Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody

I was pleasantly surprised by this book and I realise now at first thought I really underestimated it. It was beautifully written to show a powerful concept in a simple way and could be touching to many who have experienced bullying due to them being “ different”. As a very big reader I found the read a bit too easy personally but I love that this author has made this book assessable to lots of people who may find books a challenge. I think Patrick Ness has voiced this concern in a new and interesting way. However I did find the fact that France was on the character's knee a little peculiar. I did enjoy this read , even though it was a quick one. Thank you

Seren

The SBSJs

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 Hinton

Ermysted’s Carnegie Shadowing Group

The Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody is a story about a monitor lizard called Zeke and his friends Daniel and Alissa. There is a school bully – called Pelicarnassus – a very loud hawk and a school principal with an armored butt! I like this book because it is funny, witty and about friendship and family. I would recommend it to anybody who likes to have a good laugh! My favourite character is Daniel because he is funny, kind, and has everything I would wish for in a friend. My favourite part of the story is the tale of France and Zeke’s knee – but I won’t spoil it for anyone who hasn’t read the book yet. I would definitely read this book again!

Catelyn P

Vista Academy Littleport

It is not really my type of book.I didn't really like it that much but I'm sure other people will like it.

Hollie

St Kaths

This book is about a monitor lizard and his friendships, along with one of his enemies making life a bit difficult for him. He also needed to figure out who he was and/or wanted to be. I particularly liked the drawings throughout the book; it brings life to the pages and a good vision in your mind. The ending was very sweet and it made me quite emotional. In conclusion, I think that this is a very well written book with all of it's diversity and friendship based. I think it is definitely a good read for young children

Eiligh

Vista Academy Littleport

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

Ermysted’s Carnegie Shadowing Group

It was a really nice book to read as it was easy to read and finish,it's an awesome book which I feel I could recommend to anyone and they would enjoy it.

Jenni

Reading Wizards

I found this book hilarious and a bit strange in some parts but I do sort of suggest this book to others.

Ella

St Kaths

I think it is a good basis of a book but definitely aimed for 6-8 year olds and not my age. I understand why someone would like it but i personally don't.

Willow

CGS CAKE Club

Lizard Nobody was interesting and outstanding. it was kind of strange when Daniel talks about the butt armour but it was also hilarious and i really like it. I could almost see the animals walking around the school. Although it seems a book for younger people it became easy to recognise the important themes in the book

Isabel

St David’s reading stars

In my opinion, chronicles of a lizard nobody was really interesting and funny. It became easy to forget they were animals and enjoy the story

Lowenna

St David’s reading stars

I really loved this book; I kept reading it and couldn't keep my eyes off it. It was AMAZING. I highly recommend this book. I loved the characters; Principal Wombat was my favourite.

Orinope

St Cath’s Shadowing

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

Ermysted’s Carnegie Shadowing Group

I enjoyed this book because there was a range of things happening all at once. The dialogue was sharp, and it made it easier to understand the book overall. As an overall review I think the book was interesting.

Sophie

St Cath’s Shadowing

I belived that this book, although it was aimed at a younger audiance, was a good read with comical aspects and child-aimed humor. It was an intresting read however I belive others are better.

Charlotte

St Kaths

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

Ermysted’s Carnegie Shadowing Group

The first part of the book was quite interesting but not the most interesting so that I would immediately be hooked, however I was invested in the story by the first 50 pages because of the comedy and the interesting representations of insecurity, depression and also by the general idea and plot. The world, in a practical sense, is obviously very unbelievable, but it works really well to depict the idea of stereotypes surrounding different races or classes (or in this case, species). The pacing was good, easy to read and flowed very naturally - I didn't realise I was finished until I put the book down and picked up my pen to write this review. The idea and theme behind the story and its depictions is definitely something I haven't seen before and I don't think I will see this way of representation again. The themes were well-explored in the small amount of pages there were and I found it having a large impact on my thoughts on metaphors. I really liked the idea of the black dog showing depression and I absolutely loved the ending in which Zeke comes home from school to see his mum waiting for him instead of sitting in her bedroom. I think it really brings the relationship between those two full circle. Talking about relationships, I really enjoyed how the characters all interacted with one another and the use of comedy to make the book more fun to read for children and teenagers alike. The small cast of main characters (Zeke, Daniel, Alicia, and Miel) made the story much easier to read than if it had more characters and we needed to delve into each of their stories. I loved the way the main trio of Zeke, Daniel and Alicia were shown to have an equal relationship rather two of them being closer to each other than the other and the way that all of them depended on each other in a way. Throughout the story, I also liked how Zeke's thought process began to challenge the idea of stereotypes surrounding species (mentioned before) and how although everyone shares some things in common, everyone is their own individual and have their own characteristics. The characters definitely feel very real - their interactions really jumped out of the page! The use of comedy in the dialogue and overall writing style was also a good idea to keep in line with the unusual, more child-like representations of heavier themes. Aimed more towards children aged 8 - 12, the humorous and informal style kept the tone playful yet thought-provoking in a way I didn't expect it to be. Overall, a very compelling read indeed.

Roosha

The Perse Carnegians

I thought that Chronicles of a lizard nobody was a funny book with deeper meanings behind it that older readers would understand. I liked the themes of friendship and would recommend to any age as I think older children would understand some parts of the book better than younger children but also younger children would enjoy the funny plot.

Annie

The Maynard School

I really enjoyed this book because the illustrations are very cute, and I loved seeing the friendship between Zeke, Alicia and Daniel. Zeke is a very kind character, and he’s the type of friend who will always help you and stand up for you if someone is mean. However, sometimes he doesn’t handle things in the best way.

Heidy

Rainbeau Readers

I really enjoyed the book because it is really funny. I really like the park where Zeke talked about the story of France and his knee.

KATE

Rainbeau Readers

In my opinion, Chronicles Of a Lizard Nobody is a very interesting and funny book, with and interesting plot that I won’t spoil, a plethora of characters and… France? Overall, this book is amazing and I highly recommend it to everyone from ages 5-14. 9.5/10 Peter Cranwell

Peter

Ink & Insight

It was very emotional as it was about a lizard who had a very hard life but it shows that there is always hope and good friend for you. Because of this, I really like the book.

gracious

Baxter Booklighters

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

Ermysted’s Carnegie Shadowing Group

Nice book overall, with brilliant suspense in some places, making this a good book for younger readers, though as it follows Zeke through his life as a hall monitor, it feels rather slow to progress. This isn't a personal favourite, though I would happily recommend this to someone younger than me.

Alfie

Reepham Reads

A bit of a slow read not my type of book but I would still recommend it to younger readers

Neave

Carmel Shadowers

I have mixed feelings about this book. Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody follows the story of Zeke, who becomes a hall monitor with his friends and has to stop a school bully from destroying the school. This book is all so very funny with lines like "can we really use our buts as armour". At first the fact that the characters were animals made me think it was going to be a bit young for me. But then as I read I couldn’t put it down

Maya

St David’s reading stars

I like it because it is fun and had funny things in the story. i love this book i wish i had it. I wasn’t sure at first but then as the story progresses it got exciting

Millie-Rose

St David’s reading stars

MR watts showed us this book and we really like it ! i really like the humour and the new fact about wombat. But also I loved the actual story. We laughed aloud at parts but also the story kept us wondering how it was going to end

Aria

St David’s reading stars

I was surprised by that all the people was animals, but in a way that made the story more readable. It was funny but also serious. A great read

Annabella

St David’s reading stars

I loved this book! It contains so much humour whilst dealing with heavy themes like bullying and parental illness. What a great idea to portray all the characters as quirky, unusual animals. Excellent!

Bibliophile

Angmering Book Lovers 4 Life

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

Ermysted’s Carnegie Shadowing Group

I have mixed feelings about this book. Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody follows the story of Zeke, who becomes a hall monitor with his friends and has to stop a school bully from destroying the school. I liked it in the sense that it had some deeper meanings about the story - standing up for yourself and themes of close friendship. Some parts were quite funny and my favourite character was Miel because he didn't let his sight stop him from doing anything. Zeke also never let the bully Pelicarnassus win and always helped his friends when they needed. However I did find some parts quite confusing, like how conversations were interrupted by a back story and then just carried on from where they left off. I also didn't really understand why France was on Zeke's knee and I think it was aimed at quite young readers, but overall I found this a good book - it portrayed how you should always believe in yourself and I would recommend to any younger person for a good read.

Emma

Vista Academy Littleport

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

Ermysted’s Carnegie Shadowing Group

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

Ermysted’s Carnegie Shadowing Group

Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody is a such a great and funny book! Expect to find yourself laughing out loud and struggling to put this story down! Zeke is a monitor lizard who has just become a hall monitor at his school, but he has no idea what he is about to experience. You should be ready for unexpected twists, turns and lots of jokes through out this book! My favourite character was Alicia as she acts like such a normal side character, but she is so kind and fearless. There were so many scenes that I could relate to and sometimes it even felt like I was in the story! Some of the scenes that felt the most real were the tense and embarrassing ones. Something that didn’t work for me was that the whole story was in 3rd tense, and I found it quite hard to follow along at some points, e.g. when there was a conversation happening and the author didn’t specify which character was talking. However, after the first few chapters, I got the hang of what was happening and could follow along quite easily. Overall, I think that this a funny and interesting book that I would recommend to younger readers, but honestly anyone could read this book and get pleasure out of it. I am definitely going to read the other books in this series!

Gwen

Vista Academy Littleport

This is a really funny book. The normality of villany is what makes this such a laugh. Zeke is a character whose actions should be what we act like. Showing kindness and empathy. I really enjoyed this book

Zeven

Rainbeau Readers

The book Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody is about a monitor lizard named Zeke with France on his knee (literally) and his friends Alicia and Daniel, who are against a bully with a supervillain mum names Pelicarnassus. This book covers mental health with animal facts weaved into the storyline. My favourite character is Daniel, because he adds some comedic effects and is a good friend to Zeke. My favourite part of the book is when Zeke’s class is learning about France and examines Zeke’s knee because I find how the French people respond to the class’ questions funny. I think this book is aimed at younger audiences because not as much happened earlier on and it was more about friendship, and just generally isn’t the type of book I’d read. It is a very touching and beautiful book and it makes me happy to read it.

Kirsty

Vista Academy Littleport

This is an amazing book. It is really easy to read, but still has an interesting and engaging plot. I loved the humour, and the characters are developed really well. The author also uses emotive language effectively, and the illustrations are fantastic. My favourite character was Miel because he is so cool and funny. I really hope this book wins this year!

Ksenya

Rainbeau Readers

I loved this book, it dealed with serious themes as well as being super funny. It made me laugh so much, especially when you found out that France was on Zeke's knee!

Amelia

SHHS shadows

I loved this book because it was so funny and had very imaginative characters! I especially loved the character Miel for his friendliness. This book is perfect for readers who love cartoon-like action and adventure as well as a little bit of history. (Don't worry, they make the history very funny!) I rate this book a 9.8/10!

Marie

SHHS shadows

I liked the creativity of the book but at some points I had to skip to other parts of the book to understand what was going on because it was really random at some points but like Wolf Siren I liked how one of the main characters possessed a physical disability.

Henry

St Kaths

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

Ermysted’s Carnegie Shadowing Group

I really enjoyed The Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody because it was incredibly funny and imaginative. It also explores important themes like friendship and bullying. I felt really sorry for Zeke when I found out about his mum, but I was glad that things worked out in the end. I also found it hilarious that he had “France” on his knee! My favourite character was Miel because he is very smart and still helps others even though he is blind. I would highly recommend this amazing book.

Hannah

Rainbeau Readers

I really like this book because all the laughs in this book.You can read this book out loud and not stop laughing because in my book group it was me and Mr watts and my friend Eliza we didn't stop laughing over the wombat jokes. It was really funny.I think everyone will love this book.The hall monitors (Zeke,Daniel,Alicia) They are really hilarious with there wombat jokes and more. Dealing with the criminal Pelicarnassus also adds excitement as we wonder if they can survive

Isla

St David’s reading stars

This book was amazingly hilarious. I honestly love the hall monitors, especially Daniel, with his funny and inappropriate questions. When I read the first couple of chapters with my group, (Isla, Mr Watts etc) we were all bursting out laughing. The book was funny and really explains what high school life can be in the hallways, but also deals with other more serious things

Eliza

St David’s reading stars

A really enjoyable book that deals with serious themes in an empathetic way. It doesn’t diminish the complexity of the problems that arise but by making them humorous it lets the reader to say ‘I get it’ but still have fun reading

Paul

St David’s reading stars

'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

Ermysted’s Carnegie Shadowing Group

"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

Ermysted’s Carnegie Shadowing Group

I found this book a hard book to understand . It follows the story of Zeke who becomes a hall monitor at school and gets bullied but ends up overcoming this and stopping the bully from destroying the school. I think it was a nice book in the sense that it put across a good message about standing up for yourself and knowing that you can or that you are just as good as everyone else. I enjoyed how some parts were quite funny and I particularly enjoyed the character of Miel . This book also had some deeper topics , for example his dad's death and his mums grief struggles which surprised me with this genre .However , a lot of things were quite hard to understand like why Zeke had France on his knee. The plot sometimes seemed a bit silly which makes me think that this book is aimed more at younger readers .Overall I think it puts out a good message of believing in yourself but it was a bit confusing and I think I would have enjoyed this more if I was younger . I would give this book 3/5 stars.

Holly H

Vista Academy Littleport

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

Ermysted’s Carnegie Shadowing Group

It feels like a rollercoaster of imagination where everything is unpredictable. It almost feels like a child wrote this, it's very understandable and fun to read. I love the little illustrations that comes with it, it helps with knowing what's happening and what kind of animal they are (which was really helpful!) I also love that it's just a world filled with animals, something you have never thought you would read.

Marcus Mikaela

The SBSJs

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

Ermysted’s Carnegie Shadowing Group

I really like how Alicia (not me),Daniel and Zeke became hall monitors and they have such humour with their imagination.Also Pelicarnassus has made a deal with Alicia,Daniel and Zeke to a fight, but then after Daniel said no ,Pelicarnassus got suspended because he hit Daniel. I would totally recommend this if you want to read a humorous book. A great story

Alicia

St David’s reading stars

i like all of the illustrations and how funny n the book 'Chronicles of lizard nobody'is Zeke -- a lizard -- and a few of his lizard friends became hall monitors and they have a great fight ahead of them against the evil pelicarnassus. It is an enjoyable and entertaining read

layla

St David’s reading stars

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

Ermysted’s Carnegie Shadowing Group

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

Ermysted’s Carnegie Shadowing Group

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

Ermysted’s Carnegie Shadowing Group

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

Ermysted’s Carnegie Shadowing Group

I found the ending /moral of the story gave a nice message but the rest of the book was a little bit weird in parts and could be confusing at times.

Nadia

St Kaths

A good start and I can't wait to finish reading it!

Lucas

Lincoln Readers