Schools & Libraries Book Reviews

Name: Maria faithorn
01 November 2023;

Genre: Fairy Tales & Folk Tales

This beautiful book brings to life the traditional tale of The Nutcracker through detailed, intricate artwork in a pop-up format. It's Christmas Eve, Clara's Godfather gifts her a Nutcracker and she loves it! That night, mysterious magic happens and Clara shrinks to the size o...

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Name: Maria faithorn
01 November 2023;

Genre: Representation & Inclusion

A Hero like Me takes its inspiration from the protest events which occurred in Bristol following the death of George Floyd in America in 2020. George Floyd, a black man, was killed by police officers. This event led to protests around the world. The Bristol march was organised...

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Name: Maria faithorn
01 November 2023;

Genre: Personal Growth

Spread Your Wings is a beautiful story about a cockatoo that provides a loving and stable home for its young bird. Through reassurance, hope and encouragement, the young cockatoo learns to fly high in the sky, 'swooping, diving, circling in the clear blue sky'. And even when t...

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Name: Maria faithorn
01 November 2023;

Genre: Family & Home

If you want a story to show resilience, then this A Way to the Stars is the go-to book! Joe wants to go to the stars. His friends laugh, but his Dad offers to help. After several humorous and failed attempts; with many whoops! Oh no! Crash! Bangs! And wallops!, Joe and his Dad...

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Name: Grace Age 15
01 November 2023;

Genre: Romance & Relationships

I binged this book, its characters and plot add up together to make the perfect romance. Check & Mate is written from the perspective of Mallory Greenleaf, a girl struggling to support her family and who holds a vow to never play chess again. That is, until she enters a sm...

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Name: Sue Wilsher
01 November 2023;

Genre: Myths & Legends

Legendary Creatures: Mythical Beasts and Spirits from Around the World offers a fascinating introduction to mythical beasts and spirits. A map of the world identifying each creature's location is included at the beginning of the book and a note from the author explains that th...

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Name: Jacqueline Harris
01 November 2023;

Genre: Environment

Ultrawild: An Audacious Plan to Rewild Every City on Earth is a graphic book-style nonfiction text. Filled with drawings and tiny writing, this is a book to study closely and pore over each page. It is presented as a series of ideas to combat climate change. While it is presented as a sort of...

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Name: Clare Wilkins
01 November 2023;

Genre: Dystopian

What a fascinating, disturbing read. What initially appears to be a YA Handmaid's Tale is actually an only a slightly distorted snapshot of society today. Belle and Joni are polar opposites, living either side of The Doctrine that governs insular communities like their own. Subjugated f...

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Name: Julie Broadbent
01 November 2023;

Genre: Comics & Graphic Novels

Grace and Lola are best friends. They want to try to unravel the mystery of how teenagers fall in love and what that looks like, so they decide to write the Love Report. Curious at first, it all begins as a bit of fun. They observe the popular girl in school and try to figure out what exactly...

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Name: Hayley Summerfield
01 November 2023;

Genre: Adventure

Eoin Colfer's new book Juniper's Christmas is a heartwarming modern twist on a story about saving Santa Claus. This story brings attention to the real people who try to help restore Christmas spirit and Christmas magic but also highlights our struggles with modern day corporat...

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