Sandroyd Bookivores

Wildful
It is a really pretty book and it has lots of interesting pictures and it calms me down a lot .

Eloise

Wildful
The book Wildful is about a girl who spends a lot of time inside and on her phone and then she discovers nature and helps her mum to rediscover nature. The story takes place in a busy town or city and in a small pocket of wild woods. Our favourite part was when the mum agreed to go with her and see the badgers with Poppy. The most exiting bit of the story is when Poppy lost her dog then met Rob. The pictures in the book were black and white and had loads of details. The illustrations help us to imagine the ups and downs of the characters emotions. We liked the picture on the front of the book as it captured the story perfectly and involved a bit of colour. The book was really easy to read and had big illustrations that portrayed the storyline perfectly. The story made us feel a rollercoaster of emotions happy then sad then happy again. We would definitely read this book again and would recommend this book to younger people as it is easy to read and it doesn’t many words and we would recommend it to people who like nature as it is jam packed with illustrations. Another layer for older children is that Poppy’s mum is depressed and grieving and the healing power of nature.

Anouk and Georgina

Wolf Siren
‘Wolf Siren’ is a feminist reimagining of the classic fairytale ‘Little Red Riding Hood’,the book follows the story of a teenage girl called Red who lives in a small village on the edge of the woods, however the people fear the woods because of their magic and especially the wolves, for Red this is the only place where she feels safe and at peace. Nevertheless, after the village woodcutter fails to return home and two days later Red carries out her dead body, her and her family finds themselves in great danger. My favourite part of the story is probably the very beginning, I like the way the author skilfully filled the reader in on the events of the last few years. I enjoyed this book however I found it hard to keep myself hooked while reading it, I felt like the plot was somewhat predictable. If I could change something in this book I would certainly want to draw more attention to Red’s blindness. I was halfway through the book when I realised that Red was blind and I believe that the book should talk about it ever since I don’t recall a single direct mention of her disability in the first part of the book. I felt that it was genius to describe the world through her perspective but if it was established directly at the beginning, it would’ve made this book a lot easier to comprehend for young readers. I would recommend ‘Wolf Siren’ to girls age 9-13 who love books that take a different take on an existing story or enjoy descriptive books, it is a great story with simple but sophisticated language.

Anastasiia

Fia and the Last Snow Deer  
The story is a quest to find the Deer mother. A mythical animal who can make the summer solstice happen and save the village from starvation. The main characters are Mish, FIA and the snow deer. The most surprising thing that happened was when Mish who is Fia’s cousin dies then comes back alive. I would definitely recommend this book because it an adventure story and it keeps you guessing till the end.

Neave

Lord of the Flies: The Graphic Novel
This powerful story has even more impact as a graphic novel. The story is mostly about a group of boys trying to survive on a desert island with no adults and the groups are falling apart into savagery. Every page was powerfully and well illustrated especially the main characters like Jack , Piggy, Simon and Will. I felt miserable when Piggy died from a rock, although it was beautifully illustrated. I loved this book and I recommend this awesome book to children of 10 years old who are good thinkers and even adults. I rate this 10 out of 10.

Tomonori

Shrapnel Boys
The book is about a boy called Ronnie and a person named Jonny . It is set in the Second World War. My favourite part was when they discovered that Jonny was trying to help the Germans. I would probably recommend it to anyone who is interested in reading stories that have loads of plot twists.

Neave

The Ordinary Life of Jacominus Gainsborough
I enjoyed reading this lovely story. The main character was a rabbit called Jacominus. My favourite drawing was the front cover because it is very detailed and is super cute. I enjoyed the book because it was very descriptive. I would probably recommend it to anyone who loves animals because it is about an animal with an eventful life who is very brave about his disability.

Neave

Wildful
It’s an enchanting story of both love and nature. The way the author, through pictures only, very few words, shows the ‘language’ of nature, is amazing. It’s very true, the more you go back somewhere, the more beauty you find. I completely recommend this book to any nature lovers. I love how it’s like a piece of their grandma was passed down to Poppy, as she loved nature just as much.

Georgina

The Ordinary Life of Jacominus Gainsborough
The book is mostly about Jacominus’ life with Polycarp, Caesar, Agathon,Byron, Leon , Napoleon and Sweatie. They are all bunnies!!! I especially liked the illustration where the animals where running and Jacominus was with his crotchets because I found one of the running dogs particularly funny. I would recommend this book 7 out of 10 for people who love rabbits.

Tomonori

Freedom Braids
The story takes place in America. It is about enslaved people. They were taken from Africa and sold to farmers to work for free. My favourite part was when they escaped using braids as a map. Most of the drawings were of people braiding each other’s hair or the different hairstyles and their meanings. I had no ideas braids had meanings. I liked the book because the pictures were so detailed. I would probably recommend it to anyone.

Neave

The Paper Bridge
Anya wanted her Village to be safe. We liked when Anya met a little girl about her age. We were surprised about how the story ended up well. The colour’s were pastel and the objects looked very flat. They look like paper figures. We enjoyed the story because it is interesting and the images are very cool.

Anouk and Elianna

Shrapnel Boys
This book is about a boy who, during the war, ends up trying to convince his mum and brother that the man who is acting as their father figure is not who he says he is and is bad news. The man, Jonny Simmons has got Ronnie’s little brother Micky doing some strange jobs and Ronnie does not trust him. The main characters are Ronnie and Micky and Jonny Simmons. The story takes place in London during the Second World War. My favourite part is when Ronnie has to pretend he wants to be involved in the strange scheme, so he can find out what is really going on and save his little brother. The most exciting thing was at the end when the police are chasing Ronnie and he almost gets arrested for something he did not do. I really enjoyed this book. The funny characters and emotional message made it so enjoyable. The story made me feel excited, and also a little bit scared in places. There is not a thing I would change in this book because it was written so so well. I would definitely read this book again. I think that this book is perfect for 10-13 yr olds. I would recommend this book because of all the emotions and excitement.

Zara

The Paper Bridge
The book was mostly about Anya planning to go to Forestlee to go and talk to the elephants brothers. I loved the illustrations especially the picture of the elephant brothers because every thing looked slightly 3D which is unusual. The book made me feel encouraged to restarting origami which I abandoned when I was young. 9 out of 10 Highly recommended to someone like me, who is Japanese and who loves paper and origami.

Tomonori

Lord of the Flies: The Graphic Novel
This is a moving story, it reflects how young people need guidance but can be independent. How rules and laws matter so much. The children are brave and daring to face such a situation. The pictures are done so well, it makes you feel every child’s emotion. Brilliant book for readers that love relatable, action packed storys

Georgina

Freedom Braids
The book is about slaves braiding each other’s hair. It is about Nemy and big mother and how they want freedom. The story takes place in America, where African people were taken to be slaves. The braids have meanings and help the slaves escape so they can be free. The story made us feel hopeful. The pictures gave an impression of secrets and a hard life before they escape, but when they arrive in the free village, everyone looks happy and it made us happy too.

Elianna and Anouk

Wildful
The book is mostly about Poppy taking her dog Pepper for a walk and spending time with Rob in the woods. My favourite part of the book is when Poppy and Rob went to Rob’s sitting spot because I felt very calm just watching the water drops and the reflection of the amazing pond. I liked the pictures a lot because it was a manga styled book which made the story natural and calm. I partiliked the last photo because I could see all the birds twitter. I really enjoyed the book because I am Japanese and I am used to reading manga typed books. I recommend this book to everyone when they want to calm down.

Tomonori

The Ordinary Life of Jacominus Gainsborough
This book follows the story of a rabbit from when he was born to when he dies. It follows him through war, love and death, friendships and a weak leg. This was a amazing book showing you the meaning of life and that it doesn’t have to be special and all you need is right in front of you. The illustrations are beautiful and I loved the cute details. You could enjoy the book just by following the illustrations. I would read this book again!

Beatrice

The Ordinary Life of Jacominus Gainsborough
The story was about a little boy rabbit and his challenges and changes. The manin character is called Jacominus and he wants to help people. We really liked that he wants to help everybody. The pictures were very cute and helped us undertsand the story better. We loved the front cover and we think it is emotional. The pictures made us feel like Jacominus and what things were like for him. We recommend this book for people who like sad stories. Read it! It is really good!

Anouk and Elianna

Lord of the Flies: The Graphic Novel
The book is mostly about a group of school boys, whose plane has crashed into a desert island. The main characters are three boys. The older boy is called Jack, then there is Ralf and then Piggy and they have to try to survive. The story takes place on a desert island and my favourite part is when the school boys become two different groups and start a war. A thing that really surprised me was that even though everybody was chasing Ralf to death, he survived. I think that the illustrations are really important and helps you understand the story better. Lord of the Flies’ illustrations are really clear and helped me picture the story better. My favourite illustration was at the end when the boys get rescued and everybody starts crying. I would recommend this boy to kids who like adventure stories. I think it is suitable from 10 to adults.

Miguel

Lord of the Flies: The Graphic Novel
It’s about a group of school boys whose plane crash landed on a desert island and they have to try and survive. The main characters are Jack, Piggy and Ralph. They want to survive until they get rescued. The story takes place on a desert island. My favourite part about LORD OF THE FLIES is when Jack and Ralph become two different tribes and Jack wants to steal the members of Ralph’s tribe. What was surprising was that, altough Simon was part of the choir, Head ChoristerJack and his tribe killed him when they were doing, what Jack liked to called “do our dance”. What I noticed about the pictures was that each picture had a a different colour for each theme and it got darker towards the end. The illustrations make the story sad sometimes and excited at times. I enjoyed the book very much because I love graphic novels and this book kept me in suspense for the whole story. It makes me want to read the original novel.

Oscar

Freedom Braids
The book was mostly about Nemy and Big mother’s group escaping from their boss farm where they were slaves, with their signals which were secret braids. My favourite part of freedom braids was when Nemy and Big mother’s group were braiding their hair to make a meaning, because it made me feel how we could communicate in different ways even with braids! I thought the illustration was a very good because it showed real passion of the author’s artwork and it made the whole book like a real old film. The pictures also made me understand about their personality and setting.The first picture really took my attention because of the azure sky and all the detail in faces and grass. The illustrations and no complexity made it very enjoyable and I could read freedom braids 5 times without getting bored and I did! I definitely recommend reading freedom braids if you are young or if you are into art.

Tomonori

Birdie
Birdie’s story is an emotional rollercoaster. I was heartbroken to read about this lively, spirited girl becoming the victim of unashamed racism - particularly when even her teacher denies her an education because of prejudice. The parallel drawn with the pit pony is especially poignant and deeply affecting. At the same time, it is heartwarming to watch Birdie win people over through her courage, resilience, and grace. Both sad and happy tears were shed.

Celine

Wolf Siren
Wolf Siren is an ingenious tale with clever and thoughtful echoes of Little Red Riding Hood. I was particularly touched by the way the author—who is visually impaired—describes her experience of the world through the character of Red, who is also visually impaired. The characters are vividly and convincingly drawn, which makes it easy to become emotionally invested in the story. At its core, this is a feminist novel, rich with strong female characters, and that was something I especially enjoyed.

Celine

Fia and the Last Snow Deer  
The Snow Deer is a beautiful and mystical prehistoric tale, brought to life with delightful illustrations. I very much enjoyed reading this book, especially its verse form, which gives the story a timeless, almost lyrical quality. It’s a lovely winter read—perfect for enjoying while snuggled up under a blanket (log fire optional).

Celine

The Boy I Love
t Is the Boy I Love stayed with me long after I finished reading it. From the outset, I found myself rooting for the unlikely yet inexorable love between Danny—a cheeky, West End chappy full of warmth and bravado—and Stephen, with his quieter, middle‑class reserve. Hussey plunges the reader into the horror and absurdity of the First World War, where young men are confronted with death at every moment. For Danny and Stephen, however, survival carries an additional peril: the constant fear of discovery in a world that punishes their love. Amid the mud, violence, and devastation of the trenches, the novel offers moments of profound tenderness and hope, much of it embodied in Danny’s brave and sunny personality. His humour and resilience act as a balm not only for Stephen but for everyone around him, illuminating flashes of humanity in an inhumane setting. Through their relationship, Hussey reminds us that love itself can be an act of defiance—something fragile, dangerous, and yet fiercely sustaining. The novel balances heartbreak with hope, making it both devastating and deeply life‑affirming.

Celine

The Boy I Love
The boy I love is a story set in WW1 about 2 boys Stephen and Danny. At the start Stephen returns to the battlefield after the death of his boyfriend and platoon. On the way to France, he meets the charming private Daniel McCormick. This book is about Danny and Stephen's forbidden love story in the hell of the trenches of WW1. My favourite part of this story was when Danny and Stephen slowly started to fall in love with each other and when they first kissed. I think that the most exciting part was when Stephen was buried in the tunnel and all he could think about was Danny. I would recommend this book for anyone who loves Heartstopper and History.

Georgina