Schools & Libraries Book Reviews
Filter:
-
The Children of Willesden Lane
Name: Keranjit Kaur
17 April 2018;Genre: Adventure
The Children of Willesden Lane is a true story of hope and survival during World War II. Mona Golabek, one of the authors, writes a note at the start to explain that this book is based on the story of her mother, Lisa Jura, who taught both of her daughters to play the piano. Through music, Lisa...
-
The Phantom Lollipop Man
Name: Aidan Severs
17 April 2018;Genre: School Stories
I'm always dubious of the quality of books aimed at the 7-9 age bracket, especially ones which feature lurid cartoonish illustrations and crazy typesetting. It can sometimes seem like funny books are the only thing available to children who are just getting into reading longer books, especially w...
-
Scarlet and Ivy :The Curse in the Candlelight
Name: Caroline Gosden
17 April 2018;Genre: Adventure
It's the start of a new term at Rookwood School, with the reuniting of old friends and arrival of new ones. Ariadne is dismayed at the arrival of Muriel Witherspoon, her former bully from her previous school. Muriel seems to be nice enough now, but can she be trusted? Another new girl Ebony Mc...
-
Max and the Millions
Name: Max Age 10
16 April 2018;Genre: Adventure
It introduces an amzing storyline right from the beginning to keep any reader carrying on and shows all the fantastic elements every story needs to make you carry on. It includes small amounts of humour while continuing with the outstanding story and allowing new things to fall into place as you...
-
What Lexie Did
Name: Chloe Age 10
16 April 2018;Genre: Friends and family
This loving story twists and turns throughout the book, every page a whirl of reality. A kind, caring Greek family, who eagerly carry out tradition over many years, face a series of challenging moments when an unexpected death occurs to a loved one. I really enjoyed this story line, which includ...
-
Monster Orphan Spy
Name: Clair Bossons
16 April 2018;Genre: Adventure
Sarah is a Jewish teenager living in Nazi Germany. She attempts to flee with her mother but finds herself orphaned at a soldier checkpoint. Now Sarah is alone in a hostile society. She is reliant upon her acting skills and powers of observation to survive. Sarah helps a British Spy and is tak...
-
In Your Light
Name: Melanie Chadwick
16 April 2018;Genre: Adventure
Mella, a beloved sister and daughter, disappears. Since she had a history of running away, had recently been troubled and dropped out of college, the police soon give up the search and conclude that she just doesn't want to be found. Lil, her sister, never gives up hope that Mella will be found...
-
We're Going on a Bear Hunt - Let's Discover Birds
Name: Nikki Stiles
15 April 2018;Genre: Adventure
A little gem! This activity book - and it's pairing in the series, Let's Discover Bugs - are great for inquisitive minds. The book is designed to be a carry-along guide for children and adults whilst on their adventures discovering birds. I really like that this book is lightweight and a great si...
-
A Bottle of Happiness
Name: Louise Gahan
14 April 2018;Genre: Adventure
A Bottle of Happiness is a book about two villages; one rich and wealthy, where the people work hard to get richer, the other where the people had just enough to get by and loved to share the same stories over and over again. Their villages are separated by a huge mountain, but one day a child ca...
-
What Makes me a ME
Name: Jane Rew
13 April 2018;Genre: Adventure
I wanted to like this book, to heap praises upon its talented creators. However, it did fall short of my expectations, not so much for the illustrations which are varied and contemporary but on account of rhymes which didn't quite scan and because the answers to a profound question didn't quite h...