Numbers by Rachel Ward

The numbers are a date: the date of the person’s death. When Jem looks at people she see their numbers. One could describe such an ability as a gift but, understandably, Jem sees it as a burden. Like it or not, she knows when your number is up.

Jem is a white, 5ft-nothing teenager. Her dad was never in the picture and her mother, it seems, was a prostitute junkie who died of an overdose when Jem was seven. It was Jem who found her body. Passed from foster parent to foster parent, Jem feels her life is going nowhere.

Then Spider comes into her life. Skinny, black and 6ft 4in, he’s a classmate who spends little time in class. Spider’s days are certainly numbered, but he and Jem have fun together on a day out in London … until Jem sees a whole group of people with the same numbers in their eyes, queuing for a turn, ironically enough, on the London Eye. And the numbers are that day’s date. With a sense of impending doom, she and Spider flee the area…. This is the start of a story with many highs and lows for Jem and Spider.

Two Wolves by Tristan Bancks

One afternoon, police officers show up at Ben Silver’s front door. Minutes after they leave, his parents arrive home. Ben and his little sister Olive are bundled into the car and told they’re going on a holiday. But are they?

It doesn’t take long for Ben to realise that his parents are in trouble. Ben’s always dreamt of becoming a detective – his dad even calls him ‘Cop’. Now Ben gathers evidence and tries to uncover what his parents have done.

The problem is, if he figures it out, what does he do? Tell someone? Or keep the secret and live life on the run?

Risk – Fleur Ferris

Taylor and Sierra have always been best friends. But Taylor’s fed up. Why does Sierra always get what – and who – she wants? And now Sierra is stealing the guy they both met online for herself and she wants her friends to cover for her while she goes to meet him for the first time.

But Sierra doesn’t come back when she said she would.

One day. Two days. Three . . .

What if Taylor’s worrying for nothing? What if Sierra’s just being Sierra, forgetting about everyone else to spend time with her new guy? When Taylor finally tells Sierra’s mum that her daughter is missing, Taylor and her friends are thrown into a dark world they never even knew existed.

Can they find Sierra’s abductor in time? Or should they be looking for a killer?

Out of the Easy – Ruta Sepetys

Set against the vivid background of 1950s New Orleans, this is the riveting story of seventeen-year-old Josie Moraine. The daughter of a prostitute, Josie is determined to escape the life she was born into. Working in a local bookstore in exchange for a safe place to sleep and cleaning the brothel to earn money, Josie dreams of attending an elite college far away from the clutches of her scheming mother. But then a mysterious death in the city threatens Josie’s plans and the murky underworld lures her in deeper as she searches for the truth, and temptation beckons at every turn. Feisty, intelligent and street smart, Josie is surrounded by a cast of colourful characters; some who will do anything to protect her, some who are determined to do her harm.

Love, mystery, murder, blackmail and friendship combine in this rich historical novel of secrets and intrigue.

Out of the easy website

Every Breath – Ellie Marney

A teenage Sherlock Holmes set in Melbourne.

Rachel Watts is an unwilling new arrival to Melbourne from the country. James Mycroft is her neighbour, an intriguingly troubled seventeen-year-old genius with a passion for forensics. Despite her misgivings, Rachel finds herself unable to resist Mycroft when he wants her help investigating a murder. And when Watts and Mycroft follow a trail to the cold-blooded killer, they find themselves in the lion’s den – literally.

Log in to read the eBook here!

Ellie Marney’s website and blog.

Jordan Stryker: Bionic Agent – Malcolm Rose

Jordan Stryker owes his life to Unit Red, after they saved him from near death and rebuilt him with cutting-edge science. Now a Unit Red Agent with unbelievable powers, Jordan is on a mission: to track down a cyber-terrorist who’s destroying systems and causing death and devastation all over the globe. But now the super-hacker has a new target – Jordan himself – and soon Jordan is in a battle to stay alive. And it seems like the very technology that saved him might now be used to destroy him…

Usborne Children’s Books

The Naturals – Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Seventeen-year-old Cassie is a natural at reading people. Piecing together the tiniest details, she can tell you who you are and what you want. But it’s not a skill that she’s ever taken seriously. That is, until the FBI come knocking: they have begun a classified program that uses exceptional teenagers to crack infamous cold cases, and they need Cassie. She’s sent to live with a group of teens whose gifts are as unusual as her own. Soon it becomes clear that no one in the Naturals program is what they seem. And when a new killer strikes, danger looms closer than Cassie could ever have imagined. Caught in a lethal game of cat and mouse with a killer, the Naturals are going to have to use all of their gifts just to survive

This gripping psychological thriller, complete with grisly details, unexpected twists and romance, is the first in a compelling new series.

Virals – Kathy Reichs

Tory Brennan, niece of forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan (of the Bones novels and hit TV show), lives on a secluded island off the coast of South Carolina. When Tory and her three friends – all boys, who are also science geeks, rescue a dog caged for medical testing on a nearby island, they are exposed to an experimental strain of canine parvovirus that changes their lives forever. As the friends discover their heightened senses and animal-quick reflexes, they must combine their scientific curiosity with their newfound physical gifts to solve a cold-case murder that has suddenly become very hot if they can stay alive long enough to catch the killer’s scent.

Fortunately, they are now more than friends they’re a pack. They are Virals

Goodreads

The Da Vinci Code – Dan Brown

Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is awakened by a phone call in the middle of the night, announcing that the curator of the Louvre Museum has been brutally murdered and covered in strange symbols. This leads he and gifted French cryptologist, Sophie Neveu, on a fast-paced chase through the castles and cathedrals of Europe following clues ingeniously – and unexpectedly – hidden within the paintings of Leonardo Da Vinci. Secret societies, dangerous adversaries and the search for an ancient truth will keep you hooked!

Pretty Little Liars – Sara Shepard

Alison, Aria, Emily, Hanna and Spencer were best friends, until Alison disappeared. Three years later, the remaining girls, now juniors at Rosewood Day, are leading separate, but charmed lives. But in Rosewood, appearances are deceiving, and when the girls start receiving mysterious texts signed by someone named A, the past threatens to ruin their perfect present. A claims to know all of their secrets—but who is A? How much does A really know? And what can four pretty little liars do to protect themselves from the truth?

Borders

Evil Genius – Catherine Jinks

Cadel Piggott has a genius IQ. At seven, he was illegally hacking into computers. Now he is fourteen and studying for his World Domination degree, taking classes like embezzlement, forgery, and infiltration at the institute founded by criminal mastermind Dr. Phineas Darkkon. When he falls for the mysterious and brilliant Kay-Lee, he begins to question the morals of his studies for the first time. But is it too late to stop Dr. Darkkon from carrying out his evil plot?
An engrossing thriller with darkness and humour, freaks and geeks, Evil Genius explores the fine line between good and evil in a strange world where nothing is as it seems. The first in a series it is followed by Genius Squad and Genius Wars.

Allen & Unwin

And then there were none – Agatha Christie

Bewildering and ingenious, this crime will keep you guessing until the very last death! Ten strangers are lured to an island by the mysterious U.N.Owen, their host who is no where to be found. In each of their rooms is a poem entitled ‘Ten Little Indians’ which tells the story of ten Indian boys who die in unusual fashions. At dinner on the first evening, a recorded message accuses each of the guests of having a secret. Stranded unexpectedly on the island, one by one the guests begin to disappear – with only the nursery rhyme left behind as a clue to their fate.

Becky’s Book Reviews

Heist society – Ally Carter

Kat wants to leave the family business. But that’s not easy if your family are a gang of exclusive, world-class thieves…

But when a powerful mobster is robbed of his priceless art collection, Kat’s father is at the top of the suspect list. Kat knows there’s only one thing to do – she has to find the paintings and steal them back. But with only two weeks, a teenage crew, a plan that will take her across Europe, and her dad’s life on the line, can she pull off the biggest heist in history?

Heist society

Fantastic Fiction

Heist society book trailer by Ally Carter

Stolen – Lucy Christopher

“It happened like this.

I was stolen from an airport. Taken from everything I knew, everything I was used to. Taken to sand and heat, dirt and danger. And he expected me to love him. This is my story.

A letter from nowhere.”

Fantastic Fiction

Death on the Nile – Agatha Christie

Detective Hercule Poirot has an uneasy feeling that something is dangerously amiss when he meets the beautiful and rich Linnet Doyle and her new husband Simon Doyle, aboard a cruise ship on the Nile. When Linnet is found murdered, the brilliant detective must sort through a boatload of suspects to find the killer before he (or she) strikes again. One of the most baffling Hercule Poirot mysteries.

Fantastic fiction

A swift pure cry – Siobhan Dowd

This Irish story about hardship, guilt, a catholic priest, teenage pregnancy and murder is based on a true story. The village people are shocked when first one baby is found dead in a cave, then there is the death of another baby. Whose babies are they, how did they die and who is responsible?
Recommended age: 15+

Random House

The Song of an Innocent Bystander – Ian Bone

When Freda was nine years old she spent 36 hours trapped in a restaurant, one of a group of thirteen people taken hostage by a fanatic with a gun. Now Freda is nineteen years old, haunted by her past and still struggling to repress the terrifying memories and the knowledge that she alone has, of how two men died.
Recommended age: 15+

Penguin

I’m Not Scared – Niccolo Ammaniti

During a heat wave in a tiny village in rural Italy, six children venture out across the sweltering countryside. While exploring an old, abandoned farmhouse, nine-year-old Michele Amitrano discovers a secret so terrible that he dare not tell anyone about it. As the truth emerges, Michele learns that the horror in the creepy old house is closer to home than he ever imagined. The suspense builds in this spine-tingling novel.
Recommended age: 15+

Text Publishing

Missing Abby – Lee Weatherley

Abby is missing. Emma realizes that she was the last person to see Abby before her mysterious disappearance. Emma begins a terrifying journey that leads her to discover the chilling truth about Abby’s disappearance.
Recommended age: 12+

Fantastic fiction

The Eyre affair – Jasper Fforde

Thursday Next is a literary detective in an alternative Great Britain, where time travel is routine, cloning is a reality (dodos are popular pets), and where literature is taken very, very seriously.  When someone begins kidnapping characters from works of literature and plucks Jane Eyre from the pages of Brontë’s novel, Thursday comes up against her former boss, master criminal, Acheron Hades. This quirky and inventive story with a host of eccentric characters will keep you entertained.
Recommended age: 14+

Book Club

Missing girl – Norma Fox Mazer

This is the story of five sisters. Five very different girls aged from 17 to 11, each with her own dreams, fears and secrets. None of the girls is aware of the mild-mannered man who has become obsessed with them – until the day one sister doesn’t come home. The tension builds as you witness the sinister threat closing in on the girls in this haunting novel.
Recommended age: 14+

Allen and Unwin

Fake – K. K. Beck

Danny has been getting into trouble, so his mother and stepfather send him to a ‘rehab farm’ to teach him a lesson. On the way there Danny meets the violent and criminally-minded Keith, who provides them with an escape by hitting the two men guarding them with a crowbar. The two boys are then on the run and what follows is a gripping thriller based on a web of lies and false identities.
Recommended age: 14+

Fantastic fiction

Road Kill (Crime Waves) – Ken Catran CRI

Jack loves working on his Harley motorbike. That is, until he finds a body and his favourite teacher is blown to bits by a car bomb. There is plenty of action and twists aplenty in this murder mystery. You may also enjoy ‘Killer Plot’ in the same series.
Recommended age: 12+

www1.curriculum

Adventures of Sherlock Holmes – Arthur Conan Doyle

Although he often proclaims his findings to be ‘Elementary, my dear Watson!’, in these gripping short stories the crime solving abilities of the astute and quick-witted detective Sherlock Holmes usually seem anything but! Travel back to the gas-lit streets of foggy nineteenth century London and see if you can follow the clues and red herrings to solve the story of the ‘Red Headed League’, the ‘Speckled Band’, or the ‘Man with the Twisted Lip’.

Penguin

Lovely bones – Alice Sebold

Susie Salmon is murdered and from heaven she watches her family cope with their terrible loss. A compelling read!
Recommended age: 15+

Fantastic fiction

The Extraordinary and Unusual Adventures of Horatio Lyle – Catherine Webb

Set in Victorian London this is the story of Horatio Lyle, a former constable with a passion for science and inventions. When the Bank of England is robbed and an ancient Chinese plate goes missing, Lyle reluctantly takes on the case. Together with his companions – Tess the thief, Thomas the toff, and Tate the faithful dog, Horatio sets off on an adventure armed with a few handy gadgets. They soon find themselves pursued by some very unusual villains, including ones from another dimension. A detective story with a supernatural twist.
Recommended age: 13+

Fantastic fiction

Cairo Jim and the quest for the Quetzal queen by Geoffrey McSkimming

An action-packed adventure filled with crime, mystery, intrigue and humour.
Recommended age: 12-15

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