Helkats & Hardbacks

Popcorn
Popcorn is a book about a middle school boy in America facing challenges including anxiety, a grandma with Alzheimer's and a bully. It describes his emotions, thoughts and tells us how he is really feeling about the problems he faces. Rob Harrel starts the book by introducing us to Andrew Yaeger; a boy struggling with anxiety, Susan; Andrew’s hard working mother intent on not losing her brand new job, and his grandma called G who has had Alzheimer's for a year and a half. These characters face various problems throughout the book like financial difficulties. G often forgets who Andrew and his mum are and Andrew has to sleep in the kitchen because G sleeps in his room. The day the book describes is school photo day and Andrew is trying to keep as neat as possible for his mum. Unfortunately, after a bully rips the collar off his shirt, he gets hit in the face with a basketball and a science experiment explodes in his face, Andrew doesn’t think the day can get any worse. That’s when he gets a call saying that G has gone missing. The book focuses on Andrew’s difficulties with anxiety and how he accepts help from the adults around him. This is a theme that many children will relate to today. I really enjoyed this book because it tackles important themes in a relatable way. It made me laugh and cry at different times. I also liked the layout of the book where some pages would be handwritten extracts from his diary. I would recommend this book to anyone 10 or over who likes to be challenged by what they read but in an enjoyable way.

Greta

Wolf Siren
If you like adventures, forests and nature, girl power and mysteries then Wolf Siren is definitely for you. I found this book very inspiring because there are often wise words in some of the dialogue, for example when the main character’s (Red’s) grandmother says, “We do not need to be frightened of something working so hard to survive.” This shows that we don’t always need to intervene or attack if something seems to scare us but simply let it defend itself if necessary. I also like how this amazingly reimagined story of the fairytale ‘Red Riding Hood’ has a visually impaired teenage girl who is based on the wonderful author as the protagonist who just wants to be herself, protect her family and friends and find peace in the enchanting wood beyond her village. Another thing that I love about Wolf Siren is that it includes many genres and characters with lots of detail and backstories, helping to keep the reader always engaged. I would say that this book is aimed at readers aged 10-13 because it includes some violent or emotional scenes, but it’s also interesting to read about Red transforming into her wolf self, which really makes you think about animal welfare when characters try to hurt her. I rate Wolf Siren 10/10!

Mae