AdelAIDE Just Wants to Help

 AdelAIDE is the second techno-thriller by Melinda Salisbury for Barrington Stoke. We read the first, Echostar”, with book group. Freya and her friends are environmentalists and are keen to highlight local climate issues. However, Freya is intensely jealous of her ex best friend, who is also climate aware and has a much bigger social media following. Freya wants to be an influencer too. When her dad brings home a prototype AI, Freya realises that it can help her realise her ambitions. There is a price, however…

Being rather nervous about AI and the effect it and social media can have on your life, I did expect to enjoy this story, and I was not disappointed. Whilst it was slightly stretching the bounds of credibility that Freya would have followed all the suggestions, despite the activities of some  more radical climate warriors, it was an enjoyable read. Freya’s friends and parents felt real but I think more could have been done with Enzo and Eden. This is a good story which highlights the need for climate change both at local and global levels, and makes us think about the dangers of becoming too invested in social media (or relying on AI).

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Holocaust Memorial Day

Holocaust Memorial Day takes place every year on 27 January and we marked this year with our display in the Library and talked about it with our S1 and S2 Library classes. We also discussed Tom Palmer's book, After the War, which is available to borrow in the Library.

Holocaust Memorial Day 27 January

Summer 1945. The Second World War is finally over and Yossi, Leo and Mordecai are among three hundred children who arrive in the English Lake District. Having survived the horrors of the Na…

Go to this Sway

Advent Count Down- Book 20

This story is inspired by the real life story of Annie Oakley. She rose to fame as a sharp shooter on the circus trail of the Wild West. This imagined story is that of young Maggie whose family are in destitute circumstances after the death of her father. Her mother is very much against her using her shooting skills gained from going out with Pa. I loved that fact that despite the challenging relationship she has with her mother young Maggie keeps trying to find ways of supporting her family. Great to have a story about a strong willed woman.

Advent Count Down - Book 7 and 8

It's the weekend so I am allowed to choose two books.

I have always enjoyed Elizabeth Wein's stories.as they feature strong female characters, often set at a time in history when the role of women was changing dramatically.This is true of  both "White Eagles" and "Firebird".  Both are published by Barrington Stoke, are in the "super readable" format and are set in the past with female aviator pioneers. The main character in both books is based on a real life story.

The hero of "White Eagles" is Kristina who at just 18 joins Poland's air force when the country is on the brink of war (1939). There is plenty of tension and as Kristina  navigates her most challenging flight, only to find she has a stowaway on board.

Nastia is the lead fictional character,  the daughter of Russian revolutionaries. She starts as an idealist, serving "the Motherland" but as events unfolds, Nastia begins to question everything she has always believed in.   We learn about  the Romanovs, the  former Russian Royal Family and of one of Russia's leading aviators Marina Raskova and the regiments she trains to fly during the war.  Nastia is a fighter pilot and the description of the flights is my favourite part of the story. The book leaves us to ponder her future after landing behind enemy lines. Does returning home make her a traitor? And what happens to traitors?  

S1:S3 Book group Teenage Book Prize

On Wednesday lunch we will hand out copies of the first book we are reading. "One Shot " by Tanya Landman is the imagined childhood of Annie Oakley, the American sharp shooter who went on to perform in Buffalo Bill's Wild West show and then became even more famous when her story was told in the movie "Annie get your gun"