because of the slogan:
“War is peace;
freedom is slavery;
ignorance is strength.”
The people of Oceania are ruled by one party Big Brother. He looks out from every poster, and the thought police uncover every act of betrayal. The thought police are there to monitor all thoughts because Big Brother doesn’t only want to control actions and speech but he also want to control the mind as well. Winston says in one of his diary entry’s that “Thoughtcrime does not entail death: Thoughtcrime is death.”
when Winston falls for Julia he realises that there is more to life than Big Brother and working. Together Winston and Julia begin to question Big Brother. Yet Big Brother will not tolerate dissent. For those who do they invented room 101 . . .
The book creates a horrible image of what humans and the state are capable of. This book is not happy, but it is not meant to be as it shows us the extent of what humans will do for power. For those of you who prefer a light read this book may not be for you but give it a go, you may like it.
by Lamorna Brown
Hacking Timbuktu is a very good book if you enjoy action and spy stories!
A long time ago in South Africa, there was £1,000,000 worth of gold stolen from Timbuktu and was never found, until teenage hacker Danny Temple, goes to solve where this missing gold is with his good friend Omars. They find this South African manuscript which has code on it and they try to figure out what it all means. They are then chased by all sorts of people who are trying to also get the gold and this manuscript. They have to climb over houses, hide in trees and climb high steep cliffs. His journey then leads him to Africa somewhere. But if you want to find out more, you need to get this book quick - before anyone beats you to it!
This book was a good read and makes you feel you're with Danny and Omar yourself.
By Chloe Neilson
If you crave stories set in World War 2 which have a really brave and gutsy character, then " The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips by Michael Morpurgo" is your cup of tea.
The book takes the form of a diary sandwiched between a prologue and an epilogue. The diary was given to young boy called Michael by his Grandma which tells us of her young life during a very important time in the Second World War.
It's wartime in 1943 and Lily Tregenza, a small girl, whose life is surrounded by the war, lives in the quiet seaside village of Slapton with her Mum, Grandpa and her adorable cat, Tips. Everything seems happy and jolly in Lily's life until her family are forced to move out of Slapton so that American Troops can practice for the D-Day landings in Normandy. Slapton is transformed from a quiet, peaceful village into a battlefield where only the bravest of souls would dare to enter.
The family settle in at Uncle George's farmhouse with no big fuss, but wait, Tips has gone missing! Lily decides that she will summon up the courage to go into the battlefield to search for Tips only to be caught and thrown out by American Soldiers. Time after time she ventures into the battlefield. The courage and bravery displayed by Lily beggars belief and all for one little cat.
She meets and makes friends with an American Soldier called Adie, who helps her look for Tips and his real name is Adolphus, so when Adie goes to fight, in honour of him, she renames the cat Adolphus Tips.
You will need to read this extraordinary book to find out what happens to Lily, Adie, Michael and of course, Adolphus Tips.
Be careful, once you start, you won't be able to stop!
By Ian Keir
This is a great book to read when it's stormy outside, and you're comfortably seated next to the fire ! It isn't a happy, cheerful read - the author tells a story of loss and grief, but I found it interesting, although It wasn't a real page turner.
Twelve year old Nicky Turner moved from New York two years ago, mainly because her father wanted to escape the clutter and noise of city life, to take a break from it all. Both Nicky and her father are still recovering from the death of her mother, and baby sister who died in New York due to a car crash.
One day, Nicky and her father take a walk through the forest, and hear a baby crying. They find a baby left in a bundle of blankets, freezing in the snow. They immediately take the baby to hospital, and begin to wonder about its mysterious past. Nicky and her dad go home and become heroes in their small village. A week later, a woman turns up at their doorstep, calling herself Charlotte. She claims that she is looking for a piece of furniture, as Nicky's dad is a carpenter. However, she later reveals she is the abandoned baby's mother... And begins to tell the shocking story of how her baby ended up stranded in an isolated forest with nobody to claim her.
This is a casual read, that should keep you interested throughout the book, but you will have to read the book to find out what happens next !
By Beth Miller
If you like the short bloke off Top Gear then you'll love this book. It is filled with happiness, joy and disaster.
It all starts in Gloustershire where Richard Hammond is a local radio presenter on the topic of cars. He was on for 1 hour every Saturday and Sunday. About two years later he applied for BBC radio. He then got a call to come and audition on Sunday for 2 hours talking about the weather, news and as always cars. He was put on 3 hour slots every Sunday. But what he always wanted to be was... a presenter on Top Gear.
Two years into his BBC radio career he noticed that Top Gear was looking for new presenters so as soon as he heard this he quickly applied. He was given a slot to audition on a car called Skoda Superb. Just a few weeks later he was sitting in his study and the phone rang. A voice said, "Richard, it's Dave. Welcome to the team. And that's how his Top Gear career started.
On his first day he burst into the office and said, ‘Right I want to go fast not too fast or maybe break a record.’ Everyone looked at him. Andy Williams is the editor and he thought that this was a good idea so he took up the challenge and asked Richard to do it.
Next comes the disaster. One cold day he turned up on a runway sitting in a dragster and ready to go. He had been given lessons on how to break and drive and now he was ready to go.
The noise could be heard a mile away as this blur could be seen going along a runway. His first run was fantastic. He had reached 213 mph and had accelerated from 0-60 in 2 seconds. He was then taken back up to the top of the runway because Richard said he could go faster. He did this over again 6 times. Then the sun was coming down where he had just one more run allowed before the night. He fastened up and zoomed away from the line. But just 5 seconds later the front wheel came off and he went into a roll. The emergency crews rushed over and found him unconscious and upside down. He was rushed to hospital and was in a coma. But was that the end to his Top Gear career? Find out in On The Edge.
by Nicol Robertson
If you enjoy spy and adventure books, this is the one for you!
Fourteen year old Alex Rider is a spy and works for the MI6! He is sent off to Wimbledon by John Crawley, one of the MI6 agents, to be a ball boy. While he is there, Alex quickly finds out that the Chinese Triad gang are at Wimbledon as well. Alex goes to follow one of the gang members while risking his life being caught and then ends up being a target for the gang. He then is flown to America with two CIA agents who go scuba diving and do not return. Alex goes to look for them but is captured by Sarov, who is planning to drop a nuclear bomb in Murmansk onto nuclear submarines.
Alex is take back to Sarov's house and is kept prisoner, but, Sarov wants to adopt Alex as he reminded him of his own son who was killed in the Russian Army. Alex is not having this so tries to kill Sarov but fails and is then taken on a plane with Sarov and Sarov's bodyguard, Conrad to watch the bomb destroy Murmansk. The excitement continues, but you will have to read the book to find out what happens next!
This book is very exciting all the time and you never know what's coming next, I couldn't put it down!
by Chloe Neilson
