Showing posts with label Grade 7 and up. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Grade 7 and up. Show all posts

Monday, 29 April 2019

Malice

Malice
Malice
By Chris Wooding


Malice is the comic that everyone wants to read.  They’ve all heard about it, but hardly anyone can get their hands on it.  Malice is kept behind the counter and under beds.  It’s dark and disturbing content shows only glimpses of stories.  But the kids in these stories aren’t made up – they are real kids who’ve gone missing.  And they’ve gone into the sinister world of Malice.

Kids have also heard that if you want to visit Malice, all you have to do is call Tall Jake to come and take you away.  Do a little chant, burn some cat hair and next thing you know, Tall Jake will appear.  Of course, most don’t believe it.  But some kids try it – just to see what happens.

Luke is the first to call this darkness.  When Kady and Seth finally get a hold of one of the comics, they learn Luke’s fate.  He has made it into Malice, and he may not get out.

Despite the danger, Seth decides he wants to go to Malice too.  He is bored with life and always looking for more excitement.  He only half believes it will work anyway.  When he finally gets there, he learns that Malice is darker than even he expected.  But he also meets other kids like Justin and Tatiana, who are living in Malice.  Some are trying to find a way out.  If you can find a white train ticket, you can go back home.

Others want to stay and find a way to stop Tall Jake.  He’s hurting kids after all. Seth and Justin decide to set out together to stop the monster that is behind Malice.  Meanwhile, Kady is trying to help from the outside.

But can three ordinary kids really stop this evil?

Written as both a novel and a comic, Malice allows readers to see right into its dark world.

Highly recommended!
 

Monday, 19 November 2018

Illegal

Illegal
Illegal
By Eoin Colfer and Andrew Donkin, illustrated by Giovanni Rigano



Ebo and his siblings know they must leave their home in Ghana to make a better life in Europe.  Sisi, his sister, has already gone.  When Kwame, his brother, disappears, Ebo follows.  He is determined not to be left behind.

When he meets up with Kwame they spent almost 2 years working to save money for the journey across the desert and the Mediterranean. They live in dire conditions and hide their money, saving for the day they can finally leave.  They two brothers must keep each other safe in a world full of dangers.  

After all their hard work, they are finally ready to travel, but their journey is horrendous.  They must contend with overcrowding, starvation, thirst, men with weapons, an unforgiving landscape and a massive, deadly sea.

How can two boys make this journey alone?  They are constantly motivated by the dream of a better life and the knowledge that they can never go back.

Illegal is not for the faint of heart -- it’s a graphic novel that brings the harsh world of a young refugee to life.  Ebo must endure more than most of us can imagine, and at a very young age.