NA Book Club

Create Group Magazine

King of Nothing
King of Nothing is a coming-of-age novel about reputation, peer pressure and true friendship. My favourite scene comes at the beginning when the narrator Anton drives his Nanny to the hospital on the bus. It's hilarious and shows the great bod these two family members have. Most of the dialogue is very witty, blended seamlessly into the conversations. On the other hand, characters development seemed a bit rushed to me compared to the other Carnegie shortlisted books. Anton seemed to be jumping from one extreme to the other, while a lot of the side characters felt one-dimensional. That said, I think this book still outperforms many other teenage school/friendship stories and discusses important topics like masculinity and peer-pressure. I would recommend this book to kids who like school stories like Diary of Wimpy Kid.

All That It Ever Meant
All That It Ever Meant is a magic realism novella about seeing magic in people and in yourself. The story focuses on a family trip to evocative Zimbabwe in which our main character deals with grief with the help of a friendly spirit. Mati is a gripping character whose love for storytelling shines through her narration. She feels real because the reader can see her strengths and her flaws. By the end of the book I felt like I understood all members of Mati's family and I couldn't believe how short the text actually was, yet is showed so much. My favourite part was reading about all the nature, animals, and adventures the family experienced in Zimbabwe, especially when Baba focused on showing his children the Zimbabwe of his youth. Meticais, Mati's friendly spirit, cleverly gets her to open up. They are a master of asking the right questions. This book was unexpectedly funny. The light-hearted conversational humour binds the characters together, especially elevating the hard-hitting conversations between Mati and Meticais. The book is full of mystery, misdirection, and surprises, all cleverly wrapped up in Mati's unreliable and secretive narration. This book shares a lot of story-telling themes with novels like The Things We Leave Behind (another shortlisted book), Starless Sea, and When Life Gives You Mangoes. It also reminds me of reading the Jungle Book because of author's knowledge of the animals. I would recommend this book to imaginative readers who are not afraid to dive deep into inventive narratives. The magical realism makes me want to reread it myself as this is one of those books in which reader gains more understanding each time they reread it.

The Final Year
The Final Year is accessible and life-affirming novel-in-verse about finding yourself during a difficult transition period, the end of Year 6. The book does a great job presenting Nate, especially his responsibilities of caring for his younger brothers. Nate is kind and creative, and very wise for his age. The author shows how he is build up by his circumstance and the resilience he find in his community. My favourite poems were the ones Nate dedicates to specific characters in the book, as their lyrical qualities made them feel very personal. The scenes between Nate and his teacher are very inspirational, especially for budding writers who might use this book to find the last bit of courage they needed. The pace of the book plot felt a bit rushed, even for a verse novel. Also there are many references to David Almond's books and specific songs that require outside knowledge and can be a bit confusing for readers. This book reminded me of another verse novel, Punching The Air, in that it showed how creativity can be healing. Nate's kind form teacher also felt reminiscent of Wonder. I would recommend this book to anyone preparing for tests, especially if they feel under a lot of stress. A lot of the poems are very aspirational and therapeutic.

The Things We Leave Behind
The Things We Leave Behind is about using imagination to conjure hope in times of trouble. The dystopian novel presents three different intertwined narratives - present, past and fairy-tale - to tell a deeply personal but also highly relevant story of political extremism. The book is full of vivid characters, kind to Clem in various ways through understanding, resources and rebellion. My favourite character was Clem's granddad Huw who inspired Clem to create stories by telling her marvellous stories when she was a child. I really liked the fairy-tale weaved through the book as it was fun unravelling the connections to the main storyline. The story felt magical and wonderous and the time jumps kept me thrilled for what was going to happen next. This book made me cry even though I guessed the twist early on, the way it was told was still heart-breaking. The pacing of the novel is perfect. The four sections: Story, Fight, Lost and Hope, give the reader good guidance and their openings set expectations for what is going to happen next. The storytelling themes remind me of the novella All That It Ever Was (another Carnegie shortlisted book), Starless Sea and When Life Give You Mangoes. The dystopian plot is similar to Outwalkers. The running theme of politics affecting friendships is reminiscent of When The World Was Ours. I would recommend this book to readers who like genre crossovers. In this case dystopian fiction meets fairy-tales. Both genres are used very well and the main characters personal struggle and journey shine through.

Treacle Town
Treacle Town, a place where Con and his ‘troops’ are stuck in a cycle of violence and gang culture. They're mourning the loss of their friend Mark ‘Biscuit’ McVitie. Another senseless tragedy in a town overwrought with the feeling of eternal hopelessness for its youth, and the inevitable life of crime. Our protagonist Con O’Neil has his own personal struggles but begins to see a way out on discovering a love for slam poetry. But can he find the courage to pursue his dream? The strength of friendship within the group is well presented and put to the test as their lives become more and more tinged with hopelessness and fear for the future. Con’s imagined conversations with his dead mum bring some optimism to the general feeling of bleakness and gloom. His mum’s ‘presence’ is quite powerful and gives Connor some hope as he becomes more determined to find a better way to live. This novel felt authentic to a point, although, the Scottish dialect might be a challenge for some readers. But let’s talk about the ‘elephant in the room’! I think the book would have had equal impact without the prolific use of the ‘c’ word. In some instances it enhanced the emotions being felt, at other times it just felt indulgent and unnecessary. This would be a great read for fans of Melvyn Burgess and Kevin Brookes. Especially for those that enjoyed The Bunker Diary.

King of Nothing
An excellent book containing good characters, a very good plot and some very valuable life lessons e.g company matters, school matters and how you should never bully someone. In my opinion this book was a 10/10 however so if there was anything I would change about it, I would want Mathew to explain his sad home life and how lonely it can be and not make the ending so rushed and see more os the dad. After Nana passed away he realised and the story had a crazy twist so I would say its one of the better books.

The Final Year
This book was jaw dropping, it had so much different emotions that I can't describe it fully. This book really made me want to read more and I think everyone should have a chance to see what the book is like. I was struck by the story of the character and felt the sadness and anger too. It was amazing to read something like this as it is something new and I wouldn't have read this personally however I am glad I did now!

The Things We Leave Behind
The book was amazing, as I got near the middle and end it really sparked my interest making me want to read more. This book brought lots of emotions to me because of what the characters had to go through, however there were some confusing parts for example when we went from the present to the past. Overall the book is great and I recommend it to anyone who likes an adventure!

Little Bang
Little Bang is about two teenagers falling in love and subsequently having to deal with a very real pregnancy and the question of abortion. Both Mel and Sid, their parents and friends reflect real people in similar circumstances, showing a wide variety of real perspectives on pregnancy. That said, a lot of the characters feel contrived. The best way I can describe it is a mix between a cautionary tale and a soap opera where each character is behaving a certain way to make a point or create drama. My favourite part of the book was the beginning and ending. Without getting into spoilers, the scenes mirror each other, and I think they frame the whole story well. The middle of the story was not very gripping. As a reader, I wish the plot would have picked up like it did in the end sooner. I found it difficult to care for both Sid and Mel at time and I think it was mainly due to the slow middle of the book. The focus seemed to be on representing all possible views on pregnancy and abortion over realistic character development. I would recommend this book to people who want to learn about pregnancy, abortion and specifically the Irish Referendum and historical UK law. I think this book would work well as a companion to non-fiction resources due to the research the author put in it.

Glasgow Boys
Glasgow Boys is a novel about friendship and life in care. The two narrators are starting a new life but their secrets are slowly being revealed. Finlay and Banjo are very distinct narrators and they keep evolving and changing through their life experiences. Finlay is sensitive and guides his decisions through his interests which is nursing and caring for others. Banjo is a people-person and considerate of how he affects people around him but he often solves his problems through violence and looks up to Finlay's sensitivity because he wants to change. I also liked the patients at the residential care home where Finlay is working while studying nursing, as they are funny and cheer him up. My favourite part of the book was Finlay's descriptions of his surroundings and how he is observant and sensitive. The plot moves very quickly, mainly through the emotional development of the characters. The book made me both laugh and cry. The is a nice balance between the soft and strong moments so as a reader I didn't feel overwhelmed. The flashbacks are well laid out throughout the novel and it's made clear that the past memories are pushed away by both narrators and they only resurface in strong emotional moments like at the end of chapters. The author did a good job of fleshing out the motivations and fears of each characters so I understood them and cared about them. The novel reminds me of Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe because behind the well-rounded characters there is a philosophical message about the power of friendships. I would recommend this book to readers who like to care about the characters they read about. It's good escapism because it creates a well-rounded reality for these boys and their friendships.