For students

Homes erupted to rubble; safety bled into chaos; embraces disintegrated to ash. Step by step, with trembling legs, I staggered through the ruins of the place that was my home. I ignored the streaks of blood dripping into my eyes, the tiny shards of metal lodged into my left forearm, and the wails around me. If you paid too much attention, you wouldn’t stop wailing either. The year was 1942 and in the village of Little Dewhurst, lives had been torn apart by the shelling of bomb upon bomb.

Lights up on dazzling New York City, the Big Apple, the City that Never Sleeps, where Fat Cats prowl and ingénues seek fame, glory or money – whichever comes first. Pan out and see skyscrapers climbing into the heavens, their facades adorned with glimmering glass and steel, like modern-day castles touching the clouds. Each one vies for attention, a dazzling display of architectural prowess, creating a mesmerizing urban landscape that ignites the imagination.

With a real talent for story writing and creating complex characters, Adiche is one of my favourite authors. Purple Hibiscus is her debut novel, set in post-colonial Nigeria, examining a wealthy family and the impact that colonisation has had on language, religion and real people even after the British have left.

I read this book at the recommendation of one of my wonderful Year 10 students recently, and instantly fell in love. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue tells the Faustian story of a girl who makes a deal with the devil. As a result, she will live forever, but be instantly forgotten by everyone she meets as soon as she leaves their sight.