Knots and Crosses by Ian Rankin

'And in Edinburgh of all places. I mean, you never think of that sort of thing happening in Edinburgh, do you...?' That sort of thing... is the brutal abduction and murder of two young girls. And now a third is missing, presumably gone to the same sad end. Detective Sergeant John Rebus, smoking and drinking too much, his own young daughter spirited away south by his disenchanted wife, is one of many policemen hunting the killer. And then the messages begin to arrive: knotted string and matchstick crosses - taunting Rebus with pieces of a puzzle only he can solve.

This is the first of the excellent Rebus novels by Britain’s foremost crime writer, a real insight into the seedy world of the criminal world, and the geography of Scotland’s capital city. For those of you who love to watch CSI, Numb3rs, etc.. This is a must read series of 14 novels following the career of John Rebus, our loveable rogue of a copper.

SM

Friday Night Lights by H D Bissinger

Imagine if Queen Elizabeth’s School’s U19 football team played 20 matches in a season and each match was played in a 25000 seat purpose built stadium? And imagine that every match was sold out every Friday night? Imagine that the school employed a full time manager for the team, an ex-professional footballer, and that he had 6 coaches to help him? Imagine if this manager earned more than Mr Puttock? Imagine if he had a full back up team of physiotherapists and kit managers and secretaries? Imagine if more money was spent on this team’s medical supplies than on the entire Science faculty? Imagine if that team trained for 2 hours every day? Imagine if the team’s matches were shown live on Meridian TV? Imagine that this was the most successful school football team in England – EVER.

Imagine if you were part of that team and the sort of status you would enjoy. Where everyone in the town would know who you were and younger students would wear a shirt with your name on the back? Imagine that this will be the best moment of your life and everything afterwards will be an anticlimax?

Sounds like fantasy? Well all the above do happen in the small Texan town of Odessa where The Permian Panthers, the local high school’s American Football team, are the pride of the whole community; where they enjoy a similar level of support to most ‘Championship’ football teams in England.

Friday Night Lights by H D Bissinger documents the season of the Permian Panthers American football team, their coach and players of the high school football team from the small, economically-depressed town of Odessa that supports and is obsessed with them.

RR

Book review on the Sword of Shannara by the Author Terry Brooks

This book was very enjoyable and I recommend it to people who like fantasy or to someone who is looking for an exciting read. It starts off a bit slow describing the background of the characters and what’s happening but then it gets very exciting as it splits into three stories halfway through the book. The ending is also very good and interesting.

Review by KH (year 9 reading club).

Montmorency - Series

I can thoroughly recommend these stories – I have read all of them! Back to back. And would very much like there to be another – just to find out what really does happen next……..Why can’t she write another?!!!
Anyway, if you like mystery, crime, people stories with adventure and skulduggery thrown in, friendship and loyalty aswell as humour you cannot go far wrong with these. Oh and did I mention history – not like you do in lessons but ‘applied history’ – the kind where you find yourself back in another time living with characters who could have existed (and some actually did as the writer does feature some real public figures in the mix) before we were born. Great stuff.

HS

It's Not About the Bike by Lance Armstrong

This book is not just about someone being a hero – most of us know he has won the Tour de France more times than anyone else, and the Tour is widely seen as the toughest sporting event in the world.

There are lessons here for everyone – he came from a very poor background with a single mum and a useless absent father but he applied himself to something and still made it. Then he had to face cancer and realised that his achievement in sport was not as important as staying alive, working with his mother and friends. Somehow the way it’s written doesn’t make the reader think “well that’s great but he’s above us ordinary people” – Millions have read the book and seen lessons to give them strength to face their own challenges.

SG

Private Peaceful by Michael Morpurgo

This book was one of 6 titles shortlisted for the Carnegie Award last year.

Set during the First World War, Private Peaceful looks back over his childhood while he is on the battlefield. A young man's memories of his family and friends back home. The story switches between these innocent memories to his experiences of war and the terrible affect it is having on him and others.

It is a very moving book - full of emotion. Although Private Peaceful did not win the Carnegie Medal it has won other awards.

SP

Welcome

Have you read a good book which you would like to recommend to others? We are starting this blog today, to enable students and staff to read and submit book reviews. You could include the genre, suggest the age range the book would appeal to and any other information about the book that you think would interest other readers. ( Don't give the plot away though!)

Any pupil or member of staff at Queen Elizabeth's School can submit a review by emailing it to me at
spotter@qe.dorset.sch.uk - I will check it through and then post it on the blog for you.