Forest Hill Library

Ghostlines 
The book is about a young girl called Tilda as she tries to help a new boy called Albie settle into her island home of Ayrie, but without success...until she takes him to the haunted island where none of the other kids can't go to. The book was overall very interesting as it talks with the hardships of moving into a new country away from your friends, making it easier to understand someone's emotions as they move, and it also mentions how Tilda feels after her big brother Rowan leaves Ayrie. However, I did feel that it was a little hard to read the book where there are long sentences with lots of "ands" in them, but I did like the touching reunion at the end between Tilda and Rowan as it proves the fact that even though family and friends can be separated, they still won't forget each other forever. 8/10 overall.

Theo

The Endless Sea
The book tells the interesting and heartfelt story of a young child and her family as they make a perilous journey across stormy seas to escape discrimination in Vietnam and attempt to find safety in Britain. I liked the illustrations as they showed the dangers of the journey across the ocean by using watercolours, for example, when she and her family were nearly thrown off by a huge wave, the colours and the style used stood out to me and made me pity the girl and her family. There is also historical accuracy during the entire story when the refugees are travelling across the seas to find safety, which refers to the actual story of the refugees as they migrated to countries like Britain to find a safe home, food and shelter to escape the hardships they faced in their home countries. Overall it was a touching story with historical accuracy and beautiful illustrations.

Theo

Wiggling Words
I liked the book because it not only suggests how reading can enhance your imagination, but it also suggests how people with different brains can read books (shown by tips from the author) and the challenges people with dyslexic (and other types of) brains face when reading. I also liked how the book portrays the character's emotions (for example, when using the word RIP!) and the protagonist's journey when he tries to climb a mountain of words after they wriggle out of his book and how he resolves the situation by creating things like a palace out of words and letters. Overall it is a very good story with amazing illustrations and excellent tips from the author: 5 stars.

Theo

Wiggling Words
I liked the book as it not only shows the wonders reading can do to the imagination by "taking" the reader to where the story is set, but also gives tips from the author about how to read books when the reader has a different brain that can make reading hard for them. I also liked how the book shows the character's emotions when they are having trouble reading the book (e.g. the word "RIP!") and how they resolve their situation when the words escape from the book by using letters to create things in order to find their way. Overall it is a very good story with very good tips and illustrations: 5 stars.

Theo

Birdie
this book was set in an interesting setting but the plot itself lacked anything to make me feel emotion. The racism themes were quite in depth but I felt using a pony as a plot drive was a bit strange.

Thomas

Popcorn
Popcorn tells the story of a boy named Andrew Yaeger who has anxiety problems and whose grandmother named G suffers from Alzheimer’s. Andrew’s main mission throughout the book is to get a good school photo for his mum without anything going badly, but all sorts of things go amiss, from a violent bully to science experiments gone wrong and a full-on panic attack. I found one of the most interesting things in the book is the “Anxiety Files” that make understanding the problems of anxiety and how to deal with them much easier. There are also drawings in the book that visualise his anxiety, for example, the sliding “Kernel Scale” which shows his anxiety levels as a kernel of popcorn from chillin’(fine) to poppin’(panic attack); and Tense Kid, who is a human expression of Andrew’s anxiety. I felt that I could relate to Andrew because, like many people, I sometimes suffer from anxiety. I felt reassured at the end of the book when Andrew, with his art teacher’s help, manages to control his anxiety. I understood that if he could deal with his anxiety, other people could too.

Theo

Not Going To Plan
I felt this book was a powerful and moving piece of text. While the verse structure was confusing at first I soon got used to it. However, I felt it skimmed over too much details on some bits like the LBTQ+ club and the relationship between zed and Lucas. But I felt this book covered some really important topics and shouldn't be overlooked as a moving drama.

Thomas

Wildful
The book is a graphic novel about a young girl called Poppy, her dog, Pepper, and her bereaved mum, who is too sad to leave the house after Poppy’s gran passed away. During a morning walk with Pepper, Poppy finds a long-lost patch of woodland in her neighbourhood that contains all sorts of plants and animals. She also befriends a young boy called Rob who she was led to by Pepper and who helps Poppy in curing her mum of her sadness. I liked the book because it’s a delightful insight into the beauty of nature, how it “soothes the heart” and of nature’s importance in our day-to-day lives. One of the things that makes the story compelling is how it is told almost entirely with pictures, which shows how you don’t need words to talk to nature. Overall, it was a beautiful story with a valuable message.

Theo

Lord of the Flies: The Graphic Novel
I adored this amazing book! it was filled with character and I could really imagine I was on the island. I felt it respected the original book while adding in more emotion with the illustrations.

Thomas

Popcorn
I felt this book was filled with character. The doodles were very funny and the content was very deep and emotional. I myself don't have anxiety but I can imagine that someone who does would find this book more relatable than me. I still enjoyed this book though.

Thomas

Not Going To Plan
I thought the writing style was very very creative it made reading just that bit more entertaining. At first I thought it was odd and would be irritating but after getting into the book I started to like it. The language and word choice was very thought out it captured how each person would think feel and react to the things happening. I really enjoyed the story it was a great representation of going to school and the troubles of the people and situations in and out stop school. I would recommend this book to people in Year 9 or older and especially to people who like to get deep into a book and star to empathise and understand the characters and how they feel. Overall, I thought the book was entertaining not only in the story but also regarding how you read the book definitely a 8 or 9 out of 10.

Lucas

Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody
While this book seemed childish from the cover, I found it a very fast paced and jolly read. The themes of school made it very relatable and I really enjoyed this book. This book flew past my expectations!

Thomas