Langton Reading Ambassadors
King of Nothing
With very few expections this books seemed to resonate most in my reading ambassador group.
They liked the lightness and humour, particularly where most of the shortlisted titles bore very heavy themes and felt quite mature.
King of Nothing is an uplifting book, wirtten in an enjoyable style.
Mrs Hofer
The Final Year
Overall my group enjoyed this book, it felt more accessible to my 14 year olds.
Although the main character is younger than the readers, he experiences some hardship and feelings of isolatioin.
Some pupils could not get past the form of verse. Other saw this as a strength to the book:
'' The poems that the book contain shows Nate's emotional turmoil throughout the book and is far more expressive that an ordinaty book due to the style of wrtinting.''
Mrs Hofer
Glasgow Boys
''I liked this book as it showed a contrast between the characters - how Finley is quietly struggling at university whith problems like isolation while Banjo has a harsher journey with foster care and abuse. I also liked how it was authentic as McDonald applieed Scottisch dialect into his speech and also references giving some 'heart'. However, I felt that this story's narrative structure was too scattersed as the chapters felt loosely connected. It was thus harder to follow the story and development of character. On the whole this book was heartfelt, showing a slow reunion and also the power of reconnection. ''
Mrs Hofer
All That It Ever Meant
'' I enjoyed this book as it was engaging as the story progressed and the final few chapters were very shocking. I loved how the dialogue between M and M progressed as the book went on along with the progressoin of the plot.
However, I disliked that the first 60 or so pages had no action whatsoever as the felt very tedious and I began to lose interes in the story.
But in conclusion, I enjoyed this book quite a lot and thought that the last part recompensated for the slow start. My favourite characters being Tana because he reminded me of myself liking animals and science. I also enjoyed the fact that it was based in Africa as I have beeen there. ''
Mrs Hofer
The Things We Leave Behind
'' This book is in a way mind bending. At fist it sets off as a dystopian novel with extreme civil unrest, refugee crisis starts the book off.
I liked this book, it can be quite philosophicals and very thought provoking. The most interesting part (SPOILER ALERT) was when the story reviewas that Billie is actually part of Clems imagination because Billie is actually Clem's sister who died in a car crash. ''
Mrs Hofer
Little Bang
Little Bang felt way too mature for my reading ambassadors, mainly 13 years old.
A lot did not want to read past the first few pages.
One student finished it:
'' It was easy to follow, despite constantly changing POVs. It covers the topic of abortion and maturity, about whether it is ethical for abortion to occur and when and how you know someone is grown up enough to take care of a baby. It is more targeted towards 14-18 year olds and could be considered a little too ahead for other readers to be able to relate to.''
Mrs Hofer
Treacle Town
'' This book is extremely dark and dangerous. There is lots of violence hinted from the beginning where the main character's friend gets murdered by rival gangs.
What I didn't enjoy about this book is the lack of exploration of hope and the constant reminder of violence and swearing in every sentense but I can see why the character might have done so - his hate against hope just hightlighs the dire issues. Gory violence, personal tragedies, discrimination etc. The last parts of the story, however, were extremely fun to read as it showed the sesitive and genuine relationships between the friends as well as the unique element of slam poetry narrative - it was clever. I have enjoyed the book on the whole.''
'' This book could be really heart-felt by lots of teenagers. It goes over the loss of a close friend and trying to move on and push past the grief and want for revenge. Connor MC tries to find who he is after losing his mum and 'Biscuit' and tries things like poetry but struggles to fit in. The language is strong but is used to portray how he is feeling. ''
Mrs Hofer
Play
'Play' received mixed reviews within our shadowing group. Some pupils did not enjoy the book, feeling that it was too slow-paced, or that the themes were too disconnected and too loose. Play juggled LGBTQ+ characters, drug dealing and toxic masculinity which some readers felt could have been linked better.
Other readers have enjoyed reading Play. '' In my opinion the book explores diffictulties of some growing up in an 'unhealthy' environment. I found it very compelling to read about these boys wreowing up. It's quite a mature book, although it showcases the word 'play' as having fun playing football with your friends, on the other hadn some characters are dealing with negative 'play' such as drugs, abuse, identity etc which makes the book very thought-provoking. I also enjoyed each characters' point of view to help the reader understand their common struggles.''
Mrs Hofer