The Rule of Thoughts by James Dashner

It is a very good book but I suggest that it would be for 10 and up as there is some violence in it. This is the second book in the series and I am about to read the third.

Basically it starts off with Michael waking up in a new body from when he was in the sleep, (sleep is when you go into a coffin and they put you in a real life simulator but with games). He is a tangent, (so he is actually just a computer program, not a real person), and is put into Jackson Porter. 

He is quite confused and feels sorry for the real Jackson because that guy is gone. Jackson's girlfriend comes over and he tries to talk things out saying that he isn't Jackson. She doesn't believe him and leaves. He finds out where his friends, Sarah and Bryson from the sleep, are based and he goes to find them. He finds Sarah. Then Kaine, the evil tangent, takes them. They find Bryson and go to a secret Agent Weber VNS. She doesn't know who they are, but she is pretending because they were at an off place with people who didn't know about the Mortality Doctrine plan. 

They get captured by police because everyone thinks they are terrorists, then escape, and crash into a building in a helicopter. They escape the 60 story building and  go to the proper VNS. Weber puts them in the sleep to fight Kaine and squeezes them. (Squeezes means to squeeze them through code so they are only one sentence of code and it s very painful.) In the end, they thought they were in Life Blood Deep but really they were in real life and they blow up a building.  They are put in prison and eventually get visitors who tell them things. 

Reviewed by Peyton                                               

To This Day: For the Bullied and Beautiful by Shane Koyczan

This book began as a poem then became a You Tube video that went viral and now it’s a beautifully illustrated book. The following description is from the Good Reads website:

'To This Day is an authentic rallying cry for anyone who has been affected by bullying.

In February 2013, Shane Koyczan's passionate anti-bullying poem "To This Day" electrified the world. An animated video of the lyric narrative went viral, racking up over 12 million hits to date and inspiring an international movement against bullying in schools. Shane later performed the piece to sustained applause on the stage of the 2013 annual TED Conference.
Now this extraordinary work has been adapted into an equally moving and visually arresting book. Thirty international artists, as diverse as they are talented, have been inspired to create exceptional art to accompany "To This Day." Each page is a vibrant collage of images, colors and words that will resonate powerfully with anyone who has experienced bullying themselves, whether as a victim, observer, or participant.
Born of Shane's own experiences of being bullied as a child, "To This Day" expresses the profound and lasting effect of bullying on an individual, while affirming the strength and inner resources that allow people to move beyond the experience. A heartfelt preface and afterword, along with resources for kids affected by bullying, make this book an invaluable centerpiece of the anti-bullying movement.'
See the video version of the poem on YouTube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltun92DfnPY (less)

The video version of the poem is wonderful, especially Shane’s narrative (he’s an award winning spoken word poet), but I loved being able to go through the book more slowly and savour the words and illustrations.

You can find the book in the teen non-fiction section of Paraparaumu Library at call number 821. 

Reviewed by Carolyn

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.