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Havelock North High School

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    WLS

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WLS

2,844 pts
(2,410 pages read)

  • Heiress Takes All

    By Emily Wibberley & Austin Siegemund-Broka
    4 stars

    Loved Kevin. Wished I could see/eat Deonte's cake. Seethed at Maureen’s request of her errand girl. Confused still about what EH stands for. Saddened by lack of great father figures: "How young can you start feeling like an inconvenience without permanent psychological damage?" “He’s never done pro bono legal work in his life!” Realised 'you only see what people want you to see'. Understood 'hell hath no fury like a woman (or teacher) scorned'. Loved Oliva's ability to pivot under multi-layered scheming. Agreed that self-selected party favours are best.

  • Not Always Lost

    By Tegan Morris
    3 stars

    This story reminded me of 'Face' and 'See Ya, Simon' in that it deals with a teenager coping with a disability. Shay struggles to adjust to life in a wheelchair and the concept that her old life as she'd imagined it couldn't be recovered. A wise neighbour tells her, "It's what you do with what's between your ears that counts. You can be just as great as you thought you would have been before. You might just have to work a bit harder or try a different path to get there." "Each time she came home from physical therapy and there was no change, it was just another confirmation of the diagnosis." The effort then seemed pointless. Yet another mind adjustment was needed upon hearing that she would not be able to walk again. "...she could see the portable ramp leaning against the fence to make space for the new permanent ramp." It deals with: disability, fear, determination, courage, support, change, finding your place and hope.

  • Assassins Anonymous

    By Rob Hart
    4 stars

    I've been delving into the world of assassins lately with 'The Day of the Jackal' and 'Based on a True Story' and 'Assassins Anonymous' is in the same category. It's hilarious and honest. What scares our protagonist the most is "whether Ravi is going to see it in my eyes when we sit across from each other. That I'm no longer willing to kill. That I can no longer protect myself. I've got to sit down with the lions and hope they're not hungry." How do you beat someone without killing them? The story covers the inner turmoil of recovery from guilt to revenge and acceptance, and the questions of whether violence is innate or learned, if people can indeed change, and if it's okay to do something bad to save many. There are handlers, a criminal Craigslist, weaponry, code names and a cat called P. Kitty. But remember, "Sixty percent of recovery is cute slogans."

  • Peace Maker

    By Malorie Blackman
    3 stars

    Michela struggles to follow all the rules banning her from reading about weapons and warfare. After all life on board the Alliance ship Kitabu is one of non-violence and pacifism. Time after time, she is caught reading banned books and writing about battles. An encounter with an alien ship pressures them to change their approach. This story is about conformity vs rebellion, values, courage, adversity, adaptation, and compassion.

  • Wave

    By Paul Dowswell
    3 stars

    I hadn't heard of the British World War I Pals battalions until this book! There's an author's note at the back of the book. Although it was a successful recruitment drive (allowing men of the same location, workplace, trade or sport to train and fight together) , it meant that when fate hit, they also died together and the local community was devastatingly rocked. The idea was not repeated after the Battle of the Somme. The storyline covers your typical war topics and also includes the canary girls in the factories, rum portions prior to going over the top, body removal by moonlight and bodies stuck on the wire. It deals with: grief, guilt, regret, relief, disbelief, fear, mistrust and loss.

  • Tsunami

    By Ned Wenlock
    3 stars

    This was much darker than I'd imagined with a fairly grim ending. At school, instead of illustrating the story the teacher had read, Peter draws a sheep surrounded by wolves - "I took the theme of evil infiltrating good, as depicted by the wolf among the sheep, and flipped it to reflect my current position through my eyes you understand, of good being totally surrounded by evil…" His neighbour and classmate is a bully who threatens and beats him. Every action that boy takes (even if it seems sweet) is part of a bigger, meaner picture. The tsunami is a metaphor for the ever growing fear of an unseen threat. But by the end, you have to wonder whether Peter is good and innocent at all. It reminds me of a scene in To Kill a Mockingbird, but here it seems more deliberate. Nice cut away to the shower, Wenlock! The final panel is what I assume is a POV of the ocean which is flat (no ripple effect, no tsunami, no consequence) but Peter has a fear of water because he cannot swim. I wouldn't call this a bildungsroman because I don't see any growth or enlightenment in the characters - any of them - unless you add your own final panel.

  • Te Kahu Rolleston: Te Tukanga Ako

    By Te Kahu Rolleston
    5 stars

    I think you are very familiar with this book (*wink, wink*). It was great to listen to Te Kahu as a keynote speaker at the Hawke's Bay English Teachers' Association 'Big Day Out' two days ago where he talked through the contents of this book and his mahi. We even participated in some of his workshop writing activities. It not surprising how similar his tukanga ako is compared to Auckland's 'Action Education'. It just solidifies the importance of the steps prior to a writing task. This is a gem of a resource you've helped bring to the fingertips of teachers. Thanks for the free copy.

  • The Guest List

    By Lucy Foley
    5 stars

    A whodunnit that only makes sense once all the relationships' histories are revealed. Dares and pranks continue to cause heartache - are they ever worth it? *contains self-harm and suicide references

  • Sunshine

    By Jarrett J. Kroscoczko
    4 stars

    I see this as a story about the benefits of volunteering rather than a positive message about how camps help cancer victims and their families. The main character reflects on his experience: "Somehow the math didn't add up. No matter how much we had put into that week at camp, we all got so much more out of it." It 'got me' on page 131 when one teen cancer battler and camp attendee says. "I don't want to make friends with any of the new kids that come through the hospital." After being called selfish and cold, he replies, "Nah. They'll end up losing me. I don't want them living through that same grief."

  • The Recruit: the graphic novel

    By Robert Muchamore
    3 stars

    Who doesn't love a training school for espionage?

  • The Girl Who Owned a City

    By Adapted by Dan Jolley
    2 stars

    Great illustrations and cover. I didn't like that when Jill questioned Lisa about calling Glenbard 'her' city, she didn't 'grow' as a person/leader. "I found it, I planned it, I filled it with my supplies, and now I run it." She won't see herself as a custodian and her role as an honour, while it lasts (there's dust in her future, remember). She never foresaw that some of her independent decisions would be poor ones and acted like all of her ideas were worthy. I did like that she had the foresight to collect medical supplies as well as food, but thought Craig's idea to grow their own food even better.

  • The Clockwork Girl

    By Sean O'Reilly
    2 stars

    Two inventors compete at an annual fair in a Pinocchio/Frankenstein-esque way. One is a tinkerer and the other a botanist. Each approach has its heartache and heartbreak or miracle. Huxley and Tesla must rely on each other's attributes to remain alive.

  • The Altered History of Willow Sparks

    By Tara O'Connor
    2 stars

    In this graphic novel, two friends do their best to fit in at high school, despite being labelled the nerds. It's easy to hate the bullies in this story since they seem quite violent. Neat (but not original) concept of a book in which you can write your future. As always, there are consequences. Notes from the author reveal her creative process which was interesting.

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