Broadland Bookworms
The Door of No Return
I loved this book so much! The elements are so amazing, and when they all compile into a book they clash in the most fantastic way. The entire book was so well thought out and written, and had me wanting reading more.
Annie
Crossing the Line
I think that this book is very relivant and important. Unfortunately I feel that the people who really need to read this book, are the people who never will, and they would really benefit from it. I found it very sad watching him dig deeper into drugs, however the end was cautiously hopeful. It is very realistic and young people should definitely read it.
Matilda
The Song Walker
I felt that the pace of this book was quite slow. I enjoyed how the main character gradually found out aspects of her personality but I thought there was too much of a gap between the clues. However, there was a lot of action at the end of the book but I felt that there were still some loose threads at the end.
Charlotte
Crossing the Line
This book was extremely depressing. I think that the message would have been portrayed better if there were some happy moments. The characters were well written and it was a well paced story. The message is very important, and the book was very realistic. 8.5/10
Harry
The Boy Lost in the Maze
I found this book interesting with the different viewpoints, however the 'choose the story' part confused me and I just read past it. I found the connection between the boys and the minotaur intriguing and complex.
Matilda
The Boy Lost in the Maze
The boy lost in the maze is about a boy called Theo who is lost in the modern day world, looking for his dad. It has different chapters, some about Theseus and the Minotaur and others about Theo and his search for his dad. I found this book quite hard to read, and I didn't really like how it was a novel in verse.
Eliza
The Boy Lost in the Maze
I thought that the book was a bit confusing. I liked the parts that featured Theo, I thought they were good, but the parts having Theseus in them were a bit confusing and slow. I did think that the book was a bit strange, but well written.
Annie
Steady for This
I found this book very funny and sweet. The way it felt like a rap through out was fun and I enjoyed watching the characters grow through out and enjoyed his relationships with his friends and family. I enjoyed the narrative and the way he spoke was funny, but slightly annoying.
Matilda
Safiyyah's War
I found this book very happy for a book about war. I felt that although I wanted things to turn out well for the characters, I do not think that the story was particuarly realistic. I knew that everything was going to be ok, and felt that it was very convenient. I feel like it is for younger audiences.
Matilda
Choose Love
I like how all the poems got compilated together, and created a story. The illustrations were really beautiful and represented the story really well.
Annie
Safiyyah's War
I found this book very positive for a book concerning World War II. I enjoyed it but felt it was for a younger audience. I felt it was quite convenient and everything worked out ok. At points, it was quite unrealistic. However, I thought it was a good introduction to World War II and offered a different perspective as I have not read a book about Muslims in the war before.
Charlotte
Away With Words
I really loved this book, I thought the concept was really amazing and had lots of meaning behind it. The characters were really well portrayed and I loved following the story.
Annie
Away With Words
I found the book very uplifting and I enjoyed the metaphor of words being able to be seen, I liked and could relate to most of the characters. I found learning about selective mutism was very interesting and I had not understood it before, and the book explained it well. I liked that each person's words were unique fonts and colour depending on them and their emotions.
Matilda
Safiyyah's War
I liked this book, but I think it was a bit perfect. It would be something I would want to read if I was sad, but I do not think that is the point of the book because it is about war. I think there was a very good use of adjectives, and lots of good descriptions.
Annie
The Boy Lost in the Maze
Overall a really interesting book that worked well even in spite of the writing style. I vastly preferred the Theseus sections of the book to the modern sections of the book, and the element of choosing outcomes added to the fun of the read.
Charles
Crossing the Line
it is a very powerful book that shows how dangerous drug crime can be and how easy it is to get caught up in it.
Ben
The Song Walker
I loved this book. It had a lovely plot of two polar opposite girls, meeting in strange circumstances. The plot stayed consistent throughout and the ending left me prepared to read the sequel. Overall, this book was hard to put down, cleverly written, mysterious but then obvious and generally a nice read.
Freya
Crossing the Line
Crossing the Line was a great book though I found it was not aimed at younger readers. Crossing the Line is about a boy called Erik . Erik's dad has died leaving his mum and him in the lurch. Later Erik's mother gives birth to twins. In desperate need of money Erik finds himself in the world of drug dealing, trap houses and violence. I felt overall the book was not suitable for 11 year olds, I discovered that it was very sad and his situation kept getting worse. Though I do get what the message that the author was trying to get across.
Lila
The Song Walker
The Song Walker may be my favourite of this year's book selection. It gave a great atmosphere and I think it had great description of the Australian outback. I was slightly disappointed about the ending, as I didn't expect it, but in general I loved the plot and think this book should be advertised further for younger and older readers.
Eliza
The Boy Lost in the Maze
With this book, I felt as if it was incomplete. The plot seemed very weak and hard to grasp, as the switch in perspective wasn't always very obvious, leading me to believe that the minotaur and Theo were the same person, just in different forms. Over all, I found this book difficult to read, hard to understand and overall lacking detail in important moments.
Freya
The Door of No Return
The Door of No Return is a great book to use when explaining more about slave trade from the perspective of the slaves. It gave a good atmosphere and fully explained the surroundings of the Kwanta tribes. I found the book very gripping but I thought it needed another chapter at the end as it didn't really feel complete.
Eliza
Choose Love
I think that the subject of Choose Love was very powerful, strong and meaningful, but couldn't be conveyed through such a short, quick book. I felt as if the subject needed a little more justice in order for the idea to really erect feeling. Also, I didn't think that there was a clear plot to the book, as it couldn't really be decided whether each page was from a different perspective.
Freya
Crossing the Line
Crossing the Line is a book which helps people to understand how easy it is to get involved in the world of drug dealing. It will help family members and friends who know someone involved in drug dealing to partially understand what the child is going through. I found this book very hard to read as it was really depressing and I believe it is meant for an older audience than people of my age.
Eliza
Away With Words
Away with words was a very motivating book, and increases the awareness of selective mutism and how hard it is to travel to different country and learn a new language. Away with words is about a girl called Gala who is from Spain and moves to Scotland with her dad (Jordi) because they want to be closer to her dads boyfriend. Away with words includes slight glimpses of LGBT. The book includes the fact that the people can see the words and they can touch them ,which I found can be confusing. Although ,I found the plot did not deliver the justice that the story needed
Lila
The Boy Lost in the Maze
The boy lost in the maze is a nice book, with a good connection between Theseus' story and Theo's. The concept works really well however I didn't really enjoy it when you got to pick which page to go to next. The ending was quite good, and it had a lot of links to modern reality.
Eliza
Choose Love
Choose Love is a great book that helps people learn about refugees through the world of poetry. I liked most of the poems, but some of them I couldn't really understand.
Eliza
Away With Words
I really enjoy the idea of away with words. Using selective mutism in a world revolving around words and the way you speak them was an extremely clever idea. However, I don't feel as if the condition was given enough justice, as selective mutism can be a lot more severe, and tough to deal with. I felt as if the idea was too good for the plot, and therefore the book didn't truly connect with the reader.
Freya
Away With Words
Away With Words was a really good book, and helps to increase awareness about selective mutism, a subject I haven't heard much about. It is one of my favourite books so far, but I think it is aimed for younger readers rather than more advanced ones. I believe this book should be advertised in schools more often, both the older years of primary and secondary.
Eliza
The Boy Lost in the Maze
I love novels in verse but was reluctant to read this one as I do not really like mythology. I understood the premise of the story, a son seeking his father but I found the language, in parts, just didn't make sense. I also did not get any sense of toxic masculinity, which I understand from the author, was an underlying theme. Not an unpleasant read but I think most children would need to be taught the text.
Belle