The Fitzharrys Shadows

Glasgow Boys
OMG! I loved this book so much, I especially liked how you can see the contrasts of the two personalities in each chapter. I also thought the “ Scottish dictionary” at the back was pretty cool!!! 11/10

scarlett

The Final Year
I really enjoyed this book. I love the humour of the book mixed with slightly more serious topics, I also liked how I could relate to the book in the aspect that it was the characters final year at school. I loved this book so much I read it all in one go in about 2hr 30min! 9/10

scarlett

The Things We Leave Behind
The Things We Leave Behind is a book about a possible image of the future where a prime minister is attempting to deport anyone with foreign heritage. In a terrifying turn of events, the protagonist, Clem, is separated from a member of her family and has to escape England in fear of the government. Towards the climax of the book, the author was very good at building tension and keeping me guessing. My personal favourite character was Billie. I feel that she was a very accurate and well written character but also someone you can easily become quite attached to. One issue I had with this book was the way it was written at some points. The book definitely confused me a little bit at first and I had to read it a couple of times to get my head around it. Overall I think it was a good book and I would definitely recommend it, especially if you’re a reader who likes dystopian novels. I would personally give this book between 7 and 8/10.

isla

The Final Year
The Final Year is about how a boy gets through his chaotic final year of primary school. I liked how the book was laid out as it was written like a poem. I had felt sympathy for Nate (the main character). As the book was in the style of a poem it was quick to read. I think that this book was a page turner and I was keen to find out what happened next. I think this book is slightly more for older readers as at some points it was a little emotional. I would give it 9/10.

Mason

Little Bang
Little Bang is based on teenage pregnancy and abortion. This book is about two people Mel, a science genius and church-raised, and Sid, who wants to be a musician and who is about to fail his GSCEs. When Sid and Mel get a surprising result of their first date, they don’t know what to do because they live in Northern Ireland where abortion is illegal. My favourite character is Lucille because even though at the start she was rude and didn’t have any confidence that Sid and Mel are capable, she helped Mel get past what she was going through. I liked about this book how it was from two different perspectives because you could understand and feel what the characters were feeling but also know their points of view. Although I enjoyed the ending, I thought it could have been a bit better because after all this time it seemed too simple and easy. Overall, I would rate this book for the ages from 13+ and a 7/10.

Annabelle

The Things We Leave Behind
This book is a fiction story with Clem as a main character along with her sister Billie. Their Grandfather is like a real person to me, as I have had the experience of Clem it that bit. This book made me tear up a few times but kept me guessing all through. The one bad thing is that I wish I could find out what happened to the character at the end. Overall this is a really good book and I would read it again.

Pola

Play
Play is a book highlighting the friendship between four boys: Johnny, Mark, Matt and Luc, following them throughout their path through secondary school, starting at year eight going all the way up to year eleven. It follows the boys separately from each chapter, taking up a different character every time, giving the reader insight into the feelings, emotions and motives of what they do. As you follow the book, you watch as things spiral out of control for the boys, having you on the edge of your seat and waiting to see what will happen to them, hoping they will be able to fix what they have done before it is too late. I liked this book very much because it had me on the edge of my seat, waiting to see what would happen next, keeping me guessing for what would happen to them, knowing inevitably that something would have to go wrong and that they would all get dragged down with each other. I liked how it was intricately written, letting you follow each boy's story; while also letting you follow the story as a whole, seeing from everybody's eyes as it happened before them. I don't have anything negative to say on the book, except how at the beginning I was confused on the different perspectives, getting to know the new characters, but other than that it was a brilliant read. Overall, I would recommend it to someone looking to follow an interweaving story, looking for a book with a dramatic ending.

Rowan

Little Bang
Little Bang is about Mel and Sid who get pregnant after their first date and have to face challenges in a country where getting an abortion is illegal. I really liked how the author made the characters 2 very different people and also how the book was written from 2 points of view. Furthermore I liked how they have to struggle with lots of obstacles like being really young and also not being able to get an abortion but also the fact that Mel’s family are really religious. However I did find the 2 different points of view very confusing because I kept forgetting who was speaking. Overall I thought this was a very good book but definitely think it is for an older audience.

Eloise

The Final Year
The Final Year is about a boy called Nate who is struggling with being in his final year of primary school and also has friendship issues. Nate copes with these changes by writing poems which is also shown as the book is written in verse. I liked this book because I thought it showed the worries and stress that some people feel when leaving primary school. However I didn't like how the book was written in verse because I found it confusing. Finally I would recommend this book to people who might have worries about secondary school because it is a relatable book.

Eloise

Glasgow Boys
Glasgow Boys is a book about the lives of two boys: Finley and Banjo, who live in Glasgow and have come out of the foster care system. The book describes how they are doing, and follows Finley's career path through university, while also following Banjo’s last year of Secondary school while giving flashbacks into their past. As you get deeper into the book, you begin to understand why they act the way they do and delve into their history. I liked the way Margaret McDonald slowly gives flashbacks throughout the book, revealing secrets and uncovering the past of the two boys, letting you understand them deeper and what has happened to them, giving spectacular plot twists as you come to understand what they have been through. I found the start of the book uninteresting as nothing was happening to them that was exciting, but as I came to the end it was page turning, wanting to know what happened to them in the past, and how things are going to turn out. Overall, I would recommend this book to a reader who enjoys a romance but also someone who likes the plot twists and trying to figure out what has happened before it is revealed.

Rowan

All That It Ever Meant
All That it Ever Meant is a book about how family copes with a lost family member and how they deal with the grief. This book made me want to read on and not put it down. Mostly it was written well but at some points it was a bit confusing. Overall I really enjoyed this book and recommend it for older readers. I would rate it 9/10.

Mason

Glasgow Boys
Glasgow Boys is a book based around love, friendship, family and growing up. It is told from the viewpoint of two teenage boys- Finley and Banjo. Whilst Finley has just aged out of care and has left to go to Glasgow University without any support, Banjo is trying to settle in with his new foster family during his final year of high school. At the start of the book, my favourite character was Finley since I was interested in how his story would play out as he goes through university but towards the end of the book my favourite character changed to Banjo since he had quite a bit of character development as well as more of an insight into his past. One thing I didn't like about the book was the ending since I felt like it was a bit rushed and sudden with a lot happening in a short span of time. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes coming of age stories. Personally, I really liked Glasgow Boys and since I've never read a book told from two perspectives, I found that they intertwined nicely and would give it a rating of 4/5.

Tilly

Play
‘Play’ is a book about 4 teenage boys’ experience through secondary school. They play games, scoring points against each other but, eventually, these games turn into much more. I really like the poetic feel to it because although it wasn’t poetry, it was very rhythmic and had some repetitive elements. It personally wasn’t my favourite book because I struggled with some of the choices the main characters made. I also didn’t really enjoy the themes; drugs, toxic masculinity and sexuality. This is because they’re not really my style however if you’re into novels about teenage experiences- this is probably for you. It reminded me of some Josh Silver novels like ‘Happy Head’. I would recommend it for ages 13+.

Hannah

All That It Ever Meant
The book ‘All that it ever meant’ by Blessing Musairi is about Mati and how she and her family deal with the grief of losing her Mama. Not long after she meets Meticais, someone she can talk to- but no one else can see them. My favourite character is Meticais because they’re really carefree and don’t care about others opinions. It made me cry quite a bit but there were really happy parts too. It felt really real and it was a really gripping book. One of the things I didn’t like was the cliffhanger at the end because it was really frustrating. I would recommend it for ages 11+. It has many elements of African culture so I would recommend it for people who enjoy reading about other cultures. I would rate it 7/10.

Hannah

Little Bang
Little Bang is a book about teenage pregnancy and is set in Northern Ireland where abortion is illegal. I liked how real the characters seem, especially Mel when she was facing a life changing decision. I enjoyed how the story kept me guessing and how I didn't always know what was going to happen. I also liked the way the sad scenes were written. The only thing I didn't like was the fact that in the middle of the book it felt a bit slow paced and there wasn't much happening. Overall I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to young adult readers but I might feel uncomfortable recommending it in person to my friends because it contains adult topics.

Sophie

The Final Year
The Final Year is a brilliant verse novel about a boy called Nate who has started his final year of primary school. However, when Nate and Parker Smith (PS) get put in different classes they drift apart, and PS starts hanging out with Turner, who Nate dislikes. If that’s not bad enough that he’s no longer friends with PS, a disaster occurs to his little brother Dylan. My favourite character is Mr Joshua (Nate’s teacher) because he teaches Nate how to make notes and write poems and gives him a book to write his ideas in. He also helps Nate with all the problems he has. I found this book wonderful because it was written in first person, which meant you could feel the characters emotions. It was as if you were in the book experiencing everything the character was going through within story which felt real. Generally, I loved this book and would rate this book for the ages of 10-13 and an 8/10.

Annabelle

The Final Year
The Final Year by Matt Goodfellow is an enthralling book about the relationship of Nate and his friends and family, which I could not put down! I found this book very entertaining and it was quite an easy read, and the theme was overall very appealing to me. At first I was a bit confused as to how it was written, but as I read on I enjoyed it more and more. I think that this book could be appreciated by all age categories and I would give this five stars!

Oiver

The Final Year
‘The Final Year’ is a book about Nate’s final year at primary school. It’s about his journey through friendships, new teachers and his big emotions. I really enjoyed the use of verse because it made it more open to interpretation by the reader and it made it feel really rhythmic. It made me cry in some places, but overall it was a really good book. It personally wasn’t my favourite because I don’t really like books based on real life, I prefer fictional novels. I would recommend it to younger readers, especially those around year 5 or 6 because that’s Nate’s age. I would rate it 6/10.

Hannah

The Things We Leave Behind
‘The Things We Leave Behind’ is a dystopian novel about London being the centre of a refugee crisis. It’s about losing the people we love and having to keep going anyway. My favourite character is Billie because she’s so innocent but always trying to keep Clem happy. It personally made me cry quite a bit but I really enjoyed it. It was a really gripping novel- I couldn’t stop reading! Although I really loved it, I wish it was a little less sad because I feel like happy books are easier for me to read. However if you like sad books, this book is definitely for you. I would suggest this book for slightly older readers, because I know books with themes of refugees can be difficult for younger readers. I would rate it a 9/10.

Hannah

King of Nothing
King of nothing is an excellent book based on friendship and school life. This book is about a boy called Anton who thinks he is living his best life as king of the school with his friends, Kehinde, Caleb and Marcus known as the Manden, where they are mean to the teachers, mess around and think everyone respects them. His mum doesn’t like the way he acts at school though and takes away his internet and makes him go to a club called Happy Campers where he sees Matthew, who Anton thinks is one of the biggest losers in class. When he goes on a camp for the weekend Anton gets lost berry picking, and he gets stung by a bee but Matthew saves him with an EpiPen, and they become friends. This book is thoughtful as it shows how Anton changes around Matthew and by going to Happy Campers as you see him trying to become a better person. My favourite character was Rochelle because she looks after Matthew and has his back but also, she is clever and doesn’t judge Anton for his past and instead cares about who he is now. Plus, she is a very kind person who tries to help people. However, I also liked Matthew because he always sees the good things in the world and although I found him irritating at the start, he always means well. Overall, I loved this book and would rate it for the ages 10-14 and an 8.5/10.

Annabelle

Glasgow Boys
Glasgow boys, by Margaret McDonald, is a great book about two boys one called Banjo the other called Finlay. Banjo is living with his new foster family. He finds it tough at school as Kyle and his group of friends start making up names and bullying him. Until one day he gets a job at the café and meets a girl called Alena. Finlay has started studying for his nursing degree at Glasgow university and becomes friends with Derya and Jun. He meets on old friend from his past called Akash who at first, he can’t remember but then all the memories of Akash come streaming back to him. My favourite character is Alena because she was always kind to Banjo and made him smile even if he was having a tough time. Alena was even happy and cheerful when she didn’t feel decent but she didn’t take her anger out on people and just accepted it for what it was. I liked the fact that it was written about two different people, and it was one chapter on Banjo then one on Finlay because you weren’t just hearing about one person the whole way through, and it was nice to hear about their different lives. I also liked, how it would go back in time because we heard about their pasts’ and what it was like for them growing up. Overall, I would rate this book for the ages of 13+ and 10/10.

Annabelle