Allison Lee – Head of Library & Information Services (7-12) | HSIE Teacher

Book reviews

This week, we are clearing the column for our two library book reviewers, Leah and Emily, who have taken the time to write thoughtful and informative reflections on two books to share with you. If you are interested in writing a review, please email Ms Lee. 

Review #1 
The Astonishing Colour of After

The Astonishing Colour of After by Emily X.R Pan is a beautifully tragic story about heritage, love and loss. Published in 2018, this book is perfect for fans of young adult paranormal fiction and magic realism. Trigger warnings include suicide and depression. 

The Astonishing Colour of After uses a dual timeline to follow our main character, Leigh,  through her time in both Taiwan and America. With the help of her friend Axel, Leigh deals with her mother’s depression throughout her High School years, conveying her emotions through artistry and colours. In a second timeline, we see Leigh handle her mother’s passing, viewing her mother as a red bird who tells her to discover her heritage. Intrigued, Leigh travels to Taiwan to learn who she is and where she comes from. A powerful female character, Leigh shows that female protagonists can feel sadness and still be strong, instilling hope into the lives of many young women.

Dealing with mature themes in a responsible way, The Astonishing Colour of After is a 5-star read. Not afraid to avoid challenging topics, it delves into the inexplicable logic of emotion in a way that is both raw and deeply moving. Recommended for ages 14+.

How to find it?

You can request this by calling into the library or using the library catalogue

By Leah Joshua

Review #2
The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins and published in 2008, is an engaging and gripping young adult fantasy novel about the importance of equality, the harsh road to justice and the strength of friendships.

The novel follows a teenage girl named Katniss Everdeen, who experiences the harsh reality of the Hunger Games, a tournament that brings a boy and a girl from each of the 12 districts outside the capital of the country Panem to fight to the death. Katniss, a girl from District 12, a district which specialises in making coal, and is the poorest of the districts, volunteers as tribute when her younger sister is selected at random. She fights to live through the games for both her and her family. Throughout the novel, the reader is exposed to the injustices that face the districts, where people are forced to live without the benefits of modern technology, contrasted with the privileges the people in the capital receive in terms of clothing, materials, and resources as they benefit from the struggle of the districts.

The Hunger Games is an inspiring novel that provides unique views about the world of Panem which can be applied to our world today as people experience discrimination, prejudice, harsh circumstances, and inequality. The Hunger Games is a remarkable novel and should be given a rating of 4 stars.

How to find it?

You can look for this and other books in the series under C for Collins in the Fiction section of the library and/or reserve it on the library catalogue

By Emily Seeman

Word worth knowing
Podsnappery

Our word worth knowing this week is podsnappery, defined as “an attitude toward life marked by complacency and a refusal to recognise unpleasant facts.” 

Source: Merriam Webster – Word of the Week