Battle of the Books -penultimate round

Apologies for the lateness of this post. We are in the process of moving our Library to a new building and life is, to say the least, chaotic.
Enough said, let us move to business.


The books pitted against each other for this round were Cat's Table vs Fishtailing and Ship Breakers vs What We Keep Is Not Always What Will Stay.


The judge for the first two books was J. Waudby, Greenford resident and writer and she wrote of the book she chose as winner:-
I chose Fishtailing because it hooked me from the first page, and also because it raises questions about looking at poetry as creativity or as an expression of anguish - even a cry for help. Every word is important and each verse holds the voice of that character. The way the poem structure reflects the poems written by Natalie, Miguel, Tricia and Kyle is very satisfying and the language in this book is breathtakingly beautiful. But I thought the best thing about it is the haunting story and the way that it builds slowly but inevitably to the tragic climax. I also liked the echo of the teacher's writing advice, to give the protagonist hope, in the moment of hope at the end of this poem-story.


The judge for the other two books was M. MacInnes, a School Librarian from Ealing.
Ship Breakers is set in a dystopian future and I found it a difficult read. However, if you enjoy literature which describes a society that struggles with fear violence and shortages as the main characters spend their days just trying to survive.
What We Keep ... is not a book that I would normally pick up but I really, really enjoyed it. Angie the main protagonist is a very likeable 15 year old who has the normal teenage stresses that go with life. Her relationship with her Mum is strained as is her relationship with Jesse, the war hero, who returns to school to finish her education.
Her confidante throughout is Felix, who listens to her and encourages her to come to her own conclusions about her life and the people in it.


My winner is What We Keep Is Not Always What Will Stay.


There you have it. The finalists for the CWCS Battle of the Books 2012 are Fishtailing by Wendy Phillips vs What We Keep Is Not Always What Will Stay by Amanda Cockrell.

What of the contestant brought back from the dead? The group of judges have decided that Nothing by Janne Teller is the choice for them.

A triumph for North American and European publishing ...
The judge for the last round has been given copies of the books and will let us know his decision soon. Watch this space!

Swim the Fly vs. What We Keep Is Not Always What Will Stay

Many thanks to Mr. Knight who was our reader for this contest - despite the pressure of exams and coursework and everything else!

Swim the Fly

 

This was a very easy book to read, perhaps a little too easy! It would make a really good “Animal House” film as it definitely had a light comedic style. The characters were a little superficial but I enjoyed it very much.

What We Keep Is Not Always What Will Stay

I read this book after “Swim the Fly” and found it much less flippant. I was absolutely riveted by it. The characters had real depth and I was unable to put it down. I particularly enjoyed its honesty and realism.

My winner is What We Keep Is Not Always What Will Stay

Battle of the Books Nothing vs Ship Breaker

The judge for this round was Ms Mac Elhatton

Nothing is extremely abstract and profound. It disturbs the reader on a very deep level and it is a book that you have to think about. It sits with you and you have to think about it for a long time after you have read it. At some points you have to set it down as the levels of disillusionment, disaffection and desensitisation shown by the characters are overpowering.

It is not a book to be enjoyed, it is a book to be experienced. If you are looking for a challenging read, I thoroughly recommend it but if you are at all faint hearted then leave it alone.

Ship Breaker is a novel about a dystopian future and, for me, was unique. It is not trite or formulaic though it could so easily be so. I liked the fact that there was not a straightforward hero vs villain plot and there was no definitive right or wrong. There were shades of grey and one saw through the main character’s eyes and empathised with his viewpoint. It was all about a struggle for survival and how luck plays a large part in the achievement and pursuit of happiness.

My winner is Ship Breaker.

Round 2 Far Rockaway vs Fishtailing

The judge for this round was Ms Angela Doherty.

Far Rockaway is a great idea for a story. While on holiday with her parents visiting her grandfather, Cat Manno is saved from death by her grandfather Victor as they are both hit by a truck while crossing the road. Both end up in the hospital with Cat falling into a deep coma. As her parents keep a vigil by her bedside, Cat enters an adventure world of her grandfather’s stories – a professor of Literature – the world of the Last of the Mohicans, Treasure Island and Kidnapped.

The book switches between the hospital and the adventure world with Cat and Victor’s struggle to remain alive in the real world mirrored in a range of exciting episodes and encounters with characters from the books.

Although I really liked the concept of the book I have not read any of the books referred to and so probably missed out on the significance of some of the exploits and escapades which to me seemed very long and drawn out. There were a few exciting and tense moments but I didn’t think it was pacy enough although I did enjoy the final chapters of the book in both the real and adventure worlds which brought the story to its bitter sweet conclusion with some thoughtful reflections and life and death.

Fishtailing is a short book which consists mainly of poems created by the four main teenage characters Tricia, Natalie, Kyle and Miguel in their English class, interspersed with comments from the teacher and the school counsellor in response to the content of the poems and the behaviour of the students.

The setting of the book is a school in Vancouver; two of the characters have relatively regular teenage lives, the two new arrivals with much darker experiences of life. Their lives intertwine, initially in expected ways which then develop and gather pace. Risks lead to tragic consequences.

The student’s poems, with sparing language, vividly convey their attitudes, experiences, hopes and concerns and contrast dramatically with the adult perspective - the teacher’s homework feedback and the e-mails and notes between the teacher and counsellor expressing their concerns about the students (and also their hopelessness in not being able to address their highly complex needs).

I didn’t think that I was going to enjoy the book but I was soon gripped by the characters and narrative and completed it in under an hour; I think this is the only way to read this book. The characters and story stayed with me. I read it again – highly recommended for older teenagers.

My choice is Fishtailing.

Battle of the Books Update

Battle of the Books : Round 2 Result of the first match

The contestants in this round were An Act Of Love vs The Cat's Table and many thanks to our reader Ms Haughey.

Each book has considerable merit. An Act Of Love takes on major topics - racism, fundamentalism, and war and works a strong story around the trials and tribulations of the characters. Alan Gibbons has written a book that makes the reader think and try to understand what motivates people while delivering a gripping race against time.

The Cat's Table takes place on a long sea voyage which gives the reader a strong sense of journeying with the fascinating array of different characters. Ondaatje also provides the reader with the history of the three boys after they arrive in Britain in a masterful way. What appears at first to be a rather slight tale of youngsters on a ship travelling across the seas from Sri Lanka (Ceylon at the time the story is set) to Britain becomes a deep and rich story of the human condition.

 

The winner of this round is The Cat's Table.

 

After the Snow

I have to admit that this cover really caught my attention, as to the story - it seemed to be a typical misery dystopian future. Then I read it.

First of all, S. D. Crockett has a tremendous gift for description. From mountain to grotty encampment, I was there and could see it in my mind's eye.

Now, to the story which was not run of the mill nor dull. I was gripped by Willo's efforts to survive and found his dialect an important part of his characterisation, not an irritant (as can sometimes happen e.g. as in Billy Dean.)

His memories of other characters filled them out and, even though unseen, they became vital and real.

This will not make my Y7 Incoming list but I shall be promoting it to anyone else who will listen. Why not for the list? It's possibly a bit daunting - 307 pages with some harrowing detail and I don't know these students yet. Once I do, I'm sure somebody in the group of 300+ will be up for it.

Another factor is the price. I try to recommend paperbacks. This is a hardback costing £12.99. Not a lot to some but it is for many, especially if you have to kit someone out for high school as well as provide for siblings.

Could that be one reason why libraries have always been important ...?

 

 

 

Ealing Readers' Award (ERA) 2012 Shortlist

Ealing Readers' Award is an attempt to give our students some say in what they think is the best book of the previous year.


It began because the Ealing School Librarians felt that, after many years of Shadowing the Carnegie, students got very little satisfaction for their effort. In over ten years of Shadowing, our school agreed with the official panel once - for Mal Peet and Tamar.
Frequently, the students were baffled as to why they were involved in Shadowing if there was no end result for student choice. So - step forward ERA.


If you are in a participating high school in Ealing you may nominate any eligible book - i.e. one that has been first published in the previous year (in the UK). Any student from Years 7,8 and 9 may nominate.


Our closing date for nominations this year was World Book Day. Since then the nominations have been counted and there are eight books on the shortlist.


A panel of six readers from each school will read all the shortlisted books and then decide their winner at a meeting at Featherstone High School on the 27th June.


Here is the shortlist:

There are eight participating schools this year - Acton High School, Brentside High School, Cardinal Wiseman Catholic School, Drayton Manor High School, Elthorne Park High School, Featherstone High School, Greenford High School and Northolt High School. (Dormers Wells High School is unable to participate this year because of a major building programme.)


Previous winners were:
Darren Shan in 2012 with Hell's Heroes - guest speaker Candy Gourlay
Charlie Higson in 2011 with The Fear - guest speaker Alan Gibbons