Sophia Bennett  The look

Holly Black  The white cat

Chris Bradford The ring of wind vol 7 in Young Samurai series

Alan Durant Et tu Brute

Michael Grant Bzrk

Cathy Hopkins  Golden girl

Barry Hutchinson  the 13th horseman

Laura Jarratt  Skin deep

Elizabeth Laird  The prince who walked with lions

Jillian Larkin  The flappers: vixen

Sophie Mckenzie  Falling first

R.J. Palacio  Wonder

Chris Priestley Mister Creecher

L.J. Smith  Moonsong Vol 9 Vampire diaries:the hunters

Ali Sparkes  Mind over matter Vol 2 Unleashed

Chris Wooding  The great and dangerous

Moira Young  Blood red road. ( a cover reprint for this winner of the 2011 Costa Children’s book award)

The National Literacy Trust and Oxford University Press are kicking off 2012 by launching ReadThis, a new competition for all UK secondary schools that will run from Monday 9 January to Friday 16 March 2012.  The ReadThis competition provides teachers with a platform for engaging students with reading using the power of peer-to-peer recommendation. It gives a new edge to book reviewing by asking students to put a “creative marketing” spin on the task in hand.

Check out how students can enter and what they might win at  http://www.literacytrust.org.uk/schools_network/competitions/readthis

The double shadow by Sally Gardner is a masterpiece which is subtle, complex and requires some effort on the part of the reader. The book is intriguing from the beginning because it doesn’t conform to a genre and therefore you read it not knowing what to expect. The story has Amaryllis at its heart and her father’s creation of  a memory machine to capture her childhood memories whilst deleting the trauma of her mother’s death. The opening chapter begins with Amaryllis trapped inside the memory machine and from then on her story and the stories of those whose lives touch hers are revealed in fragments, like those of a shattered mirror.   The characters that populate the story are nevertheless well crafted; you get to know them slowly but in intensive bursts. For me the great skill of Sally Gardner is in a creation which is full of wonderful imagery, to the extent which I kept stopping to re-read and savour in the same way I would poetry. I really hope this is on the shortlist for some of our top book prizes next year.

Brodi Ashton Everneath

BR Collins The broken road

Andrea Cremer Bloodrose volume 3 of Nightshade series.

Lauren de Stefano Wither volume 1 of Chemical garden trilogy (reprint but well reviewed)

Lauren de Stefano Fever volume 2 of Chemical garden trilogy

Cora Harrison Jane Austen stole my boyfriend

Mary Hoffman David

Robin Jarvis Dancing Jax: Freax and Rejax first in trilogy

Lauren Kate Fallen in love

Robert Muchamore The prisoner volume 5 Henderson’s boys

Patrick Ness A monster calls

Jana Oliver Forgiven volume 3 of Demon trappers

Celia Rees This is not forgiveness

Louise Rennison A mid summer tights dream

Veronica Roth Divergent (new cover reprint)

Alex Scarrow Gates of Rome volume 5 Timeriders

J.D. Sharpe Oliver Twisted

Craig Simpson Dead or alive volume 4 Special operations

Adam Slater Doomed Volume 3 Shadowing

Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell Bloodhoney volume 2 of Wyrmeweald

Elizabeth Wein Code name Verity

Chris Wooding Pale

Listening Books is a fabulous resource which provides a service for children who struggle to read due to illness or disability. The service supports students from Key Stage 2  – A level and has many audio resources which are not available elsewhere. The service has various subscription levels including a school subscription. Pupils can listen direct to over 1000 study guides and set texts online via the website. Alternatively they can download titles to an ipod or other portable device. There are plenty of leisure interest titles too including hot favourites like Jacqueline Wilson and Anthony Horowitz. Check out the full range of titles available and more information at www.listening-books.org.uk

A recent article in Nate Classroom issue 15 for October 2011 brought this series, Heroes published by Heinemann to my attention. The series consists of 8 titles, 6 novels and 2 plays in a range of genre. Heinemann are marketing them as class reads for reluctant boy readers in KS3 and they are accompanied by digital teaching resources, a sample of which can be seen at http://www.pearsonschoolsandfecolleges.co.uk/Secondary/Literature/11-14/Heroes/Heroes.aspx The enthusiasm of the teachers in the article convinced me to take a closer look myself.

The books are in a hardback format, which would normally put me off, but somehow these have the feel of the quality, hardback packaging used when the Lemony Snicket Series of unfortunate events was launched.  Unlike the rather dull and uninspiring covers of the well known Windmill educational editions of popular fiction titles, these covers are striking  and well pitched for the intended audience.

The titles are all around 120 pages in length and their great strength is that they all have very punchy openings which hook the reader. This is followed up with short chapters which quickly draw you further into the narrative.  Each book has a short piece of non-fiction writing at the end of the story which is written by Christopher edge and supports the theme of the novel. Each of the titles has been trialled with students in a range of schools around the country, much like the very popular Barrington Stoke titles. This helps to ensure than any problems with vocabulary or glitches in students’ understanding of the plot can be sorted before final publication.

Whilst intended for use in the classroom , I think these could well meet with a positive response if picked up in the library. Although priced at £6.99, Heinemann has an offer on the 8 titles for £30 ( see details in the link above).

The latest offering from Kevin Brooks is amongst his very best, so far, for me. It is up there with Lucas. The book is named after the band which forms the central part of the story which is set in that blazing hot summer of 1976. This is the era of the birth of Punk rock and Kevin Brooks’ passion for music shines though this novel which at its heart is a tender love story. Reading the story you can smell, touch and taste the raw emotion and enery of those big gigs and the excitement of making it to Top of the pops. But this is also the time when the IRA were at the peak of their activity and the newest recruit to the band, aka Billy the kid, has more to hide from Lilli and the other band members than his address. I think this novel also has a very strong anti drugs message but one that comes out naturally from the plot and subplot of the story.

I believe teenagers will really relate to this book and I suspect that the title will guarantee it gets picked off the shelves!

The Carnegie medal is awarded each year for an outstanding book for children or young people. The shortlist will be announced on 27th March and the winner will beannounced on 14th June.

Whilst only 6 or 7 titles will make it on the shortlist this list represents some of the best titles published for children and young adults in the past twelve months; worth checking if you have copies of these titles on the shelves in your library.

Almond, David My Name is Mina
Publisher: Hodder ISBN: 9780340997253

Barraclough, Lindsey Long Lankin
Publisher: Bodley Head ISBN: 9780370331966

Bedford, Martin Flip
Publisher: Walker ISBN: 9781406329896

Blackman, Malorie Boys Don’t Cry
Publisher: Doubleday ISBN: 9780385604796

Bowler, Tim Buried Thunder
Publisher: Oxford Children’s Books ISBN: 9780192728388

Boyne, John Noah Barleywater Runs Away
Publisher:David Fickling ISBN:9780385618953

Brahmachari, Sita Artichoke Hearts
Publisher: Macmillan ISBN: 9780330517911

Bruton, Catherine We Can Be Heroes
Publisher: Egmont ISBN: 9781405256520

Collins, B.R Tyme’s End
Publisher: Bloomsbury ISBN: 9781408806470

Condie, Ally Matched
Publisher: Puffin ISBN: 9780141333052

Crossley-Holland, Kevin Bracelet of Bones
Publisher: Quercus ISBN:9781847249395

David, Keren Lia’s Guide to Winning the Lottery
Publisher: Frances Lincoln ISBN: 9781847801913

Deary, Terry Put Out The Light
Publisher: A & C Black ISBN: 9781408130544

Diterlizzi, Tony The Search for Wondla
Publisher: Simon & Schuster ISBN: 9781847389664

Dogar, Sharon Annexed
Publisher: Andersen ISBN: 9781849392211

Doherty, Berlie Treason
Publisher: Andersen ISBN: 9781849391214

Donnelly, Jennifer Revolution
Publisher: Bloomsbury ISBN: 9781408801529

Downham, Jenny You Against Me
Publisher David Fickling ISBN: 9780385613507

Earle, Phil Being Billy
Publisher: Puffin ISBN: 9780141331355

Eastham, Ruth The Memory Cage
Publisher: Scholastic ISBN: 9781407120522

Evans, Lissa Small Change for Stuart
Publisher: Doubleday ISBN: 9780385618007

Fine, Anne The Devil Walks
Publisher: Doubleday ISBN: 9780857530646

Forward, Toby Dragonborn
Publisher: Walker ISBN: 9781406320435

Gibbons, Alan An Act of Love
Publisher: Orion ISBN: 9781842557822

Grant, Helen Wish Me Dead
Publisher: Puffin ISBN: 9780141337708

Halahmy, Miriam Hidden
Publisher: Meadowside ISBN:9781845395230

Hardinge, Frances Twilight Robbery
Publisher: Macmillan ISBN: 9781405055390

Hartnett, Sonia The Midnight Zoo
Publisher: Walker ISBN: 9781406331493

Ibbotson, Eva One Dog and His Boy
Publisher: Marion Lloyd Books ISBN: 9781407124230

Kennen, Ally Quarry
Publisher: Marion Lloyd Books ISBN:9781407111070

LaFleur, Suzanne Eight Keys
Publisher: Puffin ISBN: 9780141336060

Lewis, Ali Everybody Jam
Publisher: Andersen ISBN: 9781849392488

Lewis, Gill Sky Hawk
Publisher: Oxford Chldren’s Books ISBN: 9780192756237

Mason, Simon Moon Pie
Publisher: David Fickling ISBN: 9780385618519

McCaughrean, Geraldine Pull out all the Stops
Publisher: Oxford Chldren’s Books ISBN: 9780192789952

McKay, Hilary Caddy’s World
Publisher: Hodder ISBN: 9781444900538

Mitchelhill, Barbara Run Rabbit Run
Publisher: Andersen ISBN: 9871849392495

Morpurgo, Michael Shadow
Publisher: HarperCollins ISBN: 9780007339594

Mulligan, Andy Trash
Publisher: David Fickling ISBN: 9780385619011

Ness, Patrick A Monster Calls
Publisher: Walker ISBN: 9781406311525

Peet, Mal Life : an Exploded Diagram
Publisher: Walker ISBN:9781844281008

Perera, Anna The Glass Collector
Publisher: Puffin ISBN: 9780141331157

Pitcher, Annabel My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece
Publisher: Orion ISBN: 9781444001839

Priestley, Chris The Dead of Winter
Publisher: Bloomsbury ISBN: 9781408800133

Rai, Bali Killing Honour
Publisher: Corgi Childrens ISBN: 9780552562119

Revis, Beth Across the Universe
Publisher: Puffin ISBN: 9780141333663

Rooney, Rachel The Language of Cat
Publisher: Frances Lincoln ISBN: 9781847801678

Rosoff, Meg There is no Dog
Publisher: Puffin ISBN: 9780141327167

Saunders, Kate Magicalamity
Publisher: Marion Lloyd Books ISBN:9781407108964

Sepetys, Ruta Between Shades of Gray
Publisher: Puffin ISBN: 9780141335889

Stephens, John The Emerald Atlas
Publisher: Doubleday ISBN: 9780857530189

Young, Moira Blood Red Road
Publisher: Marion Lloyd Books ISBN: 9781407124254

Very thin pickings this month!

Cassandra Clare Cockwork prince. 2nd in a prequel trilogy to Mortal instruments

John Flanagan The outcasts. 1st in Brotherband series.

Barry Hutchinson The beast. 5th in the invisible fiends series

Ali Sparkes Mind over matter. 2nd in Unleashed series

Surprisingly few quality new titles in the run-up to  Christmas.

Veronica Bennett Vice and virtue

Ally Condie Crosses

Jeff Kinney Diary of a wimpy kid: cabin fever

LJ Smith Phantom, number 8 in the Vampire diaries series

Christopher Paolini Inheritance, the much awaited 4th title in the series

Helen Bailey Knowing me, knowing you

Sally Gardner The double shadow

Jill Wolfson Cold hands, warm heart