Never Thought I’d End Up Here by Ann Liang

 

Never Thought I’d End Up Here is an uplifting rom-com for teen / young adult readers. 

 

Leah makes a faux-pas at her cousin’s wedding because her mastery of her second language is not as it should be: she wishes the couple a disastrous marriage. Mother and aunt decide something must be done and she is sent on a trip that will not only deepen her knowledge of Chinese culture but will also improve her language skills.

 

And who should be on that trip but her nemesis, Cyrus.  

 

The story is told in first person and Leah teases us a little. We know that she has been expelled from one school but we only find out why about half way through the book. We know that she suddenly quits modelling but are only told why much later. It’s clear that she really dislikes Cyrus but again it is a long time before she actually tells us why. Also a mystery is why exactly she changed so much after she was expelled. All of this keeps us reading.

 

Ann Liang draws her characters well. We grow to love Leah even though we might be a little irritated that she insists on wearing high heels when trainers would have been a much better option. Leah is the main character but we may also become fond of Daisy, Leah’s timid roommate,  Cyrus who is quite complex, the handsome and flirtatious Oliver, Cyrus’s roommate, the strict and slightly stressed teacher, and Leah’s mother and aunt, both of whom are feisty but caring women.

 

There is plenty of plot and a plethora of sub-plots that hurtle towards a very satisfying end as relationships and attitudes change. 

 

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Note, this is an affiliate link and a small portion of what you pay, at no extra cost to you,  may go to Bridge House Publishing 

Circle of Liars by Kate Francis

 

Kate Francis gives us gives us multiple points of view in this novel, but more often than not we are with Ana, whose twin brother, Danny, was killed in a fire at their school.

Seven school friends are invited to go on a luxury holiday on the anniversary of the fire. However, they end up ay at a motel that has seen better days. The rooms are in need of refurbishment, the swimming pool is empty and there is no food available.  Not long after they arrive the bus explodes and the bus driver crosses the line that surrounds them and is shot.

They are invited to participate in a Balloon Game. At the end of each hour they have to vote for who should cross the line and get killed.

As we slip into each point of view we realise that all seven are partly to blame for what happened. Ana teases us and hangs on to her secret the longest.

The young people do fight back and Ana is able to crack the code to the bunker form which the antagonist works.  It is the father of Karl Hunt.  Karl is believed to have started the fire. Mr Hunt is collecting evidence to show that Karl alone is not guilty. Ana manages to destroy his evidence.

Even here all is not what it seems. And there are more surprises for the guilty seven.

They do manage to come to terms with what they’ve done. Should they be forgiven and can they forgive themselves?   

 

The paperback edition is 351 pages in a standard font and with standard formatting. Chapters are short and the pace sis fast. Tension is high.  It is not difficult to keep reading.     

 

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Note, this is an affiliate link and a small portion of what you pay, at no extra cost to you,  may go to Bridge House Publishing.   

Charlotte and the Monster

 

2025           

illustrated book, upper primary,  ages7-9,Beaseley Wendy,  Gatenby Hugh,     

Marty is a monster who's scared when he should be the scary one 

Charlotte is a little girl who cares about others. Will she and her friends, the fairies, be able to help Marty? And what about the boy who is spoiling Mr Clarke's Garden? Why is he doing that? There's a lot for Charlotte to sort. 

The story addresses themes of inclusion, otherness and kindness.

The text is eighty pages long.  It has severa ilustraions thatenhance the ext and show iut smening.

It uses a serif font with difficult ‘a’s an ‘g’s.  

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How to Grow a Garden by Frances Tophill and Charlotte Ager

2025   

 

Adult, fluent reader, ages 9 -99+, ages 7-11, Tophill Frances, Ager Charlotte, rewilding, environment, picture book, non-fiction, horticulture,   

This book would make an excellent contribution to a primary school library and interest wouldn’t be restricted to those who are passionate about the environment. It is aspirational.   

 A contents page near the beginning of the book identifies sections: Flowers and Herbs, Trees, Hedges and Edges, Grass, Fruit and Veg, Water, Exotic Plants and Further Resources.

Each double spread shows pictures of the topics discussed and provides bite-sized information.

At the end of each section there are suggestions about what you can do in each season.

The book opens with an introduction about how the text works. It invites the reader to join in an interesting journey.

Throughout the text there are many activities suggested to the reader.

There is a glossary and an index at the end of the book.

This works like a standard picture book in that the illustrations give additional information.  For the most part it uses a plain sans serif font with simple ‘a’s and ‘g’s. There are a few lines here and there in a font that looks like handwriting.

The book is in a quite a large format.    

Find your copy here  

 Note, this is an affiliate link and a small portion of what you pay, at no extra cost to you,  may go to Bridge House Publishing.