Parmiter’s Carnegie Book Shadows

All That It Ever Meant
All That It Ever Meant is a beautiful, emotional rollercoaster, with a strong theme of family and love - as well as a unique mix of English and African culture. The book reveals the many aspects of friendships, both inside and outside the family. However, at first, the storyline can be confusing, as it is written from the perspective of a child, Matiponesa, who can think differently to other children. Throughout the book, Blessing Musariri keeps the reader ‘on their toes’ (as she says in a Q&A in the last few pages), by cunningly weaving in clues to reach the major plot twist ending. In summary, All That It Ever Meant is a sentimental story about the journey of Mati, her family and her life.

Rhea

The Things We Leave Behind
The Things We Leave Behind is an absolute gripping novel that celebrates friendship, family and adventure. The book is based on the topic of civil unrest, which makes it a slightly serious read. The greatest moment that I admired reading this book is towards the ending, when a huge twist hits, that left me in tears. The mystery, suspense and emotion that Claire Furniss created in this book is exceptional. I strongly recommend reading The Things We Leave Behind, because it is one of the most emotionally powerful books that I have ever read.

Rhea

King of Nothing
‘King of Nothing’ follows the story of a young boy named Anton. Anton is seen as the king of the school, because of the boys he hangs out with, and prison-bound father, but he soon finds that being the king of everything has its consequences. In an attempt to earn back his wifi after a detention, Anton joined ‘the happy campers’. At first, he believes it’s going to be one of the worst experiences of his life, but after Matthew saves his life, Anton knows he must repay him. Through the story we watch the boys’ unlikely friendship flourish as well as watching Anton make tough decisions. Does he remain the king of the school, but ruins his friendship with Matthew, or keep his friendship but becomes the king of nothing… I loved this book! ‘King of Nothing’ pulled on my heartstrings , leaving me laughing for hours, or crying into the pages. The use of fun puns and jokes made a heavier theme of peer pressure, more lighthearted. I loved how this book was written in first person, allowing us to hear Anton's deepest thoughts and feelings, as I believe it added another layer to the story. As well as this, reading a book about male friendships for an older age category was refreshing and interesting. 3 reasons to read: ‘King of Nothing’ The plot: King of Nothing contains plot twists that will leave you on the edge of your seat, desperate to know what’s going to happen next. Throughout the story, Anton encounters many unexpected situations, changing the narrative completely. By one turn of the page, one chapter or even one word, the story could change entirely The characters: the king of nothing’s characters all add their own uniqueness to the story, and each teach Anton a lesson, whether it’s the power of friendship and kindness, or whose worthy to have in your life The jokes: some of the one-liners in this book will have you laughing out loud and chuckling for hours! The jokes make a heavy, deep story more lighthearted, and relatable. Hopefully I've been able to give you some insight as to why King of Nothing is a great book, and have convinced you to read it. Nathanael Lessore has given standard themes of peer pressure and unlikely friendship, a new, deeper meaning. This book creates a range of emotions and will leave you wishing the book was longer.

Siena

The Final Year
‘The Final Year’ was a book full of love, friendship and sadness. The story follows a young boy called Nate, an aspiring poet. With a single mother who is always at Bingo, Nate often has to take care of his younger siblings: Jax and Dylan. But when disaster strikes for his littlest brother, Nate loses his best friend, and has a group of bullies taunting him, Nate's life turns upside down. And to add to the chaos, Nate moves into Year 6. ‘The leaders of the school.’ ‘The ones everyone looks to’ ‘The role models’ ‘ The most important year!’ After hearing these comments all year, Nate is sure that year 6 will be the worst year yet. However, his teacher Mr Joshua assures him that ‘Every little thing is gonna be alright!’. I enjoyed reading this book, and I’m very excited to read the next one. Parts of this book had me laughing out loud or crying into the pages. The clear imagery and use of language techniques, made it seem as though I was there myself, and experiencing it in the same way as Nate. The book is written in large parts, rather than in chapters, which I thoroughly enjoyed as it made it easier to flow from page to page. As well as this, I loved how many of the pages were written in poem form. It added a unique flair and was a new and refreshing style of writing for a younger audience Here are 3 reasons to read ‘The Final Year’: The Characters. - As you continue through the book, you will discover that the characters all have a role to fulfill, and will hold a place in your heart forever. From the comforting Year 6 teacher Mr Joshua, to the fun-loving little brother Dylan, every character was created carefully and you can tell that deep thought went into forming each of their personalities and traits. The issues dealt with in the book - This book shows lots of difficulties that a child may experience, such as: anger management, absent carers/parents, bullies and illness. This book is a great stepping stone, if you are looking to start reading older books. ‘The Final Year’ deals with these topics appropriately and shares methods on how to deal with them as well. This book is a safe environment to learn about these issues and still have a good understanding. The story - This book is a great way to get into reading, if you are a new reader, as it has a relaxed feel to it, but still includes a gripping plot. As soon as I finished the first chapter, I was hooked, and couldn’t do anything until I finished reading it! Hopefully, you will consider reading: ‘The Final Year’ by Matt Goodfellow. This is a book that will create a rollercoaster of emotions, push you to the end of your seat, and leave you wondering what will happen in Nate’s journey next.

Siena

King of Nothing
King of Nothing is a narrative that will take you far beyond any day-to-day stories. Filled with an abundance of emotion, this book tackles both the struggles and triumphs of Anton, a Year 9 boy, whom the whole school fears. It takes you through his different friendships in school and hardships at home, as well as other topics such as gender equality. Nathanael Lessore’s style of writing mimics the thoughts and words that a present day child would say and think. This uncommon factor in his book brings in a light-hearted, comedic aspect, making King of Nothing a sensational read.

Rhea

King of Nothing
This book based on Anton and his life in secondary school (around year 8 or 9) is about young Anton, the king at school and part of the mandem who causes mayhem. He interrupts class, gets lots of detentions and has plenty of fights. His life changes when the loser in his class saves his life and he begins to question what he has been doing. This book has a couple twists but mainly this great book is emotionally based. Yes this book is fiction but it also has great meaning to it and makes you want to think about your life and how change can be a good thing. I think that if you enjoy reading fiction and emotional stories then this is a great book for you. I would definitely recommend this to my friends and classmates.

Gizelle

The Things We Leave Behind
Calling all 12-15 year old readers! If you like stories with a gripping plot, and story that touches your heart, then this book is for you. This story had me on the edge of my seat, constantly giving plot twists that would either end in triumph or leave me sobbing into the pages. The things we leave behind, follows the refuge of Clem. When things go disastrously wrong for her family, Clem is forced to evacuate London and live in the faraway village with her grandpa. As Clem travels through the story she forms several new relationships, all with her little sister Billie by her side. One by one, Clem has to leave everyone she knows, and loves, behind, to try and reclaim a normal life for her and Billie, but there seems to be something stopping her at every turn, whether it’s Imogen Glass, or the controversial new prime minister. Despite her struggles Clem tries her hardest to work on creating a safe new life for her and Billie. You should read the thing we leave behind for 5 Reasons. 1. In some books, the twists can be seen from a mile off, but not in this one. The things we leave behind are full of epic plot twists, making me gasp out loud, or even cry into the pages. The story keeps you on your toes, constantly making you wonder what will happen next 2. No-one wants to read a book with boring characters, but that wasn’t a problem in this book. Each individual character pulls on you heartstrings, whether it’s through their love for Clem (the main character) or a tragic backstory, this books knows how to connect a character to it’s reader 3. If i was to sum up the things we leave behind in 2 words, they would be: love and friendship. Throughout the story, there is a constant connection of love and friendship between Clem and her family/friends. This makes for a truly heartwarming piece 4. The things we leave behind addresses deep topics, such as: riots, abandonment, child refugees and more, yet it handles them well. This book is a great example of topics that will be shown in higher level books, and is a great bridging point between tween and adult reading. 5. This book was written in a seamless way. The use of no chapters made it flow smoothly, while still being interesting. The book was cleverly structured and included engaging characters, a gripping narrative and tension and suspense, making it an emotionally powerful book that makes you think. Hopefully, now you will want to read ‘The Things We Leave Behind’ as it is a book filled with fun characters, a suspenseful plot and a story that will leave you wondering what will happen next. I truly loved ‘The Things we Leave Behind’ and it even made it into my top 20 favorite books. If you love a suspenseful, runaway novel, this book is for you.

Siena

Glasgow Boys
Glasgow Boys by Margaret McDonald is a dramatic novel that is a split story, one following Banjo, and one following Finlay, both boys live in the Glasgow area. Finlay and Banjo lived in care for a large amount of their life, and Finlay is still adjusting to life by himself, Banjo still lives with foster parents. This story deals with themes of bullying, feeling like you don’t belong and past trauma. This is a wonderful book, and I would definitely recommend it to my friends.

Clem