Elms Shadowing 2026

The Boy I Love
The Boy I Love is a book I wanted to read the moment I saw it and it I must say it did not disappoint. Stephen and Danny's relationship is so loveable. I love how Stephen slowly rebels against the rules and I felt every moment of frustration along with Stephen and Danny. Definitely my favorite book so far.

Genevieve

Wolf Siren
I love the overall themes and the worldbuilding of this story, and how women were discriminated against for being able to do something the men couldn't do. Furthermore, the family tension and dynamics are interesting, however in the beginning of the novel not enough is invested in the description of the forest. As a result, the forest, which is the focal point of the novel, is only a bland area in the mind of reader. Overall , I enjoyed the premise of the story but the execution fell short as I believe there was a lack of description relying on the reader to imagine the surroundings.

David

Ghostlines 
The fact that the book explores the theme of young people finding themselves. I personally believe that Tilda finds it interesting and disrupting that the new boy (Albie) has arrived on her 'peaceful island'. The fact that they have to go to a new island and they start to discover their past memories in an attempt to gain a bond with Albie shows how some teens may feel like they have to fully open up about their past before making friends.

diogo

Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody
In this book, I think it was a bit strange how Pelicarnassus got a gigantic robot. However it was verry humorous. I didn't understand the storyline and him having France on his knee. But it was really good having animal facts.

Theodore

The Boy I Love
An adorable and heart wrenching story that makes me equally sad and joyous. It reminds me of how much work we have done in the world to protect people like me, and how much more it will take to ever feel safe.

Nadia

Twenty Four Seconds from Now
I think that the book is rather revolutionary- it goes against the usual book culture of toxic masculinity and presents the main character (Neon) in a very vulnerable way, which is unusual to see. Furthermore, it is written in a reverse order, which makes it more engaging. However, the book focuses on just one specific moment, which some readers may find boring. Overall, I enjoyed the book and I think that it was well written.

Rosey

Ghostlines 
I really liked the fantastical fantasy that the world is placed in and I was really submerged in the book because of how the sentences were phrased. For example the metaphor, boat's rope is burning fire. I overall would it 8/10.

Henrique

Birdie
This book was okay. The old man was a deus ex machina and the pony should have died in the end, but every children's book has to have a happy ending, so the pony somehow survived blowing up.

David

Wolf Siren
Wolf siren was a great book. Beth O'Brien did a wonderful job on writing the book. I don't think I've ever come across a rewrite of little Red Riding Hood before and never really been fond of rewrites but this one was very fun.

Aliyah

Wolf Siren
Wolf siren is a wonderful read. I adored the storyline and Red's connection to the woods. I love the plot-twist at the end! It was completely unexpected as the entire time I was led to believe the Mayor was the killer. I adored the book. My only critique would be that I would have liked to have more of a chance to get to know Areona, just so the ending hit a little harder; but I still loved her as a character.

Genevieve

Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody
I really liked this book because it was funny and the storyline was written well. I think the characters were presented very well. I also like how it was set in an animal school as it made the book quite interesting.

Evangeline

The Boy I Love
I enjoyed the book because it explores a theme which, during that period, is borderline forbidden because of different beliefs, and we get the perspective of someone who has to put on a facade to fit in with the rest of the soldiers. I also enjoyed the book because it reveals the harsh mentality soldiers gain from war because of the constant violence and brutality; it really significant because it shows what real soldiers in the war went through. I think the book accurately portrayed what life is with war and forbidden love.

Aleeza

Twenty Four Seconds from Now
I enjoyed the colloquial style of the book but in context of the storyline I think the book could have a more meaningful message without the evasive sexual relationship between Neon and Aria. There is more to relationships than sex. However, there was a joke said by Petunia (Tuna) which I found quite funny.

Abigail

Wolf Siren
A beautiful story that reminded me of connection to nature. Humans can be cruel and judgmental, but there will always be those who dare to brave the lightning's glow. I loved the book and it resonated with the selfish and arrogant humans of today.

Nadia

Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody
I found this book really enjoyable to read and I found the storyline very gripping. I felt it had some funny moments but some moments were tricky to understand. Overall, I think it was a solid book but I think it could have been easier to understand if some moments were altered slightly.

Teddy

Birdie
Birdie is a touching story creating inspiring emotions of hope and courage. It's about a young girl going through difficult times but somehow always staying hopeful. With this hope, she learns how to deal with problems and becomes braver with every page. In my opinion, the best themes are growing up and especially being strong and the themes stay consistent throughout the rest of the book. Overall I mostly liked this book.

Kai

Popcorn
I really liked this book in comparison to the other ones! I felt it was more relatable to me as a reader and it was funny. Overall, I connected with the book which is really all I want from reading. I rate it 7/10.

Amalia

Ghostlines 
Although I did not finish the book, I believe that the expression of how relationships are forged and the contrast in their opinions, such as Tilda liking the quiet and wildness of Ayrie whereas Albie hates it, sets up such an interesting story of how they would inevitably grow closer throughout their journey, I really wish I could've finished the story, as it truly had me entranced in their tale.

Cole

Twenty Four Seconds from Now
I really enjoyed this book, and I enjoyed the colloquial style. It attracts many modern day readers who are able to connect with the book.

halima

Not Going To Plan
I enjoyed the book and found the format very interesting, as I hadn't encountered the style of writing before reading the book. I think that all of the characters were written well, and that they all played important roles in the plot. None were featured just for the sake of it. I think the book faced bold topics in a way that was light-hearted, not too heavy, but also rather sophisticated. Overall, I liked the book found it engaging as it built up tension well and followed a clear plot line. However, it was slightly frustrating that we didn't get to see their GCSE results, as it seemed rather crucial.

Rosey

The Boy I Love
| enjoyed reading this exquisite and extraordinary novel, as you used fascinating descriptive language to emphasize and highlight the terrors of the war. You also revealed how war at the time was tremendously dull and harsh. You also uncovered how at the time people of the LGBTQ community were not supported as it was actually illegal as it was seen as wrong and erroneous.

Kian

Birdie
Birdie by J. P Rose is a powerful and profound book about a mixed race girl who battles racism and life in foster care. There are key themes in the book like identity, racism, resilience and friendship. the book focuses on the challenges black children had to face in the 1950s which I found educating since most people are not taught about the discrimination and prejudice black chlidren faced.

Mazin

Birdie
Birdie is a book that I overall enjoyed. I was able to understand Birdie's struggles; her difficulty to fit in and her frustration with the unfair beliefs of the people in her village. I was constantly moving between different emotions as Birdie interacted with other characters going from frustration to relief along with her. She is a lovable character and her childlike loyalty to her friend Mr Duke was heart warming and sweet. My only critique would be that I would have liked more of Birdie's worries to be explored, as during a conversation with her aunt we learn that Birdie was worried that her mother did not want her. I would have liked that worry to have been explored more beforehand as it came as a shock to me that Birdie was worried about that. But overall it was a very enjoyable book.

Genevieve

Ghostlines 
Overall I think the book 'Ghostlines' was very good. Balen used very good descriptive language and made it seem like the Island (Ayrie) was alive. She used very descriptive sentences that helped me to really connect with the book such as 'The storm is looming and taking in a deep breath before it huffs and blows and shrieks itself across the islands.' She presented the characters very well such as Tilda who was presented as an outgoing, adventurous girl who had lived on the island for years. Balen showed this very well by making the character Tilda always want to join the new boy Albie in and wanting to explore the whole island with him. I think this book was amazing and I loved it.

Evangeline

Wolf Siren
I really enjoyed this book because it references the significance of gender roles and menstruation. Although the book is simply written, it flows satisfyingly and is very easy to read. I found it relaxing and pleasing. Finally, I also equally enjoyed the disability representation which made me realise the likelihood of little red ridding hood having a vision impediment as she couldn't recognise her grandma to be a wolf!

Abigail

Ghostlines 
I really liked Ghostlines because the overall plot and the friendship between Tilda and Albie was really nice and well described, however, the beginning of the book could use some more improvement to make it a bit more interesting for the reader, but the book was great. :)

Aliyah

Ghostlines 
This book had a good message, and a lot of potential, but unfortunately it was not my cup of tea. My problems are mainly in the formatting and how hard to understand it was due to a slight overuse of the word "and", and the underuse of commas. There were no speech marks and the use of italics in their place is very confusing to me. The characters were unlikeable, but I acknowledge that the book was written for a younger audience, and perhaps may not be the best fit for a year seven. I believe that this book overall had good potential, but if fell little short in execution. A highlight was the bathtub kittens :)

David P

Not Going To Plan
I enjoyed reading the book because I liked how the story followed the lives of 2 completely opposite people. This helped to emphasize exactly how different they are, but also how they needed each other in the most dire moments of their lives. I also enjoyed the format of the book because I found it easier to read. Furthermore, I found the book very informative and it has a very strong and powerful message about abortion and choices, which I think is very helpful to this generation. Lastly, I liked the character development of Marnie because she started off being immature and aloof, but as the story went on she made impactful decisions and managed to use her artwork to reinforce it.

Aleeza

The Boy I Love
I really enjoyed this book because of the narrator's introduction and his tension with his father. And how we get to see both sides of his character and his interesting 'cog in the wheel' ideology, showing how he sees escaping his harsh reality as futile. His scarred ear shows how is forever changed by the horrors of war and can never be the same again.

David

Popcorn
I liked how the book gets the struggles of anxiety and panic attacks really clearly. Also I enjoyed the comparison of the stages of panic compared to a kernel all the way to popcorn. One thing that I would've liked in this book was more adventure, so maybe when G is lost when Andrew is in school, Andrew escapes and tries to find his grandma. Overall I enjoyed the book, though.

Henrique

Twenty Four Seconds from Now
I personally really enjoyed this book. I think the themes were really good for the younger generation to acknowledge/explore. The fact that there is so much that is explored through only 20s is revolutionary to me. The theme that stuck out most to me is the theme of masculinity blended in with the theme of pressure. Despite Neon wanting to appear masculine and being pressured by society, he still makes sure that Aria is comfortable. This opens a passage to explore how Neon wants to experience sex as an emotional connection filled with love and warmth despite the pressure he feels. This lets the reader know (especially a younger audience) that you shouldn't see sex as something that is required to be done but rather should be seen as something that is filled with love and should only be done once you and your partner are both ready and in love.

diogo

The Boy I Love
I love how it represents homosexuality and the struggles of people who faced discrimination for their sexual orientation; 'join up now or forever be a stranger to me and your mother. Go do your duty, son. It will stamp out these degenerate impulses and make a man out of you'. It is heartbreaking and it shows how the main character can only make up for his 'mistake' (being gay) through going to war. I really enjoyed this book as it shows me what homosexual people faced and spreads awareness and tolerance towards the community.

halima

Popcorn
I found this book quite enjoyable but there were a few moments that I found confusing. I think it really raised my awareness to people with OCD and other mental anxiety struggles though I thought the comedic side was a bit lackluster. I think the story was very interesting and different to other books in the genre, and I think the storyline was really well thought out. Overall, I think it was a very nice book and was enjoyable to read but I expected more comedic success for a book that heavily relies on that.

Teddy

Birdie
I found it okay to read. I liked how it gave me an insight on how it was after ww2 and its mature themes of racism made it feel more real or fleshed out as a story. I found it a bit hard to read overall just because its not particularly interesting to me in comparison to the books i read, due to genre differences. It wasn't bad, just not for me. I think a lot of people will like it.

Amalia

Not Going To Plan
Personally, I slightly enjoyed this book. I found the dialogue and expressions uncomedic, but regardless it was still a fairly good read. The author's interpretation of the issue of pregnancy at such a young age is remarkable and very well written. I especially enjoyed how she used it as art project at the end.

Cole