The Tiffin Girls’ Shadows

Twenty Four Seconds from Now
I believe this book is a great half-term story for teenagers. It explores Neon's life surrounding several things, the good parts like his friends, his girlfriend and their club, and the sadder parts like the death of his grandfather or bullying. Neon is portrayed as a very ordinary character, without much special talent, which makes him so incredibly relatable.

Boyan

Wolf Siren
I think this book is a very interesting adaptation of the fairytale, Little Red Riding Hood. It portrays the character, Red, as a strong young woman rather than a victim, and reversing the common trope of werewolves being male. I think it's an amazing read, with very well-written, emotionally deep characters.

Boyan

Birdie
I believe this book is a very good read, exploring the ideas of isolation and injustice following the young girl, Birdie. It's a little sad but very wholesome, and I highly recommend this story for children.

Boyan

Wolf Siren
Overall, I think this book was pretty well-written. The writing style was something I particularly loved, as it was surpisingly mature for 13-year-old Red. I interpreted it as the common maturity the eldest child often feels required to have or maybe the restricting environment that Red grew up in, which I thought was rather cult-like, with a figure of authority (i.e. the mayor) controlling the food rations and the way an individual is treated in general. However, I do think that the writer's view on Little Red Riding Hood has differed much too far from the original fairytale to be called a spin-off. In my opinion, writers often use fairytales as such as a template for their characters and sometimes setting, which prohibits an original story. I think that Wolf Siren would have worked way better as an original novel, instead of basing it off a fairytale. As well as this, I would like to know more about the wolf human hybrids that Red is descended from. The major concepts that this novel criticises are very relevant now, I think, with misogyny and consent, especially with Cara's tragic story. I was quite shocked when people just accepted Cara's fate when all she did was deny the mayor's marriage offer. It really depicts the cruelty people can be capable of sometimes. I would recommend this to children around 11-15 as it is typically childish (with the clear good vs. bad, seeking freedom plot).

Erin

Twenty Four Seconds from Now
A very heartfelt and touching book that maintained just the right pace throughout.

Aroha

Popcorn
A highly energetic and laughably chaotic book that kept me glued till the very end.

Aroha

Popcorn
I enjoyed this book and found it funny to laugh at the problems the main character got themselves into but also easy to sympathise with them. I particularly liked the neurodiverse representation within the book itself and each point in the book led to another . This book overall was great and I would recommend it for a wide variety of ages including 8 year olds and 13 year olds .

Layla

Not Going To Plan
I liked the concept of this book and how it dealt with mature themes in such a way that your were almost warned by the book but also got to enjoy the plot . I especially enjoyed the friendships throughout and how each character supported one and other . I found that this book was great in the way it descriped each moment and especially in the way Fisher wrote . I loved the style of her writing as it made the book and the words on the page fun to read . I would recommend this book to anyone who is familiar with the themes presented within it .

Layla

Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody
I quite enjoyed this book for its use of animals to represent certain themes throughout the book . I believe this book is perfect for 8-12 year olds as it has a very "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" style but from the third person . I would definitely recommend this book to any primary school child and maybe some Y7's for its humorous story .

Layla

The Boy I Love
Personally, I really loved this book in general. I'll read any historical fiction book on WW1 or WW2 and I think this one was particularly captivating. The writing style is so beautiful, especially the descriptions and I think it portrayed the brutality of a war extremely well, in juxtaposition with Danny and Stephen's loving relationship. I normally have a pet peeve against time-skipping epilogues, but I think that in this novel, it was developed extremely well and encompassed a sense of nostalgia and finality. Although it was rather sappy at times (like most romance novels), I personally thought it was incredibly heartwarming to witness the evolution of a bittersweet relationship enduring several harsh and often homophobic situations. In my opinion, I don't like illustrations of characters on the front cover, as I would rather imagine my own (but the illustrations are gorgeous!). I would recommend this book to any avid historical fiction readers and anyone who seems intrigued by it - trust me, it's worth the time!

Erin

Not Going To Plan
This book is a very powerful book that explores stigmatised themes such and teen pregnancies and abortion. I found it very interesting to read about how it would feel for someone experiencing that. Furthermore, there are strong themes of friendship and how good friends will always be there for you. I found this very eye opening and it helped me understand the concept of teen pregnancy and abortion and how it might feel for someone experiencing this.

Deshna

Popcorn
Although I don't normally enjoy reading this type of book, it was a surprising adventure to read. It was very comedic and I personally loved the little illustrations you treat yourself on every few pages (drawn by the author, as well!). As well as that, I think that the author's aims in writing this book are very impactful, informing people about anxiety, panic attacks and how to deal with them. I really loved Jonesy and Andrew's friendship because, despite their differences, they continue to push through and talk after fights. The plot moves quite slowly. I did get second-hand embarrassment from some scenes, but I think that just adds to the interest, doesn't it? Overall a nice read and I would recommend to childen around the age of twelve or to those who tend to stress and worry a lot.

Erin

Ghostlines 
At first, when I began to read the novel, I thought the writing style was quite strange, but then I grew fond of it over time. It has a poetically calm sense about it and feels almost dreamlike. The plot moves quite slowly but is relatively simple and a comfort to read. I'd recommend this book for anybody (but especially children as I believe that they'd relate to it the most) who wants to escape from reality for a while to a little island with puffins. Personally, I think the immaturity of the characters adds to the humour and whimsy of this novel but I would like to mention that I did not like the book cover. Overall it was an easy, short and fun read.

Erin

Birdie
In this book we see Birdies experience of finding her new home and making friends such as a pony- Mr Duke. The book explores Birdies feelings of being excluded and different and also as she eventually becomes accepted and finds her home. Mr Duke contributes greatly to the book and the strong relationship between human and animal creates a compelling story of friendship for the reader.

Deshna

The Boy I Love
This book explores the themes how people would have experienced having to hide part of their identity due to stigma. It was a very emotional book that gave me a view on the struggles of the war and the experiences of homosexual soldiers. The bleakness of the war is contradicted by Stephen and Danny's intimate relationship that kept them going.

Deshna

Birdie
I quite liked this book due to the deep connection between Birdie and the pony she befriends . I believe that a relationship between a human and an animal has an almost greater bond than one with another human as it requires a deeper emotional understanding of one and other . This is what I enjoyed about this book and also how over time the theme of beonging was enhanced as the main character herself fitted in more . This was a nice book but I found it a bit of a slow read and for those who enjoy faster paced books over heartwarming ones it would not be my top pick .

Layla

The Boy I Love
I picked this book up because I believe that a setting such as war impacts the atmosphere . With "The Boy I Love" it certainy did not dissapoint . The book was exquisitely written with such good first impressions of characters established at the start that the character development was even better to follow . I now recommened this too all my friends even if they do not read books such as these because I thoroughly enjoyed this read and the representation within it .

Layla