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Wadestown School

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    The Pied Piper

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    Joyful reading

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The Pied Piper

6,882 pts
(6,300 pages read)

  • And then boom!

    By Lisa Fippa
    3 stars

    This was a novel in verse about Joe, abondoned by his mum, whose beloved grandmother suddenly dies. Although it is apparently based on the author's own life experience it didn't grip me as much as it could have.

  • A ggod night for shooting zombies

    By Jaco Jacobs
    4 stars

    Jaco Jacobs is apparently the most popular and prolific children's author in Afrikaans so this book has been translated into English. The story is told from the perspective of Martin, a quirky 13 year old with an interest in maths and chickens. It's humourous but also has a real emotional punch.

  • Jesus and Nonviolence - a third way

    By Walter Wink
    4 stars

    Walter Wink is a name that I have often seen quoted but I hadn't actually read anything written by him. This short book is a precis of his thinking about Jesus and nonviolence. I found the first couple of chapters really interesting but the real-world descriptions he gave were a bit brief to be enlightening.

  • The Invasion of Waikato / Te Riri ki Tainui

    By Vincent O'Malley
    5 stars

    This was a highly readable and sobering book about the invasion of the Waikato by Crown forces in 1863-64. I was wary of detailed and confusing description of battles but appreciated the clear and concise outlines of the precursors, conduct and consequences of the war including photos, maps, etc on nearly every page. This a book that I highly recommend.

  • Reclaiming the Dark Ages

    By Iain Wright and Yannick Imbert
    4 stars

    This book argues that in terms of theology "Dark Ages" is an unfair and inaccurate description for the years 500-1500AD. They focus on 10 leaders/theologians of those years with an effort to outline the socio-political context in which they lived and responded to. I found some chapters more interesting than others but enjoyed learning about some figures who were only names to me.

  • Simon Sort of Says

    By Erin Bow
    4 stars

    Simon has just moved with his parents to a small town in Nebraska which is the centre of the National Quiet Zone where the internet is banned so radio astroners can listen for alien communication. The reason for this is so Simon can fly under the radar so to speak, because he was has the unwanted notoriety of being the sole survivor from his class of a school shooting. For a heavy topic the book has a lot of humour. Much is made of his father's work as a Catholic deacon and his mother's role as town undertaker. There are also peacocks, emus, goats and a service-dog-in-training.

  • The First State of Being

    By Erin Entrada Kelly
    5 stars

    I listened to this as an audio book which I always enjoy. Possibly also the nostalgia factor as the story is set in 1999 about a shy 12 year old who is worried about Y2K. The plot actually revolves around the arrival of a teenager from 2199 and there is both humour and pathos with really believable characters.

  • The Liars Society

    By Alyson Gerber
    2 stars

    I'm tempted to give this a one star review but I did actually finish it. It's set at an elite Boston high school and basically alternates with chapters from the principal female and male characters who begin as sailing rivals but become team-mates. The plot and character development is incoherent/implausible and I only perservered because the endorsements suggested it would be worth my while to do so. It was not.

  • Nanny Piggins and the Origin Story

    By R A Spratt
    3 stars

    This is a prequel to the 9 Nanny Piggins books which came out 10-15 years ago. Consequently this feels either a bit indulgent or an attempt to direct readers back to the series. I'm doubtful that it succeeds in the latter and so is a bit inconsequential.

  • The Secret Lives of Booksellers and Librarians

    By James Patterson and Matt Eversmann (ed.)
    2 stars

    This was a Christmas present and should have been a good match but was disappointing. All the stories felt much the same and didn't fulfil the promise of unpacking the "magic of reading" for me.

  • We Do Not Welcome Our Ten-year-old Overlord

    By Garth Nix
    4 stars

    Garth Nix is a well known Australian author of fantasy but in this story he draws on his own experience or growing up in 1970s Canberra and playing Dungeons and Dragons. The story revolves around a mysterious globe found by the main protagonist's 10 year old sister. It's well told with a creeping sense of menace, interesting characters, and culminating in a desperate finale. The final line encapsulates the theme of the book: "You must all work together to succeed in this quest!"

  • Agnes the Sheep

    By William Taylor
    3 stars

    This book has been loaned to me by a friend. It was published in 1991 and at the time I think William Taylor was a reasonably well known NZ children's author. The story is set in an un-named NZ town about a couple of kids who are doing a school local history project. They get to know Mrs Carpenter, a cantankerous old woman, and also Agnes her pet sheep who has a similarly belligerent personality. The old woman demands that the children look after Agnes when she dies. When that transpires there are grasping relatives and various shenanigans. It's an enjoyable tale with amusing characters though just a bit of its time to connect with kids today.

  • The Boy Behind the Wall

    By Maximillian Jones
    3 stars

    This book is set in 1967 about two boys on either side of the Berlin Wall. It's well written but the plot becomes more and more far-fetched as the story progresses.

  • One Giant Leap

    By Ben Gartner
    2 stars

    This book is really one for the space nerds. It was exciting at points but there was a lot of explaining and use of acronyms, so much so that I nearly abandoned it.

  • Electric Life

    By Rachel Delahaye
    3 stars

    This was an ambitious novel set in a "perfect", futuristic London based in skyscrapers. The main character is a successful but dissatisfied gamer. I found the world-building unconvincing and the characters and plot a bit cliche.

  • The Strange and Unlikely Tale of Montgomery the Mysterious Bird of Mystery

    By Antony Elworthy
    3 stars

    This is a tall tale told by a boy's grandfather. It's OK but all a bit lightweight.

  • After the fire

    By Will Hill
    5 stars

    This is an absorbing page-turner inspired by the Branch Davidian sect led by David Koresh near Waco, Texas which ended in a blazing battle with the FBI and other government agencies in 1993. The story is told by Moonbeam, the eldest survivor, who is processing her trauma at a secure government facility following the conflagration. It alternates between her current situation and flashbacks to the events that led to the crisis. It includes themes of sexual abuse and violence but this is not done in a gratuitous or sensationalist way. A worthwhile read for 15 years+.

  • Orion Lost

    By Alastair Chisholm
    4 stars

    This is a sci-fi novel about a group of kids who are on their way with their families to live on a distant planet. In order to get there they have to do numerous space "jumps" and during these they have to be put into a suspended "sleep" and then woken with their memories restored by the ship's AI. They wake from one jump to discover their ship extensively damaged and the AI informing them that it cannot wake any of the adults and so they are in charge. Also the AI tells them the ship's memory logs are damaged so it cannot tell them how they ended up in this predicament. Can they trust what the AI is telling them? An enjoyable story but perhaps a bit long and complicated to grip my students.

  • The Unexpected Find

    By Tony Ibbotson
    4 stars

    This is a story about a boy who finds a treasure, a girl who loses her father and a journey into the depths of a Scandinavian winter. I loved the authenticity of the characters and the twists and turns of plot which unfolded rather beautifully. I would give it 5 stars myself but it perhaps students would find it a bit long/slowish.

  • Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus

    By Dusti Bowling
    5 stars

    Who knew that a story about a girl born with no arms could be so enjoyable, funny, eye-opening and moving? Aven moves with her (adoptive) parents to a rather run-down Western theme park in Arizona. There she finds some new friends with their own challenges and unravels a mystery that has highly personal implications.

  • 13

    By Jason Robert Brown and Dan Eilish
    4 stars

    This novel is based on a musical with the same name. It's about a boy named Evan whose parents separate and he has to move from New York to small-town Illinois. His mother is determined for him to have a bar mitvah. Will the prospect of "becoming a man" have any impact on his dubious attempts to get in with the cool crowd? An amusing read.

  • The Canyon's Edge

    By Dusti Bowling
    5 stars

    A story mostly told in verse by Nora whose mother was randomly shot dead a year ago. Her over-protective father takes her to explore a desert canyon to distract them from their memories. However disaster strikes and Nora has to overcome her fears if she is to survive. A gripping read as Nora wrestles with the physical and emotional challenges she faces.

  • The Losers Club

    By Andrew Clements
    4 stars

    Alec loves reading but is in trouble for doing so during class lessons. He also begins attending an after school programme at which he has the opportunity to start a reading club. However in order to discourage others joining - who he thinks will only distract him - he calls it The Losers Club. To his surprise lots of other kids join and he also has to deal with a former-friend bully and maybe even a crush. The story is expertly handled by Clements (author of Frindle) with believable characters and plot.

  • The Eyes and the Impossible

    By Dave Eggers
    4 stars

    An quirky story told from the perspective of a dog prone to exaggeration who lives in a large park and loves to run. He is the eyes for the wise bison who he reports to about the goings-on in the park - particularly the activity of the humans. Although it is a Newbery winner and I found it amusing, I'm not sure how may kids it will appeal to.

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