Merry Christmas

Best wishes to you and your family for a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

May you receive or borrow some good books to read over the holiday break. 

 

Rose Blanche by Ian McEwan

When Rose sees a little boy trying to escape from the back of a truck, only to be captured and shoved back in, she decides to follow the truck. At a desolate place out of town she discovers many other children, staring hungrily from behind an electric barbed wire fence.

In this sophisticated picture book a young girl called Rose witnesses the inhumane actions of the Nazis during World War Two. Showing courage and selflessness Rose takes it upon herself to help people in desperate need. This was my favourite of the sophisticated picture books I read for the 27 challenge. It showed that not all children's books have to have a happy ending and I would recommend this story to anyone thinking about reading a sophisticated picture book. 

By Melanie

 

Christmas Tree Challenge

Our final get together of the year included our usual book chat and then a completely non-book activity - constructing a Christmas tree from a limited set of materials.

Also three Wrappers completed the 27 Challenge and received their certificate and Paper Plus gift card.  Congratulations to Melanie, Hannah and Ashleigh.

Book Share - books recommended by the Wrappers from their recent reading.

The Roses in My Carpets   by Rukhsana Ashraf-Khan   (sophisticated picture book)

 Vampyre   by Margaret Wild  (sophisticated picture book)

Gathering Blue   by Lois Lowry  (Number 2 in The Giver quartet)

When We Wake / While We Run  by Karen Healey

Singing Home the Whale   by Mandy Hager

Christmas Tree Challenge

Using an assortment of materials (coloured card, tinsel, ribbon, sellotape) the challenge was to construct a Christmas tree that was free standing, as tall as possible, a traditional Christmas tree shape and decorated. The photos below show the progress and results.  Two teams (the 'oldies' and the 'youngies') took part. The final verdict based on the judging criteria was a tie - and that was honest judging not 'you're just being diplomatic' as someone suggested!

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society by Mary Ann Shaffer

“ I wonder how the book got to Guernsey? Perhaps there is some sort of secret homing instinct in books that brings them to their perfect readers.” January 1946: London is emerging from the shadow of the Second World War, and writer Juliet Ashton is looking for her next book subject. Who could imagine that she would find it in a letter from a man she’s never met, a native of the island of Guernsey, who has come across her name written inside a book by Charles Lamb….

As Juliet and her new correspondent exchange letters, Juliet is drawn into the world of this man and his friends—and what a wonderfully eccentric world it is. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society—born as a spur-of-the-moment alibi when its members were discovered breaking curfew by the Germans occupying their island—boasts a charming, funny, deeply human cast of characters, from pig farmers to phrenologists, literature lovers all.

Juliet begins a remarkable correspondence with the society’s members, learning about their island, their taste in books, and the impact the recent German occupation has had on their lives. Captivated by their stories, she sets sail for Guernsey, and what she finds will change her forever.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for some historical fiction to read. It gives an interesting insight into how people in the Channel Islands  were impacted by World War Two and how their lives continued to be effected by Germany's occupation in the post war years.

Reviewed by Melanie 

Answer a Question and Win

It's the festive season and this month's question is about Christmas carols. What's your favourite Christmas Carol?  The choices are all traditional Christmas carols, at least 100 years old. This month you can choose two answers - just check two of the boxes below.

Complete the form to enter the prize draw (open to Kapiti District residents only). The winner will be drawn at the next Wrappers meeting on Friday 12 November.

Singing Home the Whale by Mandy Hager

Will Jackson is hiding out, a city boy reluctantly staying with his uncle in small town New Zealand while he struggles to recover from a brutal attack and the aftermath of a humiliating YouTube clip gone viral.

After he discovers a young abandoned orca whale his life is further thrown into chaos, when he rallies to help protect it against hostile, threatening interests. This threatens to tear apart the small fishing community and forever changes Will's life.

I loved this book, really loved it.  The plot is full of drama and excitement and at the same time it is a touching story of the relationship between a boy and a young whale. It’s a rich, multi-layered story but most of all I loved it because it connected with me emotionally and I have to admit I shed a few tears at the end.

Reviewed by Carolyn

 

Don't Turn Around by Michelle Gagnon

Don’t tell your secrets.

A whisper can betray you.

Don’t trust anyone.

Not even yourself.

Sixteen year old Noa wakes up on a table with an IV in her arm and no memory of how she got there. A computer hacker who’s been living off the grid Noa needs help to discover who’s hunting her and why. Enter Peter Gregory. A rich kid and the leader of a hacker alliance. Peter needs people with Noa’s talents on his team. But what they both don’t realize is that Noa holds the key to a terrible secret, and there are those who’d stop at nothing to silence her for good.

Don’t turn Around is a book that I highly recommend you should read. Noa and Peter form an unlikely friendship because they need to survive, and the only way to do that is to stick together and help each other. The other characters in this book also have great storylines that will make you want to read chapter after chapter so you can find out what happens for them next. When the book ends, you will want more of Noa and Peter’s journey.

Don’t miss out on the next book of the trilogy Don’t Look Now and the digital novella, No Escape, a prequel to Don’t Turn Around which is available from iBooks and Kindle for free. Both Don’t Turn Around and Don’t Look Now are available from the Paraparaumu Library, so I higly recommend you read them!!! 

Reviewed by Ashleigh

 

 

Peeps by Scott Westerfeld

Cal Thompson is infected with a parasite after a one night stand with a mystery woman. The parasite turns the infected person into "Peeps" (short for parasite positive) they are more commonly known to us as Vampires. While Cal is not physically affected he becomes a carrier. Unfortunately he has infected his previous girlfriends, his job is to find them before they can do any harm. 

This was a book which I thoroughly enjoyed. It was a refreshing new twist on a classic legend that had a lot of thought behind it. I think even those who do not usually enjoy vampire novels could enjoy this as it is not your typical vampire story.

Reviewed by Hannah