Lesley Pearse - Trust Me

'Trust me!' she spat. 'As soon as someone says trust me, you can be sure they're going to let you down or hurt you.'

All her life, people have told little Dulcie Taylor they'll look after her. And every time, she and her sister May have been hurt. Their parents. Their teacher. The convent. Then the two girls are offered the chance of a fresh start in Australia.

But the new life that they hope for in an exciting, vibrant country goes horribly wrong. Will Dulcie break away from her sad past and build a bright new future for herself?

This book was based on facts about the orphans that were sent over to Australia and how the nuns/brothers mistreated them and consequences that happened in their lives. You probably remember the stories that were in the news a while back and this was no exception, very sad in some parts but a very interesting read.

Barb sent this so me, so its now looking for a new home, if anyone would like it, please let me know.

Julie x

Husbands and Lies-Susy McPhee

there are some people you would do anything for... For Fran that list would include her Daughter, her Husband and her best friend, Alison. Only Alison is now desperately ill and she needs Fran's help. She wants to find her husband a new wife, and leave her young child with a new mother. Fran finds the whole idea deeply uncomfortable, but it's hard to refuse your closest friend at the best of times, let alone ignore her dying wishes..

So Fran reluctantly logs on to an internet dating site, where she stumbles across an all to familiar profile. 'Footloose' describes himself as divorced, but his photo looks exactly like Fran's husband Max. What's a wife to do when she suspects her husband's cheating, and can't bear to confront him outright?
Posing as 'Sassy' Fran sends a reply to 'footloose' and sets out to date her own husband. But this increasingly crazy plan leads Max to start to have doubts of his own.
Torn between suspicion and love, life for Fran just got very complicated- can her marriage survive?

I really enjoyed this book, it takes you through several emotions. Although a really easy read, it's perfect for bedtime reading. I liked Susy's style of writing
I think i'll look out for Susy's next book due out in Sept.

Nineteen minutes-Jodi Picoult

In nineteen minutes, you can mow the front lawn, color your hair, watch a third of a hockey game. In nineteen minutes, you can bake scones or get a tooth filled by a dentist; you can fold laundry for a family of five.... In nineteen minutes, you can stop the world, or you can just jump off it.

In nineteen minutes, you can get revenge.

Sterling is a small, ordinary New Hampshire town where nothing ever happens -- until the day its complacency is shattered by a shocking act of violence. In the aftermath, the town's residents must not only seek justice in order to begin healing but also come to terms with the role they played in the tragedy. For them, the lines between truth and fiction, right and wrong, insider and outsider have been obscured forever. Josie Cormier, the teenage daughter of the judge sitting on the case, could be the state's best witness, but she can't remember what happened in front of her own eyes. And as the trial progresses, fault lines between the high school and the adult community begin to show, destroying the closest of friendships and families.

Nineteen Minutes is New York Times bestselling author Jodi Picoult's most raw, honest, and important novel yet. Told with the straightforward style for which she has become known, it asks simple questions that have no easy answers: Can your own child become a mystery to you? What does it mean to be different in our society? Is it ever okay for a victim to strike back? And who -- if anyone -- has the right to judge someone else?

Really enjoyed this one, and I never guessed the twist at the end.

Skellig - David Almond

There's something or someone strange in the tumbledown garage at the bottom of Michael's new garden. Shrouded in dusty cobwebs, dead bluebottles strung in his hair and crooked wings growing out through rips in his shirt, Skellig is the last thing Michael thinks he needs. But with his baby sister lying dangerously ill at the hospital, Michael and his new friend Mina begin to suspect that Skellig and the baby's fates may be connected. Perhaps as Skellig's strength returns and his beautiful wings unfurl, the baby's heartbeat will get stronger...

This is a children's book for ages 9 - 12. I have read it as we are using it in school . It's a very moving story, easy to read but full of meaning. Recommended for any youngster especially htose young at heart.