Ermysted’s Carnegie Shadowing Group

Ghostlines 
7/10 City life versus Wild Life: there can be only one winner! Tilda lives on Ayrie, a remote island somewhere (never specified) off the coast of the British Isles. A small, tight-knit community, rocks, seabirds, the people are in tune with the rhythm of the seasons as well as the challenges and glories of its landscape. The name Ayrie recalls the word ‘eyrie’, an eagle’s nest. The Ayrie-dwellers are not hostile to landlubbers and their urban ways but they are perfectly content with their remote, somewhat isolated existence. Enter Albie, a mainland exile who’s been forced to move to the island due to unknown family circumstances. He certainly is hostile to the Ayrie way of life, maintaining a grumpy demeanour and refusing to show any enthusiasm for anything that the local teenagers enjoy: swimming, kayaking, evenings hanging out at the beach. Tilda reluctantly accepts the task of integrating Albie into Ayrie life and it’s a difficult job with someone who is determined not to integrate. By taking him out on a kayak trip to a secret ‘island off the island’, that has grim stories attached to it, Tilda manages to get Albie to recognize the excitement of living on Ayrie. The whole ‘town mouse/country mouse setup is pretty familiar from Katya Balen’s earlier books: Carnegie-winning October October, and to an extent, The Light in Everything, so she loses marks for being too formulaic. The character of October is just more interesting than either Tilda or Albie as well. This story concludes with a dramatic, dangerous storm that leads to a heartwarming puffin evacuation, and Albie’s disappearance. Tilda is the only one who can work out what might have happened to him. Will she be able to carry out a rescue?

Mr Hodgson

Wolf Siren
I enjoyed reading Wolf Siren - it explored many important themes while still maintaining a fairly good plot and characters. I liked the twist on the traditional Little Red Riding Hood story, and the weaving of magic with real-life issues, but it did feel a little detached from the real world due to the fairytale setting. I could tell how much her disability, and also her gender, affected her life, and the descriptions really brought her character and her struggles to light. I was a little sad about Aerona's death, but I suppose that it allowed the book to explore grief, and focus on how Red's relationship with her mother improved. However, I felt that the pace of the story fluctuated too much – some parts were slow, some parts were fast - which added some variety, but the slow sections were a little boring. Overall, I enjoyed reading it, with a good plot and developed characters, that explored important issues well. 8/10.

Aashaz Z.

Birdie
This book was slightly interesting, just very slow to start. The aspect of Birdie not leaving the pony Mr Duke (which she only met several weeks ago) was very irritating and represents Birdie as stuck up & selfish. I would think this as she basically made Walter join her in the cave which was due an imminent explosion, just for him to get hurt. The aspect that her family didn't want to acknowledge her as one of them was interesting. In effect, this showed how racism occurred in England 70-80 years ago and still does today. I would rate this as a 7.5/10

Joseph.c

Stealing Happy
Stealing Happy is a book which contains many bad things or events that have gone wrong; debt, covid, the impact of Tourette’s, rent and some suspicious men. To me, the story starts pretty slowly and is quite boring with Sonny randomly shouting stuff out (I do know it was Tourette’s) which was slightly annoying and it didn’t seem like anything was happening except Sonny worrying. I thought I wasn’t going to like the book. That was until the story properly started – when they started planning whilst in dangerous grounds; school. I think the Tourette’s was a good addition to the story because, while teaching people how it isn’t on purpose and how it isn’t just clicking noises -as that is how I have often seen it portrayed in films- and it is also tapping and things like OCD, it made the book quite a bit more light hearted and also made every stealth scene feel ten times harder. In the middle of the book, for about two pages, I thought that it was quite boring as if they were waiting for it to happen until that idea was thrown away when Archie Burns and his friends started surrounding him and thought he would actually get hurt. At the end of the book my heart was actually racing -I’m not making that up- because I was so emersed in the speed, fear and description of the moment. Overall, I really liked it and I think the fact I didn’t like the start and thought it would be boring, made it three times better.

Hal L

Ghostlines 
Ghostlines was one of my top 3 books from the Carnegie this year. I like the setting on the island and how the story portrays the characters development throughout. I feel like the story near the end was a little rushed so the pacing could be slower. Overall 8.5/10

William S

Birdie
I liked this book and how it felt kind of familiar as it was based in Yorkshire, it gave me a good picture of what was going on, it didn't feel like much was happening in the book it felt slow ,then something would happen then it would become boring again, if someone who doesn't live or come to Yorkshire i think it would be hard to picture the scenes in your bed. 5/10

Billy C

Ghostlines 
The start of this book felt a bit dragged and bland, I liked the mysteriousness of Albie at the beginning. It picked up at about the 3/4 then I started to enjoy it. I think the characters were developed nicely. I liked the community of the village and how you can tell that they grew together.

Billy C

Wolf Siren
Wolf siren was a very unique book as I haven't read any books that have main characters that have problems with sight. I also like how it twisted the well known fairy tale of the little red riding hood. I liked the characters as well as the descriptions of the setting as its easy to imagine how it looks giving a more immersive feel to the story. Overall I would give it a 8.5/10

William S

Popcorn
Personally this book is an acquired taste as it doesn't have much of a storyline or plot as mostly just deals with just the problem of anxiety and focusing on one really bad, mind-bending vomit whirlwind of a day. Andrew (the main character) suffers from anxiety and to make matters worse his grandma suffers from dementia. Personally this book wasn't the best of books but should definitely be read.

Yahya

Ghostlines 
This book is a book that has many dilemmas to begin with and a mysterious start convincing you to read and find out more. This book also has a whirlwind of characters to begin with but as the story progresses you get used to them and even understand their emotions, feelings and backstory to most. The book is about a girl called Tilda who lives on remote island where tourists visit in the winter to see the famous puffins indigenous to the island. Nobody ever comes to live there so when a boy called Albie joins everyone is surprised. The ghost lines are like the shadows of the past which guide sailors who are unsure of their path ahead. I would recommend this book to others as it is very interesting and tackles many problems.

Yahya

Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody
I personally think that this is a very interesting choice for a carnegie book as it can be very childish and silly at times but has a chunk load of humor

Yahya

Wolf Siren
Wolf Siren by Beth O'Brien is a story that is set out a bit like the children's book little red riding hood. It focuses on Red(a 13 year old girl who lives in an isolated village right on the edge of a mysterious forest where the rules are extremely strict since everyone is terrified of the wolves inside. What I didn't like about this book is that it took a while for it to get into the action and that made it feel a bit slow. I did like the plot twist when we discover that the wolves aren't actually the villans, they are just transformed women who Red's family is somehow connected to. Overall I would rate this book a 5/10 and reccomend it to readers aged 13-17.

Hisham N

The Boy I Love
The Boy I Love was a good book, and it was written in a way that meant you could have sympathy for the characters. I particularly liked the way that the book went into detail about the fighting in the Somme, and it covered some themes that are quite important - how LGBTQ+ people were treated, for example. It made me glad that society is not generally like that any more. It also made me think about what it must have been like watching your friends die in a muddy field in a foreign country. At the end, I was sent into a moral dilemma, as when Beddows got his 'karma' (if such a thing exists), I thought 'Do I laugh, does he deserve it? But a death isn't funny - but then it is only a book...'. I would give this book a 9/10.

Edward M

Not Going To Plan
Not going to plan by Tia Fisher is a book that explores very strong themes and tell us the story of a girl called Marnie who gets expelled from her school right before her GCSE's. She moves to a new school where she sits next to Zed and they both agree to help each other with their studies, but they become a lot closer than study partners. I particularly liked the structure because the short lines make the book feel fast paced and make me want to read on more and more as the plot of the story also gets more intriguing. Overall I would rate this book a 8/10 and recommend it to people ages 14-17.

Hisham N

Twenty Four Seconds from Now
I thought this was an interesting book, but I had mixed feelings about it. The story follows Neon, a teenager who is thinking about an important moment in his relationship with his girlfriend, Aria. There were some things I liked about the book. The characters felt realistic, and Neon was quite relatable at times because he was awkward and overthought things, which made him seem like a real teenager. However, there were also parts that I didn't enjoy as much. The way the story jumped around in time was sometimes confusing, and I found that some sections felt a bit slow. Because of this, it took me a while to get fully interested in the story. Overall, I would give it 3 out of 5 stars.

raqeeb

Birdie
I think Birdie was an 7/10 book because it had some parts that had been really good and some parts which were less engaging. I liked the idea of the horse being Birdie's friend. I would recommend this book for ages 9+ just because it might be less engaging for younger ones. Overall I enjoyed this book.

Ayaan N

Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody
Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody by Patrick Ness is a book about 3 lizards who become hall lizards, discovering it's not easy, and encounter many problems along the way. One of the main problems is Pelicarnassus, a giant, tough pelican who is the son of a supervillain and doesn't like Zeke as he punched him in the beak. This makes him build many weapons, like a giant robotic pelican! I really enjoyed this book because it had action, drawings and also a fun themes and characters along the way. Overall I would rate this book a 8.5/10 and recommend it to ages 11 to 15.

Hisham N

Birdie
Birdie is a really good book that I enjoyed because it shows what life was actually like during the war. The setting makes it feel quite real, and you can see how hard things were for the characters and how they had to deal with fear, loss, and everyday struggles. The main character is easy to feel for, and their experiences make the story more emotional and interesting. It’s not super fast-paced, but I liked how it focuses on real-life problems instead of just action, which makes it more meaningful. Overall, it’s a strong and memorable book that stays with you after reading.

Akmal

Wolf Siren
Wolfsiren wasn’t really my favourite book because it felt quite boring at times. The idea behind it is interesting, especially with the main character and the whole “wolfsiren” concept, but it doesn’t always go anywhere exciting. The main character has some emotional moments and you can kind of understand how they feel, but it’s not always that engaging, and the side characters don’t stand out much. The story can feel slow and not a lot happens, which made it hard to stay interested. It’s not terrible, but compared to other books it just doesn’t feel as interesting or memorable.

Akmal

Ghostlines 
Ghostlines is a pretty good book that’s interesting to read, even if it’s not the best on the shortlist. The characters feel quite real, especially the main character, who’s dealing with confusion and stuff from their past in a way that feels believable. Some of the side characters aren’t as detailed, but they still add something to the story. The idea of the “ghostlines” is cool and kind of shows how memories don’t really go away. Sometimes the story feels a bit slow, but overall it’s still a nice, thoughtful read that sticks with you a bit after you finish.

Akmal

The Boy I Love
I really liked the boy I love! First of all it covered some very deep and meaningful themes, both LGBTQ+ and the horror and loss of war, and I felt it explored both themes really well! It also brought my attention to something I hadn't really considered, those from the LGBTQ+ community in the past/ in the war and the abuse they faced. The overall story was really good and interesting, and I really felt engaged with the story, and Stephen and Danny as characters. Overall, I thought it was a really interesting, unique and enjoyable book!

Edward L

Twenty Four Seconds from Now
I thought it was really interesting! In particular, the reverse chronological order was a very unique way of telling the story, but it still made sense! Seeing Neon and Aria's relationship develop was really nice to see, and felt pretty believable. If I had any criticisms, I would say that it felt like not a massive amount happened in the book overall, but that was mostly down to the way it was presented, and it was still really enjoyable.

Edward L

Birdie
I found Birdie to have an interesting story. I couldn't really get into it but would recommend it to people into history and horses.

Theo B

Popcorn
7/10 A school-day in the life of a boy with anxiety and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. More fun than that sounds! What’s it like to live with anxiety and OCD as a constant companion? Luckily, I don’t know, and I imagine it’s quite difficult to explain. Popcorn doesn’t try to explain, it simply evokes the lived experience of Andrew, as he negotiates lessons, friendly teachers, mean librarians, and the school-bully. In the background he has the challenges of his living with an Alzheimer’s disease-stricken grandmother and a mother stressed out about making a perfect impression in her new job. Rob Harrell draws a really convincing picture of Andrew’s physical and mental state through his writing and also through his...drawings! Which really help us to understand Andrew. The central metaphor for Andrew’s experience of anxiety is a popcorn kernel, slowly simmering in oil, the pressure building inside, awaiting the inevitable explosion. There are lots of these really effective analogies/metaphors, in words and pictures, throughout the book. In a footnote, the writer admits that he’s always experienced anxiety too, and it’s clear that Harrell really understands what it’s like to be Andrew. Even though a lot of everyday events and encounters are a struggle, he can recognise and anticipate how his brain and emotions are going to react. He is often able to laugh at himself, and it makes it a really cheerful book, despite the subject-matter!

Mr Hodgson

The Boy I Love
8/10 The waste of war, and the strength and hope that love can bring. 1916: Stephen is only 19 but he’s already had a lifetime’s-worth of life-changing experiences in the trenches of the First World War. Now he’s heading back from England, back from injury, back to the Western Front, to lead a group of men as they prepare for the upcoming Somme Offensive. It’s obvious that Stephen is going to find it mentally tough to do his duty after the traumas he’s experienced, but he finds himself warming to a young recruit (even younger than Stephen!), Danny McCormick. Danny's enthusiasm and good humour are infectious, and, unlike Stephen, Danny is not ashamed of expressing his flamboyant personality in front of higher-ups who would view any hint of homosexuality as a crime. Cautiously, their relationship develops and becomes a respite from the horrors surrounding them. The book’s title (the title of a popular music hall song of the time) and its cover, put the relationship of Stephen and Danny in the foreground, but ‘The Boy I Love’ is also a meticulously researched, powerful evocation of trench-life, of the people who were forced to live, work and fight together, of the deep bonds that grew from those experiences, and of the daily dangers that they were forced to endure. We know that the worst day in the history of the British Army, the Battle of the Somme, is shortly to come. Nearly 20,000 British soldiers will die. The connection between Danny and Stephen means that there is positivity, and hope, in the darkness.

Mr Hodgson

Stealing Happy
Stealing Happy is a heartfelt and intresting book that looks at family, identity and the search for happiness. The characters feel real and relatable, and the story tackles difficult emotions with sensitivity. The writing is engaging throughout. Balancing humour and sadness in a way that keeps the reader invested. Its themes of self-discovery, resilience and belonging make it a good book

Jeevan

Birdie
Birdie is a moving and well written historical novel that explores themes of belonging, resilience, friendship, and kindness. Birdie is a memorable protagonist whose determination and courage make her easy to root for. The Yorkshire setting is made very well , and the relationship between Birdie and Mr Duke adds emotion to the story. With its strong character development and powerful message about finding your place in the world.

Jeevan

Birdie
Quite a few people didn’t like this but I did. Firstly, it’s set in Yorkshire (where I live) and secondly, most of the characters get redeemed. It was very emotional when I thought Mr Duke was dead but fortunately he was alive and everyone lives happily ever after.

Zak

Not Going To Plan
Not Going to Plan is the best book in the Carnegie. It's one of the only books that makes its serious topic enjoyable to read and the character development in all of the characters was good. The main problem of the book is how it was set out. I don't see any need to have it like a poem especially when there's only one character and they use too much slang like preggers. Some of these words feel like a old man trying to fit in with the youth but over all great book. Probably the best and most enjoyable even though some scenes don't play well or don't fit. 7/10 good plot bad structure and bad vocab.

patrick h

Ghostlines 
This book was really good. Both Albie and Tilda are deep, interesting characters that have their own thoughts on ayrie and their past. It was really nice to see Albie go from a depressed introvert to finally accept his life and new friends.

Zak

Wolf Siren
A lot of people hyped this up and to be honest, it wasn’t bad. It’s pretty cool that they use wolves as the people’s “fear” of something they don’t know.

Zak

Stealing Happy
At first I thought this book would be boring but I started to like the characters and it was funny at some parts.

Zak

Ghostlines 
As my final Carnegie book, I found Ghostlines to be ok, nothing more and nothing less. The plot was just any old plot really - two people meet for the first time, hate each other, get along after all ,then go on an adventure together that changes their life and they all live happily ever after. This didn't impress me but the character development did. It was nice to be able to notice a clear change in character across the book for both Albie and Tilda even if I did not particularly like Tilda in the first place. However, the literal title of the book - Ghostlines - had no relevance whatsoever, it was just a concept put in to give the novel a good title that might sound appealing. The only time in which the Ghostlines were used was when Tilda was going to rescue Albie but even then they only starred for about 2 lines and had no real relevance to the plot at all. Also, Tilda speaking about Rowan every paragraph was getting very annoying but as he was mentioned so much, I assumed he would play a key role in the plot but all he did was make her think Albie was leaving, then show up for 10 lines at the end. I just think both of these concepts were good ideas but not implemented well so had no real relevance. I also found there to be multiple spelling/grammar errors at the start of the book which may just have been me being stupid but I don't think so. The setting of a remote island was pretty nice though. Overall, Ghostlines was an ok book with a generic plot, good character development, some pointless concepts and a good setting. Plot:4/10 Characters:6/10 Setting:9/10 Style:3/10 Total:22/40

Sevan

Ghostlines 
I enjoyed reading Ghostlines. I thought the plot was good and I enjoyed the setting in an island in the middle of nowhere with lots of puffins. I thought it was written well. The book is about a girl called Tilda who meets a boy called Albie at the docks who is from the city and has moved to the remote location known as Ayrie. He is sad about moving and wants to leave and Tilda tries to make him love Ayrie as much as she does. Tilda loves everything about Ayrie, and Tilda disikes it because it's so different to where he is from. I'd probably say for all ages and would give this book an 8 out of 10.

Edmund

Ghostlines 
I didn't enjoy this book that much. It's about a young girl called Tilda who lives on her home island of Ayrie. A new boy called Albie arrives, and the 2 become good friends as Tilda shows Albie around the island. The book explores themes of friendship, homesickness and death. 5/10...

Edison

The Boy I Love
It was one of the better Carnegies books even though it was a romance book. I felt like the majority of it was a history book and the history seems really accurate and that's what it does best. There are a few problems like how the main character mentioned the German boy he killed a lot more than his previous lover which doesn't make much sense. The deaths were good and all around it was a good book 7/10

Patrick H

Ghostlines 
Overall, this year's Carnegie has a genuinely embarrassing collection of books. I lowkey miss last year's with my favourite as Glasgow Boys. A good Carnegie is a book with genuine plot, engagement and creativity. One major flaw with Carnegie books are that they are too woke, being inclusive is okay but pushing it too far or unnecessarily including minorities just makes the book worse. Ghostlines overall hasn't been a bad read. To improve, they should genuinely focus on having an actual good story rather than one that is about supporting groups and minorities as they just get in the way and make the story worse.

Mahad.K

Wolf Siren
In my opinion this book was quite mid. The book was confusing. I liked the idea about women being in more power than men but it gets to a point where the women are shown are powerful and the men as useless.

abdul moeez

The Boy I Love
I thought this book was quite good. I think it was very realistic about the hardships of WW1. I do think the start was quite slow but it did pick up the pace. Good book

Ben P

Birdie
Personally, I did find the language slightly annoying with all the "thees" and the "thys" . I also did not feel very attached to the story and felt it was slow in places. I did, however, like that it tackled more than one issue such as racism, foster care and animal wellbeing.

Ben P

Birdie
Birdie was ok. The idea of the protagonist getting used to change and facing racism was good, and the bonding between Birdie and her friends such as Mr Duke was good too.

Taha

Birdie
This book is about a black orphan girl who grew up in a mixed race children's home in Leeds and is and sent to live with her great-aunt in 1950's Yorkshire.Adapting(a main theme in the book)is hard for Birdie and she is bullied, it gets so extreme to the point where she needs to hide in a nearby coal mine, and is surprisingly rescued by a pit pony who she called Mr Duke. Over the next few weeks, Birdie develops a great understanding for Mr duke . At the start the book is hard to get into but eventually when I grew a connection with Birdie's story it was inspiring how she kept going despite the hardships she faced

Conor D

Wolf Siren
I thought this book was quite an enjoyable read and I liked the way it tackled the issue of sexism. Though pats felt a bit slow I felt like the plot mostly moved on quite well.

Ben P

Twenty Four Seconds from Now
I thought that this book was quite interesting but had quite a difficult to follow plotline. The story itself was quite interesting but the plot felt like it jumped about too much

Ben P

Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody
I didn't like this book very much.It was about three monitor lizards who were getting bullied.After one got suspended the other two befriended a blind hawk who helped them to stand up to the bully.This was aimed at younger children and it didn't excite me at all.

Conor D

Wolf Siren
I really liked Wolf Siren! The more fantasy setting was quite new as the majority of Carnegies are set in real life, and the world-building was really interesting. As well as this, it covered the themes of sexism and menstruation, the latter I will admit that I didn't know much about, especially the cramps side of it, so the book genuinely taught me something. I really enjoyed the story, and it had a very climatic finish! Overall, I really enjoyed it!

Edward L

Not Going To Plan
I found this book interesting and fun to read, especially with the writing style and layout.

Moeez

Popcorn
This book was like Diary of a Wimpy kid but more weird in my opinion. The ending was ok at most.

Moeez

The Boy I Love
This book was quite boring and most of the chapters were just side quests.

Moeez

Ghostlines 
Ghostlike is about the mysterious island, with rumours of dead people and ghosts, but in the end the ghost lines are caused by science and the ghost stuff is imagination. 6/10

Max

Wolf Siren
The best book in my opinion about the magic in the forest, a woeful murder, and the division of wolves, women/wolves, and humans. 8/10

Max

Stealing Happy
A boy with Tourette's syndrome is trying to get the money back that his mum and dad owes to Chick Lennon. Time is running out rent is due and a whole lot of fun awaits. 8/10

Max

On the Wall
It is a book about peace and happiness but a bit boring. What happens is he is always in his happy place on the wall and eventually falls off. He also helps people through their issues. 5/10

Max

Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody
A very funny hilarious book packed with impossible ideas and what depths one thing can do when you hurt a bully. 7/10

Max

Birdie
It is a very emotional story in my opinion I don’t like that. It is set after WW2 and Birdie is an orphan. 4 - 10

Max

Popcorn
This book is another Diary of the Wimpy Kid with extra steps. There are only a few things they change one thing the Changed for the worse was how the book was mostly 1 day and because of this the story couldn't go fast to be exciting but it never built up tension even though I can tell that was the authors intention. They do anxiety which is a topic covered in these types of books many a time and oft, and the only good difference was the grandmother. The only time I got invested was when she disappeared but it didn't stick. I ordered this book of Amazon but luckily I got a refund. Don't touch with any length of pole so 2/10

patrick h

Shrapnel Boys
Unfortunately, I have been underwhelmed by this book. I thought it was mainly about adventure and going through the war, but, it is mainly a normal life but with having to hide under bunkers from air-raiders and collecting bits of shrapnel. Even though the book is well written and creates scenes in the reader’s mind’s, I don’t really like it

Tahmeed

Birdie
My expectations for Birdie were very low because of my friends, so I can say that Birdie did exceed my expectations. The plot itself wasn't too bad, just a bit slow at times, and I liked the fact that it was set nearby, with my hometown getting a mention. I was slightly confused about the author's intentions about coal mining - was she for or against nationalisation and the shutting down of coal mines? I liked how it tied in many issues into one story - racism, foster care, friendship and identity. However, I found her friendship with Mr. Duke a bit exaggerated - surely she wouldn't sacrifice her life for an animal she only met a couple of months ago. Overall, it was a nice book, but nothing outstanding, that I felt was a bit underrated. 6.5/10.

Aashaz Z.

Birdie
I found Birdie quite a relaxed book in some parts. I enjoyed how it was set in Yorkshire and I loved the character of Birdie - a quite misunderstood person. One of my favourite bits was when Mr Duke and Birdie went to help the miners in the coal mine which collapsed. Overall I would give Birdie a 7/10

Jack

Popcorn
Overall I found Popcorn alright. I liked the main idea of a boy going to school with anxiety and the boy has a bad day, but I found nice how it was blending in anxiety and also a normal day so it was more relatable. I would give it a 6/10

Jack

Not Going To Plan
I found Not Going To Plan to be good in some places but lacking in others. One of the main reasons why I thought this book was good was the relationship between Marnie and Zed. I liked it because it progressed really nicely throughout the story and it showed how people with different interests can still get along. However, the other characters - such as Luca and Rakel - were not developed at all which led to conversations with them to be a bit dry. I also disliked the way in which the words were laid out on the page as it made it very difficult to track where the next sentence was and didn't really add much to the visualisation of the book. The main storyline focused on an unplanned pregnancy, and this is where opinions may vary. The book presented one particular perspective quite strongly, and didn't look at many other viewpoints in much depth. Because of this, people may feel that the topic isn’t examined as fully as it could be. I also felt that there wasn’t a huge amount of character growth by the end of the story. Few of them changed because of the decisions they made which, once again, made them feel a bit dry. I did like the ending though, as it was a good representation on what was being described in the book. Overall, Not Going To Plan was an ok book with some good characters, some bad characters and a decent plot that followed only one opinion. Plot:6/10 Characters:4/10 Setting:4/10 Style:3/10

Sevan C

Wolf Siren
I enjoyed this book because Red is a strong and determined character who never gives up, even when things get difficult. The forest setting was also one of my favourite parts because it felt magical and mysterious, which made the story exciting to read. The book explores themes such as courage, family, and acceptance. Although the beginning was a little slow, the story became more interesting as the mystery developed. Overall, I thought Wolf Siren was an enjoyable and unique fantasy novel. I would recommend it to anyone who likes adventure, mystery, and strong characters. I would give it 4 out of 5 stars.

raqeeb

Popcorn
Popcorn is a book about a boy with anxiety issues called Andrew Yaeger who has his single mum to take care of him and her grandma with Alzheimer's. He has his school picture day but everything seems to be going wrong and he is covered in juice by another student, given a black eye by a basketball, he has his shirt ripped by a bully, he has a experiment blow up in his face then he has a panic attack. All this happens while his Grandma is missing. But then there is a happy ending as people say that they know people who get panic attacks to and he is not weird. They then find his grandma and he has his picture and all is well. I would not recommend this book as I did not enjoy it and would give it a 4/10.

Thomas F

Twenty Four Seconds from Now
Neon is outside his bedroom door. Excited? Nervous? Panicked? All of those things really. His girlfriend, Aria, is waiting for him on his bed, waiting for the two of them to take the next big step in their relationship, and to take their physical intimacy to a new and significant level, if you know what I mean... Then the story is abruptly halted, and we are spun back twenty-four seconds to Neon in the bathroom, desperately grooming himself to ensure he is at his best for Aria. Then another rewind to twenty-four minutes: Neon rushing home from work. Then twenty-four hours, then days, weeks, and finally months, when Neon and Aria first met. It’s a clever idea, which enables us to understand how a young relationship forms and develops. The writer executes it skilfully. It’s also a funny book inhabited by characters, Neon and Aria’s family and friends, who are all quirky but all likeable. I found it very easy to read because I was really invested in the main characters’ story. The best thing about 24 Seconds From Now is that it’s a heart-warming corrective to the idea that so-called ‘toxic masculinity’ has taken over the minds and actions of the majority of young men. There’s nothing ‘toxic’ about Neon: he’s respectful, sensitive and vulnerable, and importantly, no less believable for it. But is the opening chapter ever resolved...?!

Mr Hodgson

On the Wall
I felt like this book was very well structurally built. It was very conceivable as a real life event as it was just an average school year but contained unique characters . But also, because it is a pretty bland story line, it get quite boring to start. Lots of people find find this book a difficult to read as it hard to start focused. I did like the ending though as the wall being knocked down showed the catalyst of peace being removed so the will have to learn how to be peaceful without it.

Jeevan

Ghostlines 
I really liked this book as it was very engaging because of very thought out characters and a deep story line. I liked the idea of mixing the ideas of adventure and every day life. The story about trying to deal with change was conveyed very well. Albie's personality was very well advanced as the story advanced. I would have enjoyed it more if the relationship between Albie and Tilda was shown to be advancing more as it advanced a lot at the start but the stopped randomly.

Jeevan

Shrapnel Boys
I really liked Shrapnel boys because it was a very well written book. I could actually almost feel how people lived in world war two because of the way the aurthor wrote it. But i didnt like how Johnny simmons kind of hypnotises Micky and Ronnie's Mum to thinking he was a good person (when he wasn't). Also i didn't like how Ronnie, Micky and Lugs were more exited than nervous about the war. When the war was happening there was loads of shrapnel everywhere so Graham, Aurthur and harry had a bet with Ronnie, Mickey and Lugs to see who gets more shrapnel. And I was a bit scared when Micky got stabbed by a shrapnel. But generally it was such a good book, I would give it 9.5/10

Maulik Linesh

Stealing Happy
This book was also far better than all of the other books in the shortlist. It is about an - i think - Irish boy with Tourette's. I liked how he was not able to keep secrets as he would blurt out his plans as it made him a sympathetic character. I think many people would be able to relate to him because of his financial situation which makes us feel empathy for him. I liked how the author made it so when he had sudden outbursts of tourettes he would shout "ROB CHICK LENNON!". However my one issue was the ending. I feel like all of the book was one big build up that wasn't really paid off very well. Like, we don't actually get a proper conclusion as to what happens. Does he give his parents the money? Does he keep it? Does he hand it in? Does he get caught? Overall I give this book a ... 8/10

Elliott.H

Twenty Four Seconds from Now
Twenty four seconds from now is an interesting take on a young man and his girlfriend having sexual intercourse for the first time, using "24" as a repeating timestamp, which makes the book memorable and gives lots of meaning to the title and really shows you the story before and Neon's life well, in an interesting and fun way.

Estlin K

Shrapnel Boys
This was an OK book. Its about a young boy named Ronnie and his best friend Lugs and they collect shrapnel from bomb sites but Ronnie's little brother Micky is starting to get really bad and become criminal and fascist. Then their mum gets a new boyfriend called Johnny and Ronnie is suspicious. Ronnie sees that Johnny is bad and is fascist and has relations to fascist groups (like the Blackshirts). Then Ronnie and Lugs know Johnny is not good. They try and find out and later find Johnny's evil side, making sure he is stopped and that Micky is kept safe from all this.

Edison

Popcorn
Popcorn was a really interesting book exploring ideas of anxiety and bullying in a way that appeals to children and is humorous. The book had an interesting story line and I had mixed opinions about the whole Grandma ordeal, but overall this book was Ok enough to maybe make it into the longlist, but i don't think it should've been in the shortlist.

Estlin K

On the Wall
This book was my favourite book of all the Carnegies, including the shortlist. This was a fun book to read as well as very enjoyable. I was able to relate to the characters as it takes place a few years ago in my life. Finley is a good protagonist as he is a nice person but not completely emotionless as the other classmates seem to think. Throughout the story, many lessons are taught (pun unintended) such as how you should be yourself even if people question it or try to change it and to accept yourself for who you are. While this book is very good at getting messages across, one theme I think the author either tried or should have focused on more was the change and transition in school. i very much enjoyed this book and I give it a... 9/10

Elliott.H

Twenty Four Seconds from Now
I found this book funny, heart-warming and , overall, great. I like how the book is unique from others with an interesting chapter structure and how Neon's family business is making door knockers. I enjoyed how Neon and Aria's relationship changed, from meeting each other for the first time to finally having intimacy. I really liked how Neon's grandparents first met, and how his grandmother went to her husband's grave often. I would recommend this book to people who enjoy tender, touching stories!

Miguel M.C

Birdie
Birdie was a short but effective story exploring ideas of racism and empathy towards animals. The story followed a young girl in 1950s Yorkshire leaving a childrens home in Leeds to live with her Great Aunt, who is reluctant to take her in at first, but eventually settles in. The story also follows Birdie (the girl) finding a horse in the mines and her journey to save it. I really enjoyed the ending of this book, but overall it lacked a bit of umph.

Estlin K

Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody
I quite liked this book - definitely my favourite out of all of the shortlist. It is about a group of lizard friends - Zeke, Daniel and Alicia. They are all hall monitors in their school. But there is also this bully called Pelicarnassus, a pelican who wears a nice hat and wants to be a supervillain He bullies the lizards and Zeke ends up punching him. They eventually are forced by the school to apologise to each other. The lizards end up meeting a blind hawk who they become friends with and fight back against Pelicarnassus. It was probably meant for a younger audience put I am quite childish so I liked it. 9/10

Edison

Twenty Four Seconds from Now
I found this book quite enjoyable and a fun read. The start of the book took me by surprise and it made me wonder how this book could be in the same group as a book about a lizard. I liked how the story was told in reverse until when they first meet but it would have been better if there was a significance to the number 24. It was a heartwarming (at some parts) read and I liked how no one got pregnant that was a nice touch. Over all I give this book a... 8/10

Elliott.H

Wolf Siren
I found Wolf Siren a very energetic, empowering book about a girl and her family history, and i think this book really helps show how powerful women are. This book explores basic topics of feminism and sexism, and had a really nice story line, a great plot and a few nice plot twists.

Estlin K

Popcorn
Popcorn was interesting for me. I like the description of his anxiety being linked to a popcorn. I also liked the story line and the seriousness hidden in the silliness (The grandma coming back to the school but the hidden story of her having a deadly condition.) There were a few details I didn't like though, and I didn't like the American style on it.

Billy C

The Boy I Love
I thought this book was quite good, apart from the very start which was a bit slow. However the rest of it made up for it with its entertaining plot, realistic characters and constant action. I think this book did a good job of showing what many men went through in WW1, and how there are good people like Captain Jackson despite many of the other commanders. I enjoyed reading this book and would definitely recommend. I would give this book a 8/10.

Alfie S

Shrapnel Boys
Very good book. I enjoyed the concept of kids getting trapped in crime during WW2. Love the development of Johnny, it’s like he’s on the brink whether he likes Micky or not. I also like how Mr Etherington is explored and how in reality he is a war hero not a strict Headmaster. Love this, overall 9/10

Joseph.c

Popcorn
Boring book, main story follows the main character having bad things happen to him, over and over, the main development was the Grandma sutuation which shows the friendship between Andrew and the side character. Overall 5/10

Joseph.c

Twenty Four Seconds from Now
I thought this book was reasonably good. Its unique way of going back 24 seconds then minutes, then hours and so on was actually quite good at showing the characters background and explaining events that I might not have understood otherwise. However, I did think that the plot was a bit slow and as you already know what was going to happen, it wasn't that exciting. Overall, I would give this book a 6/10.

Alfie S

Ghostlines 
My expectations were set low for this book after talking with my friends about it, but I didn't think it was that bad - the plot was a bit bland, but relatively original, and the characters were built nicely. I felt that Rowan's name was repeated way too often - almost every other page - but it did emphasise her connection with him, and how important he was. I think that the fact that Tilda never wanted to leave Ayrie was a bit unrealistic - surely she would have thought about it once or twice - and that the "ghostlines" should have played a much bigger role, considering that that was the title of the book. Overall, I found that the plot was original, but a bit slow, and the characters were developed well. 7/10.

Aashaz Z.

Stealing Happy
I loved this book. I enjoyed how it tackled real world issues that children can understand as well as adults. I also liked how Sonny and his friends managed to help his mum save his house being repossessed. I would recommend

Eli S

On the Wall
I enjoyed this book. I liked it because it was a calm book and it made me feel the same reading it. I also liked that Finley also made it a safe space for his classmates as well. I would recommend.

Eli S

Ghostlines 
I thought this book was alright. The story takes quite a while to get started but when it does it was quite interesting. I believe that a younger audience such as someone moving to secondary school would relate more to this book. The language was quite intriguing and paints vivid images of the scenery.

Yusuf K

Wolf Siren
I thought this book was an interesting take on the Little Red Riding Hood story. It incorporates themes of misogyny quite well into the book. I also quite liked the supernatural aspects of it with the wolf powers. I personally found this book to the best out of the ones I read. While it was an okay book I thought it was better than the rest of the options.

Yusuf K

Not Going To Plan
I didn't like this book very much. I thought that the characters were very basic and not very interesting. The book loses half of the plot with the GCSEs being overshadowed completely. The ending was unfulfilling and did not resolve anything in the book

Yusuf K

Birdie
Chapters were too short, uninteresting and boring. 2/10

Connor R

Not Going To Plan
I really enjoyed this book, it was my favourite from the Carnegies. I enjoy the secondary school setting, it's not relatable as such but it's familiar. It's a very important issue that it covers, especially among teenagers

Felix L

Wolf Siren
I didn't find this book that interesting, I like the twist on little red riding hood but I think tales like that are better to be left unadapted. It was relatively easy to follow so it's still a good book.

Felix L

The Boy I Love
I enjoyed this book, I think its a very real story that many men likely had to go through. The descriptions of the war and the story it follows is very accurate and clearly well researched, it made it interesting and enjoyable to read.

Felix L

Popcorn
I quite liked the plot of this book, it is definitely a good concept for a book in the Carnegies. The story of a child with bad anxiety suits what young fiction often tries to get across. I like how the author related it to his own personal experiences. The sub plot surrounding his grandma with dementia was quite heart warming

Felix L

Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody
I really hated this book, its redeeming factor was the story of Zeke going through his school life and his hardships. The rest of it was hard to follow, random and quite corny. Its just extremely unrealistic for a book of Carnegie standard. In my opinion it was by far the worst Carnegie book.

Felix L

Ghostlines 
I also really enjoyed the setting in this book, the rural enchanted island is a perfect way to show the type of character Tilda is. She lives for Ayrie and it is well suited to her. It is a good place to tell a story of friendship like this, and it also shows how tourism can impact the locals of places.

Felix L

Birdie
This was one of my favourite of the books, I enjoy the setting of a small village in the Yorkshire dales. I'm not a huge fan of Birdie as a character, however I like her character development as she gets used to living in the countryside. The relationship between her aunt and her is heartwarming.

Felix L

Ghostlines 
I quite enjoyed Ghostlines because it was a very descriptive and emotive book. It's about a girl, Tilda, who lives on an island and her life is very good. But then this boy, Albie arrives and he hates everything that Tilda likes, and Tilda shows him the secret island that no-one is meant to go there. I enjoyed this book because it showed emotive language and portrayed the characters feelings very well. 7/10.

Sebastian H

Birdie
This was one of my least favourite books, I didn't find it interesting and I found most of it was about horses, and I just don't particularly like them enough to read a book where most of it is about horses. I also found the use of thou and you in the same sentence was just confusing and annoying to read.

Henry W-R

Wolf Siren
I did not like this book that much. I felt like it was quite boring and despite being very original and an interesting twist of a classic fairy tale, It just didn't keep me wanting to read more of it.

Henry W-R

Stealing Happy
It was an ok book as it was quite emotional but I don't really like it. I wouldn't really recommend it to anyone else.

Mohammed

Popcorn
This is not a book I would have chosen to read myself, but actually it was okay. The book is about a boy called Andrew who is having an awful day on picture day - where you get your picture taken for the year book. Even though I sometimes I prefer a slower paced book, I quite enjoyed the quick pace in this book. Even though it was based on one day the book moved along quickly. I enjoyed the humour and thought it was decent at explaining stress and anxiety - I quite liked the analogy of your stress being a popcorn. I would probably say it is aimed for kids between 8 and 13, and give it a 7/10.

Edmund

The Boy I Love
I enjoyed The Boy I Love - the plot was interesting and original, and the characters had depth to them. I felt it opened my eyes to the persecution and discrimination in the armed forces, but Captain Jackson sort of balanced it, showing how there is also kindness and sympathy. I learnt a lot about WW1 as well, especially for a fiction book. I felt that the ending was heartwarming, and showed how that there is always hope, even in seemingly hopeless situations. Emotions were portrayed very well - I could feel some of the frustration when the higher ups don't listen to Stephen and Danny's findings from a mission that they were told to do, which also revealed the flaws in the armed forces at the time. Overall, I found it a nice way to explore the relationship through the lens of World War 2. 7.5/10.

Aashaz Z.

Popcorn
I thought Popcorn was an okay book, but I didn't enjoy it that much. One good thing about it is that the story is creative and has some funny moments. However, I found the plot a bit repetitive and predictable, which made it less exciting to read. Overall, while the book had an interesting idea, it was low mid.

raqeeb

Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody
I didn't enjoy Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody very much. The story felt confusing, and a lot of the events didn't seem to connect properly. There were several parts where I wasn't sure what was happening or why it was important. Although the book had some creative ideas, I found it hard to stay interested because the plot didn't make much sense to me. The characters also weren't very memorable.

raqeeb

Not Going To Plan
This book wasn't my favourite, though it did discuss some important topics. One of the main reason why I didn't like this book that much was because I found the format of it a bit confusing at times, especially when the writing was in a spiral pattern. However, I did like how it showed the events of the book from both Marnie and Zed's points of view. Before I read this book, I didn't know what stealthing was, and it does a good job of showing how damaging it can be to someone's life. I would give this book a 6/10.

Alfie S

Shrapnel Boys
Shrapnel boys was the best book by far. The writing style, structure, and character arc was excellent. The ending was satisfying but in keeping with the tense tone of the rest of the book. It felt surprisingly relatable for a World War Two book. The descriptions were gripping and well written. I'm surprised that this book was not shortlisted, as it was, in my opinion, a better read than many of the other books. I really enjoyed reading this book.

Oliver R

Ghostlines 
I really enjoyed Ghostlines! The setting of the island was really nice and well described, and really made me want to visit it! Some people felt that the book was slow to start, but I disagree. It was really nice to see Albie progress and grow to accept the island, and belonging wasn't really a theme I have seen before, so that was nice. Finally, the plot with Rowan was hinted at throughout the book, but I thought that it was a bit unrealistic that the only reason he was ignoring her is that he didn't know what to say, but it wasn't that bad. Overall, I really liked it!

Edward L

Wolf Siren
I rather enjoyed this twist on Little Red riding hood. It was quite mysterious and entertaining, however, I felt the best part was the last half as not much really happened in first half, so it was quite slow to read. I felt that near the end it went a bit too far with people turning into wolves. It explored themes of gender roles and sexism. Overall, this book was quite good and I would give it a 7/10.

Alfie S

Birdie
I thought Birdie was a decent book, however it was quite slow at the start. Because it was from Birdie's point of view, it showed the events of the book nicely, like how the teacher just gave her a puzzle to do even though she was as clever, if not more, than the rest of her class. Overall, it was a decent read and I would recommend to people who want to read a historical book with themes of racism, identity and one with horses in. I would give it an 7/10.

Alfie S

Not Going To Plan
I thought this was a good book - but I didn't really enjoy it. When I was reading it, I tried to appreciate that it was written very well, and the plot moved at a good pace so it didn't feel too slow and dragging or too quick. I found this was quite hard to do because I don't want to read on themes like teen pregnancy, especially when there are plenty of other books that are also written well that are far more enjoyable. I wouldn't recommend this to someone else, unless they asked for recommendations on that topic.

Edward M

Shrapnel Boys
Shrapnel Boys is my favourite book, in all of the Longlist! Shrapnel Boys is the best book in all of the Longlist! I personally think that Shrapnel Boys should have been given a chance in the Shortlist. I know all the books in the Shortlist were good, but I still think that Shrapnel Boys should have been in the Shortlist. It is about a boys called Ronnie Smith, his little brother, Mickey and their friend Billy(also known as Lugs) and how they lead their lives in World War 2. I would recommend this book to anyone loves adventurous, fast-paced and thrilling books blended in with history. Shrapnel Boys starts when war strikes through London in 1939. Ronnie, Mickey and Lugs, who weren't evacuated, are nervous and excited for the war to come. Nervous for the bombs to fall, and excited to go foraging for all the shrapnel with their friends. Ronnie, Mickey and Lugs were best mates, but when a suspicious man named Johnny Simmons enchant his mother and Mickey away, their friendship gets torn in half. As there is lots of shrapnel everywhere, Arthur, Graham and Harry(The Wreckers) have a bet versus Ronnie, Mickey and Lugs(The Shrapnel Boys) to see who could collect more shrapnel. When Johnny Simmons gets his brother doing secret jobs and being up to no good, Ronnie steps in and tries to warn his mother and Mickey. But, all he gets is being told off by his mother. As Mickey's friendship spirals away from Ronnie and Lugs, Ronnie gets an idea- a good idea, but very risky. His plan is that he and Lugs join Johnny's gang, just to save Mickey from not getting caught by the police. But, when he finds out that Johnny is working for the Blackshirts(a group of fascists for Adolf Hitler), Ronnie becomes desperate to snap Mickey away from the dangerous new life he is leading. And when their dad dies, it just makes Ronnie even more determined to get Johnny away from his family. When they were about to do the heist to get the important blueprint for the special RADAR, they get spotted and get chased by the police. When they were about to split up and create a decoy, Ronnie grabs all of them and drags them down a street, to the bombed up place which they call 'The Den'. In the 'Den', they give the blueprint to Mr Etherington, their headmaster who then rounds up Johnny with the police. But at the Den, Micky gets stabbed by a piece of shrapnel on the floor. As Mickey is sent to the hospital, their mother, Cathy, apologizes to Ronnie that she should have trusted him and that Johnny was always a bit harsh towards him. At the end, Ronnie, Lugs, Graham, Harry and Arthur give Mickey a go-cart as a gift for him to get well. The end was really heartfelt moment where the boys become best friends again.

Mithulesh A

Stealing Happy
Stealing Happy is a very good book. It is about a boy called Sonny Gilmour, who has Tourette's syndrome, and how he navigates through his life- and how his family get in debt by £5500. It is very emotional, and it dives deep into how he feels about having Tourette's, and about how he pays his mother's debt back. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes funny books dealing with serious things in life- including disability. When Sonny discovers that his mother had borrowed money from Chick Lenon, the person who is famous for doing nothing good, he is shocked. His family know that Chick Lenon is a very bad person, and that he will put the whole family in jail if Sonny's family didn't return the money. At first, they tried to hide it from his dad, because of a long Covid, but eventually tells him because they need money. His dad was a postman or as Sonny calls him 'POSTMAN PAT!' and he cannot do his job anymore because he is too weak and that he would spread Covid via the letters when he touch them. Sonny is hopeless and is preparing for doom, until when he gets an idea. Sonny, Jonah, his best friend, and Carolina make up a cunning plan to rob Chick Lenon from his own ill-gotten gains. The job is tough, and it doesn't help when Sonny's Tourette's tics up 'ROB CHICK LENON', but they have high hopes. Their plan is to rob Archie Burns, a school bully- who delivers lots of money to Chick Lenon. After planning cunningly, they get the bag, containing the money, from Archie's bike. When they were running away from Archie, they had a close encounter with the police. But, the police weren't chasing them, they were just heading off to the police station to put Chick Lenon in jail for all the bad deeds he'd done. The end was very happy and it was like how Sonny had wanted to be from the beginning of the book.

Mithulesh A

Wolf Siren
Wolf Siren is my favourite book in the Carnegie Shortlist! This book is action-packed, adventurous and exciting and, at the same time, it covers themes of gender equality, disability and power. This wonderful novel is a exciting spin-off of the tale 'Little Red Riding Hood', but with a unique and meaningful twist. Wolf Siren is about a girl called Red, who is born with visual impairment so she can't see the colour red, and how she navigates her life as being half wolf and half girl- a wolf-woman. Red has a deep connection with the mysterious woods, which surrounds their village, where her grandmother disappeared without a trace. Women are safe in the woods while men are not, so the mayor banned everyone from going into the woods so it would make it look like that men were superior to women and not the other way round. When the village woodcutter, a young woman called Caragh, is missing, the mayor blames the wolves for killing her and that the woods weren't safe for women anymore. And when Red discovers who killed Caragh(the mayor's gang), the men pretend like that was false, but the women of the village believe her. When Red has a parcel to deliver to Mrs Blaeberry, who the people call a witch, in the middle of the woods, she turns into a wolf at Mrs Blaeberry's house. Mrs Blaeberry tells Red a story, a story about Red's grandmother. During the story, Red discovers secrets, secrets that threaten Red's entire family. After discovering her family's past, Red is furious with her mother for not telling her about her family and is worried that her sister, Aerona, might be a wolf-woman as well. When that proves to be true, Red and Aerona leave their mother and younger brother, Luki, with their friend, Delana, to the woods, where they find their grandmother. As Red discovers more and more hidden secrets, she understands the conflict between man and wolf and so she tries to use that useful information to bind the people of her village and the wolves together. When that completely goes wrong and Aerona gets shot by Zac- a local villager, Red gets revenge and overthrows the mayor and their gang and establishes new rules- rules which see both men and women as equal. At the end, Red buries Aerona. This book was really emotional and it shows that women and men are the equal.

Mithulesh A

On the Wall
It was an OK book but it had a missing story-line so that kind of messed it up. I don't really like books like this as I like having a proper story-line. I would rate it a 6 as it was OK but could be better. I wouldn't really recommend it to others.

Mohammed

Wolf Siren
Wolf Siren was a good book, it had unexpected twists and turns, it's hard to write about the book without giving any spoilers. The writing style was good, easy to read and had a very good plot. I liked how it was written in the first person which means that I could feel more empathy for the character. It was a Fairytale book - kind of a twist on Red Riding Hood, but still had things relevant to todays society, like the mention of girls and boys colours, and the difficulties of being partially sighted. I thought it was more for younger audiences but it was still enjoyable as a teenager. I would probably say its good for age 9+, and overall would give it 8/10.

Edmund

Twenty Four Seconds from Now
I thought this book was an alright book. I liked the concept on having the story start at the end and it went back in time. This book contains love and passion between the two main characters and I thought it was written well but I would recommend it for 14+.

henry

The Boy I Love
I quite liked this book, I think it had a good story to tell and anyone could understand the emotion and hard work the people go through. It had action, love and hate in it everything a good story should have.

henry

Not Going To Plan
I didn't really like this book. The pages had almost no words on them and I couldn't really tell who was talking. I think this book was a bit inappropriate so I would recommend for 14+. I think it was an alright book.

henry

Ghostlines 
I think this was my favourite Carnegie as it involved everything I would class as a good book - a bit of humour, a bit of action and lots of cheerful parts. I would recommend this for 10-15 year olds as I found it amazing.

henry

Wolf Siren
It was a solid read but it looked like it was a fairy tale which doesn't suit me that well as I read those books in year 7 and I have moved past them, but for anyone under 12 it would be a good read. The plot is good and so is the storyline, summoning wolves is a really cool idea. But as I said this books didn't suit me I will give it a 3.5/10

LAKSH L

Birdie
I really enjoyed the book although it did move quite slowly but the storyline made me push through. The story was quite eye catching and also the plot is great as it is not fantasy it is reality as this was quite literally what happened to dark skinned individuals. Overall I'll give it a solid 6/10

LAKSH L

Twenty Four Seconds from Now
24 seconds from now was an ok book. It was about a guy and his girlfriend. It goes through the past 2 years in reverse, starting from now and going back 24 seconds then 24 minutes then 24 hours and so on. I still don’t know why it’s “24” this and “24” that… 6/10

Edison

Ghostlines 
I really like this book how it is quite fantasy-based. The main story really fits the theme of the book itself. The description is vivid and very clear. I like it how it is quite adventurous like exploring a haunted island. Overall I think it is just a good book in general.

Tahmeed

Shrapnel Boys
Shrapnel Boys is an excellent read. I think it is a great way to teach young individuals about world war 2. It reminds us that we have infinite potential when we work together as a team. I think this book is suitable for children over the age of 10. Overall, this is the perfect World War 2 book for young children.

Hamzah S

Shrapnel Boys
Shrapnel Boys was thrilling to read, and I'd found it similar to Michael Morpurgo's war stories. It was a long book, but I enjoy reading books from different time periods, and this set during the blitz in 1939 interested me. I think the only problem with the book was that it felt like there the amount of side plots made it fell repetitive. But apart from that, a really good read and it's one of the few Carnegie books I would recommend.

taha

On the Wall
On the wall. A book about a quiet boy called Finley who is different from the rest… This book strangely got me hooked. The characteristics and ideas of the boy Finley really caught me on to this book. I like the way the teachers envy him just for enjoying being silent which I can only slightly relate to it because of the level of peace he is on. Though the story never really moves, I still enjoyed it especially the bits where the people ask Finley for help, think it isn’t help full and then go back and apologize like Katherine and Ian. Throughout the story, many lessons are taught (pun unintended) such as how you should be yourself even if people question it or try to change it and to accept yourself for who you are. While this book is very good at getting messages across, one theme I think the author either tried or should have focused on more was the change and transition in school. This could have made the book better at showing character arks for people in his class which would provide the -as other readers have quoted- “missing story line”, emphasised the message about school transition and shown even more how Finley was a different and strange character. On a whole, I enjoyed it especially the part where everyone was worshipping Finley.

Hal Lawton

Not Going To Plan
This was my favourite Carnegie! First of all, I likes the characters, they felt believable, and both Marnie and Zed had well thought out problems they both solved, and didn't detract from each other. I really enjoyed seeing them and other characters progress throughout the story! I also appreciated that Zed's entire personality was not solely "Nerd", and had some nuance, as sometimes can be a problem. My only minor criticism was that the style of writing could get a little confusing in parts, but I think this was worth it, as it brought a lot to the story both with the words themselves, and creatively the structure of the words. It covered multiple deep issues, such as teenage pregnancy, abortion, sexuality and pressure, but I felt that each one was handled well without feeling forced or rushed. The book also taught me something new, both the term of "stealthing", quite how horrible it can be, that it is a form of rape, and I really think it is important to raise awareness of issues such as this. Abortion, the major topic discussed is also very important, both the ethical side and raising awareness on how to do it safely. I also thought it was really interesting how the book included a person opposed to abortion, yet showed how they could remain friends, promoting a society where different opinions can co-exist peacefully. Finally, I really liked the conclusion, and I felt it was a really clever way to tie everything together with an art piece about the themes of the book!

Edward L

The Boy I Love
I didn't like the main aspect of this book with the two boys being together but i did like how the book illustrated how gay people were treated in the 1900's. It shows how if someone found out about your desires. your whole world would turn upside down. This shows how far we have come to supporting the LGBTQ+ community and how we can all be united as one

Akmal

The Boy I Love
This book was very emotional, talking about how the war can split and destroy so many relationships and how really brutal the trenches in the battle of the Somme was. The book was ok but I would not read it again

Joshua R

The Boy I Love
I quite liked this book the aspects of a a big story before this book is based about Michael's death intrigued me I also like the character development of Danny and how Wraxwell looked over him whilst also looking after his troop (wing thingy). I liked how Wraxwell and Danny developed as a pair, but I think it was a little bit rushed. 7/10

Billy C

Birdie
Birdie is a book that i could not really get in to but I can see how it could appeal to some people because of the gripping plot.

Theo B

Ghostlines 
This book is another book for a younger audience like Popcorn, Lizard Nobody, and Wolf Siren. The other younger books felt much easier to get through than this and had a better plot. I thought this book was really hard to get through and you could predict everything. The puffins were also added for no reason and weren't dived into. The book could have been better and I feel like even younger people wouldn't read it. The book also reinforces the really average books picked this year, last year and last last year's worst books would have been easier to read than this.

Muyang

Wolf Siren
This was a really good book. Although being for a younger audience, I thought it was really enjoyable and was very unexpected, although not really at the end where Wilson was revealed to have killed the woodcutter. It would have been a better ending if someone loveable, like the baker, was revealed to be the villain fitting for the unexpected turns in the book, although it was made up for when Aerona died. Before I read this, I thought not going to plan was the best but now I think this is my choice for the winner.

Muyang

Twenty Four Seconds from Now
I thought this book wasn't the best, although exploring the unique idea of jumping through different time periods, the number "24" wasn't explored, I have no idea if it means 24 as in hours or of something else significant. I liked how there were many stories in it though. I thought it wasn't the best because the content was a bit bland.

Muyang

Birdie
I didn't really understand this book as it was a bit slow. It did show the feelings of the actual Birdie. It was ok but not for me.

Mohammed

Birdie
I would say overall Birdie was a decent book and was interesting. It was about a girl called Birdie who lived in an orphanage in Leeds then got adopted by her aunt. At first she struggled because she was bullied because of the colour of her skin and missed her friends from the orphanage, but as she starts to settle in catastrophe strikes. This book is about identity, race, courage and friendship. Birdie struggled because of the way people treated her because of her race. I thought the writing style was good, I liked the pace and how it was written from Birdie’s perspective – it helped me to understand her and how she struggled because of the way people treated her. I sometimes struggle with font when reading, but I liked the font of this book. I would give Birdie a 7/10.

Edmund

Birdie
I enjoyed Birdie. The setting was really interesting, and I was taught about something I had no idea about: pit ponies. I liked how Birdie became more comfortable in the village over time, and her Aunt progressing throughout the story. The sadly stigmatised society against mixed race couples was not something I had thought about, so it was a good topic to talk about, however I think it would have been good if the book focused a bit more on that and explored the theme more, as it was only really mentioned once, and rather suddenly. Despite this, I thought Birdie was a very nice story about fitting in, that taught me about some things I didn't really know of or consider!

Edward L

Popcorn
I really enjoyed Popcorn! At first, I thought it wouldn't be very serious due to the humour, but I thought it did an excellent job at actually being quite funny and easy to read, whilst still discussing anxiety, OCD, dementia and bullying really well. I thought the story was nice, and had a good conclusion. I also really liked how it de-stigmatised both anxiety and OCD, but also therapy, showing his initial doubts versus how it really was. If I had any criticisms it would be that the ending with Gene felt somewhat unrealistic, but it wasn't awful, and was a nice message. Overall, it was really good!

Edward L

Birdie
Birdie by J. P. Rose is a historical novel about identity, friendship and belonging. At the start, Birdie is excited to leave the children’s home and live with family, but she quickly realises life in the village is harder than she expected. In the middle of the story, her friendship with Mr Duke was one of the more interesting parts because it helped develop Birdie’s character. By the end, I liked how Birdie had become more confident and changed people’s views. Some parts of the book felt quite slow and a bit boring at times, so it was not my favourite book, but overall it was still a good story with an important message.

Connor F

Wolf Siren
Wolf siren is ok as it is kind of a mystery but it is fast paced but i would not really reccomend it.

Mohammed

Popcorn
Popcorn, I believe, is one of the best carnegies out there. Andrew is an normal boy in normal school. Except for one common problem, anxiety. He is in a family with only his mum and grandma and lives in one small apartment. It is photo day, so Andrew’s mum bought a new shirt for Andrew, and his mum also went for a new job. This may not seem that much of a deal, but to Andrew- who is living in close poverty- it means a lot and he doesn’t want it to get destroyed on the first day. Unironically, this happens. This book is about a terrible day in the life of a boy with severe anxiety. The book perfectly shows the effects of anxiety in a smaller level to younger audiences and really emphasizes the impact of friendships and bullying on people around you. I think it had just enough advice to not be boring, just enough humour to not be just a really bad day and just enough anxiety and badness to not be overly excessive. I think many people could find this book quite relatable even without anxiety because hasn’t everyone had a bad day with everything going wrong and everything feeling a bit louder. Overall I can’t think of anything bad to say but only that maybe it could have more of the funny picture-diagrams because I thought they were a really good way of showing younger readers more complicated things. Very high praise review from me and hope it wins!

Hal Lawton

Twenty Four Seconds from Now
I love this book, especially the unique reverse chronological timeline, it rewound from 24 seconds from now to 24 minutes to him bringing Aria fried chicken. After all this was a good book. I would give it 6.7/10

LAKSH L

The Boy I Love
I found The Boy I Love an outstanding heartbreaking and vital story. I love the fact how they managed to manage the absolute grimness of the war with an incredibly tender romance and also yeah this book doesn't sugarcoat anything especially the trenches in the battle of Somme which is vividly portrays. And if they got caught they would be literally done for life. I'd give this a solid 7.5/10

LAKSH L

Popcorn
I loved how funny this book was because like Andrew just wants to take a picture to take the stress of his mom but the universe has other plans like science experiment going which was absolutely mental. The plot twist was quite heartbreaking as his grand mother got Alzheimer's and she has wandered off at this point he got to ask help from his friends. After all this book was a mix of humour and emotions I'd give it a 8.3/10

LAKSH L

Not Going To Plan
I like the storyline a bit as it shows the un sugarcoated truth of teenage pregnancy and how they handled an abortion emotionally but what really set me off was the poetic format as I was used to book written in that format to rhyme but either ways its was a solid read. I'd give it a 5.5\10

LAKSH L

Ghostlines 
I found Ghostlines quite emotional and deeply moving because it shows the feeling of being left behind belonging and grief like perfectly and I also love poetic sea soaked writing made this one of my favourites this year, absolute banger, I'd give it a solid 9.5/10

LAKSH L

Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody
I found the book quite funny and I found it weirdly similar to captain Underpants. Anyways this book was completely bonkers I loved Zeke he was so funny and Miel he was also up there. And this book was also similar to school life fast shaming, intimidation and everything . Anyways I would give this book a solid 8/10

LAKSH L

Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody
I found this a quick, engaging and funny read and I really enjoyed it. I would rate it a 10/10.

Musa H 7P

Ghostlines 
I think Ghostlines is a good book if you are in to adventures and mysteries. I would recommend this book for people aged 7 or 8 because it has some spark of adventure in it. I think it also had a trait of exploration with the haunted island. I would rate this book a 7.5/10 because is make you want to read more.

Ayaan N

Wolf Siren
I didn't enjoy this book because it was like Little Red riding hood. I would rate it a 4/10.

Musa H 7P

Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody
Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody is a silly book about a lizard in school with an evil narcissistic archenemy. This book is a very funny book which gave me the chuckles by the first page (the monitor lizards become -unironically- hall monitors). I know many people loved this book but, personally, I didn't like it that much. I thought that while it is meant to be a funny book -which it is- I think it was a bit it wild and unpredictable, with someone trying to destroy the school in a robot and then the hero's find out that the hall monitor sashes shoot lasers. I just think it isn't serious enough. Others would disagree and say that his mum having a metaphor of depression as the black dog is quite serious and used to talk to smaller kids about it and how it contained characters like Miel with disabilities but I think that it wasn't focussed on enough for it to be a theme in the book or too show people how devastating depression is. Overall I think this book is a good option for younger audiences, providing: humour, mental health, disabilities, friendship and bullying.

HalLawton

Twenty Four Seconds from Now
I think that 24 Seconds from Now was a interesting book and I really enjoyed the way it was written by going back in time and showing us more of Neon and Aria's past. This made it a great read. I also really enjoyed the plot and story line. I think it showed how scary new things can be and you shouldn't rush things. Overall I think this was a good read considering I would have never picked up a book like this.

LeoL

Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody
While yes, I did mostly enjoy the book, it wasn't revolutionary, and felt quite young, especially for Carnegies, which usually comes out with some very emotional books that cover very deep, interesting topics. Even as a comedy book, it wasn't particularly funny, and the plot was very basic. I'm pretty sure the"black dog" was supposed to represent his mum's depression, however not only was this barely explored in the book, with the giant evil robot laser pelican taking a lot more focus, feeling rather thrown in there instead of an actual part of the book. Overall, I enjoyed it somewhat, but it wasn't amazing.

Edward L

Popcorn
I thought popcorn wasn't a bad book overall but I would have expected slightly more from a Carnegie. I found the ending slightly confusing especially the fact that the whole point of the book seemed to be working up to the photo yet in the end he did not care. I didn't love it, I didn't hate it 6/10.

alfiec

Popcorn
It is ok as it teaches young kids how to deal with anxiety but it wasn't really for me and I would recommend this book for 8 or 9 year olds.

Mohammed

Not Going To Plan
This book is one of my favourites this year. The format it is in makes it much easier to read as well as the story being written in the perspectives of the 2 main characters. I felt like the story was very heartfelt and the characters were quite likeable.

Henry W-R

Popcorn
This book might be one of my least favourites so far. It is definitely aimed at people younger than me and I think that many younger children would really like it. I can also see some really important topics mentioned within the book that should be talked about more. However I felt like it was too childish and it may have cause some of these messages to get forgotten.

Henry W-R

The Boy I Love
I quite liked this book despite it being in a genre that I wouldn't usually read in. I really liked how the story progressed and how historically accurate it is. I think that it talks abut a topic that is extremely important currently.

Henry W-R

Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody
I wasn't a big fan of this book. I felt like it was too young for me and I definitely wouldn't recommend this to people similar in age to me. I found the bit about France made it very confusing and not that easy to read.

Henry W-R

The Boy I Love
I found The Boy I Love to be rather over hated on. After hearing one too many negative reviews about this book I was not too excited and for the first 30 pages it appeared that these people were right as it started quite slow (as many a good book does but I was worried as I believed the whole thing would be slow as that was the main problem many had complained about). However, immediately after this the action started and I found myself immersed in this novel I once feared. I thought that Stephen and Danny had great chemistry and really added to the plot. Although I did get a little confused between the many army official's names, Beddowes was presented as a good enemy as opposed to the Germans who are seen as comrades in arms. I really liked this as it highlighted the misconception that the German soldiers were bad, as the majority of them were forced to fight for their country and were really just regular working citizens with guns. I was, however slightly disappointed with the final push that they made as it lacked depth and the main part of the action was over a little too quickly. The ending was also just ok, nothing special but not bad either. I learned rather a lot about WW1 and trench conditions in this book which was nice. Overall, I found The Boy I Love to be a good book with a decent plot and strong characters. It gave a nice perspective on WW1 and taught me some things. Plot:6/10 Characters:9/10 Setting:7/10 Style:6/10 Total:28/40

Sevan

Birdie
Birdie is a tender, touching story and is one of my favourite Carnegies. It is an excellent way of teaching children about racism and how we should challenge it. After all, why should the colour of our skin change who we are as a person? I would recommend this book to any age group. Overall, Birdie was a delightful read.

Hamzah S

Popcorn
This book was quite interesting to me as it showed what people with anxiety go through. The illustrations were also quite good at explaining things that I might not have understood otherwise, like the 5 taps that Andrew feels he must do. Even though the book's events take place during just one school day, it still doesn't feel slowly paced as so many things happen. I enjoyed reading this book and would definitely recommend it to most people.

Alfie S

Ghostlines 
I really enjoyed Ghostlines because it was relaxing to read, as the descriptions are very detailed and immersive. I also like how it didn't just give you all the information about Rowan and the island, which made it a bit mysterious. I did think it was a bit short and not much really happens. I also really liked the bond between Tilda and Moses, her dog as it felt realistic and and at times, funny.

Alfie S

Wolf Siren
Wolf siren is a book about a girl called Red who lives in a forest with other people of the village. The forest is feared because men are attacked by wolves and this caused a wall to be built around the village to protect them. Women cannot enter the forest either because the men get jealous and get angry at them. Red's grandmother comes back from when she leaves when she is around 7. she shows her how to summon wolves but leaves after 3 years, this is sad for Red as her grandmother understood her better than anyone. Once she goes to a lady in the forest called Ms Blaeberry who practices magic and she accidentally turns into a wolf. The climax of the book shows Red leading hundreds of wolves to the village to prove they are not dangerous and her sister gets shot by a crossbow. After this the end is happy but also sad because of the sister's death. I would recommend this book and would give it and 8/10.

Thomas F

On the Wall
On The Wall is a book that I find sort of strange but I like it. The characters fit their places. I like how the main character of the story is unusually calm and happy. He sits on a wall in the school playground everyday. He sort of is like someone you could get advice from for help.

Tahmeed

On the Wall
I thought On The Wall was quite a good book. I liked how everybody became very interested in why Finley just sits on a wall. I also enjoyed how it showed how he tried to explain the feeling of just sitting on a wall.

Rafferty t

Birdie
I didn’t like Birdie. I thought it had a very slow start and didn’t have a great plot. It felt a bit like another Michael Morpurgo “connecting with an animal" story and wasn’t particularly good.

Rafferty t

Stealing Happy
I thought Stealing Happy was one of the better books in the Carnegie. It had a great plot and was enjoyable. One thing I liked especially was the fact that Sonny’s Tourette’s was built into the story and how it almost bottled the friends heist. Overall I thought Stealing Happy was a good book that had very few flaws (such as a slow start).

Rafferty t

Wolf Siren
I enjoyed Wolf Siren, it had a very strong plot and lots of surprising events such as her grandma revealed she can turn into a wolf as well as Aerona being shot with a crossbow. I enjoyed it for its strong detail and emotion that it showed, especially showing Red's feelings during the book. The book did have some less exciting parts in it which I wish were a bit more lively but all around was a good book. 7.5/10

Sebastian H

Wolf Siren
I think this book handles topics of mysoginy and childhood whimsy but also idiocy quite well and makes for an engaging story about magic and forests with intresting undertones and topics

Oscar (Occa)

Twenty Four Seconds from Now
Erm this book was ok, but I wouldn't recommend it, I like the idea of the time until the subject happens but I thought it was quite boring and not very well paced.

Oscar (Occa)

The Boy I Love
I think this book shows many good topics such as homosexuality in history and also horrors of war and how war constantly tears people and countries apart. Overall an alright book.

Oscar (Occa)

Popcorn
I think this book is great and handles a prevalent topic that is very relevant nowadays due to many advancements and discoveries being made with neurodivergence. It handles the topic of panic attacks ok and is overall a good book.

Oscar (Occa)

Ghostlines 
I think this was a very deep book which is surprising because it was able to also be very kid-friendly, following the protagonist trying to make friends with an anti-social person is a weirdly relatable topic. Also puffins are 10/10

Oscar (Occa)

Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody
I think this book is OK, I can see some younger people liking it much more but I enjoyed the light-heartedness of it. I also really enjoyed the character designs in the comic-style sections.

Oscar (Occa)

Birdie
I think this book is very good for tackling some quite sensitive topics and I can see a lot of people liking this one due to its fun story.

Oscar (Occa)

Popcorn
Trash. feels like a low quality, off brand obvious knock off of diary of a wimpy kid. This doesn't even feel like a Carnegie. This book disrespects the joy of reading a Carnegie

Mahad.K

Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody
This book was easy to read but the story was confusing at first. Some parts didn't make sense but later it didn't which confused me as I had to look back sometimes

abdul moeez

Birdie
In my opinion, the book was very boring. Not much happened, the pacing was slow and the ending wasn't good for me.

abdul moeez

Twenty Four Seconds from Now
3/5 It was engaging book and it is set in a way I have never seen before but I am not a fan of romance so I can't mark it fully. Because it was backwards I felt like the characters were recessing even though in the actual time line they were developing and there was a cheating plot line that started near the end and didn't get explained which I thought was confusing but maybe I just missed something so 6/10

Patrick H

Stealing Happy
This is definitely one of my favourite books I've read. After reading a bit of 'The Boy I Love', I decided to switch to 'Stealing happy' after getting bored out of my mind, and I do not regret it at all. Everything about this book was portrayed well, though I found it a bit realistic. Character development was amazingly portrayed by the author in most characters like Carolina, Jonah, Sonny's parents, Archie Burns, Chick Lennon etc, but I feel the author didn't tell us much about the main character himself, Sonny. He was portrayed very generally by the author, and I couldn't derive much personality from the limited character descriptions of him. Aside from this, I found the plot and setting excellent. The author really instilled a strong sense of hope and fear for the three protagonists in me, which made my heartbeat speed up towards the end. I would certainly recommend this book to anyone. Overall, I'd rate it a 9/10.

William B

Not Going To Plan
Let me describe this book. It's like searching through a landfill site and genuinely finding something that still useable and in decent condition. This book is like the best of the worst. This book, 24 seconds from now and Lizard Nobody are what has been convincing me to continue reading these disgraces and I hope my next read, Ghostlines, will not make me want to fall asleep.

Mahad.K

Twenty Four Seconds from Now
I didn't enjoy 24 Seconds From Now that much, since there wasn't really a clear plot and Aria & Neon's relationship wasn't really developed. However, I felt his relationship with his family was explored well, through the dialogue, awkward conversations, and actions. I also found the addition of the Yearbook Club and his other friends unnecessary - including just one or two, and exploring their friendship in more depth, would have been better. The use of snapshots in time could have been used to show a change in attitude/feelings about intimacy, and it did that a bit, but could have been done more. I liked how it mentioned how Aria was feeling a bit, but again, it could have developed it more. 6/10.

Aashaz

Wolf Siren
Wolf Siren was a creative re-imaginated version of Little Red Riding Hood, but mixed with gothic elements, which made it more thrilling and mysterious. The only problem was that the book felt like it was being dragged with no real pace. But overall a really interesting book.

Taha

Ghostlines 
Ghostlines was a book about a girl called Tilda, who is trying to make friends with the new boy called Albie after her brother left for the mainland. I found this book uninteresting, and I felt that not much happened. I thought that Albie changed his mind about Ayrie very quickly and that it was unrealistic that everyone was happy and that Rowan was the only person who left in a long time as most people wouldn't enjoy living on a remote island in the middle of nowhere. I thought the way they made friends was nice, and how they went to the secret island together. I would recommend this to someone about 11 years old, who likes book with more description and not exiting plot. Overall i give it 4/10.

Robin. O

Ghostlines 
Ghostlines is about a girl called Tilda who lives on an island and is grieving from her brother leaving to the mainland. When a boy called Albie comes she tries to convince him to stay as she doesn't want another person to leave the island even though his mind is already made up.This is where the real story begins and I loved how the plot sped up throughout the story.

Conor D

Ghostlines 
Ghostlines was an overall good story. It's mostly poetic and starts slow, but then gets better as it goes on. I enjoyed the thrilling ghostly side of the story with the haunted island and overall, a good stetting and atmposphere.

Taha

The Boy I Love
The Boy I Love is a slow read if you don't like books about war or love, it goes against discrimination and social expectations at the time. 7/10

Connor R

Twenty Four Seconds from Now
24 Seconds from now is a slow read if you don't like the genre, it is quite emotional, it is like little bang. 6/10

Connor R

Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody
I found this book a bit too silly and a bit too stupid as I thought Carnegies had books for older people and this one would probably be for 5+

henry

Birdie
It is a good book. It is quite slow moving and involves serious talk about racism. I would recommend it for people over ten.

henry

Wolf Siren
I enjoyed this book very much especially how it twisted the original fairy tale into something new. I would recommend to all ages.

Hasan i

Twenty Four Seconds from Now
24 Seconds from Now is a book that explores many themes and the one I like most is family support and connections that Neon uses not just to talk about his relationship but also his feelings and it also shows not to judge what masculinity really means. I also like how Neon always shows the most important thing to him is Aria (for example when he leaves work to buy her chicken) and this shows us the heart that Neon has. I would rate this book a 6/10 and recommend it to people ages 14+.

Hisham N

Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody
Overall I found Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody quite a childish book. The book had some good parts where they both got kicked out of school and when they both had a fight. I enjoyed this book so I would give it an 6/10

Jack a

Ghostlines 
I liked Ghostlines because the writing makes the island feel real, and the emotions between the characters come across clearly what I didn’t like was that some parts were a bit slow at the start, and I wanted the story to move faster.

Mohammed

Shrapnel Boys
Shrapnel Boys is a very gripping read. It is about normal boys in WW2. I really enjoyed it because I enjoy reading about WW2 and watching films about it. This was the best book by far so it is a 10/10

Cody w

Popcorn
Popcorn was a really good book dealing with anxiety, stress and bullying. I found this book really emotional and it focuses on how the main character, Andrew Yaeger, handles a normal day in his everyday life. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes funny novels with a deeper meaning on the inside and I would say that this book is aimed at ages 9-12. My favourite part of this story is about comparing Andrew's anxiety to a little corn kernel in a heated pan- getting hotter and hotter until it POPS! This story starts when Andrew gets a new shirt from his mom for picture day. He is anxious and panicking about how his picture will look like. At school, Gene Phillips(his bully) tears his collar, a person sneezes juice snot on his shirt, a science experiment, involving ketchup, goes wrong, getting ketchup all over his shirt and when he gets told that his grandma 'G', is missing, the 'HEAT' triggers his POPCORN scale to POP! But, he is helped by friends(and his teachers) and finally confronts Gene Phillips at the end. Overall, this book is one of the best Carnegies this year!

Mithulesh A

Birdie
I like Birdie because it was a wonderful book, set in Yorkshire in the 1500s. It was gentle, emotional and, sometimes, a bit exciting. The only annoying bit in this book was the use of colloquial language (for example, the "Thee"s, the "Thy"s and the "Thou"s). The story revolves around a girl called Birdie Bagshaw, who was put in an orphanage in Leeds when she was abandoned by her mother, and a pit pony named Mr Duke. Birdie has spent the whole of her short, happy life at the care house with her friends until when she is summoned to live with her great-aunt. She was upset and I really liked how J.P.Rose expressed Birdie's feelings and how she reacted. When she arrived at the countryside, she was treated with racism and was bullied because of the colour of her skin, but was completely oblivious until half-way in the book, which I find a bit unrealistic. When her teacher accused her of cheating in a maths question when she answered it for herself, she runs away from school and hides in a coal mine, where she meets Mr Duke, the last pit pony in Birdie's village. It is love at first sight and they become kindred spirits, which is weird, as they make a deep bond with just a single stroke. When she discovers that they are going to murder her beloved Mr Duke, she is heart-broken and she lets him free from the coal mine and runs away from the village to try to save him. It is easy to imagine how Birdie feels, as the author clearly describes her thoughts. But, when half the village men are trapped inside the coal mine, which was releasing poison gas, she and Mr Duke return to the village, helping the men get out of there before the gas kills them all. But, when Mr Duke was pulling the rocks to make an entry to the men, Mr Duke gets stranded in the mine, which really affects Birdie. She becomes very depressed and even though the village celebrates her, she feels isolated from her friends. But the unexpected happens at the end, where her great-aunt and uncle and all of the villagers surprise Birdie with finding Mr Duke. I liked how the story changed when they find Mr Duke. The end was really happy and heart-warming.

Mithulesh A

On the Wall
Out of all the books which I have read, this book was certainly an unusual one. It was different and bold. I liked this book very much, as this book strangely hooked my attention. I have never read books like this and I would definitely recommend this book towards anyone who would like to try something different. This book is about a boy called Finley Edward Tandy sitting on a wall. But, the thing about Finley, is that he can absolutely do nothing for ages and still be happy. Teachers (who secretly envy Finley's ability to stay calm during pressure) describe him as 'self-centreed', some say that doing nothing 'makes him happy' and others just call him 'weird'. But Finley still doesn't do anything. He doesn't mind what others think. He doesn't care how they think. He is just himself. He has a full school year and he spends all of it just sitting on a wall- just being happy and himself. Some of the most hilarious moments for me is when Finley gets worshipped by his school-mates and when the whole class says goodbye to the wall (when it was about to be destroyed) and also I liked how Finley helped anyone who asked for his help and how his advice always made people feel better. I have learnt two important lessons from this book. One- just be yourself and don't bother yourself with other people's thoughts and two- don't bother yourself with other people and what they do.

Mithulesh A

Birdie
I dreaded reading this book, having received numerous bad reviews from my friends who have read this book. However, I would disagree, even though it definitely wasn't the best book I've ever read. The plot follows a mixed-race girl called Birdie Bagshaw, who moves from her orphanage for other half-black children like her, to her great-aunt's house in Yorkshire. She is met with prejudice and hate from her community, and her only friend when she first arrives is a pit pony, which she named Mr Duke. When Mr Duke's life is in danger, Birdie must launch a plot to stop Mr Duke's death. I found the character development on some characters to be lacking, and I found Birdie herself to be unrelatable. She would always burst into tears and she strikes me as a bit of a brat. Whereas, I thought some other characters were portrayed relatively well, like Birdie's great uncle and aunt. The storyline was decent in my opinion, but the author really made it worth reading. Overall, I'd recommend this book to slightly younger readers of around 9-11. Would I read this book again? No. But would I tell other readers not to read this? Also no. I'd give this book a 6.47/10

William B

Birdie
I really enjoyed this book because this book showed how Birdie overcame her challenges in Barrington dale and she made a new family and met a really nice pony in the coal mines. I liked at the end that Birdie kept Mr Duke. I generally thought it was a well written and heart- warming story. 9/10

Maulik Linesh

Stealing Happy
I thought it was a generally a good book but I didn't like how they stole chick Lennon's money at the end. I would not usually read this kind of book because this book was about Sonny's family struggles. I would personally rate this book 8/10

Maulik Linesh

Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody
I would say that I somewhat enjoyed reading Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody, since it felt like a break from the other, more serious books. The plot/storyline was a bit simple, but it still explored bullying well, while still feeling light-hearted. I felt the use of animals in the school instead of people made it less grounded in real life, but it still felt relevant enough. The "France on Zeke's knee" was... an interesting concept, though a bit confusing - it didn't really add that much to the plot in my opinion. I think that Miel showed how a little kindness and friendship towards someone can go a long way. While the ending was meant to teach forgiveness, I felt that the idea of pardoning your enemies is, in truth, a bit unrealistic, especially when they tried to kill you and destroy the school. 7/10.

Aashaz Z.

Ghostlines 
I thought this book was quite nice and not too hard to read or to think about. In the book, there is an island called Ayrie, and the main character called Tilda has to get Albie to feel like he belongs there. She does this by taking him to a smaller island that all children are forbidden from going to. They do this for a few days until there is a storm. this results in the puffin fledglings not knowing where to fly to as there is no visible moon, and Albie overhears that the puffins won't make it. Albie decides to take it upon himself to save the puffins, by kayaking to their island and putting lots of lights out so the puffins land on the island rather than dying in the storm. Tilda then decides to go and save him, and this is where some 'ghostlines' guide her around the dangerous rocks. Once on the island, she becomes the one who needs saving. once she is saved, Albie decides he does like it there and then they all live happily ever after. This book was showing lots about friendships and belonging, and i would say that if it had a message, it would be that it takes time to get used to new things and that it takes time to make friends.

Edward M

Wolf Siren
I really enjoyed this one. I found it really interesting to read and couldn’t put it down. I think that Red is a brilliant character and I liked the way she just got on with her life despite the set back of her sight impairment. The only problem though is that I thought the plot ended too quickly and it just felt unfinished but I would recommend.

Eli S

Shrapnel Boys
When I first looked at the title I thought it was going to be a very boring book, but after reading it, my opinion changed drastically. Ronnie Smith has his two best friend, Lugs and his brother Micky. Johnny Simmons wanders into their life and takes Micky under his hand. Turns out Johnny was working for the blackshirts ( a group of fascists working for Hitler). Through the power of friendships and brotherhood, they save Micky and get Johnny arrested. I found this book really good in the middle of the war. I would say this is my favourite book out of it all. Rate it 10 out of 10 .

mahiru

Wolf Siren
I had mixed feelings about Wolf Siren some of the parts felt more interesting than others but it gave me too much Little Red Riding Hood vibes. It was a bit dull action wise. I think that this book would be good for readers aged 11 or something like that because it is a little hard to get hooked up into it. Overall I would rate this a 6/10 just because of the lack of excitement.

Ayaan N

Birdie
I thought Birdie was a good book, I liked this book because it showed how someone's life can change for the better when they have a special bond with animals. Birdie is an 11 year old in the 1950s and she's spent her entire life in foster care with a lovely lady called Mrs Dudley. She doesn't know much about her mum, only that she left her in front of a church in Leeds, she never knew who she was or why she left her there. That's why she was shocked when she was told that her Great Aunt Mabel wanted her to live with her in the Yorkshire Dales. She reluctantly goes and has a dicey relationship with her aunt at first but after a long talk with her one night their relationship improves. She loves her aunt and uncle but when she is misunderstood at school she is chased down into a mine by a bunch of bullies. There she meets a pony, who she eventually calls 'Mr Duke' and devises a plan to get him out of the dirty, pick black coal mine and into the nice green grass of the Yorkshire Dales. I liked this book for a few reasons, one being that the description in this book was very gripping and the emotions of people in this book were also very real. Overall, I really enjoyed this book. 8.1/10.

Sebastian H

Popcorn
Unlike most of the other books from the Carnegie books, I HATE Popcorn. The story is mainly about a schoolboy's photo day going wild. The time frame is about one day. The main character Andrew CONTINUOUSLY speaks about his anxiety throughout the story which makes it more repetitive and boring. The things that I like about this book is that there are insane events like a science experiment gone wrong. I think I might be too harsh on this book though.

Tahmeed

Shrapnel Boys
I liked this book and how it had the perfect mix of action and comedy. Most of the book had the right pace, but the middle got a bit repetitive, with Ronnie accusing Johnny of being a fascist, Johnny finding an excuse, it repeating and so on. Other than that, this book represents the struggles of war and how you can't easily help someone who doesn't want it. In terms of engaging the reader, this book has it all - suspense at what's to come, anger at johnny and the blackshirts, relief when they get arrested, and happiness when it's all resolved.

Connor F

Ghostlines 
The intro was very long and the interesting parts were at the end, and only like 20 pages long, but it was a mid book overall.

abdul moeez

On the Wall
This book had high potential at the start but I thought it would get better... it didn't. The story feels really boring and slow and I could summarise it under a minute. It starts to get annoying after the 15th time someone is marvelling at Finley when he's just a weird kid. It also starts to get really cringey (such as when the entire class said goodbye to a WALL). I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone because nothing happens. Its pretty ironic that one of the chapters is called "just breathing" because that is the most exciting part of the book

Zak

Wolf Siren
I really enjoyed this book as it was quite an eventful story. It also was very captivating as there was a lot going on at one time. I really enjoyed it though. I liked how the plot actually influenced how the protagonist lived her everyday life. I believe that people who like fast paced and exciting stories would enjoy this book.

Jeevan

Wolf Siren
I really liked the book called Wolf Siren because it was all about magic and how Red keeps this secret at the end and she knows if she exposes it her family will be destroyed for life.

Musa S

Stealing Happy
I thought stealing happy was a good book but did not come to a very conclusive ending. I found it an interesting read though and enjoyed how you felt you were really there. Overall I would give this book a 9/10.

alfie c

Shrapnel Boys
This was one of my favourite books in a while. It was very good as it was about ordinary boys in WW2. This was good as it had a feeling of reality and was empowering.

Jeevan

Popcorn
I enjoyed this book as it had a style which I hadn't seen before of just a realistic day. Its description of anxiety was a little bit inaccurate but overall all it was very immersive and relatable story.

Jeeva

Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody
This book was a very unusual book. In places it was a bit confusing for example the magic pouches I felt was a bit random. I also believe that the battle took up to much of the book and came to early. But overall it wasn't a bad book as it is difficult to write one with such high levels of fantasy.

Jeevan

Ghostlines 
I absolutely loved this book. I like how the author wrote the book as how a child would write, but used language sophisticated enough to be a good book. I love how Tilda and Albie slowly warmed up to eachother and how Rowan's disappearance lingers on her before he returns. It's getting really hard to choose my favourite Carnegie book now!

Miguel M.C

Shrapnel Boys
This is probably my favourite Carnegie book this year . I really like the WW2 setting as well as the setting and character progression

William s

On the Wall
I really enjoyed this book. I can see why people think it is slow paced and that nothing really happens but I like it for its unique story and character building

William s

Wolf Siren
I feel like this book makes women look more superior than men rather than being equals. The lack of male cast and the males being weak feels unrighteous. This year's carnegies are absolute garbage

Mahad.k

Popcorn
I thought this book was alright. It does deal with the themes of anxiety quite well and I'm sure that plenty of people feel the same way. However I think there was a bit too much of the anxiety side of it and not much to help the story or the other characters.

Yusuf K

The Boy I Love
I thought this book was pretty good. While I don't really like romance books I thought that they presented the war quite accurately. I felt that some of the romance felt a bit predictable and basic. I think that some people will definitely enjoy this book but it is not my kind of book.

Yusuf K

Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody
I thought this book was pretty okay. It deals with some themes of racism and a little bit on depression. It was a fun book with a lot of random things going on however it is very definitely aimed towards a younger audience so I only enjoyed it to a certain extent.

Yusuf K

Shrapnel Boys
Shrapnel Boys is a book about a boy called Ronnie and his brother Micky. It is set in WW2 and is a very accurate representation. The villain Johnny Simmons is a evil Facist who entices Micky to work for him without knowing he is going to steal from people. Ronnie is aware he is evil from the start but his mother and brother do not believe him. He has to go his best friend Billy or Lugs a in the end goes to his headmaster for help to get Johnny arrested. In the end the mother and Micky believe him and all is well. I would recommend this book and would give it a 9.5/10.

Thomas F

Ghostlines 
I really enjoyed this book as i found the story very interesting. The only part I disliked was how Tilda acted towards Albie at the beginning of the book as she thought that the island was perfect and he was weird for not liking it. i would recommend.

Hasan i

Wolf Siren
This book is definitely amongst one of my favourites for the carnegies. I love the dystopian setting of the book and how the main character describes things as a visually impaired person. I like how the ending of the book wasn't a perfect fairytale ending, but a bittersweet one, and I like how Beth re-imagined Little Red Riding Hood into a beautiful story about magic and feminism.

Miguel M.C

Stealing Happy
Stealing Happy is a book about a boy who has Tourettes Syndrome and lives with his mother and father. His dad has long covid and he has lost his job and the mother took a loan from a loan shark and they don't have enough money to pay rent so the boy steals money from the loan shark with two of his friends and the dad no longer has long covid and the ending is happy. I would not recommend this book and would rate it a 5/10.

Thomas Forrow

The Boy I Love
I found the boy I love very interesting because of the way it dove into relatively untold stories about LGBTQ+ people during WW1 and how they were discriminated I think it also had a great plot and a lead up to the battle of the Somme. I honestly thought the book would end in tragedy, but I thought the ending was great. I found that it was written fluently and felt easy to read. I think this is my 2nd favourite book I have read so far. I also like how it was very historically accurate. I would recommend to any one interested in WW1 or LGBTQ+ history.

LeoL

Birdie
I really didn't like birdie for a few reasons. First of all, the language. I found all the 'Thee, Thy, Thou' really annoying, even more annoying that they are inconsistent. I also didn't like that everything was 'reet grand' and things like that. Another thing is the story. I think it had a pretty rubbish story that was trying to sound tangible but just sounded a bit fanciful. Also, the crying. The first 5 chapters are basically all crying and I feel that Birdie overreacts to every tiny little thing, and has no resilience. overall 2/10. (shame it doesn't go into the minuses)

Toby M

Not Going To Plan
It think that not going to plan was an interesting read, because of the way it dealt with controversial themes like abortion and teenage pregnancy. I think that it also teaches readers about stealthing, but while also having a good plot. I also enjoyed how it showed you should be support of others decisions. I really liked reading this book. I would recommend to anyone wondering about teenage pregnancy and abortion.

LeoL

Popcorn
I thought that this book was very boring about a boy who got a new shirt for picture day, and over the hours at school his shirt was ruined. The story was very strange about keeping a shirt tidy, but the description and the way the book was written was good. The book did also have elements about being aware of people having anxiety, and how it effects people. The book was ok but I would definitely NOT read this book or recommend it to anyone.

Joshua R

Not Going To Plan
I really enjoyed this book, I found the different culture it was set in refreshing and really interesting. I like the structuring of the book as it goes back in time through Neon's life

Felix L

Popcorn
Popcorn is a book containing mental health issues such as anxiety so would recommend it for 12 years.

Theo B

Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody
Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody is a book that looks like it would be for kids but contains older themes such as depression

Theo B

Twenty Four Seconds from Now
24 Seconds from Now is a book that I would recommend for ages 14+

Theo B

Not Going To Plan
Not Going to Plan is a book with adult themes such as abortion and stealthing. I would recommend it to 13+

Theo B

Ghostlines 
Ghostlines is a great book about adventure and I would recommend it to ages around nine years old

Theo B

The Boy I Love
The boy I love is a tremendous book filled with emotion and heartbreak and a true sense of war. This book shows that even in the darkest of times there is love. This is probably my favourite book so far of the Carnegies. The way the writer portrays the scenes makes you so hooked and made me feel like I was there. GREAT BOOK.

Aiden

The Boy I Love
The boy I love is a book about 2 military officers who are put together and eventually find that they love each other but they face challenges like homophobia and strict rules. I personally didn't like this book because it was set a long time ago during the battle of the Somme and I am usually interested in books set in the modern era. I also just found the book boring as there wasn't enough action. Overall I would rate this book a 2.5/10

Hisham N

Not Going To Plan
This book was not that bad because it showed two very different people's views on each other and how they come to be friends and how Zed is taken out of his comfort zone by Marnie. I didn't enjoy how Marnie got used by someone and got called names by that person, which shows the harsh reality of the world.

Akmal

Twenty Four Seconds from Now
I think that this book's strong suit was definitely the writing style itself, with the jumping back in time and then returning to the present being quite creative and interesting. The plot itself was quite bland, being helped a lot by the style and the characters, as they were good too (but not the best). This book was a romance, which is not the best genre of book, in my opinion, meaning that it was not my favourite, but that's quite biased. The book as a whole was not the best but not bad, being worth reading but probably not re-reading. Overall this book is around the middle of good and bad.

Theo duP

Not Going To Plan
I really liked the use of contrast in this book, it was really interesting seeing the different sides between Zed and Marnie and how they gradually end up in the same circumstance even though Marnie really dragged Zed into it. It was a really interesting read and I was in shock that the author chose for Marnie to actually have an abortion as every single other book doesn't. I think this book should win for the writing award.

Muyang

Popcorn
This is another book for a younger audience like Lizard Nobody, I would've enjoyed it more at maybe 9-10. I like the simplifying of anxiety to popcorn as it puts a picture in your head. I don't really like how it always resolves as a linear as anxiety is not really like that, but perhaps it is for children. I enjoyed the book.

Muyang

The Boy I Love
I thought this book was one of the most boring books I have ever read, the book highlights this years books being average not to the standard of the previous years. I feel like the only reason this book was picked was because of the not so unique feature about being gay, the book wasn't all that special apart from that, although giving some interesting facts.

Muyang

Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody
This book was quite fun to read through because of the interesting features like having France on your knee. I thought it wasn't explained thoroughly enough though as I still don't know how it passes on and what it does. The book was more suitable for a younger audience because of it being about animals.

Muyang

The Boy I Love
At the start of this book I did not enjoy it that much. However as I read more I started to enjoy it and how it portrayed the army as it seemed quite realistic. I would recommend.

Hasan i

Ghostlines 
Interesting book just slow to start. Albie was definitely a touchy subject as you could have empathy at times but at others you could be incredibly annoyed at this character. The main character definitely had an interesting plot as she was blaming/feeling grief for her brother leaving without really realising what was going on. I would rate this a 6/10 as again it was a slow start with almost no interesting content.

Joseph c

Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody
Boring book with a severe lack of interesting content. I would say this book has to be for around a 7 year old as the few deep plot twist aren't really covered on and instead just ignored. The biggest "Plot Twist" that was ignored was the black dog storyline as it was touched on but a severe lack of context, this left me guessing which in my opinion is not good for a book. I would rate this a 4/10 and only for the Pelicarnassus storyline which was somewhat interesting as it was like he had to "live up" to his mother.

Joseph c

On the Wall
This book was quite enjoyable and very relatable at times, with the characters also being an extremely memorable and likeable cast. However, there is quite a major downside to this book: the plot (or lack of one). On the wall has quite a severe lack of context or story throughout the book. Whether this is intentional or not, I still think that the book would benefit from at least, an explanation of Finley's weirdness.

Theo dP

Wolf Siren
This book was very great, with the story and worldbuilding being extremely interesting and the original take on the classic fairy tale 'Red Riding Hood' being amazing too. The plot twist at the end was good, with Red's sister dying as well as other twists throughout. This book was my final book to read and turned out to be one of my favourites, if not my favourite.

Theo dP

Not Going To Plan
Coming into this book I expected it to be a depressing book about abortion and things going wrong in Marnie's life. However it was wholesome at the end, especially with Marnie's development of her character and how she made up with Jessica (I think her name was). I didn't really like Zed, and I found him to be a bit annoying and I don't think he really developed as a character. Other than that I very much enjoyed this book and I give it a 8/10

Elliott.H

Ghostlines 
I thought Ghostlines was an amazing book, the best so far! My favourite thing about it was the balance between exiting and having a thoughtful and meaningful perspective with a great happy ending. I loved this book 11/10.

alfie c

Popcorn
I found this book to be quite solid, and it far exceeded my expectations. My friends had told me this book was, in their words, 'awful', but I found it to be anything but. Being honest, it definitely was not a high-ranking book, but a lot of the book's aspects impressed me. I liked how it portrayed anxiety and panic attacks for younger readers, as well as providing useful advice on how to deal with it within the book. I found *most* characters to be well-developed and useful to the plot, but some characters felt totally useless, and I can't even remember their names. I really enjoy how the book metaphorises (if that even is a word) anxiety as popcorn in a pan, getting hotter and more uncomfortable until you finally BLOW! Although, the book felt quite childish and I didn't relate at all. Overall, this book is great for those struggling with anxiety or younger readers. 6.45/10

William B

The Boy I Love
The Boy I Love is a great book about homosexual relationships and homophobia during World War One. This book is great as it really shows how bad homophobia was in reasonably recent history. I really enjoyed this book as it shows the struggles that the LGBTQ+ community had to go through.

Estlin K

Not Going To Plan
Not going to plan is an interesting book exploring the ideas of abortion and teen pregnancy. The story follows Marnie and Zed travelling through life around their GCSEs. At her first party after leaving her posh private school, Marnie becomes pregnant and the trouble begins. With rumours and secrets everywhere, can Marnie and Zed survive the horrors of secondary school?

Estlin K

Not Going To Plan
I feel that the characters in this book are probably this book's strong suit and with them, the way that they and their emotions develop and are portrayed is very good. The fact that the two main characters are almost polar opposites inn personality adds to the interest of the book. The plot could be better, however it still isn't bad and everything else is decent or good. Overall, this book was good, but not the best.

Theo dP

Wolf Siren
I didn't really enjoy wolf siren. This book felt drawn out and repetitive, with many scenes of the protagonist, Red, being in the forest with little action. While I understand that it's designed to comment on society's sexism and unfairness in society, it felt more like her personal struggle as a girl who breaks rules than a society wide issue. The emotional factor of her father's death felt a bit underdeveloped and unexplored. Wolf siren would have been very good if it was a bit shorter and went more deeply into the village's past.

Oliver R

Popcorn
This book was very funny and a great read, plus it was quite relatable at points, however, the writing style and plot were quite bland and it did not keep me too entertained at parts. I definitely feel that the strong point of this book was it's humour and so, if you enjoy that, you'll like this book. Personally, though, I don't think that just humour can make a book good on it's own.

Theo dP

The Boy I Love
This book, despite the age rating, was one of my favourite books so far due to quite a few things. Firstly, this book had so many unique characters and personalities, with quite a lot of them being extremely likeable. Secondly, the way this book portrayed the world war and the scene around the main plot really engaged ad hooked me on the book. Finally, the plot itself and the writing style was extremely good and kept the book from being boring or monotonous.

Theo dP

Birdie
Birdie Bagshaw is a brown girl that was moved to Yorkshire after the second world war, She finds a pony that she loves and she saves it from the people who want to sell it. I really liked this story as it has good bond of friendship worth a horse and girl. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who wants a cosy story with animals in it.4 out of 5 stars .

mahiru

The Boy I Love
I wasn't really expecting much from this book, and I'd never read a gay romance book before, but I was blown away. It was so accurate to the war and all the details seemed tangible and real. The romance bit was OK, but my favourite bit was the very climatic ending. overall 9/10

Toby

Shrapnel Boys
I think that Shrapnel boys is a very interesting because it gets you hooked up to it and you keep want to read more about it I like the realistic scene and the plot it gives you a sense of how it would be at the start of World War 2 and how families would react. I think this book would be interesting for people aged 8 or above because kids younger might not find it as appealing. Over all I would rate this book an 8/10.

Ayaan N

Stealing Happy
This book was great. Packed with excitement, thrill and action, this intense, wild book is one brilliant read. Also, I like the fact that it talks about Tourrettes. I would recommend this book to older individuals due to the theme and language. Overall, this book was great.

Hamzah S

Ghostlines 
Ghostlines was alright. I liked the book, but I have read better ones. I liked the part where Rowan comes back and the parts where they visit the island, but other than that, the book was a bit boring. Overall, I liked this book.

Hamzah S

Popcorn
I think Popcorn was an interesting read. It was good at teaching readers about anxiety and even included real techniques to help deal with it. It also had a decent plot with a good lead up to the end. I would recommend this book to anyone wondering about anxiety and how to deal with it.

LeoL

Wolf Siren
I quite enjoyed Wolf Siren as it was well written and had a great plot making it a fun and enjoyable read. I think it incorporated the themes of sexism and injustice very well. It teaches you to not just jump to conclusions. I think it is one of the best I have read so far.

LeoL

Birdie
I think Birdie was kind of bad because it had an awful plot and inconsistent use of thy, it used you a lot and then switched to thy making it hard to follow. In conclusion I think it wasn’t a good read. I wouldn’t recommend.

LeoL

Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody
It was a good, funny book. I liked the format – the font and size of the font were good choices. I liked how the book was so out there, none of the things would happen in real life and so it was fun to go into the world of the book. It wasn’t my favourite book from this year, but would be around the middle. I’d preferred it to be a bit longer and have more of a plot. I’d recommend this more for younger readers, perhaps primary school. Overall I’d give a 7 out of 10.

Edmund

Birdie
I think Birdie was in my top 5 favourite books from the Carnegie. I really enjoy the unique style set in Yorkshire in the 1900's and teaching about racism in the past, as well as using pit ponies in the story which I haven't heard of before. 9/10

William S

On the Wall
I thought this book was nice and wasn't like any of the other books I have read but it wasn't very interesting as it was very simply a boy on a wall who just sat there thinking of nothing and doing nothing therefore it didn't gain my attention which is why I didn't like it. Finally the book was also too long for the story line so there were a couple of times where I thought that it was just the same scenario over and over so I lost attention to what I was reading.

James

Stealing Happy
I liked stealing happy and I thought it should have gone on the Carnegie shortlist as it had similar themes to Popcorn but I found it more interesting as it had adventure and a bit of mischief which really hooked me as a reader. I also think it was a well written book that was targeted for my age group so it was easy to understand which is really important when writing a book.

James

Wolf Siren
I really enjoyed Wolf Siren because I thought it was quite exiting and hooked me in. It also had some important themes like sexism and empowerment. Although I really liked this book I did think this book should be targeted at a lower age group as the story line is possibly less interesting for higher ages therefore it was not my favourite book.

James

Popcorn
I enjoyed Popcorn and I think it is a well written book. I enjoy it because it was realistic and captured Andrew's anxiety really well. I also liked it because it gave some real life tips on how to deal with anxiety and what it's like when you get it. However there should be a bigger target for Andrew to make it more engaging.

James

Wolf Siren
This book was an alright read about a girl called red- basically a spin off of little red riding hood but just with some twists. There were many exciting scenes and mini-adventures in the book but I felt like the story just kept on going and it probably could have ended sooner.

Joshua R

Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody
This book was very childish and I don't think it should be in the Carnegies at all. The story was very boring and had a terrible journey, from some animals becoming hall monitors to fighting some random robot pelican. Probably the worst book yet. :(

Joshua R

Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody
The Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody is an interesting book exploring serious adult topics of anxiety and bullying, simplified into a fun, enjoyable for all book. I really enjoyed this book, especially the silly moments, ideas and the random twist and turn of events! I give this book an 8/10.

Estlin K

On the Wall
The book to me didn't have much content. The school year moved very quickly then suddenly cut to Finley falling off the wall, in the end we didn't figure out much about Finley, (which was the most interesting part) in my opinion 4.5/.10

Billy C

Not Going To Plan
I enjoyed this book as it tackled themes of consent and abortion as well as identity very maturely. The story was quite good and I would recommend to others over the age of 14. My only complaint was that there were no real consequences to because of what happened which made the ending a bit bland.

Hasan I

Twenty Four Seconds from Now
This book was an interesting read the format of the book moving backwards in time was a feature I grew to kind of like, the thing I did like was the character developments of Neon I think we learnt a bit about his home life (auntie, dog e.c) overall I think this was a strong book the ending made me feel like something had been accomplished. 7.5/10

Billy C

Birdie
I enjoyed Birdie because it was set reasonably close to home. It is about a girl called Birdie who spent most of her life in a care home. When she comes to the Yorkshire dales she becomes friends with a pony. This book was a reasonably easy read and I would give it a 8/10

Cody w

Birdie
I liked how Birdie explained someone moving to a different place, expecting acceptance but getting rejected, the author does this really well by other people treating her differently like the school teacher. I also like how the pony was the turning point of the story as after she found love everyone else started slowly accepting her. It was quite a short read but well done. 7/10

Muyang

Birdie
I partially enjoyed Birdie by J. P. Rose because it was emotional, powerful, and easy to connect with. The story follows Birdie, a mixed-race girl living in a mining village, where she faces racism and is treated unfairly by some people because of the colour of her skin. This made me feel sorry for her and helped show how difficult life was for her at that time. My favourite part of the book was Birdie’s friendship with Mr Duke, the pit pony, because it brought warmth and hope to the story. One very big downside was that some parts felt a REALLY slow and quite sad, but overall I still thought it was a really meaningful and memorable book. I would rate it 6/10.

raqeeb

Stealing Happy
Stealing Happy was an okay book about a boy trying to find the money to pay rent and Chick Lennon. I didn't really enjoy this, because most of the story felt like a slow buildup to the robbery which ended in a not very suspenseful series of events. I liked the concept of the story, but the addition of Tourettes felt forced and there was no real time spent on understanding why they were in the situation they were in. The writing was okay but the dialogue felt, as expected, stunted, and became tiresome due to the constant interruptions of the Tourettes. Overall, the story was okay but the execution of it felt forced.

Oliver R

On the Wall
I thought on the wall was a great book , my only issue was that not a huge amount happened and I would have liked it if they went into the backstory of the characters more. Overall I would give this book an eight out of ten.

alfie c

Wolf Siren
It was overall a great book bit it had a slow start. Towards the end it managed to really purge the emotions and provide empathy for the main character. I would rate this 8/10

Joseph.c

Birdie
This book is called Birdie. It is about a girl who was a an orphan. Her great -aunt wanted her but she didn't want to go. She went to the Yorkshire Dales. She found a horse. There was an explosion and the horse got badly wounded. At the end the horse got better. 7/10

Musa H 7P

Wolf Siren
Wolf Siren is a book about a village on the edge of a magical forest that has wolves in it. The wolves however only attack men so women are safe to enter, but aren't really allowed by the power hungry mayor. The woodcutter goes missing and that sparks a series of events of the forest fighting back, as the woodcutter was 'nice' to the trees. Red, the main character, then finds out that she and her sister are wolfwomen, meaning that they can transform into wolves. They decide to show this to their village of wolf hunters, who chase them out. Whilst the plot isn't very clear in the main part of the book, I like how there are little bits at the start that come back to have more impactful meaning. The book is partly a metaphor for climate change, and deforestation saying that the forest will fight back, and it also is a metaphor for women and girls being not listened to and having injustice. Whilst the end wasn't entirely a 'happy ever after', it showed that growing up means that you learn some things about yourself, and you also lose some things, but that's just what happens. Overall i would give this book 3 stars out of 5.

Felix C

Popcorn
I liked this book because I like how it has a reference to school life and shows that you don’t have to be afraid if you have anxiety. I also liked how Andrew has such a good relationship with his Grandma. I would recommend

Eli S

Birdie
I really enjoyed this book. I thought it would be dragged out for no reason but I liked the relationship that blossomed with Birdie and Mr Duke. Would recommend.

Eli S

Popcorn
Popcorn was a relatable middle-life seventh grader story showcasing a boy with OCD and anxiety. The book was very slow paced and boring and could've done better. the illustrations and the jokes were overdone. At times it was a fun read, but overall one of my least favourite.

Taha

Birdie
Unlike the other books from the Carnegies that I read, Birdie is a book that I don't really like. I do like how the book (as in the story) has its own history. The book is mostly about trust and friendship and a pit pony named Duke (not really sure if that is the name of the horse). Unfortunately, the idea of the story in my opinion is quite boring in general.

Tahmeed

Twenty Four Seconds from Now
24 seconds from now is a romantic novel which focuses not only on the physical act, but the emotional concept to of two teenagers. Mostly the book felt boring and repetitive, although the book was really well structured in reverse chronological order (24 seconds, 24 minutes, 24 hours, etc.). But, overall, not a book for me.

Taha

Stealing Happy
This book is called Stealing Happy. It is about how Sonny's dad has covid and his mum works as a cleaner. It's hard for Sonny as he suffers from Tourettes. Tourettes is where you blurt random things sometimes out of the blue. Chick Lennon says they are in 5k debt to him. Sonny and his two friends Jonah and Carolina devise a plan to steal from Archie Burns, Chick's henchman is the money. They steal it and and slowly his dad starts to break from covid and they aren't in debt anymore. I liked this book as it was very funny and it shows how important friends are, I would recommend this book to people who want a happy ending book whilst being funny. I would rate it a solid 8/10.

Musa H 7P

Ghostlines 
I found Ghostlines quite nice throughout and I loved the relationship between Tilda and Albie. I also enjoyed how Ayrie and Albies relationship changed throughout the novel. Overall I enjoyed the book and I would give it a 7/10 and I also enjoyed the character development throughout

jack a

Wolf Siren
Wolf-Siren is an atmospheric novel that contains fantasy and mystery. The story is about the character named Red, who experiences psychological growth by overcoming the conflicts with the villagers. The novel creates a strong atmosphere and impacts with vivid descriptions and character development. The main Character, Red, is brave but vulnerable, which creates tension throughout the story and keeps the pages turning. I really enjoyed the suspense and emotional elements like magic and the talking woods. The book gives a powerful message of feminism, environmental connection, and the importance of changing the unfair authority. Overall, I think that Wolf Siren is a fantastic supernatural fiction.

Conor D

Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody
Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody was a more wacky, childish story compared to the others. Pictures every 2-3 pages with easy vocab made it simple, and the plot was very cartoon-ish. It's not a story I'd read for the plot, but the jokes unironically made it the funniest book I'd read so far, so I enjoyed it.

Taha

Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody
Chronicles Of A Lizard Nobody was an easy read because of its wackiness and easy to understand language 8/10

connor

Wolf Siren
Wolf Siren was a hard read because there were no pictures and it felt quite long because of that.

connor

Twenty Four Seconds from Now
Twenty four seconds from now is about a teenage boy who wants to have sex with his girlfriend for the first time. Throughout the book we go further and further in time. The author explains what has happened previously leading up to this end situation. The main theme of the book is the anxieties some feel in relationships and we need to respect that for who they are.Someone who I would recommend this book to would be a person who likes real life fiction, specifically the romance genre. I think a good age to read this book would be around 16 because this book relates to that age group the most

Conor D

Popcorn
Popcorn was an easy read because of the pictures and it was easy to understand 8/10

connor

Not Going To Plan
Not going to plan was a powerful novel which portrayed a serious topic by telling to story in a more poetic way with creative imagery too. However it was really well done and I worth a read.I found it a good story when understanding the message that the author was trying to show for a 13 yr old girl.

Taha

Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody
I really enjoyed reading this as it was very entertaining and exciting. However, some bits , like the bit about France being on his knee were a bit unusual and confusing at first. I also liked how it has hidden messages about social hierarchy and racism. I would definitely recommend this book to most people.

Alfie s

Wolf Siren
This book wasn't great for me. I think girls would appeal more to Wolf Siren than me. The book is boring at the start, however, later on, it gets more exciting. Even so, I still feel this book just doesn't give me the thrill and excitement that makes me enjoy reading, especially given the fact that the book talks about menstruation, something a young boy like me cannot relate to. Overall, I think this book isn't the best, but it's alright, at the least.

Hamzah S

Popcorn
I loved this book. I simply just couldn't put it down! It is a wonderful mix of comedy and fun and seriousness. It is perfect for teaching young individuals (and old ones too!) about anxiety, stress, panic attacks and way more. Overall, I think this is my favourite Carnegie so far.

Hamzah S

Stealing Happy
Sonny's dad has covid and his mum works as a cleaner, it's hard for sonny as he suffers from Tourettes. Chick Lennon says they are in 5k debt to him. Sonny and his two friends Jonah and Carolina devise a plan to steal from archie burns, Chick's henchman is the money. They steal it and and slowly his dad starts to break from covid and they aren't in debt anymore. I liked this book as it was very funny and it shows how important friends are, I would recommend this book to people who want a happy ending book whilst being funny.

Mahiru

Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody
I think this book would be better for younger audiences, but I think it would be hard to understand some things for a kid, such as France being on Zeke's knee. Even though Patrick explained how it got there in the first place, it would still be hard for some kids to understand how its supposed to be a burden. Other than that, the book is quite humorous and funny.

Miguel M.C

Popcorn
Popcorn is now one of my favourite books from the carnegie. I like how it represents anxiety . I like all the characters and their own backgrounds. One of my favourite parts is using popcorn to represent anxiety. 10/10

William S

Ghostlines 
I really enjoyed Ghostlines as it had a well built story and characters. I enjoyed the world building and the descriptions of the landscape. Overall nothing else to say 9/10

William S

Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody
I think the chronicles of lizard nobody was a very unique book. I did enjoy it and liked how it depicted grief as a black dog. Another positive point is the length of the book I liked how short it was. I did think that it did need a sequel. But overall I enjoyed the randomness and writing style of the book. 8/10

William S

Popcorn
Popcorn was quite an interesting book. It deeply shows how a boy with anxiety can have his life quite easily ruined without the correct conditions. His mum wants a good yearbook picture from him and his 'kernel of worry' keeps getting hotter and hotter till it finally pops. I enjoyed this book for a few reasons, it was well described, detailed and it showed genuine ways people deal with anxiety and not just make it up along the way, and I do think that it is quite irregular that someone's day can be that bad. I did enjoy it and I also like how Rob Harrell wrote a book on his own anxiety. 8/10.

Sebastian H

Ghostlines 
I preferred this book to other Carnegies that I have read. I liked how it showed how change can be scary but how Albie handled it well and in the end helped the puffins. I also loved how Rowan came back and I had predicted it from the start. One thing i will say is that the author used the word "and" a lot, witch ended up making some sentences nearly a page long. I don't know if this was intentional, but it got quite repetitive towards the end.

Connor F

Ghostlines 
I found this book to be VERY boring. I was stuck between Ghostlines and Birdie for the WORST book of the shortlist. There was almost nothing about "ghostlines" and i just didn't like the characters very much. At least it was a short story just like this review. 2/10

Elliott.H

On the Wall
Not much went on in this book and I felt it was quite boring I was stuck with it for longer than I was reading it and the only exiting part was right at the end with no climax building. 4.5/10

Henry D

Birdie
I did not enjoy this book. After looking back on this after I finished the Challenge this book is the worst. The story had potential but it didn't use it and absolutely bored me out of my mind.

Henry D

Shrapnel Boys
Usually, I don’t care about war or fascism but this book felt different. Instead of brave men on the battlefield, it was the ordinary people that went into shenanigans of their own.

Zak

Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody
Sometimes, it's OK to judge a book by its cover. Sometimes even commendable. This is how I feel about this monstrosity. I understand its not meant to be believable, and it's targeted towards a younger age range, but having heard other readers' views on the books that didn't make the shortlist, it makes me wonder why they would pick this book. I didn't understand the characters honestly, and most characters lacked development. It's theme, bullying, is portrayed very obviously, which a younger age range will be able to understand. But honestly, I didn't think the other themes of the book were portrayed even decently. If I were to put myself into the shoes of an 8 year old, I am sure I would love this book, but I'm not. But, at least the book was a quick read. Overall, I'd say this book is the perfect read for your average 8 year old child, but for quite literally anything else, I am warning you in advance: PLEASE DO NOT READ THIS BOOK!!!!!!! And to the people who decided to pick this book for the shortlist: what is wrong with you?!?! 4/10

William B

On the Wall
It is a book where the main character is mysterious and doesn't make sense the book doesn't make sense. It's the only book where you leave with less understanding of the plot after reading than before. It is horrible don't read ever -0/10

Patrick

Birdie
The book wasn't bad but it was a boring book. The main character jumped from acting the most sensible to the least instantly and from the front cover you would of thought the pony leaves with the girl way sooner but it was just delayed to the very end so you wait the entire book for the last scene in the book just for that to be boring as well but it did the characters talking very well within the time frame.

Patrick

Stealing Happy
This book is one of my favourite carnegies so far it has a lot of realistic action and a realistic plot it is about a boy who has Tourettes and his family has a problem with money and needed it badly. I think that this is a book for people aged 10+ because younger ones would find it hard to understand. I would rate this 9/10.

Ayaan N

Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody
I think this is a mixed book because it has funny features in and mini illustrations but it also talks about wellbeing. For really young children I think it could a bit hard to understand some of the things in it . I think it would be good for children 7-11. I think this was a good book I would rate it 7/10.

Ayaan N

Birdie
A terrible book no plot really the main point of the story came in at the end with her doing what was very predictable. I don't really need to say anything else since there is not much to credit about this book 2/10.

Seb

On the Wall
On the Wall was a good book about a boy starting year 7 at a new school. He finds an old wall and sits on it. He sits there every break and lunch time. This book was a solid 8/10 but I think it is directed to younger ages.

Cody w

Wolf Siren
I really liked the book because it showed how red overcame her fear of transforming into a wolf and I liked it because it included some magic and murder mystery. I got really sad at the end because red's sister (Aerona) gets shot by an arrow and then she dies. It was a really sad ending but overall it was a really good book. I rate it 9/10.

Maulik Linesh

Wolf Siren
Wolf Siren gives a darker, moodier twist to Red Riding Hood, following Red as she gets pulled into a forest full of secrets and half‑told stories while her village panics about a wolf. The writing leans atmospheric without trying too hard, and Red’s mix of stubbornness and curiosity makes her easy to care about. It’s not a huge or complicated book, but it has a nice balance of mystery and emotion, and it leaves you wanting to know more about the world behind the fairy‑tale surface. 7/10

Edison

Birdie
I really did not like this book. While I do understand the direction it was going for with the old setting the dialogue very much irritated me. The entire problem of the way they talked could have been avoided if they just set it modern day. I HATED it when they said "thee" and "thou" and it was not pulled off well. I did not understand how utterly oblivious she could be to her skin colour and I do understand the message trying to be put across, it was not executed well at all. This book was an annoying read and completely boring and stupid at the same time. 0/10

Elliott.H

Popcorn
Popcorn wasn't the most enjoyable book, with the character's only real struggle within the story being at the very end. Some of the ways in which his anxiety is described is interesting, and the writing style was playful. It felt almost too fictional, even for a fiction book, with the events being over the top, feeling forced. The idea for this book, a boy struggling with anxiety, is interesting, but the execution of the idea was the main flaw of the book. Andrew is a good character template, but I felt that his anxiety was as deep as his personality went, with no exploration of his other characteristics. Overall, I wish this book was the same themes, but with a more developed plot.

Oliver R

Popcorn
I enjoyed this book a lot more than the other books but I have a few issues with it. I'm personally not a big fan of having the book set in just 1 day but I do understand why it happened as it's trying to say about all the bad things that happened in that day all building up to when his "kernel popped" and I did enjoy the ending. I liked the authors other books like Wink which I enjoyed reading but he always gives the main character anxiety and a female best friend for some reason. I enjoyed this book and i give it a 8/10

Elliott.H

Popcorn
Personally, I didn't enjoy reading Popcorn, mainly because of the tone of the book. I felt it was more suited for younger readers to make them more aware about anxiety. I also didn't really like how anxiety was the main point of the book, with little in-depth plot, and how it was constantly to referred to. I also found that some of the many problems/hurdles Andrew has to overcome are unrealistic - especially since they all occur in one day. The analogy of a popcorn kernel was a nice one to make readers understand though. Overall, I found it too focussed on anxiety, and thought it could have emphasised Andrew's and Jonesy's friendship a bit more. 6/10.

Aashaz Z.

Not Going To Plan
Not going to plan is a book about Marnie, a girl coming up to doing her GCSEs. She makes a mistake and gets too drunk at a party after moving schools, and is impregnated by a boy who pretended to wear a condom. She also meets a boy called Zed who is a bit of a nerd and completely opposite to her. I like that the author made the two main characters complete antithesis to each other because it allowed her to show that even those boundaries didn't stop them being friends, and they could help each other revise. The book is laid out in mini poems/paragraphs mostly about four lines and Zed always talks from one side of the page, and Marnie from the other. This was good because it meant that at some bits, they could say contrasting lines at the same time to show their oppositeness. However, this was flawed when the other characters spoke with them as they messed up the system a little bit and swapped sides from time to time. I also felt like the start was a bit rushed, and the end dragged out, because the 'problem' was two days into the storyline, and then the end was like a month after the resolution. This book has strong themes of pregnancy and abortion, as well as feminist abuse and LGBTQ so I can definitely see why it is aimed at older teenagers or adults. I would rate this book 2.5/5

Felix C

Birdie
Once again, I found myself disliking the book. Birdie really didn't have what it takes to make its way into my 'good' category. One of the main reasons for my dislike of Birdie was the consistent use of 'thee' and 'thou' as well as lots of other similar, 13th century sounding, vocabulary. This really didn't fit with the 1950s town vibe and was very repetitive so got me rather worked up by the end. Another reason why Birdie wasn't great was because the character of Birdie was terrible. I found her pulling the sympathy card far too often (which was once again repetitive and annoying) as well as being 100% oblivious to her skin colour and also the world around her. Even after many not so subtle hints, she was still wandering blindly about. In addition to this, her bond with Mr Duke was created far too quick as it almost seemed like they were in love at first sight, which was not very realistic. How can you expect me to believe that a girl and a random horse made a lifelong bond after she stroked him one time? However, the plot was not bad (somehow it is the best one so far which tells us something about the quality of the books this year) as there was a strict storyline to it and it did not wander too far from the beaten path. The character of Aunt Mabel and her development over time to love Birdie despite her looks was also quite good. Despite this, I personally think that the idea to merge two styles - one similar to a Michael Morpurgo when a child makes a bond with an animal and one about the challenges of racism - was never going to work, as pushing too hard on one side will leave nothing for the other and J.P Rose has done a great job in balancing them out but I think this could actually be worse as now there is no 'main feature' just two ideas that don't really work together sitting there with no support. This led to the book being a bit bland and being half saved by a mediocre plot. Overall, Birdie was not great as there was a bad use of 13th century language, two different styles pushing each other away and a rubbish main character. Plot:6/10 Characters:4/10 Setting:6/10 Style:2/10 Total:18/40

Sevan

Wolf Siren
I thought this book was okay as it showed a girl called Red who lives in an isolated village and how she turns into a wolf as she gets older. I enjoyed how it was a play on Little red riding hood but was its own story at the same time but I found it a bit dull and there was nothing apart from the main storyline being told which made it feel quite drawn out. I like how it showed Red's family and how her mother wanted to fit in with the villagers and didn't want to do anything that could make them upset, which contrasted the grandma who was telling tales of magic and the woods. I would recommend this to someone who likes fantasy and fairy tales but it wasn't for me so I will give it a 6/10.

Robin.O

Ghostlines 
I thought Ghostlines was alright. Its story was short and only had one big part (them going to the island and finding their bond and the ghostlines). To be honest I found it boring at most parts but it did have some better parts that were more interesting.

Rafferty T

The Boy I Love
I like the book, but I didn't really like how the fonts were so small. I like how Stephen slowly started developing feelings for Danny, admitting to being attracted to him and even breaking military rules for him. I like how the ending was realistic and bittersweet.

Miguel M.C

Wolf Siren
This book was weird. I enjoyed it a bit, but it was rather confusing, though it was alright once you got the idea that it is an isolated village with the only way to leave through a forest, and no one wants to go there, except Red, because of the wolves, but they still go to get fuel. So, Red goes into the woods on the anniversary of her grandma's disappearance - rather silly in my opinion, and then after talking to a witch discovers that she can turn into a wolf. She then goes back to the village full of former wolf hunters, again not a great idea, with the witch - why? Then the woodcutter dies to a 'wolf attack' - it wasn't really. the villagers then hold a secret meeting to discuss what to do with her, but she listens in on it, untill Red's sister decides to walk into the meeting and turn into a wolf. They then have to go into hiding, where they find red's grandma, who is also a wolfwoman. Then they get wood for the villagers because the woodcutter had been killed and so they were running out. I struggle to understand the actions of the people in this book. They expose the truth that the woodcutter had been murdered, leading to Red's sister getting shot with a crossbow - by the murderer, making Red catch him and then he gets put in jail, there's a funeral, and they all live happily ever after. It was nicely written and not too hard to understand, but not a great plot, so I give it a 6 out of 10.

Edward M

The Boy I Love
The Boy I Loved was a really interesting read. I enjoyed the writing style, it followed Stephen’s viewpoint and it helped to understand his thoughts. The storyline was really good, mainly taking place before the battle of the Somme, showing us what happened in the battle. I liked moving between the setting of the war, starting at the beginning when he had gone back into the war as an officer, then we learnt more about the past and how he was sent back to the War, and then it went back into the present. I really enjoyed learning about the history and the First World War. I found the detail about the trenches really interesting, it gave details about the rituals some soldiers had. The book showed how hard it would be to kill another person. The book showed how soldiers weren’t treated as humans, the harsh conditions of the training camp before they went to battle and how some died from infections and injury before they went to battle. The books also showed the injustice as some officers didn’t go into the trenches so they didn’t know what it would be like and didn’t listen to what people were saying. It showed how they still went ahead with the Somme even though they had been warned it wouldn’t be effective, we learnt about people spying into the German trenches and seeing the differences in conditions, but the officers making the decisions weren’t listening to the warnings about how bad it would be. I found it awful how field punishments took place, soldiers were hung up and treated really badly. The book was also about identity and the way Stephen was treated because of who he was in a relationship with. It showed how hard Stephen’s life was and how he was treated by his family. I would really recommend this book – especially to people interested in World War One.

Edmund W

Ghostlines 
Tilda lives on the island of Ayrie, one day after the visitors are gone, a new boy and his mum come to live on the island. Tilda wants to find about his story more so she comes and knocks on his door. But he doesn't seem very pleased with Tilda's gift. His mum and Tilda's mom are having a chat and want her to ' show him the ropes' . Their first day doesn't go too well , as Albie hates everything about the island and missing his friends back at mainland. In hopes to make Albie happy, Tilda offers him to go the haunted island. This makes Albie want to go more. They build a tent there and talk a lot more. Tilda tells him about her brother Rowan, and how he left the mainland. Then comes the night of where baby puffins are lost, Albie is awestruck by this. The next day he appears to be missing, and it was on a storm day. Tilda finds out her kayak is stolen. She finds Albie in the Island putting lights for the puffins. Tilda gets hurt, and is scared of the ghost. Albie treats the situation quite calmly. They get rescued and Tilda finally meets her brother. I liked this story as is had a interesting change of character with Albie, I would approve it to readers who want a good adventure with friendships being made.

mahiru

The Boy I Love
The Boy I Love was a great book. It's about a Lieutenant in the First World War called Stephen who comes back to duty after getting his trench raided and therefore losing his friends and getting his ear blown off, however receiving a Military Cross for killing a young German boy who raided his trench. He could've stayed home to have a nice life while all his friends went to war, but he didn't, because he thinks he didn't deserve the glory of an MC. Because instead of going head on to face the Germans attacking his trench, he played dead and waited for a young German boy to stray away from the group and shot him dead, just after the boy said ' Kamerad' meaning Comrade. He returns to the Front with the guilt of killing a young boy in cold blood. But when he meets a boy called Michael his world turn upside down, from misery and despair to happiness and joy. On the lines of the Front, they face unfair Leadership, bullying from other Officers and tough times talking to each other about their past. When they're given the order to go over the top of the trenches in the Battle of the Somme they face constant bullets from snipers and machine guns injuring Stephen and leading to Michael to save him. This book was very detailed and even though I didn't find some of the things Michael and Danny did very pleasant I still enjoyed it greatly because of the accurateness and detail in the book and to the superiority in the German trenches compared to the British. Overall, I really enjoyed it. My favourite so far. 9.5/10.

Sebastian H

Popcorn
Popcorn by Rob Harrell is a very funny and interesting book that explores the themes of anxiety, accepting help and support and being resilient in everyday life. I especially like this book because it contain many different characters that all help Andrew so it shows to all of us that there is always help. I would recommend this book to readers ages 12-15 and give it a rating of 7.5/10.

Hisham

Wolf Siren
Wolf Siren is about a girl called Red and her family and village. At the start Red's grandma is found after leaving her mum. Later on in the book we learn that Red, her sister and grandma are all wolf women. Meaning they can turn into wolves. This only can happen to woman because wolves attack men but not women. This was a great book and is my favourite out of the shortlist. It shows a strong connection to wildlife and is very interesting.

Samuel H

The Boy I Love
I found this book very boring. I found the characters to be one-dimensional and uninteresting. on the subject of the characters I found them to be unrelatable and I couldn't connect with the characters very well. I didn't like the choice to have the setting in the First World War but I did understand why it was set then to emphasise the homophobia of 100 years a go. The book was way too long and it felt very boring as I was reading this book and it honestly helped me get to sleep. The problem was not how long it was but was how it was written as some long books can be very enjoyable to read. this book was my least favourite so far and I found it to be mind numbingly boring. However I appreciated the message of how bad homophobia used to be so it gains an extra point. 1/100

Elliott.H

Twenty Four Seconds from Now
I disliked this book. It was very boring and the story was very basic. I would not recommend this book to a younger audience as it has mature themes. I would just not recommend this book as there are many weird moments such as a humping a car wheel and masturbating in a sink.

Hasan

Twenty Four Seconds from Now
I'm not really sure what to think about 24 seconds from now. I feels like it didn't really have a story line and seemed like it was just an excuse for the author to constantly talk about sex. I don't think we heard enough about the characters' personalities and I don't like it. Overall 4/10

Toby

Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody
This is a book where you can judge a book by its cover. In my opinion this was a terrible book, worst one by far this year. Side quests, unreal ideas. I mean France on somebody's knee - how silly. The plot didn't add up since it pretty much didn't have one! I normally put a positive in but for me there was none. I would seriously not recommended this book to ANYBODY. 1/10

Seb

Popcorn
I enjoyed reading this book and thought that it was nicely written but the story was not enjoyable and was incredibly far fetched and that took away from the story. The writing was good but the story let it down with too many themes and its outlandishness. 5.5/10

Henry D

Wolf Siren
I thought Wolf Siren was a boring book that dragged on a lot. The story line wasn't as good as the other Carnegies but it was about a girl called Red who wasn't allowed to go into the woods because of what was lurking within. Overall a bad book, 4/10

Cody w

Wolf Siren
Wolf Siren in my opinion is a pretty good book for the Carnegies. Unlike most fantasy books that I have read before, this book was well-written. I like how it explores themes of power, nature and rebellion. This story is basically a great reimagining of Little Red Riding Hood. It is about this girl named Red who discovers a family secret and connects with (rather than fears) the wolves in the forest.

Tahmeed

Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody
This is definitely my favourite Carnegie book. It is different to the other books because it is very nonsensical and funny. For example, the main character has the country of France on his knee because his great great great great great grandfather was rude so the queen of France cast a spell on him so that their country will be on his knee.

Zak

Twenty Four Seconds from Now
Twenty-Four Seconds from now is a book about Neon and his girlfriend, Aria, in the time leading up to them making love for the first time. The structure of the book is laid out as going progressively back in time. I like this idea because it allows the author to build suspension throughout the whole book to get from the first section to the ending, and it allows him to make hints in passing at things that have already happened in the storyline, that then get revisited in more detail. Aside from the 'ew' moment that teenagers often have when talking about romantic topics like this, the book points out that there are people around you, like Nat or Neon's parents that help him with advise about growing up. The things that I didn't like about 24 Seconds from Now was that the ending that had been built up to only lasted 3 pages and I would have liked either another section or an epilogue to finish the story properly. I don't recommend this book for anyone under 14 as it has themes of gambling at a bingo hall and of people sleeping together. Overall, I give this book 3.5 out of 5

Felix C

Not Going To Plan
I'm not going to talk about the plot of the book, because the plot of the book was one I've seen a million times. Instead, I want to talk about the book's structure. Poem books don't usually cinch it for me, but the way Fisher used words to make pictures or pictures to tell words was interesting and honestly intriguing. While the story wasn't one I found myself able to move through easily, the way text and placement was structured and utilised was done very well, and I put the book down confident Tia Fisher has a very good way with words.

Hanzalah

Shrapnel Boys
Shrapnel boys is about two brothers ( Ronnie and Micky Smith ) and their friends and is set in WWII. One day, just before the war, a man called Johnny ( later shown as a fascist and a manipulator ) who wants the Germans to win the war. Johnny gains the trust of Micky and forces him to steal stuff when the air raid sirens sound later leading to a plot that could completely change the war. I really liked this book as it is set in WWII and is a great book. It also shows the other side of world WWII, showing instead of bravery cowardice and thievery.

Samuel H

Wolf Siren
I found that this book was great for addressing problems in the real world such as Sexism and Injustice. This story is sort of like a retelling of Little Red Riding Hood, following the main character Red as she finds that her family has a hidden secret. If I had to criticise, I would say that Red's partial blindness isn't brought up enough and I constantly forgot about it, but other than this, I really enjoyed this book, particularly the tragic ending as I find it refreshing when it isn't a happily ever after as usual.

Rowan

Twenty Four Seconds from Now
I found this book very interesting as it was written going backwards in time, which was a strange concept at first but soon I began to enjoy it, as it explained things that did not make any sense at the the start of the book and this meant that I knew what they meant by the end (for example Denzel Jeremy Washington). I really enjoyed this book and it was very funny and also Neon and Aria's love for each other was very obvious. Would definitely recommend.

Rowan

Popcorn
Popcorn was a good book about a boy whose anxiety through the day gets worse and loads of bad things happen to him, a chemistry explosion, a ripped collar and many more. 7/10

Max

Birdie
I quite liked this book, as it liked how it showed people overcoming their initial prejudices. At the start of the book, Birdie moved into a village in the countryside from Leeds, and I liked how it portrayed her emotions upon leaving her friends and carer. Then she suffered racism at school, even from the teacher, as the teacher gave Birdie a jigsaw instead of a workbook, and then proceeded to accuse her of cheating when she answered a simple maths question. Because of this, Birdie ran away and ended up in a mine where she met a pit pony. After escaping the mine she was told not to go there again, but she did, and I found it quite funny in the way it showed her defiance, as a young child preferring to keep a promise to a pony despite the risk to her own safety. This was until eventually, after discovering that the pony was going to be slaughtered, she decided to run away with him. I enjoyed this bit as it feels like something a real child would be prepared to do, and she does it with a realistic lack of planning. She also, strangely, thinks it as a good idea to swim through a river on this escapade. After a day, she ended up returning as she believed she and the pony could help get some trapped miners out. This one time she was actually allowed down the mine, she didn't come back when she was told. After becoming the hero, the racism stopped as people realised she was just as capable as everyone else, and she got to keep the pony in the end, which I thought was quite nice. After much consideration, I would give this book a 7/10.

Edward M

The Boy I Love
I thought that it was really rubbish and that the author mixed in the present day too much with the past. It wasn't really a needed story to tell and it was just a waste of time processing this book and I wish I didn't read it. It was so RANDOM!!! 3/10 #dontreadit

Isaac

Ghostlines 
For all the hate this book got from my peers, I have to say I don't sympathise with this hate. While Ghostlines wasn't exemplary, I wouldn't say it's bad either. Yes, the storyline felt as if it had been used hundreds of times before. And yes, it was proper annoying that the main character would refer to Rowan at the very least once every two pages, even though Rowan didn't even turn out by the end of the book to be that important of a character. But it wasn't actually that boring, and there were also a couple of unexpected plot twists near the end. I quite admired the character development of a lot of characters, but a lot of characters lacked in that, or weren't necessary at all for the storyline, except for maybe implying that the whole island was one big community. However, the story and/or relevance of some characters such as Michael and Rowan slowly unraveled throughout the book. Overall, this book was, if it were to be described in one word, decent. I'd give it a 6/10.

William B

Ghostlines 
I felt like this book was better than most of the Carnegies this year. I feel it could have had a more engaging plot and but never the less it was well structured and everything seemed to fit together unlike some this year. I liked how she slowly added Albie to the scene and didn't jump him in, since I think this is what it is like if you are moving to a new place you don't just instantly fit into the community. Other than that a fairly average book. I would give it a 6.5/10

seb

Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody
This book is better than most Carnegie books. The idea of a protagonist and an antagonist is actually creative for a Carnegie book as most of them are about a character's personal life and personal struggles. I never thought this could possibly be a Carnegie hence its themes. It is also very engaging and joyful to read.

Mahad.K

Popcorn
I thought the way the book tackled anxiety was a great perspective on things. However I do have one problem. The fact that so much happened to the main protagonist in the same day does make the book feel unrealistic in some ways but equally it had a decent plot. Definitely portrays its message but could have had more plot development. 6/10

Ben P

Ghostlines 
I thought the book was quite chill overall (until the climax) and I thought it was a breath of fresh air. It felt calming and I thought was easy to get into. There was no overall incoming threat to the character for most of the book and was just people living life on the island which was quite calm. Good book and worth a read. 8/10

Ben P

Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody
I thought this book was interesting but quite obviously targeted at a younger audience. The humour could be funny at times. I was able to get into the book which was a positive and did enjoy it overall. I would give it a 7/10

Ben P

Not Going To Plan
Overall I thought that Not Going to Plan was a good book. I think that my view changed quite quickly because I thought it would be quite unrealistic that something like that would happen. But I do like how the characters developed throughout the story and Zed and Marnie's friendship grew stronger.

jack

Twenty Four Seconds from Now
I found this quite boring. I don't think time and romance fits together.

Abdul

Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody
I hated Lizard Nobody. It was so ridiculously far fetched and felt as if it was for toddlers. It had no real plotline, there were no real world-building skills and it felt like its sole purpose was to entertain very young children and purge the minds of older people like me. -1/10

Toby

On the Wall
I really enjoyed On The Wall as it combined a fun writing style with interesting characters and a more easygoing plot than the other books so far. The book centres around Finlay and his teacher, who wants to understand how he can remain so calm. While the plot isn't particularly interesting, I felt that the characters were almost familiar, and the setting was relatable. In my opinion, this deserved to be a shortlist book. This is due to the peculiar yet familiar characters, and the enjoyable environment and other characters which surround them.

Oliver R

Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody
I really liked this book as it followed monitor lizard Zeke, with Pelicarnassus as his enemy. Like how it has so many twists, like France on Zeke's knee, the hall monitor sashes shooting lasers and Pelicarnassus's mum being a supervillain. There are also some emotional twists, like Zeke's mum not being with him because of the big black dog she has. I also really like that Zeke's friends, Daniel and Alecia, who always have is back. And that Zeke stood up for justice and stood up for himself, which should set an example to the people of today.

akmal

Twenty Four Seconds from Now
I didn't really like this book as it did show the life of Neon from when he first met Aria to them doing intimacy. I didn't really like the setting of the first couple of chapters as it was very adult like. But after that it got all right.

akmal

Popcorn
This book was really good as it was following the life of a boy with anxiety. It shows that many people you wouldn't expect to have anxiety have it and it shows that you can control your anxiety, for example, Mr Kellerman, a very jolly man who, surprisingly, had anxiety, which was a surprise to Andrew after he and Mr Kellerman were talking after Andrew's panic attack.

akmal

Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody
I found this book hilarious and quite childish, but I didn't mind that. Some may have found this book confusing but it carried important messages about bullying, depression and poverty (though I'm not exactly sure what having France on his knee represents!). I really enjoyed this book, especially the characters such as Miel. (IT MEANS HONEY!)

Rowan

Popcorn
I found this book very insightful into the world of people with anxiety. I found the book interesting yet a little slow paced as it was written so it took part in just one day and it was perhaps overly descriptive in certain places but other than that I quite enjoyed this book would definitely recommend to people struggling with Anxiety or OCD.

Rowan

Not Going To Plan
I found this book very interesting and it was written in a fascinating way with the dual perspective verses. I felt as though it carried important messages about abortion and teenage pregnancy. If I had to criticise, I would say that it was perhaps a little fast paced but otherwise I really enjoyed this book, would definitely recommend!

Rowan

Ghostlines 
I thought Ghostlines was a pretty good book, I liked how the book was written. And I could really relate to this book from parts of my life. Plus at the start it was very boring after a while the book started getting really good. I would not normally choose this book to read because I don't like books that are really emotional but overall it was a pretty good book. I would rate it 7/10.

Maulik linesh

Not Going To Plan
Not Going to Plan was an interesting book. It’s about a 16-year-old girl called Marnie who is always getting into trouble and is eventually sent from her boarding school, to a public school to finish her GCSE course and do the exam there. Then she goes to a party and gets pregnant after a boy pretended to wear protection. It also shows her relationship with Zed, a smart, and careful boy that helps her through her entire journey of pregnancy even when she decides to have an abortion and focus on her GCSEs. I liked this book because it showed lots of friendships and struggles between the characters and Tia Fisher really conveyed lots of emotion between them, however I also disliked this book as it was very fast paced at some points and some points you couldn’t see the development of a relationship, just the product of it. I quite like it 6.5/10.

Sebastian H

Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody
Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody was a good book. It is about a lizard called Zeke who goes to school with his other lizard friends, Daniel and Alicia, and when they all become hall monitors, they’re all excited. But then the bully of the school, Pelicarnassus makes fun of Zeke for his weight. Then Zeke gets really angry and lashes out at him. It is an imaginative and random book about friendship and the struggles of being bullied and the depression between a mother and a son, I liked this book because you never knew what was going to happen next, meaning there was never a boring moment in this book. 8.5/10.

Sebastian H

Popcorn
Popcorn is a book about anxiety but I would really not recommend it for two reasons. 1. It is very repetitive the same anxiety over and over again with next to no change. 2. If you read the blurb it practically tells you all of the so called 'exciting' parts of the book so you already know what is happening. I would give this book a 3/10.

seb

Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody
I loved Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody because it is about a lizard boy called Zeke, experiencing school life and bullying. If I could describe the book in three words, it would be funny, childish and tense, at some times, ending with a dramatic fight against Pelicarnassus, where Daniel and Alicia, Zeke's friends, get really cool superpowers(lasers!). It was really worth reading the book and it had lots of pictures, which I personally liked. I would recommend this to anyone at all who has a good sense of humor, likes animals and is looking forwards to read a good book. The books starts when a peach-throated monitor lizard, Zeke, gets chosen as a Hall Monitor. Everything is fine, until a bully and a wannabe supervillain, Pelicarnassus, starts acting weirdly to Zeke and his friends- randomly bullying them and winding them up. When Zeke had enough, he punches Pelicarnassus- which was a huge mistake. His Hall Monitor sash gets taken off him and he gets sacked from his role. But Pelicarnassus vows revenge. So, he tries to invade France, which was on his knee(the real country), but fails. Things have took off with a bad start. Then, Zeke's mother, who is struggling with depression, has to go to hospital when she is getting worse. Her black dog, who always growls at Zeke, is a metaphor of her depression, always following her, like a burden on Zeke's mum. This is one of the books, aimed for younger age groups, where it tackles something which adults face everyday, put into the way that children understand them and it is an amazing book!

Mithulesh A

Popcorn
I found Popcorn to be very weak (there seems to be a repeating pattern here). One of the main reasons why I disliked Popcorn was because it was so unbelievably predictable, I realised from the very start what was going to happen and I was not excited to read it from there. The plot was boring and thin. The characters - or lack thereof - had no distinct impact and the main character - Andrew - was the worst, being the most bland person of them all. Another reason why I severely disliked this book was the fact that it is, once again, aimed at a far younger audience. How are these books reaching the shortlist? The illustrations here were pointless other than to make the book look larger, when in reality it only took about an hour to read. To be honest the book being short was probably the only good thing about it. Actually, I lie, I quite liked the representation of Andrew's anxiety as a popcorn kernel in a pan of oil as it helped me to visualise how it might feel to have anxiety. It's clear Popcorn is trying to show people with/without anxiety how to cope/how to help when in a situation like this but I thought it was presented poorly and didn't carry much meaning. Especially the final chapter when he is talking to the bully and they 'resolve' their issues when in reality he would've been punched in the face. Overall, Popcorn was weak because of a thin plot, bad characters and a failed attempt at showing awareness about anxiety. Plot:3/10 Characters:2/10 Setting:3/10 Style:4/10 Total:12/40

Sevan

Twenty Four Seconds from Now
Twenty-Four Seconds From Now was not a good book from my perspective. At first I saw a teenage romance novel and was hoping for something different than every other book of the same genre. And I thought this book had it. But no. The concept of the book working backwards in time stands out as an idea I have never seen before and I was excited to see how it would play out. However, my hopes were soon crushed. This idea really didn't add all that much to the book other than being a cool gimmick and the storyline itself could not support it as it was far too bland. I was hoping for something different but I was met with repetition. There was humour, but it didn't shine through. There was romance, but it didn't shine through. There were backstories explained and then re-shown later. There were characters, but they weren't developed. There was the yearbook, but it had no impact. I just couldn't find anything in particular that stood out to make this book good. Why create all these great parts and then leave them half finished? The only thing I liked was that neither Neon nor Aria had any serious disabilities/flaws as that is the easy way out. Overall, the concept was too bland to support the weak storyline and none of the parts were fully developed. Plot:3/10 Characters:5/10 Setting:4/10 Style:7/10 Total:19/40

Sevan

Shrapnel Boys
I think shrapnel boys is a great book - very disappointed it did not make the shortlist. I think this book was good because it was engaging, exciting, and had good morals, 10/10!

alfie c

On the Wall
Finley sits on the wall. He has all year. People pass him by. Some laugh, some join. But still, Finley sits on a wall. No one understands why. Some say it makes him calm. Others say he is weird. That's not Finley though. Finley thinks of nothing. This book makes me calm and that's a nice change from the chaos of all the other books. Finley just exists. Not in this world, but not the next. He exists in a world that only matters to him. That no one else can achieve. Favourite book so far. 9.5/10

sam w

Birdie
Having read all four of the shorter books, this one was not my favourite. I'm going to be very harsh towards Birdie but she needs to get over things. She cried 17 times in the book. She cried because of the word different was said around her and she even went into a two-day sulk after someone said she was brown. Don't get me wrong, the plot of her moving away and growing up around white people and overcoming adversity is great. She just needs to stop being a cry baby. Okay book. 6/10

sam w

Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody
I first want to start of by saying that this book was too young for my liking. I loved the bizarreness of it but at the same time I felt that it was also too unrealistic for what I usually read. My favourite part of the book was probably the when France got invaded by Pelicarnassus. Overall not my favourite. 6/10

sam w

Popcorn
I like how it addressed anxiety, stress and how those can get in the way. I loved how funny it was as well as the illustrations and the final result of the picture, which was a mess.

Connor F

Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody
I felt seven again when I read this book. In a reading competition for young children, this was probably the only book I felt I would read as a child. This had that slight fever-dream element to it, and managed to mix real world with funny big animals with tiny foreign countries with giant robot pelicans. And yet I didn't feel exasperated at any point in the book. Not once did I feel like saying 'Woah, this is too much'. Patrick Ness didn't just write a children's book, he wrote a children's book right. I felt like I did reading Captain Underpants as a lad, and that was a good feeling.

Hanzalah

Birdie
Horse. Birdie started out with promise. It approached the problem of racism in the 50's in a good way. Birdie began to become accepted, have people see her for more than her skin - she began to have friends, family, began to belong... ...and then she threw it all away for a horse. I don't think I've been that disappointed in a book. It felt like they'd built up these really meanginful concepts and then tossed them aside.

Hanzalah

Wolf Siren
I loved how this book kept up the pace, surprising me at every turn, especially at the end, where they had a plan, then the wall came down, which I liked. All in all, it was a great read, deserving of the shortlist.

Connor F

Shrapnel Boys
I thought Shrapnel Boys was a great book. I enjoyed how it explored life in WW2 and the love between families. I thought the storyline was brilliant as Ronnie finally proved who Johnny really was.

Rafferty T

Popcorn
It was okay at best. I thought that the plot was fine but the execution was not. I thought that the ending with the bully was not as satisfying as it could have been. Overall nothing special. 4/10

Aiden

Ghostlines 
I thought Ghostlines by Katya Balen was an emotional and interesting book. I liked how the book was set on an island because it was described really well and made it feel calm and realistic, especially the nature and animals. I also liked how the friendship between Tilda and Albie changed over time. However, I didn’t enjoy some parts because it felt quite slow and not much happened. I didn’t like how Rowan was mentioned a lot throughout the book, which started to feel repetitive. Overall, I think the book had a good message about friendship and change, but it wasn’t always exciting to read.

raqeeb

Wolf Siren
This is a book called Wolf Siren by Beth O'Brien. It was a good book about fairytales and little girls. But I think the book is mostly based on Little Red Riding Hood because of the missing grandma and the lumberjack and the mum telling her not to go out in the woods because of wolves. Because of this I would give the book a 4.5 out of ten. There is room for improvement. For starters an improvement could be if it wasn't solely based on Little Red Riding Hood.

Musa

Birdie
This is a book called Birdie by J.P Rose. Birdie was a good book about a girl who gets a new family and finds a mine which she then finds a horse which she then falls in love. She struggles with school life because she has a different skin colour. Thanks to her great aunt she manages to get through her tough time.

Musa

Popcorn
Popcorn by Rob Harrell is a book about anxiety and coping with it. It is about a boy named Andrew who has serious anxiety problems and has to go through the school day with out having a panic attack. I liked this book as it probably makes people more aware of people with anxiety and how to help them. 7/10

Sylvan C

Stealing Happy
This was a very good book and it made me think of King of nNthing. The ending was a bit boring and nothing special. Overall a good book but it was a bit easy to read. It was a 7/10 for me.

Cody w

Stealing Happy
A very good book surprised it didn't get on the short list I think the ending was particularly good, I think the fact the money got paid back anyway, didn't like that 6.8/10

Billy C

Ghostlines 
I enjoyed the style of the book and felt it was a good story. I did wish that we could of learnt a bit more from the character development, the book was a bit anticlimactic but otherwise really good. 7.5/10

Henry D

Not Going To Plan
everI enjoyed Not Going to Plan, and it was a great read. I like the contrast between Marnie and Zed, but I think zed was potentially not needed and didn't really do much. However, the abortion was very climatic and very interesting. Also I really like the poem format. 6/10

Toby

Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody
1/5 The book was made for children and I get that but I don't think a Carnegie space should of been used on it because it is for 9 year olds and the youngest Carnegie reader is 12 it's just a bunch of nothing and I couldn't explain the book with out spoiling it because it is so random.

Patrick H

Wolf Siren
4/5 It's a good book and the topic it covers is a real issue but it does it in a way that it is still an entertaining read. You can tell it's based on red riding hood but it takes its own direction, my only problem is the girl is meant to be nearly blind and yet she acts like she can see just fine.

Patrick H

The Boy I Love
The Boy I Love is a book about romance and is a thought provoking book. It is set in World War I in the military and is about a young man named Stephen Wraxall, a young lieutenant who is heart-broken from the loss of his best friend, who meets Private Danny McCormick, a talented, smart young recruit who becomes very close to Stephen. They have to go through WWI while being in love with each other. I think it was a great book as it probably makes people aware that it is ok to love a boy. 8/10

Sylvan C

Popcorn
This is a book about a boy called Andrew Yaegar. I personally don't like this book. I think it didn't focus enough on the actual story line and despite the entire book being only one day I don't feel like there was enough detail. The author just kept going on and on about feelings and anxieties which I know is the point of the book but I think it got very repetitive and wasn't very interesting. Overall 4/10.

Musa

On the Wall
It is a very interesting book. It is about a boy who is happy in doing nothing ang being by himself. I would encourage people to read this book as it is really good. I would rate this book a 8.5/10.

Musa

Ghostlines 
I didn't mind this book, it was a bit confusing at times especially regarding Moses and Rowan as it took me a while to figure out who they were. I didn't particularly enjoy this book as I didn't find the storyline was that good and didn't pull me into reeding more, like some books do, I also didn't like how the book ended. That being said, I thought that the book was extremely descriptive and I can definitely see how someone could really like the book.

Henry W-R

Twenty Four Seconds from Now
Twenty Four Seconds from Now was a very boring book that was not very interesting and didn't really have anything exciting in it that kept me reading. It was boring and was the worst book in the Carnegies.

Joshua R

Not Going To Plan
Not Going to Plan was a book about abortion and the struggles that come with it. The book was set in poem form even though it was not a poem in any way, because of this you could read the book very fast. The book was boring at times but was ok.

Joshua R

Birdie
Birdie was a good book about a girl who gets a new family and finds a mine which she then finds a horse which she then falls in love. She struggles with school life because she has a different skin colour. But I did think that some of the emotions were forced and in pretty much every chapter was someone crying which made the book similar in places.

Joshua R

Wolf Siren
I really enjoyed Wolf Siren and it is my absolute favourite so far. The author is very descriptive and sets out the village very nicely. But what is even better is the woods. I love the idea of magic and the trees keeping her on the right path, which is a great adaptation of the original Red Riding Hood . Overall 8/10

Toby

Popcorn
I personally don't like this book. I think it didn't focus enough on the actual story line and despite the entire book being only one day I don't feel like there was enough detail. The author just kept going on and on about feelings and anxieties which I know is the point of the book but I think it got very repetitive and wasn't very interesting. Overall 4/10

Toby

On the Wall
Me personally, I believe that this book is for older children who prefer more serious books, rather than more funny books that make them laugh. What makes this book so truly marvelous is the 'uniqueness' of it. Unlike most books that I have read in the past, I have taken a lesson from this book. No matter how a person acts, it should never be made fun of. Some of the times, we can actually learn from something that someone does, no matter how strange it seems to us at first. This book and the lessons it teaches are very valuable to me, and will always be held in my heart. Overall, I think this book might just be the best book I have ever read.

Hamzah S

Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody
Me personally, I think this book is alrighty, but a bit childish and unrealistic. After all, you don't see a massive robot pelican outside every day. I would recommend this book to younger children because it feels very daft and unrealistic, and therefore not as enjoyable for older children. However, a reason I like this book is that it teaches valuable lessons and qualities, such as empathy, friendship, and mental health. Overall, I think this book is not too good or not too bad. I feel it is almost in the middle.

Hamzah S

Wolf Siren
This book was about sexism and feminism. I found the plot interesting but all the rest of it including the writing was quite boring. It was sub-optimal and was VERY slow paced. I found the magic and the forest to be interesting at least but I honestly found the girl who was reminiscent of little red riding hood to be an annoying character to say the least. 4/10 quite boring.

Elliott.H

Twenty Four Seconds from Now
I really enjoyed this book. I found it extremely captivating and I though that it was written in a really interesting way as it started in the present and gradually went back in time to when they first met. I found the book was quite wholesome especially towards the end and all the main characters were portrayed as being very likable. For a book that is in a genre that I wouldn't normally choose to read I was pleasantly surprised by how good it was and I will definitely try to read some more books written by Jason Reynolds in the future.

Henry W-R

Ghostlines 
Ghostlines was a nice book, with interesting insight on life on a remote island. The story itself was pretty plain and predictable, although I did like the twist at the end about the island. The characters were OK but some of them could've had a bit more depth. The book was a good book for slightly younger readers and the end followed on being cheerful and fulfilling.

Aidan

Popcorn
Popcorn follows Andrew, a Year 7 student who deals with anxiety and OCD. The whole story takes place during one chaotic school picture day. Andrew just wants a normal photo, but everything goes wrong — his clothes get messed up, he has trouble with classmates, and he worries about his grandmother, who has Alzheimer’s. As the day gets more stressful, his anxiety builds, which he describes like popcorn heating up in his chest. The book mixes humour and seriousness which is quite nice. 8/10 👌

Edison

The Boy I Love
The Boy I Love is a thoughtful story about a young man figuring out who he is and what he wants. The characters feel believable, and the book shows how complicated friendships and family relationships can be without making things overly dramatic. The writing is clear and easy to follow, and the emotional moments feel genuine. Overall, it’s a quiet but meaningful book about growing up and understanding yourself. I give it a 8/10

Edison

Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody
I enjoyed the Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody but I thought it was aimed at a younger audience. I enjoyed how it explored friendships and the difficulties of standing out like Zeke did. I did find it quite surreal for almost all of the book and that there was a bit too much going on for a lot of the book. The main improvement that could be made is making the book longer so that you could see the different things that were going on in more detail and it wasn't as overwhelming. I liked how the big black dog symbolised Zeke's mum's depression but I think that more chapters could have been used to look at what was going on with Pellicarnasus as it was quite important but wasn't really mentioned. Overall I would recommend this book to ages 7+ and I would give it a 6.5/10

Robin.O

Popcorn
I liked Popcorn Although I thought that it was aimed more at younger kids, I could still somewhat relate to the character and I thought comparing anxiety to popcorn was a nice way to describe it. I liked the illustrations through the book as I thought they helped you understand how Andrew was feeling. I thought that Andrew having his Grandma have Alzheimers was a good addition as it helped show how he felt with her moving in and all of the challenges of having a relative with Alzheimers. I thought the story built up to the ending well and was quite unrealistic but felt real at the same time. I would recommend this book to people aged 8+ as it shows how anxiety feels for people really well while still being fun for a younger audience. Overall I enjoyed this book and would give it 7/10.

Robin.O

On the Wall
It was a relatively boring/easy book with the more compelling part only being 10 or so pages towards the end of the book. This story follows a boy named Finley and his first year at secondary school, he claims to be “at peace with himself” and spends his time sat on a wall. Towards the end of the book Finley is knocked off the wall.

Joseph

Not Going To Plan
I really enjoyed this book because its about Marnie and how she messed up at school again and this time she's gotten expelled. At her new school she's sitting next to a nerd called Zed. Then eventually they ended up bonding together.

Musa

Wolf Siren
Wolf Siren is a book that I would recommend to people of my age group and older since some of the plot could be confusing to younger readers.

Theo

Birdie
I found it boring. It's a typical bland children's story lacking basic elements of engagement. Unlike last year's Carnegies, these year's lacks uniqueness and creativity. The plot is very predictable, unsurprising and dry.

Mahad.k

Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody
I loved Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody, for its funny story and deeper theme of bullying. I thought that the book also teaches about discrimination. I think the book is great to teach younger readers about the issues of bullying and discrimination. Overall I enjoyed the book. (It's my favourite so far)

LeoL

Ghostlines 
I enjoyed ghostlines very much I think the feeling of loneliness in the book is very relatable. I also think the plot is very captivating, but not too hard follow. Overall I think it was a great read.

LeoL

Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody
This book was very good I really like it, it is about a lizard named Zeke and his lizard friends Daniel and Alicia (Hall Monitors) try to save the school from a wanna-be-supervillain pelican called Pelicarnassus. This story is very hilarious but it is also brilliant as I can properly understand it. This book also was a pretty quick book to read

Tahmeed

Popcorn
Popcorn is about Andrew's ( a boy with anxiety ) day and how everything goes wrong in it. In this day Andrew's grandma (who has Alzheimer's ) goes missing and he gets hit in the face with a basketball and lots more. Towards the end of the book this all leads to a panic attack. This book was good because it showed how we don't know what's happening to someone or what there thinking and how it all lead to a good ending.

Samuel H

Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody
Chronicles of a lizard nobody is about Zeke and his friends ( Daniel, Alicia and Miel ). The book is about Zeke's life and how everyone is a type of animal. The book was quite silly and I think would be better for younger people. However the book was good and funny and discussed hard topics to children such as bullying or depression. It was a good book overall and I enjoyed it a lot.

Samuel H

Wolf Siren
Red is in the magical forest and she meets her grandmother, but her grandmother leaves her. 3 years later, Red is having her first cycle, it doesn't go too good with her mother who always argues with her. Red keeps on going out to the forest for a glimpse of grandma. While sneaking back home, Wilson, the village baker, asks her to go to Ms Blaeberry, the witch, to drop off a parcel. When Red comes to her, she said that she didn't want the parcel but to talk to Red. Ms Blaeberry tells her that she's a wolfwoman, and Aerona might be one too. She comes back scared of mother finding out, or the tyrant mayor will have punishments for them. Disaster struck when the wolf siren goes off. The village gathered up in the hall and notice that Caragh, the woodcutter, wasn't there. People were angry that their wood wasn't there. Soon a sweep was sent out. Red and Delena found her dead. It was said this was a wolf attack, except women weren't attacked by wolves. Red saw a wolf in the village. It led her to where Wilson and Zac were. The duo accuse of Red for the vines surrounding the walls, and Wilson grabs her. The wolf comes to defend her, and Zac shoots it. The next day the village has a meeting where Red and Aerona sneak in, but Aerona transforms into a wolf in the middle of the hall. Then they sneak out to the woods with Delena. They meet grandmother and find out how Caragh actually died. They come to the village and accuse Wilson of murdering Caragh, and Red shows his pink cloth splattered in blood. But as Red turns around Wilson shoots Aerona and kills her. The villagers are outraged and drag Wilson to the prsion cells. Mother is heartbroken and Red plants a acorn on Aerona's grave. The vines finally unwrap themselves from the walls and now the tree line shows. Four years later Red lives on happily ever after. I liked this book as it has a good meaning to it.

mahiru

Popcorn
I like this book because the story revolves around topics such as anxiety and dementia. While, this book IS fictional, it feels real and gives you a good understanding on what anxiety can be like. If you like this book, I’d suggest you read “Goldfish Boy”

ZakH

The Boy I Love
I found this book very interesting and impressively accurate to the conditions in the Western Front during the First World War. The descriptions and settings were very detailed and I found the plot both rich and understandable. The main character, Second Lieutenant Stephen Wraxall is a emotionally complex, traumatised man who has been thrust into action and finds himself falling for Private Danny McCormick when he returns to the trenches after a severe injury. I found this book very enjoyable. 8/10

Rowan

Shrapnel Boys
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book as the themes were very clear and had a good story a clearly highlighted the point it wanted to. It was written beautifully and it had me gripped after the first chapter. The importance a friendship and brother-ship was clear and I think that this book should of made the shortlist.

Henry D

On the Wall
I like how it did not have a particular storyline, with the stories of Juliet, Finley and Mr Goodhew all sort of coming together at the end. I, personally, love the restaurant Bella Italia, and liked the fact that both Finley and Juliet both go there at the end.

Connor F

Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody
Zeke is a monitor lizard who thinks that he is nobody, because he is from the less wealthy side of town. This is helped by the school bully, Pelicarnassus, a pelican who is always talking about becoming the world's most evil supervillain. The two get into a fight, making Pelicarnassus angry and want to take revenge by invading France, which happens to be on Zeke's knee. I like this book because it is comical and the anthropomorphism of them being animals tries to make it out as a dystopian world where animals took over and (mostly) lived in peace with one another. Whilst there are still some parts that are too far fetched and fictional with lasers, I would still rate this book 4 stars out of 5.

Felix C

Twenty Four Seconds from Now
I really enjoyed the book, it was much better than I expected because I was a bit apprehensive when I read what it was about. I really enjoyed the writing style and the way the author used the format of 24 seconds, months etc to tell the story backwards. I thought that the book told the backstory to the characters really well - it made me feel like I could understand them. I really enjoyed how the book started towards the end then went back in time gradually to tell you how they got to the moment where he is in the bathroom and is nervous that he might mess it up (Neon's romantic night with his girlfriend Aria). It was a very enjoyable book, I would definitely read more books by this author, I enjoyed his previous book When I Was The Greatest - and would recommend this author. I'd rate it 9.5 out of 10.

Edmund

Ghostlines 
Ghostlines is the first of the three smaller books that I have read and I must say that it didn't disappoint. The story is based around a small( presumably Scottish) island with boats, puffins and a close nit community of islanders. We get this sense of something missing until that is revealed to be Tilda's big brother, Rowan. He moved to the mainland at the end of the last quiet season and Tilda has missed him so much. Although this book being named Ghostlines, in my opinion it needs to be based more around the actual book title. Although this is only a minor drawback, the character development is still the best I have seen out of all the books i have read so far. Great book 7.8/10

sam w

Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody
The main character of this book is a Monitor lizard called Zeke who lives in a small house with his Mother. It is a very whimsical and funny book and Zeke has France on his knee. the villain is a pelican called Pelicarnassus who hates them because Zeke punched him. there is a blind sentimental hawk called Miel. in the final fight between Pelicarnassus and Zeke and his friends Pelicarnassus has a giant pelican suit and the hall monitors become superheroes. Zeke's mother has mental issues and goes to hospital but after the fight she is better and everyone is happy. I really enjoyed this book and would give it a 10/10

Thomas F

Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody
I felt this book was OK and nicely written but quite short and the character development was the whole story. Overall it was nice and had good themes but was short and to small to be really good

Henry D

Ghostlines 
Ghostlines is an okay book. The second half of the book was emotional, heart warming and a very good read. But the first half of the book was terrible. It failed to capture me in any way, the setting was depicted in a way that made it boring and the main character was incredibly stupid and unlikeable. Fortunately this changes later on in the book. 6/10

Aiden

On the Wall
This isn't the typical book that I would choose because it is missing the excitement feature in most books. This story is about a boy called Fin and he is a very rare boy he sits and does nothing for as long as he can. I would recommend this book to the older crowd because some of the parts aren't as interesting as others so little kids might lose interest in it quickly. Over all I would rate a 6.5/10

Ayaan N

Birdie
Birdie is a book that talks about a black girl who is adopted by her great aunt and uncle. She is treated like an animal and to her it felt like no one wanted her other than one pony. Every week she would escape school to go down the mines to see it as she felt that it had been abandoned. Birdie saw herself in its situation. I quite liked this book and think its themes can appeal to a large range of audience because, firstly, it is a well written book and, secondly, it contains a lot of good moral themes like “treat people for who they are on the inside”. I loved watching Birdie slowly get accepted after apology after apology and thought that the author did an especially good job at making Aunt Mabel come out to Birdie. The only downside of this book was when Birdie thought Mr Duke was going to die. This is a common thing that happens in books; characters are just about to do what they wanted but then, suddenly, the character is dying. This often brings out a lot of emotion in a reader (this happened to me in a book called I am Rebel) but I don’t think the author executed it perfectly because, firstly, I personally didn’t see the bond with Birdie and Mr Duke grow throughout the story and it was more that Birdie liked him instantly, and, secondly, the scene felt a little rushed to me because it all happened very suddenly and he was saved by someone we don’t really know. Overall, I still enjoyed this book very much and hope others will too.

Hal L

Ghostlines 
Ghostlines is a book about a girl called Tilda showing a boy called Albie life on an island called Ayrie but anything Tilda shows Albie he hates until they go to a secret island and build a hideaway. eventually they become trapped and Tilda opens up about her brother Rowan and we learn he went to the mainland for a job. Then the rest of the book is about Tilda and Rowan enjoying the island together with friends. I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it and give it a 8/10.

Thomas F

Stealing Happy
Stealing Happy is about a boy called Sonny and his family who go into debt from rent and a loan shark ( Chick Lennon ) and they owe over 5500 pounds .The book is about how sonny and his friends steal the money from someone who works for Chick Lennon carrying drugs for him. They got into this because sonny's dad has long covid and was not allowed to work as a postman. This book was very good and action packed because there is always something happening and I would recommend to anyone.

Samuel H

Stealing Happy
I do not really have many opinions on this book as I do not know many of the words in the story. I can say that the main storyline was a bit interesting of a boy who shouts a LOT and I mean a LOT. He with. two of his friends try to figure out where the money that his mother uses to pay rent is from.

Tahmeed

Not Going To Plan
This book is written in verse, a form which I have previously enjoyed but struggled with this time. The book moved between two different characters point of view and I think this made it harder to connect with them. However, I also think this is in important book with an important topic - abortion and how it is very hard for the person going through it. I think other readers will enjoy reading the book more than me.

Edmund

Not Going To Plan
I found the book to fall short of my expectations of what seemed like a promising idea for a book. The general theme of the book surrounds the mishaps of teenage life, and deals primarily with facing the consequences of bad decisions. Overall, I think the premise was laid out excellently. However, I think the “moral of the story” was drilled far too much throughout the novel, and I felt it preferred a clear instruction style of “don’t do that, that’s bad” as opposed to the spirit of Carnegie books historically, which present solutions and morals through cleverer methods. For instance [spoiler], Zed ends his conclusion of whether he believes Marnie’s abortion is moral or not as “her body, her choice”, which although is a powerful line used across debates about this, feels very cliche. I feel there was too hard a line between “good characters” and “bad characters”, where the good characters all were politically correct even if they had no real journeys nor motivations to be politically correct. This ties in to my second and biggest criticism, which is that the author throughout the novel describes the characters holding opinions other than those she clearly puts across as “correct” as less intelligent or inferior. She portrays a religious character who is against abortion as being self-centric and uncaring about the feelings of Marnie when discussing her pregnancy, being shown to be dismissive and careless. This is one of the weakest methods in my opinion to convey how one side of an argument is bad: by making the holders of the other side unintelligent and clearly the “bad guys”. Moreover, the characters rarely had personalities that didn’t directly tie into their plot points. Zed, one of the main characters, never ventured out of his nerdy comfort zone, instead staying, throughout the book, static and unchanging, as many other characters seem to do too. The LGBTQ+ character rarely ever talked about anything else other than his sexual orientation, which is a disappointment, as frankly it does no justice to any of the minority groups the author attempted to portray. Overall, with a bit more thought, this book could’ve been a fantastic read, however, I must say it is a downgrade from Fisher’s “Crossing the Line”.

Muadh

The Boy I Love
I enjoyed the Boy I love much more than I expected to as it showed the homophobic ideas of the time around world war 1 really well and was very good at showing the horrible conditions that the soldiers had to live in during the war. I thought that the beginning was quite slow and it felt like it was going to be a very boring book but it got better as it went on. I also liked how the ending was happy but still realistic so you felt like the story could have actually happened in real life. I would recommend this book to people aged 12 and over even if they think that love stories aren't really their thing. Overall I would rate this book a 9/10

Robin.O

Ghostlines 
Ghostlines as a concept is a very good one, with the idea of a secret ghost island looming over the already secluded town. What I didn't like was what I felt to be the overuse of Rowan as the emotional spine of the book. I felt that Rowan's absence as the major emotional plot was overused, as it felt temporary. The Writing style was okay, with a more conversational tone. I enjoyed the descriptions and setting of the book, with a more naturally rugged atmosphere. The mystery of whether the ghosts are real added some level of suspense which I believe improved the book. Overall, the concept and writing was good, but the plot felt somewhat flawed.

Oliver R

Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody
I liked this book but I didn't enjoy it that much as I found the story quite boring. It could be a good recommendation for young children but not people who want a more detailed book.

Hasan i

Stealing Happy
I thought this book was rather interesting and showcased neural diversity like Tourrettes. I would recommend this book to people older than 13 since it includes adult themes.

Theo

Ghostlines 
Ghostlines is about a girl called Tilda and a boy called Albie and is about there first summer on Ayrie and how they get trapped on one of the outer islands in a storm. Ghostlines are hidden lines that guide people through the sea around rocks and in storms. This was a good book but near the start it was boring as there wasn't much action. However towards the end it was exciting as it was showing how they were saved from the storm. I also liked it as it was full of nature including seals and puffins. Would recommend to anyone but especially nature lovers.

Samuel H

Twenty Four Seconds from Now
Personally I felt this book was okay. The writing style is unique and and the story shows how little things, matter in life. Despite this I felt the story was a little bland and basic and failed to capture me at times.

Aiden

Wolf Siren
I enjoyed this book. Despite it not exactly correlating to the little red riding hood it is a good variation of it. I felt excited about the start and it looked like it was going to be a brilliant book, however for me it become repetitive of her becoming a wolf and being with the wolves and her wanting to help. I felt that there was too much on her periods. Finally a spoiler here but I felt like Aerona didn't need to die, it just wasn't necessary.

Seb

The Boy I Love
I believe that this book got better as you read, so at the start it was boring with general army stuff and the same things over again. But by the end is was more interested and I'm happy it finished with a good ending. However I did feel that it could have been less boring and more engaging at the start.

Seb

Twenty Four Seconds from Now
I found the book decent as Neon's situation is relatable for most teenagers. Furthermore, there are a lot of teenagers who struggle with romance with factors such as first hand embarrassment, being shy and underestimating yourself.

Mahad.K

Not Going To Plan
I really enjoyed this book and personally think it is the best one this year. I loved how Zed and Jessica really worked together, despite their completely different backgrounds and aims in life. I also liked how the author used some swear words since it brought out the true emotions of the characters. My only criticism is why didn't she reveal their GCSE results? However other than that I believe it was a very good book.

Seb

On the Wall
On the wall is a book about a boy called Finley who is always happy with his environment and has moved into secondary school and always sits on a wall thinking about nothing everyday. People think he is weird but they slowly adopt him as a valued member of the class. The teachers envy how calm he is every day in the staffroom. One day he falls of the wall and everyone worries about him. I liked this book and would give it a 6/10

Thomas F

Popcorn
This book is about a boy called Andrew who suffers from anxiety. On the picture day his mum buys him a new top to look good but then over the course of the day disaster happened. It was full of little doodles, which at first I struggled to follow but I ended up actually enjoying them. The book was all about anxiety and his levels were shown on a 'popcorn metre', his levels went up significantly across the day. Overall this book was surprisingly enjoyable and has helped me to understand what different people might be going through and never judge someone.

Conor D

Not Going To Plan
'Not Going To Plan' is a book about empathy, consent and accidental teenage pregnancy. It is about a young lady at 16 years old named Marnie who was expelled from her old school and has to go to a new one. One night at a party a terrible scene occurs where she has sexual intercourse with a young man called Harry. Harry pretends to wear a condom, but doesn't, and Marnie gets pregnant.The author explores ideas about abortion and tries to explain the differing opinions on the controversial topic. I liked the poem format of this book and how it wasn't actually a poem. I also love how the story had different perspectives on the two main characters. I enjoyed the book.

Conor D

The Boy I Love
The Boy I Love is an interesting book which concerns both the atrocities of the First World War and the political and cultural situation of the time. In terms of pacing and the story, it felt quite predictable and it was quite a struggle to grow a connection to this book. Overall, it was a tough book to read that contrasts the horror of the First World War with a very romantic relationship.

Conor D

Twenty Four Seconds from Now
24 seconds from now was what I think was the first 14+ book that I actually enjoyed to a great extent. It shows the relationship of Neon and Aria converging at a point of great joy in their lives. This joy for them is being with each other and sex. The book takes you on a journey through Neon's life from meeting Aria in an unexpected way and watching in reverse as the relationship and its plot holes piece together, chapter by chapter. Loved this book 8/10

sam w

Birdie
Birdie is a good book about an orphan girl who moves to Yorkshire with her great aunt & uncle, where she is treated differently because of her skin colour. Then she meets a pit pony that saves her life when she gets lost in a mine. I think Birdie has good messages and they are well conveyed. Overall I would give this book a 10 out of 10.

alfie c

Wolf Siren
For the vast majority of this book, I found it difficult to read. Not because the language was too complex. Not because it made me too emotional, though in fairness it did have an enjoyable level of emotional depth in parts. But because it was so painfully boring. The main ideas of this book were empowerment, injustice, and gender roles, to which I think Beth O'Brien overall presented well. You could tell what the author was trying to portray with ease. As I was reading the book, I was thinking ,'this book should really be condensed!' But as the boom went on, every little detail unravelled itself into one big idea. Unfortunately, this is all the positive feedback I have. I didn't connect with a single one of the characters, especially Red. To me, Red seems immature, childish, and disobedient. I feel as if I am definitely not a member of the target audience for this book, but I feel the book and Red would appeal better to a younger age range. I don't feel this book should have been shortlisted for this reason, and because of its amount (or rather lack of) excitement. I will be honest here, because the book did keep me on my toes. For about 2-3 pages near the end. The rest of it was Boring with a capital b. While there were some 'exciting' events, I didn't enjoy them at all, because throughout the book Beth shows a lack of character development that makes me feel for a character. Overall, I would rate this book a 4.6/10. However, I am confident that if this book was presented to a younger age range, I am sure many people would rate this a 10/10!

William B

Birdie
Birdie is a book about a black girl sent away to a small village to live with her Aunt Mabel, but finds that, to start with, she is discriminated and bullied, as would have been the case for people in a similar position to her in the 1950s. 'Mr Duke' the horse acts as Birdie's best friend in a time that she is feeling left out by everyone, and leads her to the dangerous mines and determines the main plot twist of the book. I like the storyline and the themes of friendship and everyone being friends again, however I found the book hard to read at times because of the use of words like 'thee' and 'thou' that I'd associate with medieval english, not with a post-war village. Overall, I would rate this book 3/5.

Felix C

Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody
I enjoyed this book. I liked the whole plot with Zeke as he learns to face challenges (including his dad’s death in a way) and it all turns fine in the end. It is also extremely silly which I liked. I would recommend.

Eli S

Not Going To Plan
"Not Going To Plan" is a thought-provoking book which tackles difficult and relevant topics such as abortion and sexual consent. I really enjoyed how the style of the verse helped demonstrate each character's feelings at that specific moment. I found the characters to be extremely life-like, and their decisions felt very real. Overall a very impactful and well-written book. Would definitely recommend.

Benjamin R

Popcorn
Popcorn was a short book that took on quite impactful and prevalent topics. I felt the writing style, pictures and overall tone were aimed towards a younger audience and how to introduce them to the concept of anxiety. However, I felt that even though it was written for a younger audience anyone could read this book and finish it with an idea about how anxiety can make you feel. Overall, a good book which conveyed its ideas in a clear and concise way that was easy to understand.

Benjamin R

Wolf Siren
Wolf Siren is an intriguing book which takes the story of Red Riding Hood and spins the simple concept of a wolf hiding in the woods into a full book. I found the fact that Red was partially blind an interesting concept but at some points it felt like she could see perfectly fine and, I sometimes forgot she had this disability. I liked the fantasy element of the book and felt it was well integrated into the world. I felt the ending was a bit rushed but overall I found this book interesting and would recommend.

Benjamin R

Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody
I found this book really weird and quite abstract. For me it was very boring and had no interesting characters or plot. I wouldn’t read anything like this ever. The only thing that I found vaguely interesting was the part about Zeke's mum and her black dog. I think the dog represents her depression, which is also mentioned in other parts of the story.

Rafferty

Twenty Four Seconds from Now
I thought the beginning was very intriguing but gradually the books plot began to become more rushed and not as good as the beginning. Overall I would give it a 6/10. But I did think that parts of the book where a bit questionable

Jack

Wolf Siren
The wolf siren is a great, fascinating and intriguing story. It follows a girl called Red, who loves the magic and the mystery of the forest. Throughout the book she has to hide her true identity and her love for the forest and the magical wolves that linger there. Although the ending was sad, I thought that the book was a great fantasy story.

Rafferty

Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody
I found Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody to be an... interesting book which hid themes of poverty and depression under this child-like very simply written story. I found the fantasy idea of animals going to school as well as the style of the story quite emotionally disjointed from the serious topics hidden underneath. Overall, I thought it was a fine book for a younger age group, but I didn't feel it was serious enough for a Carnegie book and I didn't feel like the book cared about the more serious topics e.g. grief enough.

Benjamin R

Twenty Four Seconds from Now
I found 24 seconds from now to be an unconventional book which approached storytelling uniquely whilst still managing to tell a compelling story. When I started reading the book I thought that telling the story in a reverse chronological order would mean that I would never wonder about the character's future. However, I found that this type of storytelling helps expand the character's backstory in a way that differs from the usual flashback. Overall, a well-structured and written story that covers a wide range of topics

Benjamin R

On the Wall
On the Wall was a really good book about a boy called Finley Tandy who started year 7 and he was a very interesting boy because he just sat on a wall doing nothing, not worrying about anything or doing anything at all. At the end one thing that was sad was that the wall had to be broken down because to wall was very high. But at the end Mr. Goodhew took everyone at the end of the year to say one last goodbye to the wall. For me this was a very nice story because he helped a lot of people (including one of his teachers) in his school to overcome their problems. I would give this book 9/10.

Maulik Linesh

Ghostlines 
Ghostlines is a book about friendship, community and adapting to change. It is about a girl named Tilda and a boy called Albie who is a new boy and arrived at the beautiful island known as Ayrie. At first Albie hates Ayrie, the isolation and the quiet, but then, as a last resort, Tilda takes Albie to the island that no person is allowed to enter, the one that is haunted. I quite liked this book as it was not slow-paced like all the other carnigie books that I have read.

Sylvan C

Birdie
"Birdie" is an enjoyable book which I feel tries to tackle too many problems at once leaving each commentary feeling quite sparse with conviction. I felt the main idea of belonging and changing people's assumptions was well thought-out and very moving. However, I did find the pace of the book a bit unusual and I felt the ending was a bit too "perfect" for my liking. However, overall it is a well-written book which I feel tries to tackle too much at once.

Benjamin R

Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody
I enjoyed this book quite a bit. For a children's book, it tackles adult topics quite well in a way that makes sense and doesn't feel too out of place. Even though it was below my reading level, I enjoyed reading it and might have learnt a few things myself. Overall, it was a fun and inspiring read, even outside the target audience, and I would recommend it.

Omid

Shrapnel Boys
I have really enjoyed Shrapnel boys and it is probably my favourite book out of the five I have read because firstly, of the setting that adds a load of excitement and suspense with all the bombing. Secondly I like the main themes of collecting Shrapnel and protecting your family and friends no matter what the cost. Finally I also like the book because of the mischief and excitement of the main characters that always keeps you on your toes making you want to read more.

James

Ghostlines 
I have really enjoyed reading Ghostlines and I think it is a fabulous book with lots of details about how the main character thinks and acts that allow you to connect with her. I am also a big fan of the themes like nature and friendship and adapting to change as it is a thing every one has to do in their lives and that sometimes that change isn't what you want but you can make it the way you want. However the connection to Ghostlines is bit tedious as it is only brought up in a couple of chapters and isn't the main theme of the story. But overall it is an amazing book that really reminds me of my life and the things that I liked to do when I was a bit younger.

James

Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody
I really enjoyed Lizard Nobody as it reminds me of school life and about friendship and sticking up for one another even if it means getting told of and being bullied. I also like how in the middle of the book it emphasizes that sharing a problem makes it feel a lot lighter when he tells his friend's mum about his mum and the black dog when she goes to hospital and how feels a lot better after as he can now get support. But I think it is also brilliant that Patrick Ness still keeps it a fun and interesting story by adding villains and cool surprises.

James

Birdie
I have really enjoyed Birdie and I think it is a really interesting book that portrays what life was like in the Yorkshire dales in the 1950s. The start was nice as it got straight into it and really interested you which some authors haven't managed to do in the first chapter. The theme through out the book was also very nice as it helped teach you about important topics like racism respect and empathy. Finally I really liked the attention to detail as it allowed me to connect with the characters and go,'yeah I do that,'or,'that's what happens to me.' Therefore overall I think this was an amazing book.

James

Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody
I found Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody to be a complete waste of my time; how did this even reach the longlist? There isn't really much to say about it but one of the main reasons I disliked this book was because it contained childish ideas and was clearly aimed at a younger audience (7-9 possibly). A school filled with animals who get superpowers and a monitor lizard with France on its knee? Come on. I just can't understand how this reached the shortlist over so many other great books. The second reason I disliked Chronicles of a lizard Nobody was because there were meant to be some deeper meanings which were ruined by the immaturity of the book, such as the black dog showing Zeke's mom's struggle with depression which eventually calms down to show her success in the matter and how Zeke copes with the world when his home life is collapsing. The author has clearly tried to implement these things in a light and funny way but the comedy/chaos part is laid on far too thick which doesn't allow these representations to take root or have any meaning at all because too much focus is put on the plot of a robot pelican destroying a school. This led to the book being stuck in the middle of being adult with links to grief and depression and being childish with evil robot animals destroying an animal school. As well as this, I could not connect with any of the characters as they were not human. Overall, the book just felt hollow because it was stuck in the middle of being adult and childish and I could not connect with any of the characters. Plot:1/10 Characters:2/10 Setting:2/10 Style:2/10 Total:7/40

Sevan C

Twenty Four Seconds from Now
I did not really enjoy this book, mostly because of its main theme of intimate relationships and the build up to the relationship. It was however interesting and funny in places and well written throughout. One interesting bit was that I leant that you use a 'dauber' to cross numbers off a bingo card. Because I didn't enjoy it, I would rate the book 5/10, however the book itself wasn't bad if you ignore my taste.

Edward M

Twenty Four Seconds from Now
24 Seconds From Now is a teenage romance about a boy called Neon and how he is about to have a romantic night with his girlfriend, Aria. He is nervous, and overthinking it in the bathroom. The book rewinds to 24 seconds before he was with his girlfriend then 24 minutes when he rushed over from work, then 24 hours when he was at school, then 24 days, then 24 months, when they first met. I really enjoyed this book as it was funny and well described. Each chapter goes into great detail about Neon's emotions and feelings, also about how his family and friends try to prepare him for this moment with his girlfriend. 9/10.

Sebastian H

Not Going To Plan
A very empowering and amazing book! This was so fun to read especially since it was a verse novel, and funny at some moments. It highlights how people should not be ashamed of abortion and how your friends and family can support you if you are going through hard moments. Definitely one of my favourites out of the books I've read so far

Miguel M.C

Ghostlines 
This book is about an island where everybody knows each other. Thwn a random boy comes and he makes friend with a girl. This book is a bit draggy so it is a 5/10 for me.

Cody w

Ghostlines 
Ghostlines is heart-warming book all about one island, one new boy, one secret, one unknown death and one journey. This book starts off with two new arrivals on an island that we don’t know much about. Later on we find out this island is called Ayrie and this island, to Tilda, is the best place on the world. When the new boy -Albie- is forced to be shown the island Tilda presents him with all the amazing ins-and-outs of the island - which all sound cool and interesting- but Albie finds all of it boring and misses main land football, cinemas and games. Tilda can’t think of anywhere to show him until she remembers one thing: The haunted island. This is an amazing book that really shows the growth of friendship and how if you learn to love things they will love you back. Although being a good book, it was pretty slow to start which may put off readers who pick up the book for the first time. My favourite scene was when the puffins got lost and you can properly see Albie loving the island and it was such good description I felt the magic of the moment from my own home.

Hal L

Stealing Happy
We have 13-year-old Sonny and he has Tourette’s syndrome. He has a teacher who he calls special K and tells all his dreams to him. His family is poor because his dad had an impact from covid and his mum is struggling to get hours at her cleaning company. When Sonny sees Chick Lennon at the door, he realizes that his mum borrowed money for the family. This was when Sonny decided to steal money from Chick Lennon. This book is quite funny although there are some parts where people wouldn’t consider a funny moment.

Ihsan K

Shrapnel Boys
Shrapnel boys is an amazing book set in 1939, WW2. A boy called Ronnie finds this war scary but exciting. He has a brother, Mickey; a mum, Cathy; a best friend, lugs; a friendly neighbour; Vera and an evil fascist man trying to wind his way into the family while also stealing his brother. All the while he was bullied up until they one competition of shrapnel collecting put an end to their feud. Personally, I loved this book, and I really felt the connections between the friendships and I really felt the anger and sympathy with Ronnie the entire journey. This book was a perfect contrast and balance between drama peace friendship and action. I did find the scene where Mickey rides a bike with a magnet a little unrealistic because I don’t think any magnet would be that powerful, but none the less still enjoyed the scene. I would recommend under a fire red sky if you enjoyed this book because they have a similar story and both are set in ww2 in parts.

Hal L

Wolf Siren
Wolf Siren is one of many Little Red Riding Hood variations and in my opinion, it is one of the better ones. At the start the book was more exciting than books usually start. I enjoyed the little references to fairy tales best the beginning as well. The book, especially the trees' magical powers. Magic is something hard to include in stories without them getting too powerful, but Beth O'Brien did it well. I liked how Red had impaired eyesight but that did not take over the story and often I forgot about it. The ending was both happy and sad, but leaned towards happy in the epilogue.

Aidan

Not Going To Plan
'Not Going To Plan' is a book about empathy, consent and accidental teenage pregnancy. It is about a young lady at 16 years old named Marnie who was expelled from her old school and has to go to a new one. At her new school she sits down next to a boy named Zed who is great at physics and maths while Marnie strengths are art and Spanish. They both need each other's help to get through their GCSEs but one night at a party a terrible scene occurs where she has sexual intercourse with a young man called Harry. Harry pretends to wear a condom, but doesn't, and Marnie gets pregnant. Marnie and Zed need each other to get through this. I liked the poem format of this book and how it wasn't actually a poem. I also love how the story had different perspectives on the two main characters. I enjoyed the book. 8/10.

Sylvan C

Ghostlines 
This book had a very unique writing style, using very long, dragged out sentences and using the word 'and' a lot. I do see why this is and I think that the extremeness of this gets slightly less as you near the middle & end of the book. I think that the use of italics to show when someone is speaking is a unique choice that makes the actual reading of the book very slightly less enjoyable. Overall, the plot and story were my favourite parts whereas the writing itself was not preferable.

Theo dP

Stealing Happy
It was a good book that dealt with the struggles of poverty and disabilities. I thought that it was a good (if immoral) plan to steal the money. There were some bits that I found hard going, and others that were page-turners. I struggled to imagine what it must be like for sonny, to have Tourette's, a bedbound dad and a struggling mum, and still managing to struggle through it.

connor f

Birdie
This book was really quite good, however not my favourite, as I feel that the plot and story were not as in-depth as some other books. However, the way that emotions and feelings developed over the course of the book really stood out to me and made this book really quite enjoyable. I like the fact that, as the book goes on, the characters opinions of Birdie begin to grow and change rather than just staying the same all the way through. Mr Duke was my favourite character because of the impact he had on the story.

Theo dP

Popcorn
I did not enjoy this book as I found the story really boring because I thought the story was very uninteresting. I would recommend it to young kids or people who wish to learn the basics of anxiety but not for people who want a fairly interesting story. One good thing about it was that it seemed to show the challenge of Alzheimer correctly.

Hasan

Wolf Siren
Red is a partially blind hero whose disability is portrayed as a unique perspective, with her wolves acting as her guide, making her a fully empowered character rather than a victim. The Secret: Red frequently visits the woods where her grandmother went missing, discovering that the wolves are connected to a deep secret that could damage her family's reputation if revealed. I enjoyed this book because the main character, Red, is partially blind, but in the book this is shown strength, brain power, and a unique way of navigating the world rather than a weakness. She is described as brave, loyal, and smart, with wolves in the forest acting as her allies.

Patrick J

Stealing Happy
Stealing happy is an absolute masterpiece and I feel it has a unique story that no other book has. It was gripping and enjoyable my only criticism is that it was a bit jumbled a times with a lot going on.

Henry D

Ghostlines 
I really enjoyed this book! Having read some of Katya Balen's work before, this book was just as good as her other work, if not better! I thought it had a rich plot, detailed charecters and extremely well described setting.

Rowan

Twenty Four Seconds from Now
I really did not enjoy this book. I found the chemistry between the two to be pretty bland and so were many of the other characters. I also found that not very much happened through the book; there was no real plot. It was just about them meeting. Overall I think that some people may have enjoyed this book but it was really not for me.

Yusuf K

Shrapnel Boys
Having recently finished Shrapnel Boys, I found myself immersed in a wonderful tale of friendship and brotherhood. But something is going on in London and it isn't slowing down. As the Nazis bomb London, two brothers ( Micky and Ronnie) challenge a rival gang to a shrapnel finding contest. It all goes wrong when Micky gets a wake up to the back of the head.

sam w

Wolf Siren
This book is a well-crafted book. It talks about a girl called Red and she goes into the forest even though she is not allowed. She knows the reason yet still does because of the lots of magic and wolves that are there. This book also has sexism and injustice as the girls must work in the forest as men get attacked by the wolves. I found this book calming and relaxing with the tone just seeming so peaceful in my head. The part I liked about this book was when she thought she was going to die after being on her cycle. For the reader, it could be funny but for her family, it could destroy how the family is known. The best-case scenario is that it is impolite and the worst-case scenario…Let’s just say that it is disgusting. This book was really good, and I personally have to say it was an enjoyable read. If I could, I would read this book over 100 times and I believe it should deserve that. After the amount of work Beth O' Brien put into this, I know why it is on the short list.

Ihsan K

On the Wall
Finley is a calm, enigmatic student, while teachers like Mr. Goodhew are intrigued by his stillness.Rather than interacting, Finley sits on the wall, showing that he can find happiness and comfort anywhere. I enjoyed this book because he manages to be happy, while keeping to himself.

Patrick J

Twenty Four Seconds from Now
I enjoyed reading this book. The progression of time going backwards rather than forwards made for an interesting read, and the small stories composing each chapter made me want to keep reading. I found the book able to be both funny and serious at the same time. Overall, I am glad I chose this book, and recommend it as a heartwarming coming-of-age story.

Omid

Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody
This book was... interesting. It was strange when I started it, as it was a world where the animals behaved as humans but on earth, rather than some fantasy land and France was on the main characters knee. From there it was kind of funny with pelicarnassus and his robot suit destroying the school. It was quite a quick read, and things moved on quickly but I didn't particularly enjoy it as it was quite simply written. I would give this book a 4.5/10

Edward M

Wolf Siren
Wolf Siren is undoubtably one of my favourite books from my experience as a Carnegie reader. The main story that ebbs and flows through the imaginative river and mystery of the forest that separates the village. It starts of with an unfortunate tragedy of the death of reds' father. This is shortly followed by the disappearance of Reds' grandma. This is the same grandma who taught Red how to flow in the woods and summon her wolfs. The whole story goes up in flames at the end when the town discovers who she and her sister ( Aerona ) really are. They are wolfwomen. Previously thought to be extinct, they reveal themselves to the village and in doing so discover a nasty secret of the baker called Wilson. He killed the woodcutter and placed himself at the forefront of the investigation. Bloodshed and murder follows as Wilson puts an arrow throw Aeronas' heart. Tragedy strikes but the village is better off without its barriers and secrets.

sam w

Popcorn
Popcorn was an interesting book to say the least. It dealt with adult problems in a way that younger readers like us can understand. Many people don't know what a panic attack feels or just plain old anxiety. Now despite these adult issue being explained. This book was most certainly a read for younger children with the concepts not being explained fully and in their full form. I personally enjoyed the book but also felt a little disappointed with the short read time with it taking me just an hour to read in total. Overall 7/10

sam w

Ghostlines 
I liked Gostlines, but it had a lot of wasted potential. I liked the descriptions of Ayrie and the description of her perfect life. It had a great build up of desperation from Tilda and I liked the idea of a ghost story. However, at the end the author threw it all away. there was a storm and that was about it. I didn't like how the ghost 'just wanted some company' and how they didn't even get off ayrie by themselves, instead they were rescued. Overall I'd say 4/10

Toby

On the Wall
On the wall is about a boy called Finley and his friends life in Year 7. Finley is a quite calm boy that always sat on the wall in the playground doing nothing. Finley's teachers want to find out what he does there and why he's always so calm. Its a book about the value of silence and self-acceptance. I found this a good book but was quite boring at points and would recommend it to years 10+ because it can help you settle into secondary school.

Samuel H

Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody
It was such a good book. It was about a lizard called Zeke and he had France on his knee and was a hall monitor and he got bullied by Pelicarnassus because Zeke punched Pelicarnassus in the face.

Maulik Linesh

Shrapnel Boys
This book is set in 1939 during WW2. Its about a few boys that in the war collect pieces of Shrapnel. It was a competition to see who could get the best shrapnel piece. Throughout this time, Ronnie is worried about the war but still eager too. He did not know what war was but he knew that it meant change and fortunately for him, there would be change (but the war was unfortunate). There are battles everywhere in London but in other places too. In the end, there were some parts I liked about this story, like the fact that it was not a typical war story bit there was some excitement to it when they raced for getting the best shrapnel piece (which Ronnie won in the end). However, there was one moment in the book that was important, and that was when tiger died as that made Ronnie cry not only for Tiger but for Micky, his mum, Arthur, Graham and Harry. Not to forget, he also thought about the people who died in the war, his dad, himself, Mr Missel and Lugs. This part really touched me and I was able to understand the pain Robbie Smith felt too. This book was quite good but I understand why it’s on the longlist instead of the shortlist. This book is only for people liking the war environment and times. Honestly, this book doesn’t compete with a few of the other books I have read. For this reason, I rate this 6/10.

Ihsan K

Ghostlines 
Ghostlines is about Tilda who has to show Albie around the island of Ayrie, because he has just moved there and is struggling to settle in. They kayak to a secret haunted island and Albie starts to like it there a little bit more. I like about this book the theme of the secret island being haunted by ghost stories told over campfires and that all of the people on the island get along fine with things that wouldn't be normal for people on the mainland such as wild swimming in fairy pools every day. There were a couple of things that I didn't like about Ghostlines and they were that the title isn't of huge significance in the plot. It is only mentioned in passing a couple of times and the storyline works still if the author doesn't mention it. The plot twist towards the end of the book also felt rushed and the problem occurring to the resolution was over in about 30 pages. Overall I would give this book 2/5.

Felix C

Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody
Lizard nobody was interesting to say the least. The mix of personalities, serious background themes, and unexpected moments created the perfect mix of humour and heart. This book is surprisingly relatable, despite the France story, and the metaphors will be well received.

Oliver

Wolf Siren
A tale about how a girl who has to bear a deep secret about her grandma and how she struggles due to her being a girl and has a big theme of feminism but is a bit too informative with the story plot line.

Ayaan

Popcorn
Popcorn was a great book about anxiety. It was full of little doodles, which are first I struggled to follow but I ended up actually enjoying. The plot was pretty basic but although I don't really get the actual popcorn one, some of the analogies were really good. I wish I had read this book a couple of years ago. I quite liked the ending but found it weird that the author decided to squish all those events into one day rather than having it over a longer amount of time. This book opened my awareness of anxiety.

Aidan

Wolf Siren
I thought wolf siren was a great book, it was exciting, fun, and had a good balance between sad and happy. Wolf Siren is a twist on the classic fairy tale red riding hood where the main character has a severe visual impairment but learns to live with it. I think this is a good book to read for anyone between 9 and 15 although there are some sad bits.

alfiec

Not Going To Plan
Not going to Plan is a good book. It's about school with a girl getting pregnant at 16 and doing her GCSEs and she needs her best friend to help her. 4/10

Max D

Not Going To Plan
Not going to plan is a great book filled with emotion and charm. It is really creatively written, from the actual story itself to just how the pages are laid out. It is heart-breaking and uplifting how the main character handles her problems. I did not expect to like it but I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book.

Aiden

Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody
Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody is one of the funniest books ever. Patrick Ness has changed a story of children getting bullied and standing up for themselves to lizards with superpowers fighting an evil pelican in a robot. The pure wackiness of this book is overwhelming. It is a bundle of laughs filled with charm and truly is just bonkers!

Aiden

On the Wall
Finley just started year 7 and he's very different to all the other people in his class, he sits on a wall , alone not doing anything for break and lunch. His teacher Mr Goodhew, wants to find the reason for this. After a while people notice him, and start asking questions. Juliet asks Finley about whether to go watch a scary film. Finley tells her to go and say the real reason. Some people start copying him, and feel calm, but whenever they sit next to him, they always think of worries, unlike Finley who just sits there with nothing to worry, though his teachers say to him to try harder but Finley doesn't think it as important. Disaster struck as he gets hit by a football, he comes back fine 2 days later, it's nearly the end of the year, but the wall he sat on is going to be demolished. Finley still says that he's happy. In the last day they all say goodbye to the wall. And Juliet says in Bella Italia that Finley's her friend, The end. I really liked this book because it says about the different perspectives of quiet people.

mahiru

On the Wall
There is a boy called Finley and he has moved to a new school. He usually sits alone on a wall thinking about nothing. Teachers wonder if he doesn’t have friends but proved wrong when Finley talks to kids. Other people also join like the first time when he was with Ben. I liked the overall plot and the actual story. One thing that did stick out to me, was that in the end when the wall is going to get destroyed, the teacher lets Finley see the wall one last time before it goes away. It had to go away because of the hazard it can provide as the wall is a bit high up. I recommend this book to everyone as it is a really good book. I think this book deserves to be on the shortlist than some other books. I rate this an 8/10.

Ihsan K

Birdie
This book was a very heart-warming story! I absolutely love it and would recommend it to anyone who would seem interested. So far, this is my favourite book! I really do hope this book wins the Carnegie Medal for Writing. The storyline is well put together and shows how you can be apart of a kind community, no matter who you are.

Miguel M.C

Popcorn
In Popcorn it is about a boy called Andrew who has really bad anxiety. It is his photo day at school but he is worried that his photo might not be perfect because he has to survive a full day at school with his luck he'll be lucky to get out alive. It contains illustrations of his anxiety levels on his popcorn meter. I would recommend this book for the younger population because it might not be as interesting or griping for adults. Overall i would rate this book a 7.99/10 because at the start I was struggling to get into it but as time passed I got more and more interesting.

Ayaan N

Birdie
I think its very good book because it is about a wild girl who experiences racism but she does not find out until everyone doesn't want to talk to her. Due to this I find this book awesome and I recommend it to all readers if they like adventurous and emotional books.

Aadam k

Popcorn
This book is about anxiety and relating it to popping a popcorn kernel. This book is a little young for me so I would recommend this for 8 year olds. This is a 3 out of 5.

cody w

Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody
A short read, I think it was for children who were younger that me, the ending was very bizarre, lizards getting superpowers? Anyway, one thing I did like is the hidden meanings e.g the black dog(depression). I would probably rate this a 4/10

Billy C

Wolf Siren
I really enjoyed this book as it had a really good story line and narrative. I thought that it had a good outlook on society and I think showed a unique view. My only criticism of the book is that it had a bit much going on and despite the great themes they all were fighting in the book. But, overall I loved this a think it has a good shot at the prize. Would read again.

Henry D

Popcorn
I found this book quite enjoyable and it had an interesting plot, however it was quite an easy read. It was interesting because it was about anxiety, and it showed some real coping methods, but also showed the harsh reality that people can't always get the help they need to cope with problems, and even worse - when they start getting the help, it has to be cut short. It was not the best book I've ever read, but not the worst, so I rate this book 6/10.

Edward M

The Boy I Love
The Boy I Love was a romantic book set in the trenches. Despite how many books I have read set during a world war, I don't think I've ever read a book set in the actual trenches before so that was a new different concept to me. At first, I found it boring and slow with too much army terminology I didn't know, like which of Colonels, Lieutenants, and Captains were more superior. However the book soon improved and there wasn't too much romance. The ending was about how I expected it which was realistic but not too sad.

Aidan

Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody
Zeke and his friends Alicia and Daniel become hall monitors. while doing his job Zeke sees the bully Pelicarnassus, and the pelican calls Zeke fat, in retaliation to this Zeke punches him. The principal wombat takes the hall monitors sashes away, and now Zeke's separated from his friends. Meanwhile at his home his mom is mostly in bed with the 'black dog' next to her. Zeke has to do everything himself. On the bus there's a blind hawk, and Alicia introduces herself. After this the head forces Zeke to apology to the pelican, but he wants revenge on Zeke. He lives with France on his knee. His mum passes out and goes to hospital. Pelicarnassus builds a giant pelican suit and tries to kill Zeke but with the help of his two best friends and Miel, the hawk, they manage to defeat him. Zeke shields the pelican from disaster and now they are on a truce. His mum is back and he's happy.

mahiru

Not Going To Plan
Not Going to Plan explored an often overlooked topic that is gaining prominence in literature - abortion. However, I liked how it doesn't focus on just abortion - it also focuses on identity and the struggles of teenagers. The contrasting characters and viewpoints of Zed and Marnie brought depth to the story and plot. I thought the verse format didn't add too much, and in some places (e.g. the heartbeat) made it a bit of a nuisance, but it made the book a bit more unique and interesting. Overall, it explored a complex topic well, displaying different viewpoints through the characters, while still keeping the book grounded with the approach of GCSEs. 8/10.

Aashaz Z.

Wolf Siren
Wolf Siren by Beth O'Brien is easily my favourite Carnegie book out of the the 4 I have now read. Wolf Siren is about a girl named Red who is 13 years old who has the power of magic to summon wolves and can transform into wolf. The story is set in a massive forest inhabited by wolves with a town in the centre surrounded by a forest that lives. I love this book as it includes outcasts, wolves and understanding. Even though Red is visually impaired she shows that even the most insignificant people can become known and powerful. In total I would give this book an 11/10 from how good of a book, storyline, setting and how it really got me hooked on every page.

Sylvan C

Shrapnel Boys
The story focuses on the "home front," where children, including Ronnie and his best friend Lugs, compete to collect the best pieces of "shrapnel" (bomb fragments) after nightly air raids.When a manipulative man named Johnny Simmons charms his way into their home to build an Anderson shelter, Ronnie recognizes him as an untrustworthy person. Ronnie’s younger brother, Micky, is quickly swayed by Johnny’s promises of money and a bike, drawing him into dangerous, potentially traitorous "odd jobs". As London suffers under the Blitz, Ronnie is determined to protect Micky and expose Johnny, who is revealed to have ties to the British Union of Fascists. I like this book because it explores friendship and loyalty and portrays history through children.

Patrick J

Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody
The story centers on Zeke, a monitor lizard who considers himself a "nobody" at school. Along with his best friends Daniel and Alicia (also monitor lizards), Zeke is appointed a Hall Monitor by Principal Wombat. The Bully: The lizard trio is targeted by Pelicarnassus, a pompous, giant pelican and son of a supervillain who has it out for them. When Zeke stands up to Pelicarnassus, the bully escalates the conflict, leading to outlandish threats, including a "Death Ray of Death" and a "giant robotic pelican attack" on the school. I liked how he isn’t all powerful or strong, he’s just normal.

Patrick J

Twenty Four Seconds from Now
24 seconds from now was an okay book. I liked how it explored the relationships of characters although I think it could have written more about Aria and Nee's relationship given that the whole story was about them being about have sexual intercourse but I think that it was quite good. I did think that it was odd that Nee seemed to talk and think the same even 2 years before the start of the story and that the yearbook club was a bit of a random addition. The thing that I liked the most about this book was Nee's relationship with his family and how he was close with his mother, father, grandmother, and grandfather in all different ways which really showed the closeness of the family. I would recommend this book to people who like romance books and probably ages 14-15 and older. Overall I give it a 5/10.

Robin.O

Not Going To Plan
I loved this book. I loved the poem set out and the switching between the characters. 9/10

Connor R

Ghostlines 
It was a decent book but I couldn't get a grip with the plot. 7/10

Connor R

Not Going To Plan
I found 'Not Going to Plan ' by Tia Fisher a really honest and emotional novel about two teens whose lives mess up after something goes seriously wrong, and I found it surprisingly easy to connect with both of them. Tia's writing style doesn’t shy away from tough topics like consent and the pressure of growing up, but she writes about them in a way that feels real , The writing style makes it quick to read, but it still hits hard, and the friendship that develops between Marnie and Zed feels messy and awkward at start .

RaqeebG

The Boy I Love
I found the book mostly boring. The book mostly feels like Danny and Stephen doing side quests together. Nothing really twisting or impactful till the end. It lacks the element of surprise.

Mahad.K

Twenty Four Seconds from Now
backwards book makes brain hurt aaaaaaaaa I'm not really one for romance novels - however this book was, for a story that revolved around teenage sex, quite wholesome, if that's the right word. Jason Reynolds knows how to write a book - he proved he knows how to tug the heartstrings in Long Way Down, a book I quite enjoyed. The book's characters and easy feel felt relaxing, like a coming of age story going in the wrong direction but still working. It didn't necessarily have me hooked, but it wasn't as if it was painful to read through either. It fits the bill and I reckon it may have my vote.

Hanzalah A

Birdie
It's the 1950s and there is a girl called Birdie who has never met her parents. She was abandoned and left in a church with a picture of her mum (which soon got destroyed). She lived with Mr and Mrs Dudley until she was given away to Aunt Mabel. Obviously, Birdie was sad and reluctant, but she left and went to the Yorkshire dales. When she was taken in by Aunt Mabel, she seemed kind but further in the story she acted quite suspicious. She kept telling Birdie, “it's nothing do not worry,” when there was something. Ever since she came, she was not treated like Mrs Winterbottom's nephew (she told birdie to call her that) but like a stranger. All of a sudden, one day, she was bullied by a gang of kids and in a desperate manner, she went into a building called Winding house and that was the coal mine. She was hiding and hiding but then she fell into a lift which said NO3 shaft cage. The lift fell and suddenly...stopped. There was nothing but a wall of coal in her way. She lost all hope and gave up but then she saw a pony. She said, “what are you doing here?” However, she was glad that the pony was there, and the pony started to walk, and Birdie Bagshaw followed where the pony went, and they had reached the lift again. She thanked the pony. She soon called him Mr Duke and that is where the story started. I like this book as it was an old fashioned book but usually I do not like these style books but I'm glad to have liked it. I recommend this book to those who want to see if they will like this genre (which they will after they certainly read this).

Ihsan K

Birdie
Birdie is a book about the friendship between Birdie and a pony. Birdie never knew her parents and she was growing up in a children's home for mixed race children in Leeds. She went to live with her great aunt in the Yorkshire Dales and is bullied by local children. She develops a bond with a little pony, Mr Duke. I liked the special bond between human and animal. I found the book dramatic and a bit emotional in places, I also felt very bad about the children's behaviour towards Birdie.

Samuel H

Wolf Siren
I found Wolf Siren to be a bit flat. The plot was just never really fully established so there was only a small storyline to go off which didn't provide enough for me to get hooked. If the plot was developed a bit more I think it could drastically improve the book. As well as this, the link to the fairy tale "Little red riding hood" was honestly pointless as it added nothing to the story and was just there as a gimmick. However, I liked the setting and idea of the book as it could have a really good storyline. The character building was also done very well with a lot of focus on Red's relationship with her mother and her mental battle as to whether she should listen to her mother or the call of the trees. In addition to this, the implement of female empowerment was well structured and conveyed the message well alongside the more subtle point that disabilities don't have to hold you back, which is shown in Red's visual impairment. I also liked the ending as it conveyed a lot of the emotion built up throughout the novel and tied up the loose ends of the wolves and the relationship between Red and her mother. Yet I think a nicer idea would have been to foreshadow a different event at the end, as a sequel would easily be doable and would match really well with this book as it could develop Luki as a character, who is not shown much there. Overall, the plot was underdeveloped and really lacked depth but the setting was good and the characters were well developed. Plot:4/10 Characters:7/10 Setting:7/10 Style:6/10 Total:24/40

sevan c

The Boy I Love
The Boy I Love is an interesting book which concerns both the atrocities of the First World War and the political and cultural situation of the time. I felt that this book wanted to convey a hopeful message and I think it conveyed that message really well. In terms of pacing and the story it felt quite predictable but yet kept my interest throughout. Overall, a very enjoyable book that contrasts the horror of the First World War with a very romantic relationship.

Benjamin R

Ghostlines 
I personally really enjoyed Ghostlines and think that it's strengths lie in the vivid, almost alive feeling, description of the island which really helps the story come alive. I personally felt the ending was a bit roped-in and I would have preferred a slower pace - like the rest of the novel. The characters were quite real-feeling however I did feel like their motives and opinions could have been expanded on. Overall, a good book but one which would have benefited from a few small changes.

Benjamin R

Twenty Four Seconds from Now
'A gem of a book!" Angie Thomas said. Well I beg to differ, Miss Thomas. If this book is truly unknown, I think it should stay that way, for the benefit of everyone. This is certainly not a book I would've picked up. I have a slight disdain for sappy romance novels like these, and this book has solidified this disdain. The storyline was way too bland and felt familiar too, as do most romance novels. Nothing much really happened, and we were told a lot about things not crucial to the storyline. Some characters were interesting figures and added to the story, but others I felt were slightly unnecessary. For example, some of the members of the yearbook club were so unmemorable and added next to nothing to the storyline, so now, only a day after reading, cannot even remember their names. I did enjoy how Reynolds wrote the story ƨbɿɒwʞɔɒd, but apart from his memorable writing style and (some) interesting characters, I have nothing else positive to say on the book. I really had to rack my brain just thinking of 2 reasons why the book was half-decent. Judy Blume on the back cover says 'Jason Reynolds has done it again! But in a totally new way... Fresh from start to finish.' Well, Blume was correct on the latter, but the bar must be pretty low to describe the book as another hit, which I know he full well is not, as the 1 New York Times Bestselling Author mark is plastered upon the front of the book. 3/10

William B

Not Going To Plan
I quite liked this book and found that it explored very controversial and complex topics really well and in a poetry format that made it easy to read. I liked the contrast of how Marnie and Zed looked at the world built their relationship and their story. I thought that how the book showed abortion and fear to tell people was really good with characters like Rakel having different opinions on it but in the end showing that people can do what they want. My main complaint was how the book didn't use speech marks and instead used italics which made it quite confusing when actual italics were used and I think it would have been better just to use speech marks. I would recommend this to probably ages 13+ as it explores controversial topics that require more thinking and the main concepts wouldn't be suitable for younger readers. Overall I give it 8/10.

Robin.O

Birdie
I enjoyed this book as it showed racism in the 1950s and that people are people no matter what skin colour they are, and that anyone can get on with each other. I found Birdie's love for Mr Duke nice but could have been explored more than just her meeting him and sneaking out to go see him, as she seems to care for him so much and base her whole life around him for no real reason. I liked how the book looked at mines and how whole communities worked around them and the impact of them shutting and the Second World War. I would recommend Birdie to all ages as it explores racism in a fun way with animals and it is easier for younger readers to understand. Overall I would give it a 7/10

Robin.O

Birdie
This book is very unoriginal, with same stereotypes as thousands of other books, with an orphan child who has never seen her parents and wants to find them, who gets bullied and finds magical animal friend and feels better. Acceptable, considering the 9 year age rating, but not fun to read.

HarryF

Birdie
I thought that Birdie overall was a very good book. But I did feel that some of it didn't make sense. For example I didn't particularly understand why she would choose a horse over family and friends that genuinely cared for her and wanted the best for her. But ignoring that I felt it was really well written and it was sweet the way Birdie had a deep connection with a horse. And when everyone apologised for being racist to her it felt nice finally knowing she was accepted.

Aiden

Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody
Chronicles Of A Lizard Nobody was a great book just not really fit my age group. I think I would've really enjoyed this book about five years ago as it is both funny and has serious problems, like bullying, in a fun book kids would want to pick up. It seems impossible to compare this to a book like 24 Seconds From Now as I don't think there is a single person in the target audience for both, which makes deciding the best book in the shortlist a lot harder. Overall, the book was funny but predictable with some parts a bit too crazy and a nice happy ending.

Aidan

The Boy I Love
The Boy I love is a book set in 1916 in WWI. It follows the struggles and discrimination coming against Stephen, a Lieutenant heading back to the front after some time at home. He is a homosexual, and on the boat, he meets another boy, Danny, who is also attracted to other men. Stephen tries his best to keep Danny safe, both from Germans, and their commanding officers who would arrest them if caught being gay with each other. I like this book because, while it is a romantic book, it also expresses the hardships that ordinary men who were called up to the Battle of Somme faced in which 20,000 died in a single day. However, The Boy I Love lacked many decisive plot twists and from about halfway through the book, I could predict what would happen based on the way the story was going. Overall, I give this book 4.5/5

Felix C

Ghostlines 
I really liked Ghostlines by the Carnegie winning author, Katya Balen, because it was vivid, exciting and at some point, quite emotional too. It is now one of my favourite books. I loved the setting- wild, untamed and free. You could feel the fresh sea-breeze of the Ayrie around you and you could smell the scent of the rainy air. The story is about a fierce, nature-loving girl called Tilda, living in an island called the Ayrie. When an anxious newcomer called Albie, moves in from the Mainland, things change. Everything Tilda likes, Albie hates. When Albie's mother forces him to explore the Ayrie with Tilda, he is not happy at all. Tilda is upset that Albie hates the Ayrie but Tilda comes up with a brilliant plan. A plan that would make Albie love the Ayrie forever. But the only problem is that the secret island is forbidden to anyone who lives in the Ayrie. Could she and Albie secretly pay a visit to the secret, forbidden island haunted with a ghost who died there a long time ago and live on to tell the tale...

Mithulesh A

Stealing Happy
Thirteen-year-old Sonny Gilmour lives on the 13th floor of a Scottish council flat—a place he considers his "safe haven" despite the stinking lifts and cramped quarters. However, his world is crumbling. His father is disabled by Long Covid, and his mother is struggling to keep up with the rent after her cleaning hours are cut. When the notorious loan shark Chick Lennon shows up at their door, Sonny realizes his mother has borrowed money just to survive. Desperate to reclaim his family's joy, Sonny teams up with his best mate Jonah and the quiet genius Carolina Swift to hatch a plan: rob Chick Lennon. I liked this book because it’s funny even when things are dark.

Patrick J

Popcorn
I really liked this book! I found it really humorous and heartfelt, and it gave a really important insight into what anxiety can do to a person, and how Alzheimer's can affect your life. The cartoons inside the book helped me imagine what the characters looked like. I look forward to seeing which book wins the Carnegies!

Miguel M.C

Twenty Four Seconds from Now
Twenty-Four Seconds from Now is a love story about a young man named Neon who is trying to muster up the courage to have sexual intercourse with his girlfriend, Aria. The book goes from when he is freaking out in the bathroom to twenty-four seconds from that to minutes then hours then days and so on to twenty-four months from that and then back to now when he should be in bed with his girlfriend. The book is about love, family and relationships. I would give it a 7/10 as it was a good book and I liked how it went back in time but the writing style was inconsistent.

Sylvan C

The Boy I Love
The book's writing was exceptionally structured - I'll give it that. William Hussey definitely knows what he's doing when he writes a book. However, that doesn't necessarily mean I instantly enjoyed the book. It felt like it was lacking in things that would actually make it interesting - twists and the like. Too much focus was on the romance and how it was forbidden. For me, when a story begins to revolve around that, it fails to leave room for much else, and becomes - I hate to say it - boring, without flesh or meat. It felt an empty book.

Hanzalah

Ghostlines 
There is a girl called Tilda living on an island called Ayrie. In this island, everybody knows everyone and everything pretty much stays the same. It was just the end of the time when the tourists would come to visit Ayrie to see the puffins. This marked the beginning of the silent season. However, there is a new boy called Albie who was green on the boat journey. When Tilda tried to make friends with him, she accidentally punched her and that made Albie angry. Obviously, his mum visits Tilda to talk about introducing her son to the island and maybe showing him a few secret areas. Reluctantly, she accepted it and sacrificed the end of her holidays and missed hanging out with her gang. When Tilda showed him around, Albie just seemed to hate everything she liked. I mean everything and that includes the quietness of the island, and the isolation people can get. But this didn't stop him from Tilda from getting an idea. Even though she's not allowed, she takes Albie on a trip. One that took them to...the forbidden island Ayrie kids are not allowed to enter. Surprisingly, they find something important to Tilda. She was talking about him the entire time and she finally met Rowan.

Ihsan K

Birdie
While I liked the messages of this book, I did not enjoy reading it. The dialogue felt stunted. The mix of 'Leeds speech' with older words (such as thee, art, etc.) made the story feel harder to associate with as it isn't modern or realistic. The plot was okay but I feel it could have been improved by explaining the situation of Birdie's life more thoroughly. I did, however, enjoy reading a story set in the local area. The messages of friendship, acceptance, and courage weren't integrated into the story, I feel, as I was overly aware of the point JP Rose was trying to convey. Overall, it is an interesting story which I, sadly, feel was not written as well as it could be.

Oliver R

Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody
'Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody' is a book about friendship, bullying and surviving school. It is about a lizard named Zeke who is a hall monitor with his other lizard friends: Daniel and Alicia. The main story is that Zeke gets bullied by a pelican called Pelicarnarssus who wants to be a supervillain, and strangely Zeke also has the miniature sized country of France on his knee due to a curse involving his grandfather. This book didn't leave a lasting impression on me, it's a bit silly despite shining a light on issues like bullying. I think it's aimed younger children. I read it quickly and I was glad to finish it.

Sylvan C

Birdie
The story is about a young black girl called Birdie become friends with a pony she names Mr Duke. It was interesting seeing as it was set in England after world war two and was still quite a racist community and she had a black father but a white mother. Birdie is an orphan and was taken in by her great aunt and uncle who had lost their son in the war. It was touching watching Birdie's aunt and uncle slowly find themselves as Birdie brings them out of depression. I also enjoyed it because I live in the Yorkshire Dales which is where the book is set. Birdie was a touching character since she was willing to give up everything for the sake of a pony she had just recently met. One of my favourite characters was Mr Lofthouse since he was kind to Birdie and gave her medicine for her pony for free. Overall I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it.

Thomas F

Popcorn
This is an interesting book about a kid who has really high anxiety. I find this really interesting as it shows that even if they look fine they may be in pain or stressed on the inside. it also has a bit of humour and when there is humour it always ends up making it worse for Andrew (this kid with anxiety) as it stresses him out. His grandma goes missing, a science experiment explodes in his face, there's a ketchup rocket and a bully. How could this day be worse? A panic attack.

henry

Ghostlines 
This book was really fun and adventurous. It started a bit slow and not very interesting but then Tilda started showing the new boy, Albie round the islands greatest things to do. They make memories with puffins and set up a secret den on a secret island. It was really imaginative and had loads of fun mini-adventures along the way. A great book I enjoyed and one I would read again. :)

Joshua R

Birdie
This book is an interesting story about racism and friendship. It wasn't really my kind of book but I'm sure some people will have enjoyed it. I found the plot was rather weak and so were the characters but other than that I thought it was nice that it was set so locally and with very important messages in it. I couldn't relate to the characters however.

Rowan

Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody
"The Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody" is a good book which is about a lizard called Zeke who has France on his knee, he is bullied by a pelican who tries to invade France. Then just ends up just invading the school he goes to with Zeke. But eventually with the help of his friends Zeke defeats the pelican. I think this is a good book but is for slightly younger children.

alfie c

Not Going To Plan
Not Going To Plan is a book about abortion. At first, I found it really similar to Little Bang so when I found out that Kelly McCaughrain supported Tia Fisher in writing this book, I wasn't too surprised. I thought the characterisation was good, and that most of it felt like it could really happen. One small hole in the plot was that Zed and Marnie were working on the same spreadsheet where Marnie admits who the father is, Zed later says he can only guess who the father is. Two years ago, I read Crossing The Line and I definitely prefer Not Going To Plan because it felt more uplifting. I also appreciated the poetry and wordart more this time as two years ago half the books were written in poetry. It probably didn't need to be in poetry, but it definitely worked. The ending was good, although I wish she hadn't ended it on a cliffhanger...

Aidan

Ghostlines 
This is a story set in the remote Island of Ayrie some of the main people in this story are Tilda: a fierce nature-loving girl who has lived in Ayrie her entire life and Albie: a newcomer from the city who is struggling to adapt to the wild isolated lifestyle. To prove the magic of Ayrie to Albie, Tilda takes him to the old island a forbidden and treacherous place that is rumoured to be haunted an hour’s boat ride away where things suddenly get dangerous when they get caught in a big storm. The reason the book is called Ghostlines is a metaphor referring to the invisible paths carved into the sea by countless boat journeys over thousands of years. I quite liked this book because it feels less like you’re just reading and like you’re submerged inside of the story

Patrick J

Popcorn
Popcorn was an excellent book because at first Andrew was terrified to get a panic attack at school but at the end of the book he got one and then he learned to cope with it. And he learned his favourite teacher had panic attacks too, but he learned to control it and accept it as a part of his life.

Maulik Linesh

Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody
Zeke and Daniel have become hall monitors by Mrs Wombat, but not only because they are monitor lizards. Shockingly, Alicia (the only other monitor lizard) is a hall monitor as well! This story is about animals ranging from hawks and pelicans, to lizards and lions. They all go to school together and the 3 main characters are hall monitors. Terror comes as Pelicarnassus bullies Zeke, Daniel, and Alicia. Zeke gives him a punch and therefore got near expulsion. They meet a new friend called Miel (which means honey) who is blind but smart. We were able to know he was smart, when he told us how he was able to locate his way through the school. Zeke has France on his knee as a curse his grandpa caused and now Zeke hates it with the black dog that always is next to his mum. Speaking of his mum, she went into hospital because she forgot to eat. Usually, she does that but it made her pass out on Zeke's bad day. The wannabe villain (Pelicarnassus) has been trying to bully Zeke as he was told by a Norman. Norman has been fed up of the fact that Pelicarnassus keeps talking about him. Pelicarnassus has been trying to scare The main character (Zeke) so he caused wreckage at the school that was intended to kill him. After all that chaos, he finally has a good day where he gets his hall monitor sash back, Miel said he showed heroism and Pelicarnassus got his consequence as he was grounded and his computers were taken away. However, that was not the true good day. In fact it was more than a week after where he gets a surprise. He sees his mum and his mum kisses him on the forehead and gets into a big big hug with Zeke. That's where we were left off and I believe that he deserved it. I recommend this book to whoever wants to enjoy some good fiction. I actually loved this book and I rate this a solid 9/10.

Ihsan K

Ghostlines 
I found this a bit hard to follow especially the plot with Matilda and Albie and the whole haunted house thing but I did like the art and imagery and the dog! I didn’t enjoy this book as much as the ones that were available last year.

Eli

Birdie
Birdie was a lovely book, written about a girl called Birdie in Yorkshire. It was nice to have a book set so locally, even with a reference to where I live. The book was set in the 1950s, the post war period I didn't know much about. Overall, the book was a great story with lots of little sidestories to keep the chapters in the middle entertaining. The RCD may have been predictable but it was also very happy which was a nice change from other books on this shortlist.

Aidan

Popcorn
The story follows Andrew Yaeger, a seventh-grader who is just trying to survive the gauntlet of School Photo Day. For Andrew, this isn't just about a bad haircut; he’s dealing with severe anxiety and OCD. He visualizes his worry as a popcorn kernel in his stomach. Throughout the day, as things go wrong—a bully, a science experiment disaster, and the terrifying news that his grandmother (who has Alzheimer's) has gone missing—the heat under that kernel keeps rising. Andrew’s biggest fear is "popping": having a full-blown panic attack in front of everyone.

Patrick J

Birdie
Birdie is a thought provoking book about racism, identity and belonging. The protagonist is a girl called Birdie Bagshaw who is an orphan who goes to live in the Yorkshire Dales with her great aunt Mabel and great uncle Mr Walter. Even though Birdie gets bullied and treated like dirt by her classmates, teachers and even other adults, because of the colour of her skin, she still prevails. One day the bullying goes too far and leads to her hiding in a tube which then goes down to an abandoned coal mine. She gets lost trying to find a way out and discovers a pony which helps her escape the coal mine. I have mixed feelings about this book as it is a very good story and has many great scenes and parts, but I found it was too short for a book of its quality.

Sylvan C

Not Going To Plan
Overall, I found this book to be quite entertaining with an interesting storyline that I enjoyed. However, I have 2 primary criticisms of the book: its predictability and a couple of unrealistic events. The friendship developed in the book seemed to me quite unrealistic, like the friendships you only really see in sappy, quite frankly, movies. The idea of someone like Zed and someone like Marnie, considering previous history of the 2 characters, would be very unlikely in the real world. While I would believe it if the author portrayed the two on amicable terms, that too would not make it a very good book. Therefore, I don't really think people like Zed and Marnie are very compatible in the real world, which should be reflected in the book. My other problem with the book was its predictability: simply just reading the blurb already gave me a very good idea of what the book was about, and not to my surprise, all my predictions were true. There was only one event when you actually had to guess as to what would happen. As well as this, I don't really like some of the character portrayals. For example, I didn't like how Marnie drags Zed into her own problems against his own will, when in reality she could've faced the shame of fessing up to her mother and instead acquiring her help. In spite of this, I don't only have negative comments of the book: in fact, there's a lot I could complement on the book. I found it to be a very powerful storyline, and as I mentioned before, I enjoyed it quite thoroughly. I also liked how it explored taboo topics which many other authors would be too afraid to write of. Overall, I found it to be a very enjoyable book, regardless of its flaws. I would rate it an 8/10

William B

Twenty Four Seconds from Now
I think that this is a brilliant book, with a good constant storyline outlining the thoughts and ideas of a teenage boys life. I really liked how Neon's family are very tight knit and care for him as his journey with Aria proceeds. I loved how there is always examples of friendship throughout the book showing that there is always someone to talk with and express feelings. Finally I enjoyed the overall idea in how he is taking us back step by step through Arias and Neon's relationship showing the ups, the downs and just simply how it all begin. I would really recommend this book to anyone really who is mature enough to understand certain language.

Seb O

Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody
This book surprised me. I was expecting a very childish and immature book, which it sort of was, but slightly exceeded my expectations. We follow a lizard called Zeke as he goes through what I assume is primary school. Everyone there is a different animal and he has 2 lizard and 1 eagle friends. It was honestly quite funny which was surprising, but not a laugh out loud type funny. It took some quite confusing and unexpected turns, like France being on his leg, a giant robot pelican, a supervillain, and superpowered hall monitor sashes for some reason. Surprisingly, it also had some deeper themes, like how Zeke's father died and how his mum doesn't see him much, most likely because of the depression she has after the death of her husband. The book represents friendship which is a good theme, but I feel is a bit too immature of a theme for the Carnegies, especially when the book can be quite random and immature. Overall, the book was quite surprising. 6/10.

Elliott.H

Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody
It is a good book. In my thoughts, it was funny engaging and at the end I wanted to read on. The Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody is a book about friendship and standing up for your own rights. I would definitely recommend this book to others.

Mohammed A

Popcorn
Andrew is a boy who lives with his grandma and his mum, his mum is struggling to earn money with her job. Andrew is boy with severe anxiety and OCD in his life, his best friend Jonesy is very good at basketball and athletic. For Andrew, it's his photo-day and he cares a lot about it as his mum really wants to see how it turns out. He gets hit by a basketball and gets a bad eye and he has to deal with gene the school bully. Gene punches him in the stomach and in chemistry, Gene puts a chemical in his test tube and it explodes over him, his shirt is ruined and his grandma has gone missing. In art, Andrew has a panic attack and punches his favourite teacher. In the end, he calms down and his grandma is found. I really liked this book because its really funny to me. I recommend this book to year 7s

mahiru

Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody
I found it quite interesting, with a lot of sub-stories that eventually became quite important, such as France being on the main character's knee, his mum being in hospital and his friends being hall monitors. It was funny, with the laser sashes and the huge robot pelican.

Connor F

Stealing Happy
This book was very entertaining, despite being a little confusing at the start - due to the use of very informal language and clear plot, until later in the book - it was still very interesting and had a great story. The story itself progressed quite slowly, however, it was still enjoyable and had some very exciting moments. The characters were quite diverse (like the main character, Sonny) and made the book a lot more fun to read.

Theo dP

Wolf Siren
Wolf Siren, to put it simply, is one of the best books I have ever read. The sheer amount of mystery and magic set it aside from any other book. It tells the story so well and stuffs things like emotion, injustice and curiosity in to constantly keep the reader hooked. Near the end of the book my eyes welled up because of the beauty of the story. This truly is a masterpiece and definitely deserves to be a Carnegie. Thank You

Aiden

Popcorn
POPCORN is a book about Andrew Yaeger, a seventh grade boy, who struggles with anxiety. It is picture day and the book follows his journey through a day in which almost everything that could go wrong, did go wrong. This book highlights problems that someone with anxiety and OCD has and what they might do to manage that. One of these is an analogy of a piece of popcorn "chillin' out in the bag" on a scale to an overwhelming pressure and popping. One thing that I would improve about this book is building on the ending as I feel that it was too rushed and some problems that Andrew was worrying about, though they were solved, weren't fully explained. Overall: 4 out of 5

Felix C

Twenty Four Seconds from Now
Twenty-four seconds from now is was a surprisingly enjoyable book. As if writing a book wasn't hard enough, Jason Reynolds decided to write the book basically backwards, with little stories from each occasion. On top of that, all 239 pages were effectively about one moment, yet the book still worked without getting boring. The consistency of the number 24 was arbitrary, but it gave a nice ring to why each time section was chosen. The best bit in my opinion was the characterisation, mainly of Neon and Aria. Romance novels are not my preference but this one was delivered well with an open but not too open ending.

Aidan

Birdie
This book is about a girl named Birdie who lives in England a long time ago. She is an orphan and has to move to a small village in Yorkshire to live with her great-aunt and great-uncle. The village is a mining town where everything is covered in coal dust. Life is very difficult for Birdie because she is mixed-race, and many people in the town are unkind to her because she looks different from them. She feels very lonely until she discovers a secret. My favourite part of the story is the pony Birdie finds a horse named Mr. Duke who works deep underground in the coal mines. They become best friends because they both feel alone. Birdie works very hard to take care of the pony. It shows how brave she is, even when things are scary. I liked this book because it shows that even if people are mean to you, you can still find friends in unexpected places. It made me feel sad sometimes, but it also made me happy to see Birdie find a home where she belongs.

Patrick J

Popcorn
Honestly, I have quite enjoyed the book. Especially when all the bad things happen. The author seems to highlight that Andrew has anxiety but makes humour out of it as well. He definitely has tried to prove that having anxiety is hard and the problems it causes. Focussing on the session with Dr Clio, we learn that it may not be only the big things but also the small things that cause a problem. Anyway this is the summary of the story: Andrew is a kid getting ready for picture day and trying to take the best one he can for his mom. However, it seems like life is going against him with all the problems, like the basketball incident, a science experiment gone wrong and his bully. The rage he experienced we knew was like a kernel on a scale. For him, a panic attack is when you pop and mainly he is in the middle between uncooked and popcorn. We were able to understand that he was germaphobic when Danny sneezes on Andrew, when a person breathes on him and when he wants to clean desks and arm rests because who knew who could be sitting there. The end of the story is when Andrew is in complete shambles and his photo ends up looking horrendous. I recommend this book to whoever wants to learn more about stressed and anxious people, but not in a really scientific way. If you want humour and wanting to understand problems people have, I would go for this book. I rate this 8/10

Ihsan K

Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody
In the book 'Chronicles of lizard nobody', Zeke -- a lizard -- and a few of his lizard friends became hall monitors. And then an animal called Pelicarnassus invades France in mini fighter jets. In the end I would rate this a 7/10 because the story line was good but it was a bit short. I recommend this book for 10 year olds

Cody

Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody
This was quite a good book that was extremely funny whilst still having an interesting plot and storyline. I feel that one of the best parts of this book was its characters as it had such a diverse and likeable cast of characters. It also had some great plot twists / mysteries; for example, France.

Theo dP