Newstead Wood Carnegie Shadowers

Treacle Town
This book was an absolute rollercoaster. With scenes that made me burst out laughing and with scenes that had me slamming down the book and sitting in silence for a good few minutes. I loved how the accents were readable and still had me imagining each and every one of the characters. I praise the author for being able to strike were it hurts. The parallels had me in tears. An overall amazing book that taught me how everyone has a way to release pressure. It was amazing.

Hayley L.

Play
This book was really good and touched on some difficult topics really well. Although I'm not a boy, I can definitely see some of the boys at my primary school in the characters. Overall, I think the book was really good despite fizzling out at the end!

Greta

All That It Ever Meant
The book is slightly boring but shows the depth of how imagination could help you cope with depression and other problems.

Rithu

The Final Year
This book was quite good, I liked how it was written I the form of poems, although it was quite tricky to get used to :). It portrayed poverty , bullying and struggles with parental drinking in a really understandable way as well as from the point of view of a young boy who is struggling at home and at school to support his family and deal with the struggles when being bullied. It is very relatable as he moves up the school , and the pre-leaving nerves I know I definitely felt leaving Year 6! It also shows how supporting and helping the amazing people in your life can be , especially your teacher in the case of Nate!his life becomes difficult after his best friend moving class and becoming distant from him , his brother becoming ill and his life turning upside down.All in all , this is a book filled with sorrow but also joy , really good for year six leavers who are worried about moving school!

Rowan

Glasgow Boys
This book was amazing- having me in its grasp within the first few pages. I loved how the scenes were written so we could explore both perspectives of the characters. Furthermore, I think it is quite impressive that the author could imitate accents so well- I felt as though I could imagine Banjo speaking. I also enjoyed how we could follow the characters highs and lows and experience the characters sorrows. Overall, the book was an enjoyable read.

Hayley L.

The Final Year
I loved how impactful this book was and found it very relatable. However I personally did not like the writing style and the slang accents. The fact that this book was based around another book (Skellig) really put me off; the only reason there were wings on the cover was because they are a crucial topic in Skellig. Anyone who has not read Skellig may not understand this book.

Shonaya

Glasgow Boys
The book was very interesting and hooked me in from the blurb, it helped us explore the characters' personalities and how they think or react to everything. The characters also had lots of depth and the author was very creative; it must have been very hard to imitate the way people spoke and such so she probably did lots of research. Unfortunately, the blurb was a little misleading so I was a bit disappointed when I found out that I was wrong. Overall, I think it was quite an emotional rollercoaster, it had a unique setting, the plot was well-thought and it was good that it was a happy ending and the author did a good job writing Glasgow Boys.

Devika

All That It Ever Meant
This book portrays how kids feel after a death of a parent . I , however , found this to be a bit of a dull book . This is because there is a lack of action and just the character talking about their life . There are many activities but less description of them .

Aanya

The Things We Leave Behind
This book is soooooo good! I loved reading it and genuinely cried when I found out the plot twist. My friend who had read it before me warned me but I wasn't quite prepared for what actually happened! I think the idea has been really well imagined and executed and very plausibly written - I could definitely picture myself in Clem's shoes. For anyone who is thinking about reading the book I really recommend.

Greta

The Final Year
In my opinion it wasn't that good compared to the other Carnegie books. The format of writing was hard to read .

Avisha

The Things We Leave Behind
Honestly, I didn't like the book because It didn't hook me in so i was bored nearly always through the book.

Jiya

The Things We Leave Behind
The reader will feel sorry for Clem and her family while understanding the challenges refugees of unfair countries and victims of racism face. The book perfectly highlights the problems of having a racist prime minister and the consequences of judging others based on their appearances or where they are from.

Rithu

King of Nothing
King of Nothing was a very enjoyable book to read. However, it did lose some of its thrill as I moved on through the book. But it was wonderful to read how Anton's and Mathew's friendship blossomed.

Saaya

The Things We Leave Behind
it really expresses how clem feels about all of this and the swearing expresses that too. it is unfair how a bad person is in power of england so clem and billie have to leave the country.

Zara

The Things We Leave Behind
This book is amazing ! It's a beautiful adventure filled with sorrow but also joy; a teen girl's view on a traumatic experience which is really relatable and can be imagined actually happening in real life. A lovely story about family and holding on to what you have. It's about a girl who travels across England , facing many dangers along the way, but also meeting kind people who help her and her half sister Billie across the Scottish border , with just a notebook full of stories in her hand. The twist at the end is heart-breaking but beautiful , and really helps the story come together and helps you understand how a young teenage girl could feel in a dystopian world; It shows you that there really is a light at the end of the tunnel. I even cried when I read it ! I I loved this book because of the plot twists that reveal new hidden layers to the story , the three different settings, the past, Clem's stories , and the present when she is telling her story to her therapist and the way its been written: you can really put yourself in the main character's shoes and connect with her story. I really like how she talks to her therapist because it helps people who go to therapy feel empowered and not ashamed, as well as helping people feel familiar with therapy. All in all , this is a book that will stay with you forever even after finishing the last page.

Rowan

King of Nothing
It was an amazing book and i like that it focused on toxic masculinity which is a very silent topic in the books ive read.

Jiya

Little Bang
This was an enjoyable book to read- a well-paced book that explored themes that some may not have been comfortable to talk about. While being an overall interesting read, at the same time it also heightened my awareness about things like teenage pregnancy and that though they may be accidental all lives matter.

Hayley L.

The Final Year
It's an amazing book really showing how sometimes people our age have to deal with a lot , eg : sibling/s in hospital and having a single parent . This book gives us a view of what children like the main character Nate go through . I can relate to Nate's problems in school . Over all this book is a work of art .

Aanya

The Final Year
I thought it was very impactful. I'm not sure why but I think it was because the format was in poems. That was also partly why I did not like it that much too though. I also didn't really like the language, e.g. slang, accents. I thought this because it made it kind of hard to read. I did vote it for the Carnegie medal though because again I thought it was really impactful and had some meaning.

Alaina

King of Nothing
I think the book was very funny and I enjoyed reading it. The character development in this book was also excellent as you can see when Anton's feelings about his friends and Matthew change throughout the book. However I personally did not like the writing style as I found it a little bit cringe.

Shonaya

The Final Year
Relatable and emotional

Jasmine

Glasgow Boys
Emotional. Page-turner and oddly relatable...

Jasmine

Little Bang
Amazing. The end is a little different to what i thought it would be. It was so surprising.

Avisha

The Final Year
I really love this book. This book explores the changes and loses that are mentioned in this book and it also describes how Nate (main character) experiences each change and loses. This is what makes this book really special. In life, people in his world may relate to his difficulties and may even suffer even worse. It is truly a memorable book and I would rate this 5 Stars.

Saaya

All That It Ever Meant
A plot twist that when, while rereading the book, seems to make sense. Exciting, with little details that are easy to miss but crucial.

Jasmine

The Final Year
how nate grows up is quite interesting and i love the style in which it is written in

Zara

King of Nothing
Really fun and has an amazing plot. Love the change in Anton's behaviour

Avisha

The Final Year
creative and well written. Keeps the reader intrigued and wanting to know where Nate will end up and how he will cope. The readers will be sympathetic towards him and enjoy the twists of his life.

Rithu

Play
Emotional and interesting.

Jasmine

King of Nothing
i like this book and it is about masculinity and sexism and it really moves me by how anton changes from a bully to a nicer guy with good friends

Zara