BCS Book Squad

Play
'Play' is about 4 boys who are each struggling with their own personal challenges. I found the way the author presented each of them in a slightly different way really fascinating and it was an interesting read but I found it difficult to relate to the characters. The last scene was confusing and dragged on for too long and overall it was quite depressing. I'm glad I read it as I like to try out different genres but it wasn't my cup of tea.

Evelyn

The Things We Leave Behind
The things we leave behind, follows a teenage girl in a dystopian society under a corrupt leader. It shows strong political views and discrimination between races. It also shows how protective she is of her younger sister and how much she values family. It also shows a case of her post traumatic stress, as although she has escaped to Scotland she is still haunted by her memories. I enjoyed how the author expressed a strong political opinion from the start to make it easier for the reader to differentiate between the good and bad characters while also helping them to connect with the main character. I also enjoyed the use of a flashback, the story starts at a point to interest you and make you question how she ended up in that situation and then it goes back in time to explain how the events leading up to that moment caused her situation. One thing I disliked about the book was the lack of detailed description of the characters and setting. Although the story was intriguing and well written it could have been written in a more descriptive way as to help the reader to picture the environment. Overall I feel the book was interesting and I enjoyed reading it, I feel it would be a good read for those of age eleven to thirteen.

Sophie

Play
It was really good, I loved the book, and I would recommend it to a friend.

Fay