Assembly/online Book Reviews by students and staff


Books that have been reviewed at Assembly.



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2

2 The tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris


Reviewed by Cam Baker

A

A Handmaidens Tale by M. Attwood


Reviewed by Mr Hop Wo

A Matter for Men by David Gerrold


Reviewed by Mr Jochem

A MONSTER CALLS By Patrick Ness

Reviewed by guest,  Librarian, and Reading Ambassador, Alan Dingley 


ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE By Anthony Doerr

Reviewed by Head Prefect Jake Maskill


ASSASSIN'S CREED: THE SECRET CRUSADE by Oliver Bowden

Reviewed by Jerome Te Kanawa Year 12


B

Barbarossa - How Hitler Lost the War by Jonathan Dimbleby


Reviewed by Mr Miller

BARBAROSSA: HOW HITLER LOST THE WAR by Jonathan Dimbleby

Reviewed by the Rector, Mr D Bovey



BOUNCE by Matthew Syed

Reviewed by Josh Bergerson Y12.


Brando Yelavich - Wildboy


Reviewed by Connor Giltrap

C

Can't hurt me by David Goggins


Reviewed by Fletcher Lockhead

Century Trilogy by Ken Follet


Reviewed by Hugh Drake

Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith

Reviewed by Mr C Higgie.



Code to Zero by Ken Follett


Reviewed by Chris Higgie

Cristiano and Leo by Jimmy Burns


Reviewed by Aadesh Ganugapati

D

DAVID JUBERMANN BOOKS

Shiftlight, Driftrace & Hypercar reviewed by Hayden Macdonald

DECLARED by Brendon McCullum

Reviewed by Thomas Walshe (Prefect and Captain 1st 11 Cricket)


Deon Meyer's "Devil's Peak" and others

Reviewed  by Mr G Miller.


Devil at my heels by Louis Zamperini


Reviewed by John Coles

Diddly Squat by Jeremy Clarkson


Reviewed by Jonathan Jamieson

Dominion by C J Sansom

Reviewed by Mr P Dredge

Dominion

F

Fatty Batter by Michael Simkins

Reviewed by Mr Bovey

Fever by Deon Meyer


Reviewed by Mr Siebert.

Finding Gobi by Dion Leonard




Reviewed by Angus Lyver

Friday Night Lights by H. G. Bissinger


Reviewed by Tamati Ruawai 13LD

G

Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin


Reviewed by Mr Vindriis

GO SET A WATCHMAN by Harper Lee

Reviewed by Mr Atkin


Golden Son by Pierce Brown


Reviewed by Afu Taumoepeau (Y11)

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn


Reviewed by Mr C. Higgie

Greg Iles Trilogy - Natchez Burning, The Bone Tree, Mississipi Blood


Reviewed by Mr Moore

H

Handmaidens Tale by Margaret Atwood


Reviewed by Andrew Karatea

Hanns and Rudolf by Thomas Harding

 

Reviewed by Mr Atkin, Deputy Rector

Harold Larwood by Duncan Hamilton

Book reviewed by Mr Bovey, Rector

HATER by David Moody

Hater (Hater, #1)

Reviewed by Isaac Harris Year 13

Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad


 Reviewed by Mr Bovey

HORNS by Joe Hill

Reviewed by Callum Goacher Yr13

HOW TO ARGUE WITH A RACIST by Adam Rutherford

Reviewed by Jordan Long-Lay.

How to Argue With a Racist: Adam Rutherford: 9781474611244: Amazon ...

How to build a car by Adrian Newey


Reviewed by Tyler Fleming Y13 (Prefect)

How to Escape from Prison by Dr. Paul Wood


Reviewed by Mr Atkin

Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins


Reviewed by Mr L. Higgie

If you have seen the movie - read the book.

I

I am Malala by Malala Yousafzai and Christina Lamb


When the Taliban took control of the Swat Valley in Pakistan, one girl spoke out. Malala refused to be silenced and fought for her right to an education. I am Malala will make you believe in the power of one person's voice to inspire change in the world.

I am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes


Reviewed by Callum Grayson

I'm here to Win: a world champion's advice for peak performance

By Chris "Macca" McCormack with Tim Vandehey

I'm here to win

Reviewed by Mr J Kendall

IN ORDER TO LIVE by Yeonmi Park

Reviewed online by Leo Mwape (Y10)


Infinity by Brian Clegg

Reviewed by Dr. Tularam 

Injun Joe by Marian Day


Reviewed by Tom Hansen (Prefect)

J

JACKDAWS by Ken Follett

Reviewed by Mr C Higgie. 

Jackdaws by Ken Follett

JONATHAN LIVINGSTON SEAGULL by Richard Bach

Reviewed by Mr Atkin


K

Kevin Pietersen on Cricket: the toughest opponents, the greatest battles, the game we love

Written by Kevin Pietersen MBE. 


Reviewed by Braden Rowe Yr13

KIWI SPEEDWAY CULTURE by Steve Holmes

 

Reviewed by Mr Brockelbank.

Kiwi Speedway Culture goes beyond the gritty quarter mile dirt ovals dotted throughout our landscape, and visits some of the characters involved.

L

Lee Child and Daniel Silva's books

Reviewed by Mr King [Leadership Director]

Mr King talked about his Top Ten List and then the following authors:


Legacy - 15 Lessons in Leadership by James Kerr


Reviewed by  Brayden Iose

LEGACY BY JAMES KERR

Reviewed by Jack Trotter, Deputy Head Prefect 

M

Mana of the Pacific


Reviewed by Telson Liuvaie (Head Prefect)

March Violets by Philip Kerr

Reviewed by Mr Bovey (Rector).


Memory Man by David Baldacci


Reviewed by Liam Edmunds

Mike Allsop - High Altitude

 

Reviewed by Mr Hann

Moz : My Story by Adrian Morley

Reviewed by Callum McKenzie

Mud Sweat and Tears by Bear Grylls


Reviewed by Richard Bell

MUD, SWEAT AND TEARS by Bear Grylls

Reviewed by Mr Barwick


Known and admired by millions, Bear Grylls has survived where few would dare to go. Now, for the first time, Bear tells the story of his action-packed life. Gripping, moving and wildly exhilarating, Mud, Sweat and Tears is a must-read for adrenalin junkies and armchair adventurers alike.      

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mud-Sweat-Tears-Bear-Grylls/dp/1905026498 

Muhammad Ali the Greatest, My Own Story


Reviewed by Josh Ellingham

Munich by Robert Harris


Reviewed by William Wood

Set over four days against the backdrop of the Munich Conference of September 1938, this book follows the fortunes of two men who were friends at Oxford together in the 1920s. Hugh Legat is a rising star of the British diplomatic service, serving in 10 Downing Street as a private secretary to the Prime Minister, Neville Chamberlain. Paul von Hartmann is on the staff of the German Foreign Office - and secretly a member of the anti-Hitler resistance. They have not been in contact for more than a decade. But when Hugh flies with Chamberlain from London to Munich, and Paul travels on Hitler's train overnight from Berlin, their paths are set on a collision course - with dramatic results.

N

Night by Elie Wiesel - his record of Childhood in the Death Camps of Auschwitz and Buchenwald




Reviewed by Mr Higgie

No Limits by Michael Phelps



No Spin - Shane Warne


Reviewed by Jack Wenham

O

Oh Boy - A storybook of epic NZ men.


Reviewed by Mr Atkin

One Shot by Lee Child

Reviewed by George Gaimster

r

ONLY TIME WILL TELL by Jeffrey Archer

Reviewed by Mr C Higgie.


OPEN : and autobiography by Andre Agassi

Reviewed by Mr Lambert


ORPHAN X by Gregg Hurwitz

Reviewed by Mr Atkin (Deputy Rector)



The Nowhere Man is a legendary figure spoken about only in whispers. It's said that when he's reached by the truly desperate and deserving, the Nowhere Man can and will do anything to protect and save them.
But he's no legend.
Evan Smoak is a man with skills, resources, and a personal mission to help those with nowhere else to turn. He's also a man with a dangerous past. Chosen as a child, he was raised and trained as part of the off-the-books black box Orphan program, designed to create the perfect, deniable intelligence assets - i.e. assassins.  [Goodreads.com]

OUTLIERS by Malcolm Gladwell

Reviewed by Reuben Davis. 

Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell

P

Pathfinder by David Blakeley


Reviewed by Callum Crawley

Perform under Pressure by Ceri Evans


Reviewed by Head Prefect Elyjah Crosswell

Philip Ker's Bernie Gunther Thriller series


Reviewed by Mr Bovey

Pipe Dreams, a Surfers journey - Kerry Slater


Reviewed by Lachie Nevill

Poetry of Billy Collins

Reviewer is Mr P Dredge



PRIDE AND PREJUDICE by Jane Austen

Reviewed online by Lucas Richardson.



PURAKAU : Māori myths retold by Māori writers

Reviewed by James Pinfold-Whanga (Y11)


R

REFUGEE BY ALAN GRATZ

Reviewed by Leejun Kim Year 9


S

Sachin Tendulkar - Playing it My Way

sach.jpeg

Reviewed by Tom O'Connor

Sapiens - A Brief History of Humankind


Reviewed by Henry Yan 9BS

Earth is 4.5 billion years old. In just a fraction of that time, one species among countless others has conquered it:us

What makes us brillant? What makes us deadly? What makes us sapiens?

In this bold and provocative book, Yuval Noah Harari explores who we are, how we got here and where we're going. sapiens is the thrilling account of our history - from insignificant apes to rulers of the world.

Sapiens: a Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari


Reviewed by Matthew Jamieson

SCAR TISSUE by Anthony Kiedis

Reviewed by Mr S Davidson


Scythe by Neal Shusterman


Reviewed by Luke Cherrington

Scythe is a 2016 young-adult novel by Neal Shusterman and is the first in the Arc of a Scythe series. It is set in the far future, where death by natural causes has been virtually eliminated thanks to advances in technology and an advanced computer system known as "the Thunderhead" controls society. 

Searching for Charlie by Tom Scott


Reviewed by Mr Bovey

Shadows in the Ice by Des Hunt


Reviewed by Harry Maxwell 9KR

Shakespeare's works, Philip Kerr's final book, Asterix, Tintin and Stephen Fry's Mythos

Reviewed by Mr Bovey, Rector



She is not your rehab by Matt Brown


Reviewed by Mr Smith

Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane

    

Reviewed by Greg Shaw

Deputy Head Boy

Skyward by Brandon Sanderson


Reviewed by Liam Lewis

Sooley by John Grisham


Reviewed by Connor Puanaki

Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson


Reviewed by Tyler Price

Steven Adams My Life, My Fight.


Reviewed by Ethan Johanson

T

Temeraire by Naomi Novik



Reviewed by Ms. Mills



The 100 Best Poems of all Time edited by Leslie Pockell


Reviewed Mr Braddock

The Abduction by Jonathan Halt

Reviewed by Mr J Richards

18635080

THE BELGARIAD SERIES

Reviewed by Luke Cherrington, Prefect 2022

THE BONE TREE by Airana Ngarewa

Reviewed by Ms Durston including interview with young author.


The Boy Who Followed his Father into Auschwitz by Jeremy Dronfield. z


Reviewewd by Mr Sinclair

The Captain Class by Sam Walker


Reviewed by Mr Bovey

The Century Trilogy - Ken Follett


Reviewed by Chris Higgie

THE CHAMPION by Maurice Gee

Reviewed by Mr Lobb (Leadership Director)


The Chestnut Man by Soren Sveistrup


Reviewed by Mr Atkin

The Cocaine Diaries by Paul Keany with Jeff Farrell


Reviewed by Jack Gibbs

The Disappearing Spoon by Sam Kean


Reviewed by Jonathan Stone

The Dry by Jane Harper



Reviewed by Digby Werthmuller

The Excalibur Alternative by David Weber

Reviewed by Hamish Forbes


The Fat Man by Maurice Gee


Reviewed by Mr Lobb

The Five People you meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom


Reviewed by Zinzan Deans-Emery

The girl you left behind by Jojo Moyes


Reviewed by Digby Werthmuller

THE GONE SERIES by Michale Grant

Reviewed by Luke Wheelhouse Year 9


The Good Doctor by Lance O'Sullivan


Reviewed by Mr Noema-Barnett

THE GUNSLINGER AND THE DARK TOWER SERIES

Written by Stephen King. 


Reviewed by Mr Ducre.

The story centers upon Roland Deschain, the last gunslinger, who has been chasing after his adversary, "the man in black", for many years. The novel fuses Western fiction with fantasyscience fiction and horror, following Roland's trek through a vast desert and beyond in search of the man in black. Roland meets several people along his journey, including a boy named Jake Chambers who travels with him part of the way. [Wikipedia]

The incredible story of Tony Christiansen, Don't just sit there

Reviewed by Jordan Pederson

The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness


Reviewed by Mr Strang

The Man Who Cycled the World by Mark Beaumont


Reviewed by Matthew Jamieson

The Martian by Andy Weir


Reviewed by Jack Burden 12 PG

The Monk who sold his Ferrari by Robin Sharma

 

Reviewed by Orin Ruaine-Prattley Yr 13

 

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie




Reviewed by Mitchell Liang


The Music of Silence: a memoir by Andrea Bocelli

Reviewed by Mr Ferreira.


The New Girl by Daniel Silva


Reviewed by Mr Greer

The Obstacle is the Way by Ryan Holiday


Reviewed by Jonty Fleck

The Odyssey by Homer


Reviewed by Mr Dawson

THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY By Oscar Wilde

Reviewed by Saem Millward, Deputy Head Prefect. 


The Potatoe Factory by Bryce Courtney


Reviewed by Lance Retemeyer

The Potatoe Factory by Bryce Courtney.



Reviewed by Lance Retemeyer

THE PREFECT by Alaistair Reynolds


Reviewed by Nathan Hotter Year 12

THE PUSH by Tommy Caldwell

Reviewed by Kopere Tanoa (Year 13, Prefect)



The rudest Book Ever by Shwetabh Gangwar


Reviewed by Varanjit Singh

The Second World War by Antony Beevor

Reviewed by Mr Bovey, Rector


The Secret Race by Tyler Hamilton and Daniel Coyle


Reviewed by Tom Peel


The short and tragic life of Robert Peace by Jeff Hobbs


Reviewed by Piripi Pinfold-Whanga

The Stars Tennis Balls by Stephen Fry


Reviewed by William Hince

The Start-up Nation by Dan Senor and Saul Singer


Reviewed by Tommy Le

The subtle Art of not giving a Fuck by Mark Manson


Reviewed by Hemi Pinfold-Whanga

The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris


Reviewed by Connor Hurnard

The Upward Spiral

The Upward Spiral reviewed by John Adams



The Upward Spiral by Alex Korb, PhD

Reviewed by Mr Adams


The Wall by John Lanchester



Reviewed by Jacob Dredge

Thr3e by Ted Dekker

Reviewed by Taylor Monk Yr13


Enter a world where nothing is what it seems. Where your closest friend could be your greatest enemy.

Time and time Again by Ben Elton


Reviewed by Mr. C. Higgie

tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell

                                                

                                                        Reviewed by Ben Blyde

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee


Reviewed by Raza Jawad

Today in New Zealand history, reviewed by James Pinfold-Whanga 10MS


True Grit by Bear Grylls

Reviewed by John Gummer Yr12

True Grit

True Red by Isaac Tuhoe

Reviewed by Taare Ferris

28:5:14

TUESDAYS WITH MORRIE by Mitch Albom

Reviewed by Zinzan Deans-Emery Year 12


Twenty Contemporary New Zealand Poets.


Reviewed by Mr Ross

U

Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand


Reviewed by Bryn Gordon

Under the Eagle by Simon Scarrow


Reviewed by Mr Hobson

Usain Bolt - Faster than lightening. My Story


Reviewed by Josh Ellingham

W

Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson


Reviewed by Cody Reid Year13

Watchman by Alan Moore


Reviewed by Jacob Waugh

What I read presented by Mr Benn


What if Serious Scientific answers to Absurd Hypothetical questions by Randall Munroe


Reviewed by John Cole

WILDBOY by Brando Yelavich

Reviewed by Zac Tutty.


WINX by Andrew Rule


Reviewed by Mr McDougall

Y

You have the Power to Change Stuff by Daniel Flynn


Reviewed by Matthew Brennan

Z

ZEROES by Chuck Wendig

Reviewed by Finlay McRae Yr12

Five hackers—an Anonymous-style rabble-rouser, an Arab Spring hacktivist, a black-hat hacker, an old-school cipherpunk, and an online troll—are detained by the U.S. government, forced to work as white-hat hackers for Uncle Sam in order to avoid federal prison. 

But once the Zeroes begin to work, they uncover secrets that would make even the most dedicated conspiracy theorist's head spin. 


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