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Off The Shelves – Recommended Reads For November

The month's recommended reading for you and your secondary students…

Helen Mulley
by Helen Mulley
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Miraculous Miranda (Siobhan Parkinson, Hachette, £10.99) There’s a heartbreaking reality at the centre of Miranda’s story: her big sister, Gemma, is sick. We don’t know exactly what is wrong with her, but it’s a ‘condition’ that means regular hospital stays, operations, and a good deal of fear and stress for the whole family.

Right from the start, however, as the narrator of her own life, Miranda refuses to dwell on the grim details. She has quite enough going on at home and at school to occupy her thoughts – and besides, she’s blessed with a Big Imagination and knows how to put it to good use, creating an entire fantasy land where she can escape and explore, at the same time as negotiating the world immediately around her.

The result is a captivating narrative, full of honesty as well as hope – in which it’s ok to express that poorly people can be annoying; that feeling jealous of the attention given to an ill sibling isn’t actually a sign of an evil character; and most of all, that miracles come in all shapes and sizes, even if the one you long for above all else never arrives.

Death or Ice Cream? (Gareth P. Jones, Hot Key Books, £6.99) This darkly funny and brilliantly strange novel takes readers on a journey through the buildings and families of Larkin Mills, where grim secrets lurk behind brightly smiling facades, removal vans take away much more than mere furniture, death always seems to be just a little closer than should be expected – and no one ever asks exactly what goes into the exquisite and ominously named concoctions created by Mr Morricone at his marvellously mysterious ice cream parlour in the centre of town.

Gareth P. Jones is a master of the macabre and the absurd, and he expertly blends those two elements together here, weaving a surreal web of histories and fables that’s complex and complete, with the eternal tug-of-war between darkness and light at the heart of it.

Readers who are looking for a break from dystopian series will find this a stylish and compelling alternative; a standalone story that’s as thought-provoking as it is chillingly entertaining.

The Art of Standing Out: Transforming your school to greatness… and beyond (Andrew Morrish, John Catt, £15) Reviewed by Terry Freedman More ballet than bullet, this intriguing book on transforming schools addresses values and purpose rather than plans and checklists. Partly because it weaves in tales of the author’s own journey, and partly because Morrish admits to not being certain sometimes, the writing comes across as honest and genuine.

This is not a guide on how to please Ofsted, as the inverted form of ‘Outstanding’ in the title may suggest. There is much more to standing out, argues the author, than merely ticking boxes that are officially linked to excellence. There are copious references to organisations, approaches and books throughout the text, all of which the reader will most likely wish to follow up on.

My only criticism is that it would have been helpful to have listed all of these together in alphabetical order at the back, to save you having to trawl through the pages again trying to find them. Nevertheless, this is a title you will want to consult over and over.

The Ministry of Strange, Unusual and Impossible Things (Paul Gamble, Little Island, £7.99) What does it mean if you see a single shoe lying abandoned on the street? Who on earth loses just one item of footwear?

If you are the sort of person to whom such questions occur on a regular basis – and if you are quite prepared to believe that the answer might involve escaped pirates – then it could be that, like the unlikely hero of this smart, original and enormously entertaining novel, you are a candidate for joining the Ministry of Strange, Unusual and Impossible Things (or SUITs).

The Ministry exists to deal with all those things that, as ‘ordinary’ people, we don’t want to have to think about – and as it turns out, there are plenty of them, from terrifying wild and fantastic creatures (you don’t think that horn on a unicorn’s forehead is for decoration, do you?) to aliens, supervillains and the scariest Tooth Fairy imaginable.

As a celebration of curiosity, a feast of footnotes and an invitation to imagine, this book is an absolute triumph – not to mention rib-achingly funny for all ages throughout.

Every Falling Star (Sungju Lee, Amulet Books, £7.99) The reality of life in contemporary North Korea is something that is not often presented to young people outside the country, either through fiction or history; Sungju Lee was born and raised there, and in this intense memoir he shares the true story of his life from the age of six until his escape into South Korea at 16.

It’s a visceral and breathtaking account of hardship, injustice, violence, hunger and raw survival so extreme that readers in the UK (especially those already familiar with the dystopian landscapes imagined by James Dashner, Michael Grant et al) might find it barely credible – yet Lee’s experiences as a street kid, separated from his parents after his father falls out of favour with the authorities, are, he says, far from unusual.

Ultimately, this is not so much a story about suffering, as one that underlines the importance of hope, love, friendship and family for all of us as human beings, regardless of our circumstances. It is what we have in common, rather than what separates us, that really matters.

Here’s what our regular student reviewer, Oliver Minter-King (Y9) has been reading this month…

The Island (Olivia Levez, Rock the Boat, £7.99) A touching, dramatic story about troubled youth, and the fight for survival. Fran Stanton is living a happy existence with her mother Cassie and her little brother Johnny. That is, until Cassie falls in with the wrong crowd, and family life hits rock bottom.

Infuriated, Fran turns herself into a social outcast, commits an act of arson and is sent to a children’s court. However, an organisation called Teamskill gives her a chance to redeem herself by offering her a space on a trip to a remote island with other young offenders, to help build up teamwork skills. When the plane taking her there crashes, Fran seems to be the only survivor, and has to fend for herself.

The book itself jumps back and forward throughout the story, which I think helps develop Fran’s character, and makes her more believable as a person. If you’re a fan of the Hunger Games trilogy, then The Island is a must!

Meet the author – Sungju Lee

You describe North Korea as a ‘true-to-life dystopian nation’; given the massive popularity of ‘dystopia’ as a genre at the moment, do you think teens will be able to distinguish between fact and fiction? To some extent, it might be difficult for teens living in Western countries to distinguish between fact and fiction because they have never experienced, in their lives such brutal situations that seem unrealistic in the 21st century.

However, I believe that if they are more exposed to the stories or news of nations such as North Korea, under the proper guidance of parents or teachers, they would more have capacity to distinguish the fact and fiction. Eventually, they will cherish the freedom and rights they have and may seek to bring these basic values to those who have never had them.

How important is it, in your opinion, for people from very different backgrounds to share their stories with each other? Stories have power, but can be easily forgotten if they are not told.

People from different backgrounds should share their stories because they affect and inspire others and can eventually make a better world. By sharing their own experiences, not only can a person be healed from the trauma of the past, but also those suffering hardship at the moment may find hope.

Do you think that children in Western schools should be taught more about the situation in North Korea? Yes, I believe that children in Western schools should learn about North Korea where people are controlled by the dictatorship. Then children can cherish what they have and thank their ancestors who fought and died for freedom and human dignity.

We have a duty to preserve freedom and to pass it to next generation like our ancestors did.

What message, if any, would you like young people to take from their reading of Every Falling Star? My book is about hope, courage, and love in North Korea. My friends and I lost everything when we were young teenagers. We had to survive for four years on the street moving from place to place. Although we lost everything we had hope that someday we would meet our parents. Without this hope, we could not become brave; our courage helped us overcome difficulties on the street.

Love was so important. If we did not love each other, the bond of brotherhood would not exist. Without hope, courage and love, I could not have survived on the street. I still have hope that someday I will see my brothers again. I would like to tell the readers there is always hope, if there is not, go and find it. Never give up. Hope is never lost unless you give upon it.

For more information about Sungju Lee and his work, visit facebook.com/sungju.andrew.lee or follow @unitedcorea21