Barking by Tom Holt, a very amusing tale of vampires, werewolves, zombies, unicorns and ... oh, lawyers. Duncan is poached from his boring law firm by a rival firm owned by his old school friend Luke Ferris, who just happens to be a werewolf, and wants Duncan to be one of his pack. Meanwhile Duncan's ex-wife, who is far more successful in the legal profession than he is, is turned into a vampire by her bosses and seems dead set on killing him. Oh, and then there's the shapeshifting unicorn wi...
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The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan (Gollancz, 2009, ISBN 9780575090866)
Now I have to admit that I don't do zombies, they terrify me! This despite having well-advanced plans in place should there ever be a zombie apocalypse at my college... But this novel gripped me from start to finish. It's set in a small community surrounded by fences that keep the "Unconsecrated" from murdering the inhabitants. Mary's only ever known the village with its strict rules, but starts to question the m...
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Candor by Pam Bachorz (Egmont, 2009, 9781405250276)
A deceptively simple yet chilling tale about a new town in America, where all the teens are brainwashed by subliminal messages, hidden in the muzak, into behaving perfectly. The architect of this society is Oscar's dad, who believes that he has the perfect son - but Oscar knows about the messages and how to subvert them, and has a profitable line in counter-brainwashing, helping teens escape from Candor. When Nia arrives, he is attracted to h...
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I've added a large selection of tried and tested best booktalking titles to this site, with some tips on how to prepare and deliver sessions. I really wish more people would try this - it really does work, it gets teens reading, and it's very rewarding to do. I've been doing it for ten years and it's the highlight of my year, to be honest! This year I've combined it with a Cephalonian induction method for Year 10 students, and it's gone down really well. I hope to add book covers to the page ...
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Did the girly thing and went to see the film of Twilight at the weekend! The novel has been phenomenal in school - even boys have been reading it! I've read the first two books and enjoyed them, with a caveat. Guess it's my age, but the dippy heroine falls for tall dark and handsome boy (who at first is mean to her then declares all-consuming love) is a little tired when you're in your thirties and have a bit of life experience behind you. But I also totally agree with the Guardian reviewer; ...
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