Schools & Libraries Book Reviews

Name: Jenny Caddick
05 July 2022;

Genre: Magical Realism

The most gloriously, richly illustrated cover of this book opens and takes the reader into a darkly intriguing and imaginative fantasy adventure that blends perfectly with a very real, central theme of child labour and the culture of exploitation of the poor by the wealthy. Set in India...

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Name: Donna Burkert
05 July 2022;

Genre: Magical Realism

Nura wants what she can't have: money, wealth and power. Her days are long and difficult, mining for mica; it's a dirty and dangerous job but she does it to help her mum, to bring some extra money into the family, to help give her younger siblings a little extra. But what she really wants is t...

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Name: Beverley Somerset
01 July 2022;

Genre: Science Fiction

The Raven Riddle follows Grace Griffin, her mother, and brother Bren are wardens of the Griffin map. They can teleport across the whole of Moreland to be where people need help or a mystery needs to be solved. They have been joined by Tom Eely, who Grace met on a previous miss...

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Name: Sharon Porter
01 July 2022;

Genre: Environment & Nature

Well I have to admit, Antarctica: The Melting Continent was a bit of a surprise. I was expecting to open it to find a non-fiction book, however, the author Karen Romana Young has very cleverly woven a multitude of facts in amongst her interviews and experiences on the icy cont...

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Name: Hayley Summerfield
30 June 2022;

Genre: Mystery & Detective

The Midnighters is a ghostly tale of two friends and one murder mystery set in the gothic city of Prague. We are first introduced to the character of Ema Vašková when she is born. Her birth marks the end of her grandma's life - Liliana - and the beginning of hers, which is str...

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Name: Beverley Somerset
30 June 2022;

Genre: Friends and family

Hetty, Mei, Rocket and Ali met on their first day in Reception class. Known as 'The Ladybirds', they've been firm friends ever since. Now in their first year at Secondary school, however, things have changed. After a misunderstanding over her birthday party, Hetty has cut herself off from her...

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Name: Sharon Porter
23 June 2022;

Genre: Non Fiction

Marvellous Bodies isn't just a run-of-the-mill non-fiction book about the body, oh no, it has a 'magical' element to it, too. Well, when we say magical, we really mean scientifically explainable… the red filtered hand lens allows us to look inside the bodies/images on each pag...

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Name: Sam
16 June 2022;

Genre: Funny Stories

How to Survive Time Travel is Larry Hayes' second book and while the story does continue from the first book, it is also just as good as a 'standalone' read. This laugh out loud story joins 10 year old Eliza and her genius brother Jonnie, as they travel back to Ancient Egypt i...

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Name: Jacqueline Harris
12 June 2022;

Genre: Historical Fiction

Vinnie Fyfe is 12 years old and lives with her mother in London. Her mother makes fine hats for rich ladies, hats designed by Vinnie, who is a talented artist. The year is 1877 and unexpectedly, Vinnie is taken by her mother to stay with an aunt in Brighton. Her mother than promptly disappears...

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Name: Sue Wilsher
09 June 2022;

Genre: Environment & Nature

Inspired by Eva Ibbotson’s classic, Escape to the River Sea opens with the story of Rosa Sweetman, a young girl who arrived in England as part of the Kinderstransport and who finds herself in the care of Sir Clovis and living at Westwood Estate, initially in the company of oth...

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