Norwich High School Bookworms

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April's Garden
I really enjoyed Aprils garden, I felt the pictures really told the story as well but the pictures were very grey up until the last 2 or 3 pages. overall 2.5/5 stars

Crossing the Line
I love the way the book was formatted. Unfortunately the story began to stop making sense around page 150, about 20 pages later it fortunately began to make more sense. I love the resolution at the end and I think that it was very well written. 4/5 stars.

The Song Walker
I really liked the song walker and I think the story line was really good. The book was written amazingly, it felt like it was actually real. But I personally didn’t really like the twist ending, but I know some people really do, I just didn’t feel that it was needed to Finnish the story. I think that overall the book was very heart warming because Trani didn’t have to do what she did for moonflower/ magpie. 4/5 stars

Away With Words
It was a really good book and I enjoyed it, but I think in the blurb it should have explained that it was a fantasy. The book also did a good job at portraying how it feels for people to migrate to a new country.

The Tree and the River
We read the book very quickly and I loved the idea. The location starts with nothing and it builds it’s way up to a massive city, then it becomes a wasteland and the cycle restarts. When we went through it again a bit later we noticed all the details, the rainbow on the corner representing hope, the reflection in the water on the front page and the tree, always there and always watching. 5/5 stars, I would definitely recommend!

The Wilderness
'The Wilderness' has beautiful illustrations and I think they portray the story really well. The storyline is really interesting and heartwarming. I would definitely recommend!

The Search for the Giant Arctic Jellyfish
'The Search for the Giant Artic Jellyfish' has beautiful illustrations and I love how the jellyfish is on lots of the pages. I also loved how Dr Morley doesn’t give up her search. I feel that anyone of any age could enjoy this.

The Bowerbird
I really liked 'The Bowerbird' because the story was really heartwarming and the birds were all so beautiful. I feel like anyone could enjoy this book.

To the Other Side
'To the Other Side' has a really good storyline and the words fit together with it so well. I don’t really understand why they are all wearing masks, especially as they take them off at the end. I think that some of the pages might be a bit scary if a little child was reading it but it was a really good book.

Steady for This
'Steady For This' is the type of book that I wouldn’t necessarily choose or read, but I actually really enjoyed reading it. I think that some parts are quite realistic, others not so much but I quite liked that. The way the book was written left me having to re-read some of the paragraphs but I think it was actually a really good book. I would give it a solid 4/5 stars.

Lost
‘Lost’ had lots of good illustrations and I liked the way it was formatted. The writing was a bit hard to read on some of the pages as it was black writing on a grey background, a very good book though.

Choose Love
I found this book of poetry incredibly powerful. Alongside the beautiful illustrations, these heartbreaking yet hopeful poems gave me, as a reader, an insight into the lives of refugees. This book was very important, valuable, which was certainly worth the read. I rate it 4/5.

The Door of No Return
I read almost half of this book and I couldn’t really understand it very well. The way it was formatted was quite cool though.

Away With Words
It was a good book but it was a bit confusing at first so I would give it 4 stars out of 5.

Away With Words
I really liked this book because it was relatable and you sort of become Gala and experience moving countries and making friends who dont speak your language. I also love how the pages are edited with words around them.

Away With Words
I really enjoyed Away With Words: I found the concept of words being solid, real objects fascinating and I learnt how truly challenging it can be for those moving to a different place or country. I thought the story line was simplistic yet it voiced how horrific bullying is, and gave an opportunity to learn and understand more about the protagonist, Gala, and her fellow pupils, particularly her friend Natalie. I had not known a lot about selective mutism before, so this book gave me a interesting perspective into the lives of those who have this. Overall, I believe the novel to be an incredible powerful stance against bullying, as well as being a learning curve for me, as a reader, about the challenges and joys around immigration. I highly recommend this book and rate it 4/5.

The Song Walker
I found the plot of the story very interesting, especially as it gave me a glimpse into the lives of those in the Australian Outback. It was very well written and engaging for the reader. It delves into ideas about friendship and emotions, as well as exploration and adventure. I would rate it 4/5.

Crossing the Line
Crossing the Line is written in narrative verse, meaning it is easy to read formatting wise (although there are scenes of violence and strong language included, at points). The themes explored in the novel made me feel uncomfortable at times: Erik becomes involved in drug dealing, whilst struggling with poverty, baby sisters to look after and mourning the recent death of his Father. He experiences bullying before being swept into a dangerous group he can not escape from. Once half way through, I felt discouraged about finishing the novel (although I did manage to), for although I did find myself getting rather engrossed at times, I found Erik a difficult character to like or relate to and I felt vexed that he continued to make bad decisions throughout the book, even after discussing that they were wrong. That was until I discovered, the tale is based on a true story, which then meant I began to realise the power of the novel more. My rating would be 2/5 stars: I would never usually have read a book like this one, and although I discovered it to be an eye opening experience into how lucky I am in my life, unlike Erik, I felt uncomfortable about having to listen to Erik discuss his horrible experiences and about the drug market in general. It made me feel as if, by reading the novel, I myself was also performing appalling actions. Despite this, it was an interesting read.

Crossing the Line
It was ok, but I think it could have been better if it had been worded differently and it was clearer who was talking when. I also think it was a bit more grown-up than the books I usually read.

The Door of No Return
I liked the format of the book. The vivid style of writing made it enthralling- I struggled to put it down! My one complaint is that I disliked the ending of the novel because no conclusions were drawn so it was not very satisfying.