Brentwood Carnegies

Popcorn
I really enjoyed this book, 'Popcorn'. It is a funny, relatable story and really good if you have known someone in the same or similar state to the boy in the book. It is about a boy who has anxiety attacks, ADHD and autism. He has 'picture day' one day, his mum has a very important interview and his grandma, who is the most precious thing to him, is at home with care. The day takes a horrible turn.

Samuel

Ghostlines 
Ghostlines is about a girl named Tilda who lives on a very small island named Ayrie. Barely anyone comes and goes and the last person that did broke her heart. This story gets revealed throughout the book. Finally, a boy named Albie comes from the mainland and does not like it there so Tilda tries to impress him by taking him to a forbidden ghost island in Ayrie. What they discover there changes both of their minds.

Anaiya

When It's Your Turn for Midnight
The book is very interesting but starts off quite vague and drops us right into the middle of action right at the start. We are introduced to a girl named Chiante who lives in a nuclear family with two sisters, Taren and Tisha. But after an accident, a long-hidden secret is revealed, where ‘Baba’ or Tinashe turns out not to be her father. She runs away to her grandmother, who she calls Ambuya, who lives with a group of older women and a man (Mr Kinsley Pfupajena who makes her do TikTok’s with him). They all fought in the liberation war in Zimbabwe. Chiante joins their textile business and learns the ins and outs of the business and while living with Ambuya finds a picturebook which she tries to use to find out more about their lives during the war. She also assists the women in deterring some thieves. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a good story!

Fuad

Ghostlines 
Ghostlines by the Carnegie award-winning Katya Balen is a vivid and heartwarming story about Tilda, a young girl living on the wild and isolated island of Ayrie with her family. Tilda adores the cold sea air, the taste of salt and seaweed on her tongue, and the sound of gulls and puffins that fly over the island. When a new boy named Albie moves to Ayrie, Tilda tries to show him how amazing the island is, despite Albie being uninterested. Later on, she takes Albie to a forbidden island where it is rumoured to be haunted. This book focuses on themes of friendship, belonging, and courage, which makes this a good read for anyone looking for a short and uplifting story. Overall, I really enjoyed it and would definitely recommend it to anybody wishing to read a vivid and heartfelt book without it being too long. I think I will most remember how sweet and heartwarming the book was, and how it really touched me.

Elizabeth

Traumaland
This book was incredible! The twists and turns were thoroughly thought out, and it was incredibly detailed. The author created tension in unexpected places, and the story flowed impeccably. The character's emotion was portrayed expertly, and I was not able to put the book down! In this book, the author makes the reader feel as if the characters were real, and made the story feel like it was beyond the pages of the book. Overall, this book was amazing, and I would love to read it again. I will remember the cliff hanger at the end! I would recommend it to those who like sci-fi books.

Freya

Popcorn
POP CORN is a great book to read for you to understand how people with anxiety see the world, and how they feel in certain places. It’s a book about a boy who has anxiety and has to overcome many challenges e.g he has a grandma who is known for wandering around and one day she was just gone, but they later find her safe and sound. When you get further into the book you can see how much his anxiety has grown and how worried he can get. I would recommend this book to Year 7, and maybe Year 8.

Darcy