Checkmate is the penultimate book in the Noughts and Crosses series. Callie is the daughter of Sephy, a Cross, and Callum a Nought. She soon learns that life in this divided society isn’t going to be easy…
books
Knife Edge by Malorie Blackman Book Review
In the second book in the Noughts and Crosses series, the story is told by Sephy, a Cross, and Jude, a Nought. Jude blames Sephy for what happened to his family, and now he wants revenge, but with Jude’s life resting on a knife edge, that’s not going to be easy…
Noughts and Crosses by Malorie Blackman – Book Review
In Callum and Sephy’s society, Noughts, the white citizens, are ruled by Crosses, the black citizens. Callum, a Nought, and Sephy, a Cross, who have been friends since childhood, soon learn that Noughts and Crosses simply don’t mix when Callum goes to a mainly Crosses school for the first time. As they get closer, they find it harder and harder to be together. Then, everything changes when the bomb goes off…
Ketchup Clouds by Annabel Pitcher – Book Review
Zoe did something terrible, and somehow, she managed to get away with it. Ever since the incident she has kept what really happened a secret, until one day when she decides to write to a stranger to try and come to terms with what she has done. It’s no ordinary stranger though. It’s someone who knows about secrets – a murderer on death row in Texas, America. Zoe picks up a pen and begins to write…
Say Her Name by Juno Dawson – Book Review
One night, a group of friends decides to try and summon the ghost of Bloody Mary, just for a laugh. Anyway, what’s the worst that could happen? With a camera ready, they chant Bloody Mary five times into their bathroom mirror. Strange things begin to happen when one of the friends, Bobbie, discovers a message in the mirror – “five days,” it says. As they try to unravel the mystery, they learn that while many have tried to say her name for a dare, all Mary wants is the world to know the truth…
Say Her Name is based on a version of the legend of Bloody Mary. Piece by piece, the story is uncovered and it is not until the very end that there is an explanation of some of the scary goings-on in the book.
Even then, there are some things that are left open for you to interpret yourself. It was so gripping that I didn’t want to put it down over the two days during which I read it. The dialogue between the teenagers was so realistic that it really made the characters come to life and made it even more believable.
The book was scary in parts, mainly because as the story went on, there were many plot twists and details added that meant that you couldn’t predict how the story would work as the story progressed.
Overall, I loved this book – when I thought it couldn’t get any scarier, I really struggled to construct any theories about what was really going on. There was always something around the corner that would make me want to read on!
More Than This by Patrick Ness – Book Review
The boy is drowning. He’s fighting for his life, using every last bit of energy to keep his head above water. An incoming wave shoves him against a rock and in an instant, he’s dead.
Shortly after his death the boy wakes up. Thirsty, hungry and tired, but alive. As he discovers this desolate place that holds so many bad memories he starts to understand why he’s here and if this really is the end…
All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven – Book Review
When Violet and Finch meet up on the ledge of the school bell tower, it is unclear who talked down whom. Violet is a popular girl, still trying to come to terms with her sisters’ death, while Finch is the opposite, called a freak by his peers and still trying to find out who he really is. As they wander Indiana as part of their school project, they find they can be themselves together and that there is much more to Finch than Violet originally thought…
Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Leuithan – Book Review
Two teenagers, both with very different stories to tell, meet unexpectedly in an unlikely corner of Chicago. Although they have very different personalities, they have one very important thing in common: they share the same name. The first we meet is a funny, nerdy boy whose best friend is the thoroughly fabulous Tiny Cooper, who seems like he’s dating a new boy every day. The other is a depressed but moody teen who spends all of his spare time on his laptop chatting to his online friend, Isaac. They are both brought together when they are portrayed by their school mates in possibly one of the best musicals to hit the high-school stage.
Paper Towns by John Green – Book Review
Quentin Jacobsen (or ‘Q’ as he is known to his friends) has always been a secret admirer of Margo Roth Spiegelman, his next door neighbour, since he was a child. When Margo arrives at Q’s window asking to borrow his car in the middle of the night, they embark on a night of revenge as they target her unsuspecting disloyal friends and cheating boyfriend. The net day, Margo doesn’t turn up to school. Like the last time she ran away, Q believes that she has left a trail of clues, specifically for him to follow. He has to act quickly, because he may never see Margo again…
An Abundance of Katherines by John Green – Book Review
Being incredibly intelligent isn’t the only thing that makes Colin Singleton unique – there’s also the fact that he has been dumped by nineteen girls named Katherine. After leaving high school and having no idea about what career he wants to pursue, he and his best friend Hassan embark on a road trip. At the outset, they have no idea that they will end up in Tennessee and meet Lindsey Lee Wells and her mother, Hollis, who help him to prove The Theorem of Underlying Katherine Predictability, which will help him determine the outcome of any relationship and hopefully end the trend of Colin always being the dumpee and get him a girlfriend.
Fiction for Teens 