Larkmead
Wolf Siren
Wolf siren is an amazing, atmospheric and beautiful novel. I absolutely adored it. I love how it is written to be similar to Little Red Riding Hood but totally different at the same time. The fact that the main character is a child with a sight problem makes the book feel just that bit more like life. Also, usually children’s novels have a nice happy ending and I love that this book is an exception to that.
Highly recommend reading.
Caitlin
Twenty Four Seconds from Now
14+ it’s a mature read since it’s about love and a boy losing his virginity. It’s a great book. I love how the author uses the quote “ black boys deserve love too”. It’s slightly confusing how it travels backwards in time. I would give 3/5 stars. I appreciate how it deals with sensitive topics with so much compassion. I like how it’s about taking your relationship to the next level although I couldn’t relate to quite a bit as it’s aimed at older readers. I’m too young to understand most of the context. It’s a nice read but I quite like to relate to books I read. It’s way off from the books I would usually read. Overall, I would actually recommend it!
Aurora
Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody
I didn’t overly enjoy this book because i found it a bit childish, at least for my taste. I feel the constant wars between pelicarnasuss and Zeke were just too much and made the book slightly less enjoyable. I really loved the hidden meaning behind the black dog and how it interacted with Zeke. I would recommend this book to 8-11 year olds.
Caitlin
Ghostlines
Ghostlines is a beautiful, heartfelt story of family, friendship, adventure, and, like so many other stories, loss. It is set on the island of Ayrie, a fictional land off the coast of Scotland (In fact, the name Ayrie is a play-on-words of aerie (or eyrie) which is a high-altitude nest, usually found up a tall tree or cliff).
Ghostlines is about a young girl named Tilda, who has lived on Ayrie her whole life, and Albie, a boy of about Tilda’s age who has just moved to Ayrie from the mainland. Unfortunately, everything that Tilda loves about her island – the wildness, the freedom, and the fact that everyone knows each other – Albie hates. But Tilda isn’t going to give up on trying to make new-boy Albie fall in love with the island; she has an idea. She decides to take Albie to the secret island. The one she and all the children of Ayrie are forbidden to visit. The haunted one. The one that will change the pair forever…
I loved the way that this book was laid out, I thought the short chapters set a good pace. I also liked how Tilda and Albie’s friendship developed throughout the novel, and how they went from hardly knowing each other to best friends. It was interesting to see how Albie’s reluctance to integrate into Ayrie’s community sparked Tilda’s determination to make him part of the island’s family.
Emma
Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody
This book turned out to be much more enjoyable than I expected. I found it funny and entertaining, and the plot kept my interest throughout. That said, it was clearly aimed at a younger audience, and I think it works really well for that age group. While I personally tend to prefer more mature reads, I appreciated the chance to try a different style of book. Overall, it was an enjoyable experience, even if not exactly my usual choice.
Amelie
Birdie
I had mixed feelings about this book. I found that it was aimed at a slightly younger audience than me, which made it an easy read but also a bit outside my usual interests. However, I really enjoyed the focus on nature, especially the bond and relationship with the pony, as well as the presence of animals throughout the story
Amelie
Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody
The Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody is a funny book that addresses problems in a way that younger readers can understand. For example the black dog represented depression and it lingered around Zeke's house. In the end, the problem was solved but the black dog was still there hinting that bad feelings don't go away, they just get smaller. There were also some parts that were quite humorous like Principal Wombat's "bottom of steel" shielding Zeke and his friends from the falling pelican suit. However, on the topic of France, even though it was funny that Zeke had the whole country of France on his knee, I did not think that it fit with the storyline that much. This book had amazing illustrations and is perfect for children aged 7-10.
Jacob
Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody
Imagine a world where lizards go to school, your principal is a wombat and a fellow student is a pelican who wants to take over the world? That’s the world in which The Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody exists! A vividly-imagined story, it follows Zeke the monitor lizard and his friends Daniel and Alicia through their life at school, starting when Principal Wombat makes them hall monitors. But with Pelicarnassus, the pelican with a dream of world domination, ready to make their lives miserable, how long will they keep their posts for? Along the way, they meet Miel, the hawk who talks loudly, and who is more than willing to help. Will the four friends defeat Pelicarnassus? Or will Pelicarnassus win the battle? A heartwarming story, about standing up for your friends and never giving up.
I found this book a very entertaining read. It has a fun sense of humour and I loved the characters. If I had to choose a favourite, it would probably be Miel, the hawk, but I found all of them (even Pelicarnassus) fun and amusing. I liked the extra backstory of France on Zeke’s knee, and how you heard about it, and then had to wait a few chapters before you actually found out about the story of it. I think I liked it because I enjoyed the story even more when I was waiting in suspense to be told about something I was very curious about. It gripped me and made me want to read on!
I would say that this book would be a good read for anyone over eight years old but if you’re not yet eight but quite a confident reader, then I’d say go ahead! It is hilariously funny and a lovely read for anyone. But if you’re not yet sure whether this book is for you, then let me ask you this question. Do you like comedy and funny books? If the answer is yes, then you’ll absolutely love this book! If the answer is no, then you never know! It might be that this is the perfect book to get you interested!
Perfect for fans of David Walliams and books like Dork Diaries, I would recommend this book to anyone of any age. Summed up in one word: hilarious.
Erin
Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody
Zeke and his friends Daniel and Alicia become hall monitors at their school. But Zeke gets demoted from hall monitor because of Pelicarnassus who holds a grudge that gets very dangerous.
I found this book quite confusing as the idea of animals going to school and being in a hierarchy because of what they are. I liked the part of the black dog representing grief and that it would fade over time but never really go. Overall I didn't really like this book and probably wouldn't recommend it.
Lydia
Popcorn
Popcorn follows the story of a boy called Andrew Yaeger on his school's photo day. He suffers with anxiety and school is a daily challenge for him. Andrew refers his levels of anxiety to a popcorn kernel, it "pops" when he experiences an anxiety attack. All he wants is a nice picture for his mum, but as the day goes on, that option starts to disappear.
In my opinion, this book did not resonate with me as much as other books I have read. However it does share Rob Harrell's interpretation of anxiety which could relate to lots of other people.
Jacob
Not Going To Plan
This book was really good. I loved how it also used events which could happen to anyone. I also relate to Zed not wanting to label his sexuality nowadays everything has a label so I like how he says 'We all assume that everyone's got to be something. We all have to be neatly boxed, with tags to define us but what if none of those tags applies to me? What if I am neither this nor that nor the other one.'
Aurora DT
Wolf Siren
Red lives in a village that blocks out the forest because of wolf attacks, but she loves going into the woods and seeing the wolves and nature.
I think this book is good and easy to pick up. Some parts you can predict what will happen next but there are a few surprising parts. Overall I think it is quite good and would recommend it.
Lydia
Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody
Can you just imagine a school that has animals as students? Well I can’t!
But once I read this book the thought would not leave my head! The main theme of this book is that Larry has just become a hall monitor but then very soon after he loses it to an animal called palicarnaussas who is the villain. Ever since then he wanted his job back and is doing everything to get it!
I found this book very comical and enjoyable. It showed a range of different emotions throughout it! The author wanted to make us feel like this book was unrealistic so then it was very comical ( this includes France in Larry’s kneecap)! An example of a very funny part in the story was when the stock lady wrote no children allowed on a sign!
What the author did very well in the book was show a range of different times throughout the story. I also think the author wanted to make the audience feel like this book was meant to be enjoyed as a fun book.
One thing the author could have improved on was making the dramatic end hold out a bit longer.
I would recommend this book to people under the age of 10 and specifically who enjoy animals and comedy. But on the other hand I would not say this is a good book for the writing shortlist as the book feels aimed for more younger people.
Overall I would give this book a 6 out of 10.
Milo T