Horsham BOok HUNTers
Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody
Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody was a book that really spoke to me with it's handling of harder and darker topics in an understandable and unique way.
Tristan
The Boy I Love
The Boy I Love wasn’t something I expected to like as much as I did, and it left me thinking about it constantly for a while after I read it. The book being set at a time where queerness wasn’t always accepted made the characters relationships feel more emotional, and combined with the book being set during a war, it created tension, keeping the story engaging throughout.
Dexter
Ghostlines
Ghostlines isn’t the kind of book I’d usually read, although I thought the main character was easy to empathise with due to the author’s ability to descriptively write about the main character’s personal experiences well.
Dexter
Birdie
Throughout the book, we see Birdie’s friendship with a horse develop and the new people in her life come to realise that Birdie isn’t as ‘different’ as they thought she was. Personally, I thought Birdie was a great, compelling story which had me engaged throughout.
Dexter
Ghostlines
This book was originally not something I was expecting to like as much as I did. I think truly the developing relationships between the characters makes it just so magical and unique along with the gorgeous plot, obviously. I also think the concept of being a ‘newcomer’ will definitely hit a special part in many younger teens hearts with the change to secondary school, so all in all a very relevant/ relatable story!
Bethan
Birdie
Despite this book not really being my style, I think it was written particularly well and had an interesting plot, however I only got to see its full potential in the last few chapters. Not for me, but a brilliant book none the less.
Bethan
Popcorn
This book was written in such a way that detailed very serious topics into more digestible ways. Although it wasn’t my favourite book, I definitely think that Andrew is a very relatable, likeable character and his story is beautifully written.
Bethan
The Boy I Love
Such a beautifully written book! It details so much about the hardships of modern day homosexuality, yet in such a brilliant, more raw way. The setting was gorgeous, all round my favourite book.
Bethan
Ghostlines
It’s a simple book about how strange it is when things change in your hometown. I felt that the target audience was for younger readers, and that they would enjoy reading it more.
Amelia
Popcorn
It was a great book on how anxiety is different for everyone, and great for people who aren’t seasoned readers. It’s a simple and straightforward plot to follow, but doesn’t get boring at all.
Amelia
Wolf Siren
Wolf Siren was a fresh and original take on the classic story Little Red riding hood. It shows a different story set in the original plot, and it captivated me. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Amelia
Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody
A charming read that shows how friends are important and needed in times of crisis
Amelia
Ghostlines
The book’s fast pace was enticing; I loved how the protagonist’s thoughts flowed.
Sophie
Twenty Four Seconds from Now
I really loved this book and how it’s shown from Neon’s perspective. I also really liked how it shows how just meeting someone once can lead to a relationship.
Ella
Twenty Four Seconds from Now
It’s a fun book to read , and highlights how people feel when they have to do something new. It’s a powerful reminder that you don’t need to be confident about things, as long as you have others that can help you in times of crisis.
Amelia
The Boy I Love
The Boy I love is a brilliant books about how difficult war is on everything, and how utterly devastating it is. The plot, romance and characters are superbly crafted, the setting makes it feel super realistic, and it’s a story that will stay with me for a long time.
Amelia
Birdie
The book felt similar to other brilliant stories set around wartime, like When The Sky Falls and The Ministry Of Unladylike Activity; the only real flaw was that the main character, Birdie, had literally zero character flaws and remained saintly throughout (this is possibly due to a younger demographic).
Sophie
Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody
The contrast between tragedy and comedy in the book is striking; I enjoyed the vivid characters and illustrations.
Sophie
Not Going To Plan
This book was a good way to show how consent and making sure you are prepared is an important thing. This story follows two people, different lives at home and how they meet. The formatting of the text was sometimes a little annoying, on one page you would have the format and the it would suddenly switch and the font was fading but it corresponded to what the characters were saying so I get why the author did this. It wasn’t a favourite read but overall I enjoyed it
Natalia
Not Going To Plan
Although Not Going to Plan tackles with some important themes accurately, I didn’t find the writing style or story to be compelling or inspiring, even for someone who has had the same experiences as the main character. It followed two of the character’s inner monologue’s, but sadly, I didn’t find them descriptive or interesting in any way. I also don’t think this book teaches you much more about the reality of teenage pregnancy and abortion than you’d already know, which doesn’t support the general audience of the book or make it worth reading for most people.
Dexter
Twenty Four Seconds from Now
I really liked this book, I thought the writing was really good and although it isn’t a book I wouldn’t normally read it was still a great read. The first few pages were slightly confusing but once I got past them and into the real story I understood. I also liked how this book had the right amount of details when talking about more mature subject e.g sex and childbirth. This book was also really good because the sister of the main character explains how a friend was wrong on how you should have intimacy with a girl the first time.
Natalia
Popcorn
Popcorn was a super engaging, fast-paced book which is filled with comedy and real-life emotions, targeted at younger readers to relate to and enjoy. Although I wouldn’t recommend it to most adults or teenagers, I do think it’s a must read for younger beginner readers wanting to start reading books, especially ones about people’s life and experiences. 4/5.
Dexter
Ghostlines
The contrast of a new boy coming to the island and the unfamiliarity with him and the island and the island with him and the attempts to grow into the island throughout the book is intriguing
Tristan
Not Going To Plan
It’s a powerful book about gritty real-life issues, which are often shunned in society, so it’s intriguing and new. I enjoyed it, and would recommend it to people who are passionate about the subjects or seasoned readers.
Amelia
The Boy I Love
I loved the opposing narratives of Stephen’s becoming more advanced in the army while also rebelling against authority and societal expectations. The evil characters felt slightly exaggerated, but the book as a whole was evidently well-researched, well written, and unputdownable towards the end.
Sophie
Not Going To Plan
I found this book really funny, and I really enjoyed the story. I like how it talks about two people, from their perspective of the story, and their thoughts / opinions. I also like how it’s based on a similar story.
Ella
Birdie
Birdie was a good read. It covers the ideas of racism for young minds and I started to really feel the emotions of the characters. It wasn’t my favourite book.
Olly
Not Going To Plan
I loved the conclusion of the book, with the wildly different perspectives of four young characters all intertwining together in a bid for respect and understanding. The dual narrative technique and the arrangement of the text felt dynamic. A powerful read full of important topics.
Sophie
Twenty Four Seconds from Now
The characters were beautifully written and felt alive and animated from the start. The book as a whole was an inspired, genuine and funny read, and felt intrinsically human; even the sense of detachment from time that is created by the ‘24 seconds, minutes, hours’ motif felt similar to the strange feelings and memories that resurface to someone’s brain when they are nervous. I was slightly confused by Neon’s willingness to be friends with the horrid, lewd character who gives him a lift to school, but possibly this is because the target audience is older.
Sophie
Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody
This book was hilarious, from chapter 1 I was hooked! It had me laughing nearly the whole way through - while it was funny it did have some serious moments which I think helped balance it out, but overall it had me wheezing and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I would totally recommend it to someone who likes 13 story treehouse or David Walliams or Roald Dahl
Natalia
Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody
I found The Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody to be an absolutely hilarious book. I personally couldn’t put it down once I started reading. This book was such a thrill to read and had me laughing the entire way through. Overall, I believe that it’s an absolutely brilliant read. 10/10 would recommend!
Caoimhe
Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody
Reading Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody was a great use of my free time. I read this book during one of my hardest challenges in life and this helped me zone out. This book reminded me of the Loki books but just in third person it is a great book to read if you like the Loki books. Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody briefly covers a few life lessons like how you act like your parents and also even if someone is being rude or winding you up, violence is not the answer, but the main lessons of this is about bullying. The illustrations were amazing and really helped me get a good image in my head of what’s going on. I would recommend this book for people from year 4 and above.
Olly
Wolf Siren
Wolf siren had an interesting world and themes that told messages of real world issues through a magical fantasy setting and made you consider how the people of an isolated village would act and why whilst incorporating the fantasy elements of a living forest and the contrast of the wolves danger but also warm familial embrace that they provide to certain individuals intrigued me. My only issues are the pacing of the book which threw me off slightly and the simple characters who seemed to be only binary good or bad
Tristan
Twenty Four Seconds from Now
This book was one of the most perfectly heart aching experiences I have ever had the pleasure of reading; it was written in such a way that a teenager could relate to the simple tasks that the characters experienced. Yet the pure devotion and love that is displayed throughout this book is captured so nicely and in such a realistic way. Such a beautiful book!
Bethan
Wolf Siren
I found the characters strangely empty of actual life or interest; it made the book feel more difficult to get stuck into, because there were so many named characters that were all either kind or unkind, with maybe one exception, but no real unique traits of personality. The story had real-life meaning that I understood but could not connect with.
Sophie
Not Going To Plan
Initially, I wasn’t a fan of the layout as it made it hard to focus on the main theme of the story and I couldn’t get into the book. However as I kept reading, the brilliant concept of two teenage worlds that were so fantastically different yet so similar was refreshing and great to read. Such a beautiful book, would recommend.
Bethan
Not Going To Plan
I really enjoyed this book. I like how the author wrote the relationships between the characters and how they wrote the plot I didn’t really like the format of the text I found it unique but I found it was unnecessary and made reading the book a bit frustrating other than that I think the front cover is creative and demonstrates what the book is about. Overall I did enjoy the story
Vikki
Wolf Siren
Such a great book - it shows how human fear can make people judge very quickly and easily - it also shows the power between men and women which we can relate too as it has happened in our history. The female main character discovers something about herself which she finds hard to understand but with the help of the woman around her, she gets through it. This book also shows how sexism can and still is around, even in fiction.
Natalia
Ghostlines
This book was such a comfort read. It’s full of wonders of what people can get when living on an island - it also shows how losing someone you love can be hard on your family and people around you. One of my favourite bits was when the main character did not give up trying to show the new boy how great the island can be.
Natalia