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Locke & Key is a great work of modern horror.
It is a spellbinding page turner that involves the reader as the family comes to terms with its haunted past in their new home. The Keyhouse has magical keys that allow their users powers. The Locke children use the keys for their special powers, as a malevolent force stalks them. There are some some incredibly gripping moments in the book and it is not for the faint hearted. Born Joseph Hillstrom King, Joe Hill is the son of Stephen King. He is the author of Heart-Shaped Box, Horns, and NOS4A2and 20th Century Ghosts. He also wrote the graphic novels: Locke & Key and Wraith. Gabriel Rodríguez Pérez is a Chilean comic book artist and illustrator. He started his career making illustrations for card games, and then moved on to professional comics. In addition to his current work in Locke & Key, his work includes Clive Barker’s The Great and Secret Show, Beowulf, and George Romero’s Land Of The Dead. This book is available this week in the Library. This book is impossible to put down. It tells of the main characters Guy, Rafi, Luke and Penny – and the reader is simply compelled to find out what will happen next.
The book uses a real life event as the basis of the plot. In 1985 The National Gallery of Victoria had purchased the work “The Weeping Woman”, by Picasso, for A$1.6 million. The theft was claimed to be made by a group calling itself "Australian Cultural Terrorists". After an anonymous tip-off to police, the painting was found undamaged in a locker at Spencer Street Station on 19 August 1986. The inclusion of letters to the editor from that time add values to the story. So how do these four people feature here? Guy is a world class expert in Hacky Sack and is failing at school. A Girl (Rafi) is overly responsible, smart and lives with, and cares for, her mother. Her mother is tormented by the death of her son and believes in the curse of La Llorona. An artist (Luke) has a rebellious nature and is the one to watch, the one to buy - he just didn’t care. The girl (Penny) used to live with Luke and has a young son, Joshie. She keeps hoping they will get back together. The lives of Rafi, Penny, Luke and Guy intersect on one night in Melbourne – and their lives are changed forever. This is a book about love, madness, art, grief and making mistakes. The story, heart-warming and heart breaking, is so beautifully written that the reader really cares about the characters and what will happen for them. This book also urges the reader search the internet to find out more about the heist and of La Llorona.
Assembly of Shapes
by Danielle Weiler 16+ Highly recommended "I need a place, just for me, a place to escape, a place to just be. If I could create an assembly of shapes on endless pages…I do believe my life would be complete." The main character, Chas is an intense character, so skilfully drawn that the reader feels they know him and the suburb he lives in. Chas is working his way through year 11 and has lots of secrets. He doesn’t know who his father is, he’s in love with his best friend’s girlfriend and he is an ‘undercover’ artist. This book is about relationships. Relationship with family, friends, and self are all put under the microscope in this captivating story. The writing style is compelling and the situations portrayed so realistic as to be shocking and thought provoking. Chas grows in maturity as he tackles the challenge to achieve his dreams, seemingly against all odds. He has unexpected champions and foes as the story unfolds, culminating in unexpected tragedy. The power of this book is the reality of the situations the young characters find themselves dealing with. There is much to discuss and explore. “I’ve finally done it. They will all be safe. And this is the sole reason for my sacrifice.” Noggin
by John Corey Whaley “Listen- I was alive once and then I wasn’t. Simple as that. Now I’m alive again.” The first lines for this novel set the scene for a very thought provoking and very funny book. Travis, suffering from a life threatening illness, is offered the possibility of being frozen and brought back to life in the future. The process is cranial hibernation and reanimation and this involves Travis’ head being transplanted onto a donor body. In a blink of an eye Travis awakes to find that five years have passed and he is taller and more muscular than before. He also finds his girlfriend is now engaged to someone else, his best friend is still hiding his homosexuality and his parents are divorced. This is so well written the reader is thoroughly engaged from start to finish. Along with laugh out loud, and tears in the eyes, moments there are some serious philosophical questions to be considered here. This book would be a good companion for the novel The Adoration of Jenna Fox as they both consider identity and the ethical and moral considerations of manipulating what it is to be human. This book is highly recommended. “And of course it wasn’t okay. But that’s what we have to do right? We have to tell people it’s okay even when we know it isn’t.” |
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