Lost in Pages

Play
This book was amazing! It was emotionally moving, how the writer presented the book from all the different boys perspectives was really original and interesting. I couldn’t really pick a favourite character in this book because of how they were all so similar yet different in there own unique ways and were all portrayed as really nice people that you could even come across in real life. Another thing that I really liked about this book was that it goes into, in most the boys perspectives, what struggles they are facing, whilst these topics did sensor me a bit (mainly Mark’s situation) it was good to learn what some people may struggle with like peer pressure, for Luc as an example, and the way the author wrote this considering that was really nice to think about whilst reading. I really loved reading this book, it was hard to put down!

Amelia

Little Bang
This book was an emotional roller-coaster! Obviously, I was reluctant to read this because of all the male gametes (sperm) on the cover but I got rid of that feeling, and would you believe I really enjoyed this book! The way that it is written in two different perspectives of Mel and Sid, the protagonists, told you about the difference of the way females and males live in stressful situations. This book made me find myself laughing, frowning, smiling, and there may have been a tear or two... But overall, this may be another favourite read. Sid has to be my favourite character because before Sid and Mel did the deed he was behind at school, but once he found out Mel was pregnant he manned up got four jobs for money! I was really sad that Mel got an abortion. I am really glad I read this book. 5/5 stars!

Lily

King of Nothing
King Of Nothing is a heartwarming, funny and well written piece of literature. It manages to use emotive language wonderfully to create a book which is so very easy to find yourself lost in. The character development isn’t rushed or taken too slow, it is at a perfect pace, and the ending wraps it all up beautifully. The plot is interesting and allows for an amazing story. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes stories set in high school or stories of growth and friendship.

Erin

The Final Year
Well, The final year was a REALLY amazing book and it was also relatable (which made it so much better). The final year is one of my favorite reads because of the way the words rhymed in a sort of way and the rollercoaster of emotions I felt were insane! This book is about a boy called Nate and his journey to year 6. His best friend (PS or Parker Smith) ditched him for Nates bully and left Nate heartbroken. Luckily, near the end, they became friends again. All of the events in the book lead to the best ending. Nates two brothers have no idea who their dad is except Nate ,who describes him as Jesus throughout the book and expects that he won't see him again.

Layla

The Final Year
Omg wow this book was amazing !!! I loved every little thing about this book such as : the characters , art even how the book was written ! Every single thing about this book was brilliant . My favourite character was Dylan ( of course ) he was so full of happiness and energy and brought the book to life and really made me smile and made me sad when he went in hospital because it went from a happy book, all cheerful, to when he starts becoming ill which was so sad!! But the ending ….AHHH!! It was so cute it made me laugh and smile so much this book really makes me want to read more so thanks. This book I would definitely recommend to people who love fairy tails and people who love happy endings 5 stars

Isla

The Things We Leave Behind
Although this was not one of my favourite reads, it still hit my heart. The way that Clem and Billie (her half-sister) have to flee London to seek refuge in Scotland shows how bad the world can be sometimes. Being immigrants must be a hard thing to deal with especially if you carry secrets. My favourite character has to be Clem! The way that it flicks from past to present shows how hard it must be to live with what happened. Clem has so much strength and resilience acting as a role model to Billie. Her step-mother (Billie's mom) is clearly trying to act as Clem's mom since hers left. The way that officers storm into they're home and take away Claudia makes Clem feel like she has to sort of parent Billie. The way that Clare has wrote 'The Things We Leave Behind' has a way of pulling you in and making you feel like your are a part of the story. Good book!

Lily

Play
Oh my god! This book was a real rollercoaster. The way that Luke Palmer wrote 'Play' was really overwhelming. Although, I have to say this is one of my favourite books since it was in my comfort zone. The way that there are 4 protagonists written in different perspectives showed you what they were all going through. Johnny is the only one whose perspectives we do not see until the very end. I am really glad I read this, this will definitely be on my favourite books list. I recommend this book to year 8/9/10 people as some people may be able to relate to this. Great book!

Lily

The Final Year
Since this book was written in free verse it was completely out of my comfort zone, as I do not usually read books like this. I think the way that Matt Goodfellow wrote this book was completely heart-warming and a quick easy read. Relating to Nate being in different classes as his usual friends was really easy. Reading this book was life-changing. Nate's mom sounded like she was struggling but trying her best, and then things got worse once Nate's brother got really ill. The way that Matt Goodfellow told us about how Nate has anger issues, The Beast, helped me understand more clearer about what he must have been going through. The way he loves reading and writing poems helps him express his feelings. Another great read!

Lily

King of Nothing
This book is another favourite! This book proves that you do not have to be friends with the people who you think are cool but be friends with the people you connect with. The way that all the kids move out of the way of Anton and his friends proves that they are not nice people. When Anton is friends with Kehinde, he gets in trouble with his mom and teachers but when he ends up becoming friends with Matthew he does not get in trouble as much as he used to. The way that Matthew still saves his life even after Anton and his friends picked on him shows that Matthew still cares about how other people are. I am really glad I chose to read this book even though I was quite reluctant to. Great book!

Lily

Play
Shocking, heart-breaking and fantastic. Four boys and three different view's. Mark finds himself barricaded in a life of selling drugs. Luc, a rising star rugby player. Matthew a painter with an overwhelming emotion which makes his heart throb with love and Jonny. Just Jonny, a boy neglected by his parents. They all share one thing in common. The society they live in is overshadowed by toxic masculinity. This group of boys is trapped in a world where toxicity flood the streets, drowning you until you can't breath no more. How should I deal with this? Let's play a game! Get alcohol, drugs and let's smoke until we thrown up or pass out. This book was a rollercoaster of emotions. One second I'm disgusted by some character's actions and the next I'm left speechless. I have never felt so broken by an ending until I finished this book. It was truly shocking and left me with my jaw hanging low. I rate this book 5/5 stars. My reason for this it's because of how real it is. What this book communicates to you are real life issues that are still happing now.

Elece

Glasgow Boys
This book is definitely one of my favourites! The way that Margaret McDonald has written Glasgow Boys hit my heart. I can relate to Banjo so heavily that it made me feel like I am re-living my past. I love how every time he did something wrong like get into a fight with Kyle he always tried to get back up. Being in so many different foster homes can be hard considering it is his last year at school. Finlay is so caring and sweet even if he has just left care. Falling for people can be a hard thing to process especially if you are under stress. The ending quite literally broke my heart. It was like all turned out okay in the world. This book is definitely a recommendation!

Lily

Glasgow Boys
This book was so emotionally moving. I liked how it was from the perspective of the 2 boys Banjo and Finlay and that they finally meet at the end. What both characters go through is life changing, traumatic and terrifying, this book went very deep into those experiences and whilst it was so upsetting to read, it was good to learn about. On the whole I really enjoyed this book!

Amelia

King of Nothing
I don't have words to describe this book, it's that wonderful. I don't think I have ever enjoyed a book like this before. The author, Nathanael Lessore, is a great writer as this book actually talk to the reader's heart. This book shows that someone will adapt to their own surrounding and who they are surrounded by whether its a positive or a negative surrounding. I think I had my first book crush on Anton after seeing how he has changed. But at the start of the book I hated Anton when he joked on a TEACHER! I couldn't take my eyes of the book and I even got told off from my parents for reading at midnight. It gets even more interesting as you read through. This book truly touched my heart and it will go on my favourite book list (probably on the top of the list).

Lisara

All That It Ever Meant
I really loved this book! I loved the fact the main character had an imaginary friend because it was so nice to see her express herself through that character. The whole journey to Zimbabwe was really interesting, exciting and it was hard to put this book down! My favourite character was definitely Chici, she was sassy, bold and a great feminist! On a whole I really enjoyed this book, it was smart and funny!

Amelia

The Final Year
I really enjoyed this book! The sketches in this book were my favourite, they were all so detailed and amazing! The author described Nate as a nice person, who cares about his family and it was so nice. The book on a whole was really enjoyable and the poem layout was cool too! All the things they go through at school, sats preparation, falling out with friends, making new friends was like what I went through in primary school and it was so nice to see that reflected in a book! On a whole I would 100% recommend this book!

Amelia

King of Nothing
King of Nothing is a unique book about a boy called Anton finding out what true friendship is like. I love this book and how unique it is. It's one my favorite books of all time!

Layla

The Final Year
I think ‘The Final Year’ by Matt Godfellow is a very good, fast pace read and it’s very good for a beginner read. The storyline is very heartfelt and it’s all about the life of the main character Nate; he loves poetry and the whole book is written in verses just like a poem. This book is very fun to read and easy to get through. The only negative is that sometimes it gets a bit confusing with all the different people and poems. For example, when PS became friends with Turner it got a bit confusing on how they suddenly got so close. But other than that this is definitely worth reading.

Evie

King of Nothing
I think ‘King of Nothing’ is a very good book, it has a lot of plot twists which I enjoy reading . Anton's life is a rollercoaster of experiences and fights with friends or just random people. This book is very exciting because of the unexpected bond between Anton and Matthew, Matthew is a pretty nerdy character who’s obsessed with anime and ru Paul’s drag race. I like that he’s the complete opposite of Anton but they get along so well. King of Nothing is an amazing read and I’d definitely recommend it. The only negative I have to say is that it’s a very slow read and it can be a bit boring at times, but other than that it’s such an amazing book.

Evie

King of Nothing
I loved this book! Everything about it was appealing to me, I really enjoyed reading this! The journey that Anton goes through, with his friendships, his family, his school life, is all so funny, relatable and made me smile. I love the characters in this book like Matthew, who is so nice as a person! This book is so good as it shows that you should do what you want, not follow the crowd and be friends with who you want to be, popular or not and sometimes, maybe listen to your mom, because going to a club that seems boring to start off with, could actually change your life for the better! On the whole, I would definitely recommend this book!

Amelia

The Things We Leave Behind
I really enjoyed this book! I’m not sure what it was but there was something so unique about this book, every page was a cliff hanger, making me want to read on. I felt in myself what the characters were going through, it was so well described I felt I was there in the moment, watching it happen. The main character, Clem, had my full sympathy, she shows some great qualities like persevering in tough situations, love and care for her sister and is such an amazing person which was key to making me love this book even more. All the characters were well described and you could tell a lot of effort has gone into this book and it payed off majorly. Another thing I love about this book is how it spreads awareness of what some people like immigrants (the example in the book) and others have to go through, the constant run when all they want to do is be free, it shocked me that this is a life someone people go through and made me feel lucky to have my life. On the whole, I really loved this book. I would 100% recommend it to anyone looking for a book like this!

Amelia

Glasgow Boys
Wow! What a rollercoaster of a read! I loved this. The two protagonists are so different yet both so alone and isolated in the world. The true tragedy of their worlds is revealed through the emotional rollercoaster of their stories. I really loved Banjo; his story of settling in to a new family, new school was funny and heart breaking at the same time. Due to his past his struggles to control his emotions and the writer deliberately gives us little snippets of the past until we have pieced the jigsaw together. One can only imagine what life was like for him and the writer does this exceptionally well. I just wanted to give Banjo a hug. I totally recommend this novel for anyone who is interested in relationships, love, school life and the raw emotions that accompanies abuse and trauma. A fantastic debut; I'm on the look out for this writer's next book.

Deb

The Final Year
A beautiful tale of braving the final year of primary school. The characters air on reality and made me reflect on my final year, especially the residential. The friendship issues that Nate has to deal with resonates well- we have all been in this situation. The fact that this was written in verse does not put a reader off ; I found it helped the flow of the story. I particularly like the detail of the walk to school which prompted me to write my own poem. His relationship with Mr. Joshua was just wonderful to see. I would strongly recommend this book for a year 6/ 7 reader as it encompasses the trials and tribulations during this stressful and enjoyable year.

Deb