LGGS Shadow Questers

Little Bang
I would say that this book is a must read as it has a rollercoaster of emotions and makes you feel like you are there experiencing what Meg and Sid are going through. Sid is such a relatable character as he is trying his best to balance a family and his passion. When a 'little bang' threatens to ruin Meg's dream of university she tries to cope in a country where abortion is illegal...

Freya

All That It Ever Meant
This book is set during a road trip through Zimbabwe, following a young girl and her family grieving the death of her mother. As she is pushed by someone named “Meticais”, the narrator switches between recounting past events leading up to the death and participating in what is happening in the moment. All That It Ever Meant carries an impactful message about grief and the death of a loved one, particularly an unexpected death. I would recommend this book to many different audiences, although it may be triggering for those who have lost loved ones.

Anna

I Love Books
I love this illustration book! It follows the story of a little girl who, at the beginning, hates books. But when she is given a school assignment to read a whole book, she ventures out to the library. She picks a book and falls into a storybook world, with different characters. I think that Ilustrajo really captures the enticing nature of books, and how you are transported into a different, magical world. I would recommend this book for all ages, but especially children. Overall, I think the illustrations are what make this book so magical. I would 100% recommend this book.

India

Treacle Town
This book takes place in modern-day Scotland, in a poverty-ridden “Treacle Town”. The reader follows a teenage inhabitant of this town, Con, shortly after the murder of his friend, ‘Biscuit’, as he struggles with his position in society. When he discovers “slam poetry”, he finds a glimmer of hope that, if pursued, could lead to his escape. This book carries a powerful message about the inequality in our society and the violence and discrimination faced by the less privileged. While I wouldn’t recommend it to younger audiences due to strong language and sensitive topics, I would absolutely recommend Treacle Town to young adult readers because of how it handles said sensitive topics.

Anna

Play
'Play' by Luke Palmer is an excellent interpretation of the mindsets of modern teenage boys growing up together and exploring the changes between being just innocent boys and what the real world is like. It perfectly handles challenging themes that many young people experience in the world and helps to convey these points of view to readers in a powerful, yet sensitive, way. I also like how the story goes through many years of these friends' lives and shows just how much they change in them. However, I also think that sometimes having four main characters with their own individual stories can make it quite challenging to remember what previously happened to them, as it flits a lot between each of them in chapters. I also think that sometimes the language and references to other mature themes is a bit too much. I also sometimes find it hard to connect with the characters, and I struggle to see their thoughts and opinions on certain matters discussed in the book, but I think that maybe other readers will be able to understand these characters further than me. But I find the story very interesting, and I do like how each of the four friends is able to express their thoughts and feelings in each of the chapters on certain matters that have taken place. The ending is also very creative, and it leaves the reader with lots of different ideas on what could've happened to each of the characters in the coming future, which is a very interesting thing to think and reflect on after finishing reading this book.

Tess