Book Reviews
Boys: 7-11
A Ghost Light in the Attic by Pat Thomson
This is a story about two children called Tom and Bridget who travel back in time to the 17th century at the time of the civil war. The history in the story was interesting, but there wasn’t enough action. I would recommend this book for people who like history.
By Ethan Hemingway (8)
Arthur Spiderwick’s Guide to the Fantastical World Around You by Tony DiTerlizzi
This book is a field guide about the invisible world (which is a world with faeries in it like goblins, trolls and ogres) but it is set in the real world. Three children called Jared, Mallory and Simon Grace stumble onto it as they find this book, their great-great Uncle Arthur Spiderwick’s Field Guide to the Fantastical World Around You.
Their adventures are put in a set of books called The Spiderwick’s Chronicles written in the style of a fantasy adventure.
In the Field guide the creatures are a mixture of weird, evil and mind blowing, along with some mischievous types such as hobgoblins. Some are even helpful, such as brownies.
My favourite creature – Greater Bull Goblin.
The greater bull goblin is evil and annoying. One goblin is a very big nuisance but in groups they can kill humans. It is born without teeth so it finds substitutes like teeth of smaller animals and broken glass. They can be found in rocky outcrops and caves, and even in ditches.
I liked it because it had brilliant descriptions and some of the best illustrations I have ever seen. If you like fantasy creatures and fabulous illustrations then this book is for you.
By Joe Gilbody (9)
Cairo Jim in Search of Martenarten by Geoffrey McSkimming
I liked it because of Mrs Pryella Firth showing Jim the tiny Lapis Lazuli brooch, Jim catching the Rhampsinite twins in the act, the finding of the ancient Egyptian door of death, Jim questioning the Rhampsinite twins and the finding of Martenarten’s tomb.
I did not like the argument about the ferry.
Sam Cammegh (7)
Cairo Jim on the Trail to Chacha Muchos by Geoffrey McSkimming
Cairo Jim is good when you get going. It’s not very exciting at the beginning. As you go along it gets better, but you will sometimes go for a couple of chapters on the same subject. There is quite a lot of talking but a reasonable amount of action! Cairo Jim is good for people who like a mystery and someone going on an adventure to solve it. I would recommend it.
Theo Bennett (8)
Cal and the Amazing Anti – gravity Machine by Richard Hamilton
This is a good book for children from ages 9 –10 years. This book has got a lot of good science vocabulary. My favourite part was when Frankie (dog) and Cal were spying on Mr Frout. I think this is a very funny book and it is very scientific, because it mentions a lot about gravity and magnetism. I think this is an very amazing book about a gravity machine. My favourite chapter was chapter 3. I recommend this book to all young readers (who like science!)
By Brandon Fenty (9)
Calculator Annie by Alexander McCall Smith
I thought Calculator Annie was really good but how did the children know the answers when they asked her the questions?
By Owen Trattles (7)
Casting the Gods Adrift by Geraldine McCaughrean
I chose this book because I wanted to know more about Egyptians and the front cover made me think that it was going to be about Ancient Egypt.
The main character is Tutmouse, a young boy who has a brother called Ibrim who is blind. Their mother died and they live with their father who is an animal catcher. They live in Ancient Egypt. Their father is asked to catch animals for the Pharaoh and his family and they live with him in his city. The book is mainly about Tutmouse trying to keep his father out of trouble because he believes in all the old Gods but the Pharaoh doesn’t. The father doesn’t like working for the Pharaoh but he has to.
Before I read this book I didn’t know much about ancient Egypt and how much people thought of the Gods. It would have been better if the map and the list of words had been at the front of the book because I didn’t see this till the end and it would have been helpful.
I thin this book is for children in Year 5 and 6. I would not recommend this book to my friends because it doesn’t have enough action or things to add much excitement in it. It would be interesting if you really like ancient Egypt or the gods but not if you were just a bit interested.
By Tom Garman (7)
Digory the Dragon slayer by Angela McAllister
I liked the book because there was a dragon to slay and most books I have read do not have dragons in.
I liked the characters because they were unusual, not like in a normal fairy tales. The princess was not actually beautiful and the slayer had never slayed a dragon before.
The plot was different to other stories because he wasn’t properly knighted and the adventure is not supposed to happen.
Overall I recommend that you read it, I really liked it.
Joe Goff (8)
Harriet Bean And The League Of Cheats by Alexandra McCall Smith.
This book is a story for young horse lovers.
There is a girl called Harriet who has to find five aunts. Two are secret agents and her dad wouldn’t stop reading a magazine called ‘Inventors Weekly’. Harriet then went to meet her aunts. They set her a challenge to stop the league of cheats. She then had to go to Mr Fetlock’s stables and ride his horses or so she thinks. Then she found who was cheating Mr Fetlocks into losing so much. They then stopped the League of Cheats.
I think that the writer keeps the language simple so that younger children can read it. I liked the book because it was about racehorses, and I like racehorses. I thought the chance at the end was good because it was fun to read. I would recommend this book to people who don’t like reading.
By Callum Lowe (10)
Mr and Mrs God and the Creation Kitchen by Nancy Wood
I would recommmend this book especially for young children, as it has a lot of pictures and large writing, but it is also fun for all age groups to read.
It is a book about a creation kitchen.It is about creating the world. The author could have used better words to make it more exciting. I think that it got boring at the end.
By Raj Ubhi (10)
Nikolai of the North by Lucy Daniel Raby
Nikolai of the North is a book about Santa Claus when he was a boy. When Nikolai was a baby an evil witch called Magda came back to the elfin kingdom which is where Nikolai lived, She was banished for ever by King Vilmar but managed to come back and bring snarling black wolves, demons and greasy goblins with her.
By Aamir (9)
Powder Monkey by Paul Dowswell
The name of the book I read is Powder Monkey. It is about a boy who wants to be a sailor called Sam. His parents didn’t want him to be because it was too dangerous.
By Elliot Tait (7)
Skink and the Incredible Jawbreaker by Megan McDonald
The book is very clear, funny and easy to read. The book is about a boy called Stink, who eats lots of sweets, like sourballs, gummy balls, fizzy dummies and strawberry shoelaces. Stink finally gets hold of the jawbreaker.
Harneet Bhogal (9)
Teacher Trouble-By Alexander McCall Smith
Teacher trouble is a good book about a girl who goes to the wrong school and gets mistaken for a teacher. I liked it because some parts were really funny especially the bit when the headmistress`s hair turned green! I also thought the illustrations were cool. I think the best bit of the story is when she saves George in the gym. I have read lots of books by Alexander McCall Smith, I thought ‘The Bubblegum Tree’ was the best. I want to read the rest of his books now.
By Jamie Harper (8)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
This book is aimed at 7 to 10 year olds who enjoy reading an activity book. The book is made up of sections which tell us about Ninja Turtles. To start off there is a short story which introduces you to all the characters. It is very informative and helps you learn how they came to be Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. However the story is only a basic introduction and you are expected to know who the turtles are and what they have done later on in their lives. The book contains some very good illustrations of the characters and is very colourful.
The short story is followed by a facts section which tells you more about the individual characters, for example their likes and dislikes and hobbies. It also involves the reader by allowing them to create their own fact file. Next is the fun section of jokes, which are quite humorous, and the reader should enjoy them. The puzzles section tests you on how much you have learned from reading the book so far and can be exciting to do.
The final two sections are Art and Awesome Stuff. The Art section allows you to draw and colour your favourite characters and Awesome Stuff reveals more Ninja secrets to the reader. The book contains a secret pocket with stickers, a poster, a small game and pull-out guide.
The author introduces and describes the characters well and splits the book carefully into easy to read sections for the reader. The author has kept the book very basic and could have made it more interesting by making the story longer so that readers who do not know about the turtles could also find it interesting to read.
The book will mainly appeal to children wanting to do activities rather than read a story so I would recommend it to readers who like puzzles and to draw and not to readers who like a long story.
By Tajveer Dhami (7)
The Bear Kingdom - Howling Tower by Michael Coleman
I like this book because a boy named Benjamin ran away and he ran away because he didn’t like what Mrs Haggard was doing.
By Daanyaal Malik (7)
The Five Lost Aunts of Harriet Bean by Alexander McCall Smith
One day out of the blue Harriet’s Dad says to her ‘your aunts would like to hear about that.’ Harriet was shocked, she didn’t know she had any aunts, and suddenly she has five! She’s curious to meet them, especially after hearing how talented they are. The trouble is they have lost touch with one another.
By Hishaam Mahmood (10)
The Joke Machine by Alexander McCall Smith
Mr Predesca is a very kind man who owns a junk shop but he is a miserable man too. Jeffrey has a Saturday job at the junk shop. He is a kind and clever boy. One day when they are dusting they find a machine. Jeffrey takes it home and finds out it is a joke machine.
I think it is a very interesting book with lots of adverbs and once you’ve picked it up you’ll never want to put it down until it is finished. I give the book 10 out of 10.
By Kayal Patel (8)
The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo
The story is about a rabbit doll called Edward Tulane and a girl called Rosie who has a brother called Abilene. The story was nearly all interesting, some parts were a bit dull. But I would love to read the book again and I would give the book a well deserved 8 out of 10.
Callum Cawley (10)
The Wall and the Wing by Laura Ruby
The story is about a very old man who named himself Professor. He likes work. It is also about a cat called Noodle, a pen with a mind of its own and two orphans.
My favourite character is the 12 year old girl who is trapped as an orphan. She believes nothing more than a flightless (if you know what that is). There is a gangster who I don’t like very much, he’s too vain.
By Courtney Harris (10)
The Wizard the Ugly and the Book of Shame-By Pablo Bernasconi.
This book is for children aged 7 to 12.It is a storybook with fantastic illustrations. It is about an ugly beast that wants to be handsome. He uses the wizard’s magic red book to help him but the book defends itself and all the wizard’s magic goes wrong! But at least there is a happy ending. It’s a very good book with a good story and good pictures and I didn’t think that there were any weaknesses. I would really recommend this book for any child and their parents.
By Dylan Sykes (8)
WHERES WALLY? BY MARTIN HANDFORD
I quite liked ‘Where’s Wally?’ It was funny and challenging and it had a lot of characters. I especially like the pirate page where it’s a battle in the sea and there’s a school of whales, but instead of a proper school. It could entertain me for hours!
By Robbie Melia (8)