Schools & Libraries Book Reviews
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Home : My Life in the Universe
Name: Sharon Bolton
01 May 2022;Genre: Personal Growth
My first thought on starting this novel was how much my KS4 Book Club from my last school would have loved this - they were always comparing star signs, as if this was a true predictor of the future. This story has so much more behind it; Leah's brother, Aiden, is experiencing bullying at scho...
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Friends Like These
Name: Morgan Harkin
01 May 2022;Genre: Friends and family
Set in the summer of 1983, an ambitious intern, Beth, sets out in New York - alone, and unaware of some aspects of the New York way of life. With a place to stay in the sweltering heat in an apartment infested with cockroaches, a keen Beth befriends an outgoing, chaotic Edie. Whilst all seems...
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Around the World in 80 Trees
Name: Jane Rew
01 May 2022;Genre: Non Fiction
Around the World in 80 Trees is a handsome hardback book that helpfully begins with a Contents page and ends with an Index. The former enables readers to navigate what otherwise might seem a slightly haphazard arrangement of geographically grouped species descriptions, intersp...
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The Wondrous Prune
Name: Louisa Farrow
01 May 2022;Genre: Magical Realism
Prune Robinson is struggling with lots of conflicting emotions when she moves to a new town with her mum and big brother Jesse. Contending with bullying at a new school makes her miserable. Fear that her brother is getting into trouble makes her angry. Missing her old school makes her sad. The...
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Through the Forest
Name: Maria Aldred
01 May 2022;Genre: Mental Health & Wellbeing
Through the Forest is a beautifully illustrated story about a young boy and his journey through sadness and loss. In the forst, the boy meets Emptiness who journeys with him, finding simple treasures which remind the boy of happier times. They collect these items which bring h...
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Granny Came Here on the Empire Windrush
Name: Sharon Porter
01 May 2022;Genre: Representation & Inclusion
'We have been studying why people migrate in our topic work and our teacher read us Granny Came Here on The Empire Windrush. It was so interesting to hear about Granny's trunk and its contents; such a clever way to bring other characters into the story. My favourite character...
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Fake
Name: Jan Blagden
01 May 2022;Genre: Dystopian
Fake is Ele Fountain's latest title aimed at the middle grade reader. This story is set in a future that appears to be not too distant from our own. There is much in the lifestyles of the various characters that will be relatable to readers. It is, however, not just another boarding school sce...
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A Dinosaur Ate My sister
Name: Sam Phillips
01 May 2022;Genre: Funny Stories
A Dinosaur Ate My Sister by Pooja Puri is a very amusing adventure story about the antics and inventions of 'Genius Inventor Extraordinaire' Esha Verma and her apprentice James Bertha Darwin, aka Broccoli, and his tortoise Archibald. This is the perfect book choice for those y...
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Bathtime, Little Piglet
Name: Jessica Bunney
01 May 2022;Genre: Family & Home
Bathtime, Little Piglet is another great interactive book from Happy Yak. This time, we go down to the farm where bathtime is approaching. The farm is full of muddy fun and Mama's piglets are in need of a bath! But where is her cheeky little muddy piglet hiding? The other pigl...
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Our Sister, Again
Name: Clare Wilkins
01 May 2022;Genre: Science Fiction
Desperate to heal the family after her sister, Flora's, death, Isla signs her mother up for grief counselling sessions. The sessions turn out to be a front for a pioneering AI company called Second Chance. Using the digital footprint of the recently deceased and information obtained from exhau...
