LibGuides: Books and Reading: Dani Smith

DANI SMITH

Teacher Librarian

Favourite authors
J.K Rowling
Lynette Noni
Bill Bryson
William McInnes

Favourite series
Harry Potter
Medoran Chronicles

Favourite quotes from books

"When in doubt, go to the library.” ― Ron, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K Rowling.

“The Answer to the Great Question... Of Life, the Universe and Everything... Is... Forty-two,' said Deep Thought, with infinite majesty and calm.” ― The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

CURRENTLY READING

The Strangeworlds Travel Agency by L.D Lapinski
ISBN: 9781510105942
When 12-year-old Flick Hudson accidentally ends up in the Strangeworlds Travel Agency, she uncovers a fantastic secret: there are hundreds of other worlds just steps away from ours. All you have to do to visit them is jump into the right suitcase. Then Flick gets the invitation of a lifetime: join Strangeworlds' magical travel society and explore other worlds. But, unknown to Flick, the world at the very centre of it all, a city called Five Lights, is in danger. Buildings and even streets are mysteriously disappearing. Once Flick realizes what's happening she must race against time, travelling through unchartered worlds, seeking a way to fix Five Lights before it collapses into nothingness and takes our world with it.
We're Not from Here by Geoff Rodkey
ISBN: 9781524773045
Publication Date: 2019-03-05
The first time I heard about Planet Choom, we'd been on Mars for almost a year. But life on the Mars station was grim, and since Earth was no longer an option (we may have blown it up), it was time to find a new home. That's how we ended up on Choom with the Zhuri. They're very smart. They also look like giant mosquitos. But that's not why it's so hard to live here. There's a lot that the Zhuri don't like- singing (just ask my sister, Ila), comedy (one joke got me sent to the principal's office), or any kind of emotion. The biggest problem, though? The Zhuri don't like us. And if humankind is going to survive, it's up to my family to change their minds. No pressure.
Aurora Rising by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff
ISBN: 9781760295738
Tyler Jones has been training since he was thirteen years old for this day -- the Andromeda Academy Draft. Today he gets to pick out the squad that will serve with him through his final year of training. Today is the start of his squad's legend. But the unimaginable happens: he discovers the Hadfield, a legendary colony ship lost for more than two centuries. The rescue is death defying, and Ty is able to save the ship's one survivor: eighteen year old Alexandra O'Malley. But by the time he returns to Andromeda Academy, he's in hot water with the Academy brass, and worse, he's missed the Draft. Ty is left with the dregs of the Academy's cadets -- the losers nobody wanted. When they are marooned on a remote colony world, can the group put aside their differences long enough to get back to Andromeda Station, or will they kill each other before the bioweapon does?

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Akarnae by Lynette Noni With just one step, sixteen-year-old Alexandra Jennings' world changes--literally.

Dreading her first day at a new school, Alex is stunned when she walks through a doorway and finds herself stranded in Medora, a fantasy world full of impossibilities. Desperate to return home, she learns that only a man named Professor Marselle can help her... but he's missing.

While waiting for him to reappear, Alex attends Akarnae Academy, Medora's boarding school for teenagers with extraordinary gifts. She soon starts to enjoy her bizarre new world and the friends who embrace her as one of their own, but strange things are happening at Akarnae, and Alex can't ignore her fear that something unexpected... something sinister... is looming.

An unwilling pawn in a deadly game, Alex's shoulders bear the crushing weight of an entire race's survival. Only she can save the Medorans, but what if doing so prevents her from ever returning home?

Will Alex risk her entire world--and maybe even her life--to save Medora?
Mike by Andrew Norriss MEET FLOYD. He's a tennis star. Possibly good enough to win Wimbledon one day. MEET MIKE. He's . . . different. Apart from anything else, Floyd seems to be the only one who can see him. But Mike must have appeared for a reason. And finding out why is perhaps the most important thing Floyd will ever do . . .
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J. K. Rowling For twelve long years, the dread fortress of Azkaban held an infamous prisoner named Sirius Black. Convicted of killing thirteen people with a single curse, he was said to be the heir apparent to the Dark Lord, Voldemort. Now he has escaped, leaving only two clues as to where he might be headed: Harry Potter's defeat of You-Know-Who was Black's downfall as well. And the Azkaban guards heard Black muttering in his sleep, "He's at Hogwarts . . . he's at Hogwarts." Harry Potter isn't safe, not even within the walls of his magical school, surrounded by his friends. Because on top of it all, there may well be a traitor in their midst.
Masterminds by Gordon Korman The first book in the action-packed series from New York Times bestselling author Gordon Korman is perfect for young fans of James Patterson and John Grisham. Eli Frieden lives in the most perfect town in the world: Serenity, New Mexico. Honesty and integrity are valued above all else. The thirty kids who live there never lie--they know it's a short leap from that to the awful problems of other, less fortunate places. Eli has never left Serenity...why would he ever want to? Then one day, he bikes to the edge of the city limits and something so crazy and unexpected happens, it changes everything. Eli convinces his friends to help him investigate further, and soon it becomes clear that nothing is as it seems in Serenity. The clues mount to reveal a shocking discovery, connecting their ideal crime-free community to some of the greatest criminal masterminds ever known. The kids realize they can trust no one--least of all their own parents.
The Wrong Train by Jeremy de Quidt Light the candles and shut the door, The Wrong Train is a deliciously creepy and terrifyingly good collection of scary stories, for fans of Patrick Ness, R.L. Stine, and Emily Carroll. Imagine you've just managed to catch your train and you realize it's the wrong one. You'd be annoyed of course, but not scared . . . yet. Imagine you get off the wrong train at the next station hoping to catch one back the way you came. But the station is empty. Again, you'd be annoyed, but not scared . . . Yet. Imagine someone comes to the station, a stranger who starts to tell you stories to help pass the time. But these aren't any old stories -- they're nightmares that come with a price to pay. And you want them to stop. Scared yet? You will be.
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs A New York Times #1 best seller On the New York Times Best Seller List for more than 52 consecutive weeks Includes an excerpt from the much-anticipated sequel and an interview with author Ransom Riggs A mysterious island.   An abandoned orphanage.   A strange collection of very curious photographs.   It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow--impossible though it seems--they may still be alive.   A spine-tingling fantasy illustrated with haunting vintage photography, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children will delight adults, teens, and anyone who relishes an adventure in the shadows. "A tense, moving, and wondrously strange first novel. The photographs and text work together brilliantly to create an unforgettable story."--John Green, New York Times best-selling author of The Fault in Our Stars "With its X-Men: First Class-meets-time-travel story line, David Lynchian imagery, and rich, eerie detail, it's no wonder Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children has been snapped up by Twentieth Century Fox. B+"--Entertainment Weekly "'Peculiar' doesn't even begin to cover it. Riggs' chilling, wondrous novel is already headed to the movies."--People "You'll love it if you want a good thriller for the summer. It's a mystery, and you'll race to solve it before Jacob figures it out for himself."--Seventeen
Down Under by Bill Bryson It is the driest, flattest, hottest, most desiccated, infertile and climatically aggressive of all the inhabited continents and still Australia teems with life âe" a large portion of it quite deadly. In fact, Australia has more things that can kill you in a very nasty way than anywhere else. Ignoring such dangers âe" and yet curiously obsessed by them âe" Bill Bryson journeyed to Australia and promptly fell in love with the country. And who can blame him? The people are cheerful, extrovert, quick-witted and unfailingly obliging: their cities are safe and clean and nearly always built on water; the food is excellent; the beer is cold and the sun nearly always shines. Life doesnâe(tm)t get much better than thisâe¦
We Were Liars by E. Lockhart A New York Times Bestseller "Haunting, sophisticated . . . a novel so twisty and well-told that it will appeal to older readers as well as to adolescents."--Wall Street Journal "A rich, stunning summer mystery with a sharp twist that will leave you dying to talk about the book with a pal or ten."--Parade.com "Thrilling, beautiful, and blisteringly smart, We Were Liars is utterly unforgettable." - John Green, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Fault in Our Stars "You're going to want to remember the title. Liars details the summers of a girl who harbors a dark secret, and delivers a satisfying, but shocking twist ending." - Breia Brissey, Entertainment Weekly A beautiful and distinguished family. A private island. A brilliant, damaged girl; a passionate, political boy. A group of four friends--the Liars--whose friendship turns destructive. A revolution. An accident. A secret. Lies upon lies. True love. The truth. We Were Liars is a modern, sophisticated suspense novel from New York Times bestselling author, National Book Award finalist, and Printz Award honoree E. Lockhart. Read it. And if anyone asks you how it ends, just LIE. "An ambitious novel with an engaging voice, a clever plot and some terrific writing."--New York Times Book Review "No one should be talking about the shocking twist ending. What we can talk about is...[Lockhart's] razor-sharp portrayal of a family for whom keeping up appearances is paramount and, ultimately, tragic."--The Chicago Tribune