Book Reviews
Girls 7-11
AGENT ANGEL THE HEAVENLY COLLECTION BY ANNIE DALTON
This book is excellent!! It’s about a girl called Melanie who starts her holiday with her birthday, but when she goes on a shopping trip a car hits her. Usually the death of a character would be upsetting but Melanie is taken up to heaven and she starts college at Angel Academy. She spends most of her days shopping and hanging around in the beach classroom, she gets her angel name and becomes an agent.
I think this book is very well written and I would love to read it again and again and again. This book is very well presented and it has an excellent main story in it; overall I think this is a very, in fact extremely good book and I would recommend it to any child or adult for that matter over the age of 5.
Millie Chillington (9)
Christopher Mouse – the Tale of a Small Traveller by William Wise
This is a very nice tale of a white mouse that gets separated from his three brothers and one sister. My favourite part is when Freddie gave Christopher to Aubrey Sharpe because he had never had a pet before and it turns out he’s had nothing but pets! I like that part because it is funny but at the same time mean to Freddie, which gives it two points of view, one being that its funny because he had lots of pets when he said he had none & the other showing Aubrey is mean. This is a great book, I had a fun time reading and I enjoyed it. I’m sure any other child or adult would like reading it.
Nicole Short (11)
Dawn Undercover by Anna Dale
Dawn is a woman who has to go undercover as a spy. Dawn saves the people who have been held in hostage, by spying on the bad people holding the hostage. Dawn is then a heroine and repeats the whole saving people thing again. Dawn is a clever spy and travels around the world spying on bad people, and saving the innocent victims. Dawn is also a policewoman. Her forename is Dawn and her real name is Buckle. Buckle is her last name that’s what the police gang called her. Dawn lived in the village of Cherry Bentley. Meek is a criminal who also held hostages.
Aishah Hussain (10)
Felicity Wishes – Sleepover Magic by Emma Thomson
Sleepover Magic is a Felicity Wishes book which introduces a new magical fairy. I think that any girl that’s aged 5-9 would enjoy and love the story. The writing is very descriptive and the illustrations are beautiful, even though some aren’t accurate. For example, Felicity and Winnie are wearing matching dresses but in the picture they aren’t, and the book says that Holly puffs out her cheeks but in the picture Felicity does and Holly is just smiling. On the very last page of the book it tells the reader how to make a Felicity wish and that one day it may come true. If you’re like me you won’t be able to put it down. If you like the other Felicity Wishes book you’ll like this one.
Gaia Coffey-Brittain (7)
Flying a Flag for Hitler by Elspeth Emmerich
Flying a flag for Hitler is a story set in World War II in Nazi Germany. It’s about a young girl about the age of 5 coping and understanding about the war and her father going away. I enjoyed this book because it’s from the girl’s point of view, also it’s very exciting and kept me turning the pages. I found this story a bit sad although it was still good. The writing was good and easy to read and I also enjoyed the pictures in the middle. I would give this story 9 out of 10 because I enjoyed it so much.
By Rosa Brocho (10)
House of Spies by Griselda Gifford
This book is a brilliant way to know what its like to be a child living in the Second World War. I would think most eight year olds would enjoy this book. Though nobody likes reading about injuries & deaths, it really is a great book. Griselda Gifford is a great author so I hope I read more books by her.
By Ellie Houghton (8)
Ingo by Helen Dunmore
I thought Ingo was a good book; I didn’t really like it when Sappy’s father disappears but I liked it when they were looking at the Zenor mermaid in the church. I don’t think young people should read this book as it is quite sad.
Jo Hart (9)
Lamb In The Laundry by Lucy Daniels
This fictional book is for 8-11 ages. It is about some children who rescue a lamb with the help of Mandy’s parents, who are both vets at Animal Ark. It is a very good book, but the language could be a bit more exciting, for example, on the first few pages there are too many ‘saids’. The author could have thought of better words like asked, replied, whispered, murmured. There are lots of them. I think this book would be suitable for girls more than boys. The reason I chose this book to read is because I love Animal Ark stories and I think the lamb on the front cover is so cute I want to cuddle it.
By Jasmine Sykes (9)
Magic Pony Carousel – Brightheart by Poppy Shire
I think this was a wonderful book for young readers who like fantasy and adventures stories. I like all of the descriptions such as when it says in the introduction ‘The bump shook away the last of the silvery sparkles that had been whirling around her head’. I recommend this book to 8-9 year old children who love reading or who would even like a challenge. Brighthart is a very girly book. I would have chosen Sparkle but I think this a brilliant book.
Becki Maskill (10)
Magic Pony Carousel – Sparkle By Poppy Shire
This seven-chapter book is about a magic carousel and the main character is a girl called Megan. She went to a fairground and rode on a carousel and discovers that it’s magic when she ends up trotting around a circle full of sawdust. Then she goes though a red curtain and her adventure begins. I could read this book on my own but I needed to ask for a few words, which was good because I enjoyed the book and learnt some new words. I thought it was the best story I have ever read since I was six.
By Imogen Chillington (7)
My Magical Pony by Jenny Oldfield
This is a fictional story for young girl readers. This book is about a Magical Pony called Shining Star. But only one girl, Krista knows his magical powers! Together they battle the elements to save a boy’s life! Krista developed well as a character. At the beginning of the story she did not care about a boy called Nathan but cared more about horses. However, during the adventure Krista began to be concerned with this poor boy and the danger he was in. I think the ending was the most exciting bit because the pace of the story picked up. The story was rather slow moving with little action. Also some of the characters seemed one-dimensional. Some of the words were hard and the book was long for the age group at which the story was aimed. I would recommend this book to people who prefer reading about ponies than high drama!
Kirsty Crawsford (7)
My Magical Pony – Silver Mist by Jenny Oldfield
This is about horses and a woman called Jo who owns the stables. When she goes away something terrible happens to the horses. Krista, a girl who helps out at the stables, tries to find the horses with the help pf her very special pony friend. Girls who like horses would like this book but because I’m not a horse kind of person I didn’t really enjoy it. I would have enjoyed it more if it had been a bit shorter and more adventurous.
By Polly Foster (7)
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)
Omba Bolomba by Gerard Benson
The words are big and clear to read. Some of the poems don’t make sense and don’t rhyme. Gerard Benson has put good description in his poems. I will give it 8 out of 10. There were all sorts of things in the poems. I liked the poem with the fox in it.
By Jodie Comrie (10)
Permanent Rose by Hilary McKay
Permanent Rose is a girl who is very controlled; however, she always knows what to do if anything happens. Danny is her friend, he is always eating Chewits. He especially loves banana flavoured ones. The whole book is brilliant, although I did not understand a lot of it at first. I enjoyed the book so much I would read other books by the same author. I would rate this book 7 out of 10 because it started off very boring and dull which put me off but it got better near the end.
By Aishah Hussain (10)
Peter and the Starcatchers by Dave Barry
This book is about Peter Pan but he doesn’t have his powers. I don’t like ‘Peter Pan’ but I did like this book. I liked the bit where Peter and Molly fall over the side of the boat. There is a trunk on Peter’s boat called the Neverlad, it is guarded day and night. Nobody knows what is in the trunk but the Captain, Peter, wants to know. They all get stranded on an island with a jungle, they get split up but Peter finds his friends. A boat called the Sea Devil finds a boat called the Wasp and attacks it, renaming it the Jolly Roger. The Jolly Roger ship tries to find the Neverland and it does but doesn’t win it, just takes the Neverland Captain and rides off.
Ruby Chohan (9)
Rotten School: The Big Blueberry Barf-off! By R. L. Stine
I really like this book because it’s really funny and the story behind it is really good. My favourite character is Bernie Bridges because he says funny things like ‘April-May is crazy about me (but she doesn’t know it yet).’ I like the fact that it’s got a map at the front because if that hadn’t been there I might not have picked it and another good thing about the map was that I could look at it through the story and see where things were. There was only one bad thing about the story and that was it ended!
By Abi Foster (10)
Rotten School - The Great Smelling Bee by R. L. Stine
Bernie Bridges goes to the rotten boarding school. Pets are definitely not allowed in school, but Bernie’s mum and dad send him his dog, Gassy, and his parrot, Lippy. Trouble begins when Sherman Oaks, Bernie’s archenemy, finds out and tries to get him expelled. The only way Bernie can hide Gassy is to disguise him as a student. However, Gassy does something amazing in class. The title is a bit confusing because it has nothing to do with a great smelling bee. You never know what is going to happen next! You have to keep turning the pages to find out how Bernie gets out of his latest fix. This book is full of smelly dogs and mouldy teachers and if you enjoy toilet humour this is the book for you.
Caitlin McLoughlin (10)
Snakes’ Elbows by Deirdre Madden
I think this book would be appropriate for 8 to 10 year old girls or boys. I mainly liked the whole book, but I didn’t like the auction bit because the numbers went straight to the next 100 or 10 and I thought that was a bit fake. The story moved a bit slowly to the part with the auction where the two main characters, millionaire Barney Barrington and his evil enemy Jasper Jellit, both try to buy the same tiny painting. Both men have got pets that get human characters, they get the chance to know each other but when the cat was described as ‘blushing’ I found it hard to imagine. I’m glad I had the chance to read the book, but I don’t think I would recommend it to my friends.
I did like the message at the end of the book when Barney smiled and said ‘It’s not important what people think of you, the real important thing is how you live.’
By Florence Prichatt-Collins (8)
The Amazing Adventures of Blinky the Frog by Terence Relph
Blinky was a nosey frog who lived by the river. One day Blinky fell into a pot of paint and something strange happens to him. He decides to be a superhero after watching a James Bond movie.
After reading the exciting synopsis I thought this book sounded very funny and exciting, but after turning the first few pages I couldn’t help putting it down. It was so boring! I can’t find anything good to say about this book, it is all dialogue and the story drags.
I’m sure someone will like it, but if you love funny, action packed stories I don’t recommend this book for you.
By Caitlin McLoughlin (10)
The Chocolate Money Mystery – by Alexander McCall Smith
Mr and Mrs Twist are two private detectives who live on the edge of a town, but sadly they get forced out of business because of the nasty work of Professor Sardine! While all this is happening, their two children are happily playing their favourite game of Cluedo, and when they hear that a Cluedo competition is held, they sign up for it straightaway!!! The story had lots of twists and turns and the ending is great, because there are two possible rewards but they choose something completely different. I think this book by Alexander McCall Smith is a thrilling mystery book to suit children who like detective stories, mysteries and crooks. I think that children of seven years and up would really enjoy this book, as it is an exciting short read.
By Persia Taylor (9)
The Cleopatra Curse by Katherine Roberts
I think that this book is great for children from 10 to 12 years. This book is mainly about a boy who works for the pharaoh, keeping the lighthouse lit. Zeuxis was found as a baby by the kind lighthouse keeper who brought him up as his helper. He dreams of being a caretaker and winning all his races that he tries. Will Zeuxis be able to become a caretaker or will he stay as a lighthouse keeper for the rest of his life? There is only one way to find out!
By Kate Parker (9)
The Dragon Keeper by Carole Wilkinson
The Dragon Keeper is a very mysterious book. It is set in ancient Chinese times when Ping the poor slave girl finds the last dragon, Danzi. They must travel to the ocean with the precious dragon stone. Danzi is a very old and wise dragon who can transform into other creatures at will, but it tires him out. Ping is my favourite character; she can only count up to ten and didn’t, until the middle of the book, know her own name. Danzi is complicated to explain, he keeps himself to himself and only tells Ping what she needs to know. I enjoyed this book but sometimes the words were in ancient Chinese. Luckily there was a glossary at the end of the book.
By Evie Rollinson (10)
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 Harvest Tide Project by Oisin McGann
I read the back of the book because the front cover looked interesting and scary. I started reading it and I couldn’t understand lots of words or read a few either. I kept on asking people what things meant and if they didn’t know I had to look it up in the dictionary and I would keep on having to do that and so wasn’t able to enjoy the book or understand it. Bits that I could understand were good but I think I am too young to read this book.
By Melissa Casey (10)
The Invisible Friend by Louise Arnold
This is a fictional book for seven to nine year olds. It is about a young boy , a very ordinary boy, called Tom and a very old ghost called Grey Arthur. Other children think Tom is weird and he gets bullied a lot, that is until Grey Arhtur comes along to help him. Strange things happen when Arthur’s friend, Biro Bill, steals even things to make them odd.
If you like ghost stories you will enjoy this book. I don’t think this book is very gripping but the good thing is you don’t know what’s going to happen next so it’s quite exciting.
By Aimee Blumler (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 Lady Grace Mysteries – Feud by Patricia Finney
The book was an interesting and good read. It also had a lot of factual information about what life was like then. The Lady Grace stories are set in Elizabethan times. The stories themselves have a lot of old fashioned language in them, however there is a helpful glossary in the back as well as some facts about late Tudor times. The book is about a maid of honour who is called Lady Grace and is about twelve years old. She is an undercover detective for Queen Elizabeth and solves mysteries for the Queen. There are several Lady Grace books, so if you read this and enjoy it look out for more!
By Mary Lawrence (10)
The Lady Grace Mysteries – Gold! By Patricia Finney
The Lady Grace Mysteries are about a young girl who lived in Tudor times and her guardian is Queen Elizabeth. When things go wrong Lady Grace is there to solve the mystery. I enjoyed this story because it’s all about mysteries and it kept me turning the pages. Also I like the idea of the Tudor period so I’d give this book 9 out of 10.
Rosa Bracho (10)
THE LADY GRACE MYSTERIES - HAUNTED BY JAN BURCHETT AND SARA VOLGER
The Lady Grace mysteries are a series of books and ‘Haunted’ is the latest one.
It’s written as if Grace has been writing a diary and you are reading it. The stories are set in Elizabethan times between 1569 and 1570. There is quite a bit of old fashioned language used, but there is a glossary at the end as well as some history about Tudor times.
The book has a lot of description so you can imagine you’re really there! The best audience for the book would be girls that are above the age of nine. It is very exciting because in each book Grace has a new mystery to solve!
Mary Lawrence (10)
The Muscle Machine – By Alexander McCall Smith
The Muscle Machine is about a boy named Ted and another young boy called George. Ted was such a bully, he always came to Gordan’s school and started bullying people for no reason whatsoever. Gordan got fed up of watching Ted bully so Gordan went up to Ted and yelled so much as if he was the headmaster. Ted just ignored Gordan and pushed him. Gordan was furious! When he got home he picked up his dad’s magazine and started reading. The advert was called the ‘MUSCLE MACHINE.’ I liked the book because I’m glad Gordan stopped Ted from bullying and a super hero suits Gordan. Everything was perfect! There were no weaknesses!
By Anisa Aziz (10)
The Talent Thief by Alex Williams
Wealthy orphans Adam and Cressida Bloom couldn’t be less alike. Cressida has a magnificent talent, which is singing. She sings at lots of festivals and concerts. There had been a letter on the floor for nearly a week now. Adam said to Cressida ‘Cress, open this letter, it has been here for days,’ so she did. It said that she was invited to Fortescues festival of youth talents all the way in Paralin. Before she received the letter she had been going to give up, now she changes her mind, one because she doesn’t want to stay with Uncle Brody and two so she doesn’t get bored. When Adam and Cressida arrived they loved it, they met quite a few people. However, infants’ talents were disappearing.
I liked this book because it was quite mysterious, however I thought it was really slow. Also the language was great. I liked it when Fortescue said ‘I have found my soul mate, my talent thief. Let the collecting begin.’ I liked it because the story started to go slightly faster. I think that this book is for people aged 9 and over.
By Anisa Aziz (10)
The Tide Knot by Helen Dunmore
The Tide Knot is an extremely interesting and mysterious book. Sapphire and Conor have moved to St Pirans, away from their true home to try and forget their father’s disappearance. But that means they leave behind the gateway to Ingo , the magical world of Mer, half-human half-fish. Then the Tide Knot is unleashed and a wall of water is coming to destroy people’s homes. Sapphire and Conor must travel with their Mer friends, Faro and Elvira to Saldowr, the wisest of all Mer. Will Sapphire and Conor be able to save Ingo and St Pirans and recapture the Tide Knot? This book would be best read by people aged 10 to 12.
By Jo Hart (9)
THE TRIMONI TWINS BY PAM SMALLCOMB
This book is about two girls who are magicians called Beezel and Mimi and they travel with the Trimoni circus. Beezel and Mimi go to Amsterdam to perform their act. At first they meet a film star called Wiliken Riebeek. He told them tells them he needs their help to find the missing treasure from a Spanish galleon lost to his family for generations. In the end he thanks them by giving them some puzzle boxes. Beezel has a ruby on the top from the shrunken treasure and Mimi has an emerald on the top. On their trip back they play with their puzzle boxes. But before they do they do their show in Amsterdam. It was 10/10.
By Ruby Chohan (9)
The Witch of Clatteringshaws by Joan Aiken
The Witch of Clatteringshaws is a really good and exciting book because it comes straight in with the action about there being a battle getting closer and closer. My favourite bit is the first bit when the bus driver is talking to the passengers and the way he talks is quite funny because he sounds like a toddler trying hard to be really smart. The actual witch of Clatteringshaws lives in Scotland in a disused Ladies’ convenience but it’s not at all convenient because the plumbing has long ago been smashed. I like the way the book goes from one scene to another. It’s an exciting book and I recommend it to people who like adventure.
By Alice Peterson (10)
The Zartabia Tales by Anna Fishel
I liked this book very much but I especially liked it when the baby magic carpet trips up Expectro. I think the illustrations are fantastic!
By Jo Hart (9)
Third year at Mallory Towers by Enid Blyton
This is about the third year at Malory Towers. Its first part was ok but not the best introduction I have read. I can think of a few books that are quite interesting but this one was not so inviting like make you want to read more. In between the first page of the story I felt happy for Darrell the older sister but then felt sorry for Felicity the younger sister because she couldn’t go to boarding school with Darrel. Next time I think I might pick a mysterious story out.
Lucia Herbert (10)
Tirion’s Secret Journal by Jenny Sullivan
In 1645 Tirion, a ten year old girl, starts work as a spider brusher in a big house called Llancaiach Fawr. The house is in Nelson in South Wales so everyone speaks Welsh. The only thing is that Tirion is scared of spiders. She makes friends with the spit boy called Ifor who at first was very mean to her. Tirion and Ifor both have the two worst and lowest places in the house. One day all the servants are very excited because the king is coming to see the master of the house. A few days before the king is coming two of the Master’s silver buttons go missing. Everyone blames Ifon, but on the day the king comes Tirion finds out what happened. Tirion and Ifor are not allowed to be seen by the king because they are too scraggy so they climb a tree to watch the king. Tirion sees the buttons in a magpie’s nest. At night she goes to get them and her and Ifor are allowed better places in the house because the buttons were so special. I really enjoyed this book.
By Polly Lowe (7)
Whispering to Witches by Anna Dale
The book was very descriptive but the story was quite slow. I liked the part where Joe could not remember what had happened while he was at the witches’ school. Joe finds himself heading for Canterbury for Christmas to stay with his Mum, stepdad and half-sister Esme. On the way he encounters some strange events. After getting off at the wrong stop he is whisked away to the home of the Dead-Nettle coven of witches. Here he meets Twiggy, a young witch still in training. From here he has to solve the problem of the missing spell, which could destroy the witch population. Even though the book was very descriptive, the storyline/plot did not hold my attention. I feel a book is something you don’t want to put down and which holds your attention. Maybe listening to it on tape would be better.
By Mia Dunsford (8)
Wizzbang Wizard: Supersplosh by Scoular Anderson
Freddy the wizard gets a message from the professor, he forgets to pick the message up, and he remembers when he had only one day left. The letter said: ‘You have to remember three spells, if you don’t remember three spells, you have failed your test.’ Freddy does not remember so he fails his test.
One day the Professor is near the river bank walking on the bridge when the bridge broke and the Professor fell in the river and was drowning. Freddy saw the Professor drowning and he remembered a spell he did once when he was in the bath so he got his wand from his belt and said the spell. The water swirled and swirled until the Professor landed on the river bank. The Professor was happy that he was saved and he passes Freddy and gives him a medal.
By Irum Bashir (7)
Candle in the Dark by Adele Geras
I liked the book because of the good vocabulary, but because of the vocabulary some of the words you can’t understand. I liked the way the writer has written, you can imagine the story scene of Adele Geras has written. If I was to rate this book I would give it 4 stars out of 5.
By Kai Shand (10)
Kidogo the Littlest Elephant by Anik McGrory
The book is about an elephant that thinks he is the smallest animal in the world. But he is wrong, he meets an ant and realises that he is not the smallest animal. I liked the illustrations and thought it was a little funny.
By Evie Jones-Bishop (7)
Little Monster’s Book Of Opposites by Frances Thomas and Ross Collins
I think this book has funny pictures which made me smile. It should be for younger children but older children might enjoy it too. It helps little children learn their opposites in an interesting way. The ending makes you think about opposites yourself.
By Eve Brooks (7)
Ollie the Stomper by Olivia Dunrea
‘Ollie the Stomper’ by Olivia Dunrea is a picture book for children. It is part of a collection called Gossie and Friends. It is about a gosling called Ollie who is jealous of Gossie and Gertie’s red and blue boots. He gets his boots in the end but are they what he expected? It is a good book for helping kids out at the age of 1,2,3 learn that what you see might not be what it seems. It is made for toddlers to help them to learn how to spell words like goslings.
By Ruby Dawtry (7)
The Willow Man by Sue Purkiss
This is an incredibly good book. I recommend this book to anyone over the age of seven. The Willow Man is scary and exciting at the same time and whenever you stop the end of a chapter you can’t wait to read the next one. I love this book; it’s mainly about a girl who had a stroke, her brother, Tom, and their friend Ash.
By Elsie (7)