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Abandoned as a tiny baby Hetty is first sent to a kind foster family and then returned to the Foundling hospital to be looked after and educated until she is fourteen and can go into service.  However feisty Hetty has other ideas and above all she needs to find her real mother.  It is difficult to put this one down.

In this beautifully illustrated book we spend Christmas Day with a family of mice.  In gentle rhyme we tiptoe downstairs to open presents, play out in the snow then toast our toes by the fire.  There is a treasure hunt and songs under an lantern before going softly upstairs to a warm bed.

This is the second book in the “Chaos Walking” trilogy.  It starts where “The Knife of Never Letting Go” finishes, as Todd caries the badly injured Viola into Haven only to discover that the mayor of Prentistown, from whom they have been running, has already arrived.  Renaming Haven New Prentistown the mayor begins to enforce the type of society in which he believes.  The resistance to this is “The Answer”.

For much of this novel Todd and Viola are separated.  They end up on different sides of the argument, and as the oppression and resistance to it increase, both sides become increasingly polarised.  This book offers lots of gripping adventure, but also manages to raise questions about our society and the difference between freedom fighters and terrorists.  If you have read the first book in the trilogy this is a must read, if you haven’t then you should read both.  A great read for those aged 13 and over, including adults who enjoy science fantasy. 

Reviewer: Kathryn, Whitehaven Library

On the day he is born Pepper Roux’s aunt Mireille proclaims that he will die young.  As the year’s advance she settles on his 14th birthday as the day of his death.  The book opens on this fateful day, but Pepper decides to out run death.  There then follows a series of adventures which involve Pepper trying to bring happiness to the world, not always successfully.

Pepper is very much an innocent abroad.  This enables his character to do things most people wouldn’t dream of.  Through these adventures Pepper and the reader question what has to be and learn to take their futures in their own hands.  A thought provoking read for those aged 10 and over, but which also has a humorous side.

Reviewer: Kathryn, Whitehaven Library

Pia's home, Bad Munstereifel, is a traditional and stifling German town so the sudden disappearance  of Katherine is a shock for everyone.  Even more traumatic when the next child disappears. Pia turns to her old friend Herr Schiller for help and comfort but he is definitely the wrong person.  After discovering the grizzly secret in the old cellar Pia realises she too is in grave danger.

Reviewer: Kathryn Flagner, Whitehaven Library

Peter's life changes for ever when the Germans invade Poland. As a blond haired, blue eyed "Volksdeutscher" - someone of German blood - he is taken to Berlin and adopted by the wealthy Kaltenbach family.

At first Peter loves his new life. He enthusiastically joins the Hitler Youth and supports the German war effort but soon becomes disillusioned with Nazi ideals and propaganda. Together with his friend Anna, he becomes involved with helping Jews, but in Nazi Germany the Gestapo are always watching and no one can be trusted.  Soon, he and Anna are fleeing for their lives.

This is a brilliant portrayal of life under the Nazi regime told from an unusual viewpoint and ending in a nailbiting climax as Anna and Peter try to escape to Sweden.

Highly recommended for teenage readers.

Reviewer: Caroline Lunny, Carlisle Library

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