Tractors

Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody
I loved the book chronicles of a lizard nobody-Patrick ness. I’ll be honest, when I first got the book I was not happy, I didn’t want to read a book for younger children but as I got into it I began to love it! What’s great about it is younger children can read it as well and understand the topics like depression from a different point of view even if they don’t fully get what depression is yet. If that makes sense? Throughout this book I actually found myself laughing from some of the more silly bits in it, like when pelicarnus launches an attack on Zekes knee (which also has the country France on it-I found that funny too) or when Meil shouts all the time. The characters were fun and easy to like-well apart from pelicarnus he was just pure evil… all in all I thought this was a really good book to read and actually one of my favourites!

Frankie

Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody
This book was quite a good read. It wouldn’t be one I would read again, because it’s a bit young, but the messages are strong and I love the awareness it gives about mental health and bullying for younger children. For example, the metaphor of “the black dog” is really clever and it put into perspective the challenges that people with depression face and also the struggles of the rest of the family, in this case, Zeke. The power of friendship is the main focus of this book in my opinion. Zeke and his two friends, Daniel and Alicia, all stick together throughout the book and both of Zeke’s friends look after him when his mum is struggling and the bully is being horrible to him. They always have his back and he gets through all of the difficult situations because of it. What I love the most is that he doesn’t mean to be a hero, and he isn’t a hero, but still he and his friends work together to stop pelicarnasaurus. The author of this book doesn’t make Zeke into a strong, athletic character, he just makes him brave, but not too brave. And even at the end, He needs his friends to be with him the whole way and without them, he wouldn’t have been able to do it. I think this book was a good read, and as a younger kid I would have really liked it. The messages are clear and I love how funny it is the whole time, especially Daniel who is just really random. Also I like Miel, who is blind but doesn’t mean he can’t help when the others are stopping pelicarnasaurus.

Elsie

Ghostlines 
Ghostlines is an amazing book about friendship and a close-knit community. Tilda is a 10 year old girl who has lived on the island of Ayrie her whole life, Alby is 10 as well and has been brought from the city to the island of Ayrie and is not happy about it. Alby misses the city and his friends and wishes that he never had to move to the island, Tilda on the other hand loves the island and its community and is determined to make Alby like it too. Tilda tries her hardest to get Alby involved in the activities that she and her friends love doing on the island, but when she sees that Alby isn’t trying to enjoy himself she gets impatient. What I love the most about the book is how it feels like i am in the mind of a 10 year old girl and I can actually feel the annoyance that Tilda does when Alby starts talking badly about the island and the frustration when he decides he doesn’t like it at all. The fact that Tilda is in the middle of a small crisis (her big brother Rowan leaving and not calling or texting) makes me think that maybe the reason she’s trying to make Alby like the island so much might be because she doesn’t want him to leave like Rowan did. I love the sense of freedom that the kids in the book have, and how they can do virtually anything they want on their home island. The turning point of the book for me is when Alby and Tilda travel to the spooky haunted island and make a fort. I think that this is the point that brings them together and they turn from enemies to friends quite quickly. And obviously, the most important part when the puffins finally fledge and leave the island for the year. This is a big moment in the book for Alby, who finally seems to accept his place in the community and see the magic of the place. But when a storm rolls in, everything goes wrong. Alby goes missing and when Tilda realises that her kayak is missing it could only mean one thing. Alby had tried to escape. Tilda travels to the forbidden island alone (well apart from her cheeky, vegetable eating dog Moses) and to her relief finds Alby there trying desperately to save the puffins from the ongoing storm and also to her anger, because Alby has destroyed her beloved sea kayak which also means, there won’t be enough room for all of them to get off the island safely. Then things get even worse! Tilda falls down a rock face and sprains her ankle badly and the tide is coming. Luckily, they get saved and when Tilda wakes up in her bed, her big brother Rowan is there and promises that he won’t leave without her knowing again. Tilda and Albys friendship stays strong despite the fact that he has broken her sea kayak. Overall this was such a great read! At first I had my reservations, not wanting to read a book that was for younger children. But as I got into it I realised I couldn’t put it down! Katya Balen is such a good author and I highly recommend this book :)

Frankie

Wolf Siren
Wolf siren is a brilliant book about disability and injustice. Red, the main character, is half blind and can only see colours and shapes. However, she carries on her life without it bothering her and I really love how the main focus of the book isn’t about her disability but how she is a strong, brave character that doesn’t let herself be controlled by the fear in her village and goes into the woods anyway. The story clearly follows the lines of the traditional fairytale, little red riding hood. The author came up with an answer to why little red riding hood couldn’t see straight away that her grandma was actually a wolf by making Red half blind. Spinning the tale to make it so Red and her sister and grandma are wolf women is really smart and makes the story a lot more interesting. From the start of wolf siren, Red and the rest of the women in her village face injustice that prevents them from entering the woods. Just because the men aren't allowed in because of the danger that it holds for them, means that the women can’t either. I think that this is because the men are jealous and think that they will feel more inferior. It is unfair that the women have to put up with these constraints, especially as the magic of the woods makes them all feel wonderful and they aren’t allowed to experience it. Red fights against these rules. As much as her mother tries to stop her in fear that the whole family will be punished, Red resists and listens to her heart, for years hoping that her grandmother will turn up and make her life full again. When Red’s sister turns into a wolf and disrupts the town meeting because of her anger on behalf of her sister, I feel like it really shows the love between them and how a bond between sisters is really strong, despite the differences between the two. When she died I wasn’t expecting it at all, but I felt like it was a good twist, adding emotion and grief, but also shows the risks that people take to fight for things that they want. Overall, this book is a great read and I would recommend it to anyone younger than 14.

Elsie

The Boy I Love
The boy I love is an amazing book about the strength of love between two people during a terrible moment in history. Stephen is a young, troubled lieutenant who has seen the terrors of war and experienced them first hand. Danny is a new soldier, not used to war and the trauma that comes with it. Stephen is originally annoyed with the fact that he can act so happy and joke around, I think that he regrets that it got taken away from himself too quickly and is sad that the same will happen to Danny eventually. When reading the book I was immediately aware of the amount of loss that so many families had to face during that time, Stephen at the start had lost his best friend/boyfriend to the horrors of war and this is another reason that he felt the need to protect Danny so much. Danny on the other hand, got as close to breaking the rules as he possibly could- not on purpose, but just because he was speaking up for those who were too scared to and I respected that in him, especially as he could’ve gotten killed for it and he did get punished eventually, getting tied up to a post for three hours with no water. The most important part of the story for me is when the troop of soldiers Stephen leads make it into the enemy trench during the battle of Somme and realise that the Germans weren’t killing machines that followed the orders they were given happily, many of them had family and partners back home that they wanted to see again and were quite similar to the men in Stephen’s own troop. Who knows, maybe in a different circumstance they could’ve been friends. The ending for me was bittersweet, Stephen got injured by a piece of shrapnel embedded in his thigh and had to be taken to hospital and then eventually served a two year sentence for being gay. During that time Danny had to fight in the ongoing war without Stephen, neither of them knowing if the other was alive. Eventually, they reunite in an art gallery at the end of the war and that’s when the story ends. I was happy with the ending because i was free to imagine what happened to them after, whether they got back together but had to face the discrimination they would receive for being gay or decide to just be friends but remember the feelings they had for each other. Overall, I loved this book and would definitely read it again if I got the chance :)

Frankie

Not Going To Plan
I really like not going to plan. I loved the way it was written because it was really fun to read and didn’t t fit with the normal formatting of a book. I loved all the characters and how the book explored loads of different themes like feminism, consent, friendship’s , and identity as well as having LGBTQ+ characters. I thought the characters were really well written and I liked how different Zed and Marnie were but they still managed to get along.

Hannah

Wolf Siren
I really loved reading this book, I thought it was written very well and had an interesting and exciting storyline including adventure and friendship. I think there was an amazing variety of characters and personalities. Also, it was fascinating to read about the injustice, patriarchy and inequality that was in the village and how the mayor manipulated people to believe the woods were dangerous. Even though the ending was slightly sad, it still ended on a happy note and was a very good closure.

Iona

Not Going To Plan
I absolutely loved this book. However Before I read the book I was worried that reading in verse would be difficult and I wouldn’t enjoy it but it rose above my expectations massively. Not only was it entertaining in the storyline but how the words where placed and sometimes shaped kept me hooked the whole time I loved how the characters all had there different opinions and how they developed as the book went on as well as the satisfaction of Marnie getting back at Harry at the end became it was so empowering and the message put out there so important I will definitely be reading her other books !

Bonnie

Wolf Siren
Wolf siren - Beth O'Brian I really loved wolf siren because of how red persevered even though the whole village hated her and wanted to kill her. I liked how she was able to summon wolves to her and then even turned into a wolf. I think that her not liking to turn into a wolf and Aerona loving turning into a wolf worked really well because it shows that even if red is more connected to the forest Aerona is more connected to her powers. I loved the way it was very connected to little red riding hood but quite different at the same time since it was quite nostalgic and brought me back to my childhood. I loved the bit where Red had the idea to use all the wolves to show the village what was right, but it was very sad that Aerona dies.

sophie

Twenty Four Seconds from Now
At first, I was skeptical that this book wouldn't have any meaning for me as well as the structure of how it goes back in time would make the book confusing however i really enjoyed reading this because of how the characters developed in such a wholesome way especially neon. I think that the building up of the story really brought the nervousness and strong emotions of a first time to life as well as at the end when the story came back to present time as it ended at the start which well rounded the story.

Bonnie

Not Going To Plan
Not Going to Plan by Tia Fisher is an excellent and gripping read for teenagers. When Marnie arrives at a new school she is placed next to Zed her exact opposite. Marnie is a rebelling girl who vapes and is great at Spanish but sucks at Physics. Zed is a geek who loathes the smell of vapes and loves Physics however he hates Spanish. When both find themselves sat next to each other in lessons they decide to revise together. Marnie helping Zed in Spanish and Zed helping Marnie with her Physics, these two soon find themselves acquaintances. Tia Fisher is an excellent author who fuses poetry and story telling into incredible narrative poetry piece. I love how she had two fonts for her two very different characters. For Marnie a more extreme squigglly font which demonstrates her personality with her love of parties and desire to create amazing artwork where Zed has a smart font. What a great read!!!!

Manon

Not Going To Plan
Not going to plan - Tia fisher I think not going to plan was a very good story, but how it was written in verse amazed me. I think the way the tex was written an shaped made the story so much better by showing you what it ment, not by describing it in loads of detail. The characters were very well thought out and I think Marnie and Zed being completely opposite but still being best friends was a really good idea. Zed is a typical 'nerd' studying instead of going to parties and would much rather be at home by himself then going out with friends. But Marnie? She was the rebellious girl who got expelled from her old private school for vaping and had to moved to Zeds school. This book explores themes of consequences of teenagers choices. And shows you can get out of bad places by talking o the people you trust.

sophie

Ghostlines 
Reading "Ghostlines", for me, was truly a stunningly beautiful experience. The description of the island in such astounding detail, the evident, real-feeling perspective of a child, and the relationships and dynamics between characters all seemed so well written, and I can tell that "Ghostlines" was an authentic labour of love from Balen. Tilda and Albie's friendship slowly progressed with the assistance of the "ghost" island, despite all doubts and challenges, and made for a thrilling storyline, yet I believe the moment which moved me the most was the unveiling of Tilda's relationship with her brother, Rowan. An extremely exciting and sweet book, and I can only commend Balen's work of wonder.

Michi

The Boy I Love
The boy I loved was a really emotional and powerful read. The way William Hussey wrote it created such an incredible atmosphere that made me feel like I was actually right there with Stephen and feeling what he was feeling. It really made me think about the horrors of the trenches and life at war for the young men and what they had to go through and experience each day and the book was packed full of interesting and thought provoking details and moments. A brief summary of the book is Stephen meets Danny on a train back to the trenches and training camps. Stephen sees some of his past, younger self in Danny, all young and innocent with no clue what he's getting himself into and he finds himself wanting to protect this boy from the horrors of war that will slowly eat away at and destroy him. When Stephen is given the choice of who will be his soldier servant his mind immediately flicks to Danny and he pulls some strings to allow him to choose him because he wants to keep Danny close and take him under his wing. Fast forward a while past all the times Stephen and Danny spend together, the times Stephen sticks up and protects Danny and the times Danny sacrifices himself for others and Stephen. Until the end of the battle of the Somme when it is found out that Danny and Stephen love each other after they both barely survive the battle and Stephen is sentenced to 2 years of hard labour. When the two years finally come to an end and the war is over stephen is shunned by society and his own mother and father despise, he is finally reunited with danny and although they know they will never be accepted by society they don't care because all that matters is that they have each other.

Lara

Ghostlines 
Ghostlines is a great story about determination and bravery. Tilda is a girl who perseveres when a new boy from the city below refuses to accept Ayrie. Albie has just moved from the city which is a ferry journey away and wants nothing to do with neither Tilda or Ayrie. Ayrie is a tiny island where everyone knows everyone which means something like a newcomer not loving everything about Ayrie confuses Tilda. She is determined for Albie to like her island just as much as her and will go to great heights to achieve that. When they find themselves stranded on an island far from home for the both of them trust becomes the only thing that can save them when Tilda hurts her ankle. This is was a great Carnegie entry I loved it!

Manon

The Boy I Love
I found "The boy I love" was a really good book because it showed the struggle of Danny and Stephens relationship during WW1 whilst maintaining a fast paced and exciting storyline throughout the book. I liked the contrast between Stephen and Danny's characters, Stephen being a more careful and reserved character vs Danny being more outspoken and loud character. However, I found the ending to be a bit blunt and sudden, I found it was a bit of a bad way to end a great story. Overall it was an interesting historical fiction that I found believable and kept me reading page after page.

Evie

Wolf Siren
Wolf siren was my second Carnegie book I read and I really enjoyed reading it. I loved the idea of growing up and turning into a wolf women as just a young girl after "having her first cycle". I think this book was really cleverly written to show that everyone has secrets to hide, no one is perfect but yet people still believe that there is a standard for everything (if that makes any sense.) Having our main character , Red, blind was a key but yet so unimportant part of the story. In my opinion it showed that to be seen doesn't always mean to be physically seen, it can also mean to be understood and I think that's what Red wanted from the very start of the book. I really loved this book and I would recommend this book to all ages as it is enjoyable and educating.

Jemima

Not Going To Plan
This was honestly THE BEST BOOK I'VE EVER READ EVER!!!!!!! I absolutely adored this book so much so that I accidentally whizzed through it within just over 24 hours of having it. I loved the style the book was written and it made reading this book so interesting as it was a new format of reading for me. I loved the fact that Tia fisher wasn't subtle about anything- she explained everything in full detail from the very start to the very end. I also really liked the fact that she included different perceptions of pregnancy and abortions through different characters in the book as it helped us understand that you can have your own views and opinions on something, especially if its a sensitive topic to do with pregnancy, sex and abortions. ect... I do believe that the messages and the sexual language used in this book may not be appropriate for some younger readers so I think 14+ is the right move to make, but I 100% think that everyone should read this AMAZING book at least once in their life as its educating, enjoyable, page-turning and so so much more. I would definitely read this again and I'm planning on buying this book and her other book "crossing the line" as soon as possible!!

Jemima

Ghostlines 
I really enjoyed this book, it showed a sense of freedom and childhood and growing up all through one book. I love the fact that we were kept in secrecy about who the character Rowan was until the very end and I think that really helped us feel for Tilda and the sense of missing him. Ghostlines is about two young children who become friends and go on an adventure together, I found the book interesting and you can clearly see life from a young child's point of view. I think the book could be better if we heard a bit more of Albies life on the main land and on the island itself but other than that I think it was a wonderful book.

Jemima

Not Going To Plan
I really liked this book especially when tia fisher explained that a lot of teenagers go through abortion and there’s no stories like that. I really liked how it was written as well it took me a second to understand it but after that I understood why she wrote it like that so it could be marnie or zed and their opinion compared to others. Overall this was a great book and I would love to read the next one.

Summer

Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody
This book was enjoyable, funny but also handled serious topics in an understandable way from a child's perspective with family who were struggling with harsh emotions such as depression. The way the book was written made it intriguing and interesting to read as reading this book made us want to find out what happened next with this "supervillian" pelican. The metaphor of the black dog who followed Zekes mum around was a clever way for taking on the idea of depression and how it can effect the person dealing with it and the people around them. I would recommend this book to all ages as it is educating and enjoyable.

Jemima

Twenty Four Seconds from Now
I really enjoyed this book. It handles the the stress and pressure put on teenagers around having sex at their age with maturity and is cleverly constructed and designed for teens and adults. The book itself discusses topics around 2 teenagers about to have their "first time" and we can see as the book goes on what built up to the moment its self as we find out more about the characters but also while they discover more about themselves in the prosses. This was the first book in the Carnegies and I found it enjoyable and educating to see from others points of views around sensitive topics around coming of age and first times. I would definitely read again!

Jemima

Twenty Four Seconds from Now
Twenty-four seconds from now is a realistic romance novel which challenges stereotypes and gender norms. This book focuses on the perspective of our male lead, Neon, and his fear regarding "the next step" in his relationship with his girlfriend, Aria. The author portrays Neon's fear beautifully and perfectly captures the teens flowing emotions and stress. The book makes it feel as if you've known these characters for years, their personalities are complex yet wonderfully simple and this goes for, not only our main leads, but also many side characters. In regards to dialogue, I have no notes, the speaking fully encapsulates their dynamics. This is especially present in the conversations between Neon and Aria, using carefully chosen words, the author shows how sweet and caring they are towards each other. The book is not scared to show Neon's fear for the upcoming event, presenting a realistic interpretation of real life emotions most other authors wouldn't cover. The ending was admittedly, predictably clear but the interesting layout/format of the story in addition to its well written characters made it a truly unforgettable read.

Amelie

Twenty Four Seconds from Now
Twenty-four seconds from now is such an amazing book! It was such an easy read and I really enjoyed how it was written from Neon's perspective as most romance books are spoken through a main female character. It also had a unique reverse chronological structure going back from 24 seconds to 24 minutes then all the way to 24 months. Although romance was a key theme, the book also showed what growing up was like and also grief. Overall, it was a realistic insight on romance and I couldn't put it down!

Maisie

Popcorn
I thought the book was quite interesting from a perspective of a child being bullied and all the bad events that happened to him are quite dramatic and it leads to one thing worse throughout the day. I definitely would never have picked this book for myself, but I thought it was an interesting book on how some children like Andrew Yeger handle mental health.

Summer

Popcorn
Popcorn was a fantastic read! I found Andrew as character so interesting in the way his mind worked and his thought processes. It was nice to be able to connect and understand how he felt having anxiety and how hard he found it at times, but then what he did to overcome those struggles. I really liked how Rob Harrell helped readers to vision exactly how Andrew felt with pictures and phrases at times, like the "Popcorn Meter". I really enjoyed this book!

Lara

Wolf Siren
I loved Wolf Siren. i thought it was a very good book which really shows the struggles of women and how they get discriminated against because they can do something men cant. I also loved how the main character was blind and another character was deaf as people with disabilities don’t get enough attention in media especially books. The storyline was also great as it took a twist on a classic fairytale and made it something even better. Wolf Siren also showed especially at the end of the book how small acts can make massive differences in the world around you.

Hannah

Wolf Siren
Wolf siren is a brilliant book and would definitely recommend! It shows the struggles of girls growing up and learning how to deal with different types of pain from the menstrual cycle to grief. The way the character of Wilson was presented at first made him seem loving and kind but slowly as the book goes on you begin to get a bad feeling all the way to the point of him being revealed as the murder (or the main antagonist) and then you really despise him. The way it’s shown that women should have the power as they are capable of doing something men can’t it’s still the sexist stereotypes seen in the book of the men being in control, as seen with Caragh and the mayor with her “punishment”. The way Red is seen dealing with her disability is incredible as she does things no one else would expect her to do such as finding her way home on her own so this shows that everyone is capable I should know this because I have family members with disabilities. The end of the book is the most heartbreaking due to the fact one of the most loveable characters, Aerona, sadly passes away (because Wilson murders her) and the way Red’s grandmothers tone is so accusatory after Red plants the acorn and then when she comes to find out Red has broken the cycle it flips to a more gentle and warm tone. Also, the way the character Zac is portrayed as mean, then when he comes by to return what is rightfully Red’s family’s, the painting of a tree made by Aerona, he is then portrayed as scared and timid however, Red openly welcomes him as she says “We are not our relatives,” proving we don’t have to be who people want us to be. This book is overall very inspiring and empowering would 100% recommend to anyone who wants to read a different type of fairytale.

Pippa

Not Going To Plan
I really enjoyed reading Not Going To Plan, it was a really fun and engaging read. I loved that some of the lines were shapes, that it was written in two different perspectives and that the text was only written on one side of the page with made you want to read more. I especially liked the ending of the book when Marnie presents her art piece about freedom. I think it was important to show that everyone should have their own rights and make their own choices.

Iona

Ghostlines 
I really liked the vivid descriptions of the settings and the growing friendship between Albie and Tilda, even though they seemed very different personalities. A great book!

Evie

The Boy I Love
"The Boy I Love" was an amazing book! I personally enjoyed reading it as many emotions were brought out of me, such as, fear, sadness and joy. I loved the characters, the story and how everything was well written. This book may be one of the ones I wish to reread in the future if that be from me buying it myself or reading online if possible because of how it generally amused me. The book covers how devastating WW1 was, how many lives were needlessly lost, and how cruel it was. The story tells how horrid living conditions were in the trenches, and how soldiers might have felt in that scenery. It also shows how people of the LGBTQ+ community might have felt back then, silenced or maybe feeling it was wrong/unusual. My favourite character was the main one, Stephen! I like how he isn't a stereotypical fearless soldier, but instead someone who has interests, someone who wants to be better. His fear is shown through his hands shaking at most times and I like how subtle this may be. It isn't dramatized or made into a big thing as he "has" to be brave due to his role. Finally, what I mostly have to say is how I had to actually cover my mouth a lot to hide a smile or my shocked face while reading this in classes I had cover for due to significant moments. Only well-written books can do this to me and it felt refreshing for that to happen. Overall, The Boy I Love is an amazing book which covers many themes like forbidden love, fear, friendships/relationships and most of all War.

Danielle