Fresh, funny and direct. "Come along with me on this sh!tty ride or bail out now. It's your choice..." .

Sh!t Bag by Xena Knox is like nothing you have read before. 

Ask Mrs Toonen about it, Team EA.

4.5 stars

Addie is autistic. She knows everything about herself. Sharks are better than dolphins. She loves to read and that she is different. Well, that was, until her new topic at school was about the witch trials. She needed to know everything about them. She was determined to let the town get a memorial for all the women who were accused of being a witch. Will Addie succeed? Some characters are Addie, Keedie, Audrey, Nina, Emily and more. I recommend this book to more of a younger audience, but I still really enjoyed it. 

Mabel Spencer.

This was a very entertaining book, because I like reading books about the world wars and I would recommend this to people who like History. 

Scott Urwin.

This is one I recommend. I enjoyed this book because it is very funny. 

Maya O'Sullivan.

This funny, honest, beautiful book about the bond between a neuro-typical girl and her nonverbal autistic twin perfectly captures pre-teen life. Mrs Toonen.

Medusa : the girl behind the myth by Jessie Burton - dazzling! 

The work of artist Olivia Lomenech Gill - in the awesome Medusa: the girl behind the myth by Jessie Burton - is breathtaking too. 

Story and art are in perfect harmony. 

A holiday read for Mrs Toonen and it was astonishing. 

This reflection on real life is a bold, utterly brilliant, sharp and clever coming of age story.

For older readers.

#ToxicMasculinity.

#Witty #Wonderful.

#ShameOnUs. 

This is a powerful story about blended families: of learning to trust, trying to let go and diving into the unknown. 

The author uses the voices of two children to explore themes of abandonment and grief.  

This is hard-hitting, compelling and a great read.

This  spooky, swoony YA debut from BookTok star @Merrowchild was recieved in a giveaway from the author.  Sixteen Souls is an atmospheric, page-turning reading of the highest order. Simon Vs meets The Graveyard Book in this spooky young adult novel about a reluctant teen medium’s quest to save the ghosts of York from a fate worse than death. 

A novel about autism with a big difference:  co-author Libby is autistic and she is also 11 years old.

Insightful, authentic, filled with empathy and very readable. 

A young man's search for the secret  of the spark of life leads him into a horrific experiment. 

Tanya Landman's retelling of Mary Shelley's classic Gothic tale brings Dr Frankestein and his monster to life powerfully.

It will hook and fascinate new readers! 

'Rebecca Strand was sixteen the first time she saw her father kill a ghost.'

This is a thrill-a-minute, fast-paced great ghost story. This book is included in our S2 book talk programme.

Mrs Toonen: I am in awe: the story; the real events and recent history; the wonderful writing and the truly unforgettable, fabulous characters.

Read this powerful thriller based on the Romanian Revolution of 1989. This book is also in our S2 book talk programme. 

Subtle, powerful, frequently unsettling, this is an original and memorable read. 

Dylan and his mother Rowenna have survived The End, an apocalyptic event involving the dropping of bombs and nuclear plant meltdown. They’re living alone in a small cottage above the Welsh town of Nebo, sustained by the vegetables they grow, by books (in English and Welsh) collected from the town’s deserted library, and by distant views of Caernarfon and the island of Anglesey. Readers are privy to their thoughts, which they record as diary entries in a notebook, the blue book of the title.

Mrs Toonen: The early part is too much American high school drama for my liking. But, once you get to the whodunnit part, this is a fast-paced mystery with lots of red herrings and alibis to debunk, which is good fun.

This is an excellent young adult fiction tribute to the Golden Age of murder mysteries and to the Queen of Crime: Agatha Christie. You might want to try one of her books too!

Oh, and... this book includes clever use of quotes from Agatha Christie's novels. 

Mrs Toonen: 100%  recommend this. A short and incredibly powerful novel about a girl in care. It has so much to think about and talk about. 

An environmental action-packed techno- thriller with a diverse cast of characters. Fourteen-year-old Max's life changes forever when he loses his hearing in a boating accident. Struggling to make sense of his new life and finding it hard to adapt in school, he begins to notice other - even stranger - changes taking place when a new wind farm appears off the island's coast. With the help of three school friends with additional support needs, Max discovers that a sinister scientist, Doctor Ashwood, is using wind turbines to experiment on the islanders. They must find a way to shut down the government's secret test before it spins out of control... 

Exciting, enthralling and in your library!