Library Corner Recommendations

New during the lockdown was ‘Library Corner’, an online reading initiative led by Sasha and Sophie (Grade 11) with regular reading prompts, recommendations and challenges, plus general chat about books.

NB: It is always worth looking up reviews and checking whether the subject matter is suitable as each student has their own interests in, and sensitivities to, certain themes.

h i g h s c h o o l m i d d l e s c h o o l

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr Set in World War II, the story is told from the perspectives of a blind French girl and a German boy as their paths inevitably cross… “beautifully written.” “definitely the best book I’ve read in a while” “each chapter is pretty short, and the story is so well told; pacey, but still thoughtful. I cried my way through the last hundred pages or so ...”

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction 2015; Winner of the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction; New York Times Bestseller.

The Overstory by Richard Powers Environmental novel – about trees, people, communication, love and life.

“follows the life of trees and people through a rather tangled and suspense-filled journey” – Margaret Frazier, Headmistress

Shortlisted for the Booker Prize 2019; Recommended by Marymount’s Headmistress and Librarian!

The Other Half of Augusta Hope by Joanna Glen Two narrators from opposite sides of the world whose stories intertwine… emotional, hopeful, brilliant! Shortlisted for the Costa Book Awards 2019 First Novel Category; Shortlisted for the Authors’ Club Best First Novel Award

The Weight of Water by Sarah Crossan Novel in verse form about a girl who moves to a new country and finds release, friends and her identity through a love of swimming. Shortlisted for the CILIP Carnegie Medal 2013 This year, the Middle School (MS) Book Club – which moved online in April – covered such topics as poetry, mystery, numbers, transformation and change!

Star by Star by Steena Wilkinson Refreshing, fascinating and inspiring historical fiction about a 15-year-old girl living when women are about to vote for the first time... Shortlisted for the Irish Book Awards; Honour Award for Fiction 2017

Boy 87 by Ele Fountain The story of a 14-year-old refugee, about the power of kindness and the strength of the human spirit. Shortlisted for the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize (older readers) 2019, and many others!

A Good Day for Climbing Trees by Jaco Jacobs 13-year-old Leila and Marnus camp out in a tree to protest it being cut down by developers. Wonderful, feel-good coming-of-age story. Honour Title in 2017 for BookTrust’s project to translate outstanding world literature into English Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction 2019;

The House with Chicken Legs by Sophie Anderson “In this universe full of possibilities there has to be another way of making things right, without being forced to accept a fate I don’t want.” A story of magic, death and the afterlife, based on the Russian folk tales of Baba Yaga. Shortlisted 2019 for: CILIP Carnegie Medal, Waterstones Children’s Book Prize, British Book Awards Children’s Fiction Book Of The Year, Branford Boase Award, Blue Peter Book Award

Asha & the Spirit Bird by Jasbinder Bilan Magical, uplifting adventure, full of heart and hope! Winner of the Costa Book Awards 2019 (Children’s); Shortlisted for the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize 2020; Longlisted Branford Boase Award