Walkden Readers 25
Glasgow Boys
Glasgow boys is a dual narrative about two young boys - the main characters - attempting to figure themselves out after leaving the foster care system. It shows them trying, or striving, to build a new future after struggling with abuse and neglect. Finlay, who is eighteen, is studying for his nursing degree at Glasgow University. Banjo, a seventeen-year-old highschooler is trying to settle in with his brand new foster family. Him and Finlay used to be close friends - but over time, their bond strained and they were pulled apart. This novel is one of the best novels I've ever read, as it dives into the impact of abuse and neglect, showing how long it really takes to forget about the past. I'd definitely recommend it to other people because it's emotional, and has an extremely strong storyline. My favourite character had to have been Banjo - I love the way his struggle with anger management is written by the author as it's potrayed perfectly.
Ebie
The Things We Leave Behind
The story follows the journey of 15-year-old Clem and her younger sister as they travel to Scotland to escape England after a new government imposes strict new laws. I liked how the book is set in a dystopian world. The story was really interesting because it is written from the perspective of a teenage refugee from England, which makes her more relatable. I did find the story difficult to follow sometimes, because it jumps around in time, and when Clem tells the story you can't always tell what is real and what is in her head. I would recommend this book to older readers (13+) because of the serious themes and the strong language that is used.
Esme
All That It Ever Meant
This book is about a girl called Mati and her family, after the death of their mother. They move on (or try to move on) in very different ways. It is such an interesting book and I could read more like it. In fact it surprised me how much I enjoyed it because it is not the usual genre I read. The father in the book was a little too drawn into himself, but I suppose that is how he managed to cope after the death of his wife. I would recommend this book to older readers, teens and young adults. The story has its mysteries, whilst also describing grief and how it affects different people.
Myla
All That It Ever Meant
This book is about a girl called Mati and her family after the death of their mother. They move on (or try to move on) in very different ways. It is such an interesting book, and I could read more like it. It surprised me how much I enjoyed it, with it not being my usual genre. I thought the father in the story was a little too drawn into himself, but I suppose that was how he managed to cope with the death of his wife. I would recommend this book to older readers, teens and young adults. It has its mysteries whilst also describing grief and how it affects different people.
Myla
Treacle Town
This book is incredible! It launches you in the deep end with a dead friend and it also show quite different stories to the life i lead it really opened my eyes the the struggles of the people around me.
Matthew
The Final Year
This book was good, however I found it a little difficult to read because it was written in poems. It showed how different some families really are and how difficult it can be to prepare and move towards secondary school whilst still dealing with problems at home. Overall, I would give the book 4/5 stars.
Lyla
The Final Year
This book was an intriguing read about a boy's experience of life. It was interesting, but I'm not sure if I would want to re-read it. However, I did like how the story switched between happiness and sadness. I think this was very skilfully done.
Overall a 9/10, minus one for it not being very cliffhangery.
Joseph
Play
This story follows the life of four friends who get up to no good, especially Mark. I enjoyed this book as it allowed people to get a better understanding of how bad drug use is. Although I felt at times there was too much drug use, I liked the concept of each character having their own game. I also liked the fact that each character had their own perspective as this helped to show how different they are and it doesn't matter how diverse they may be as they are all friends as this novel promotes boy friendship. However I disliked the ending due to it being sad but this could highlight the fact that in real life people don't always get happy endings. I recommend this book to people who enjoy darker themes or people of LGBTQ+ plus due to a gay relationship however anyone can read this book. Finally I would rate this book 4/5 stars.
Jessica
Little Bang
From the blurb and the first chapter of the book, I could already tell that this story will be an emotional roller coaster which could, and possibly can, make the reader think about the message this book is trying to convey.
Mohammed
King of Nothing
I think ‘King of Nothing’ is a very good book, it has a lot of plot twists which I enjoy reading . Anton's life is a rollercoaster of experiences and fights with friends or just random people. This book is very exciting because of the unexpected bond between
Anton and Matthew, Matthew is a pretty nerdy character who’s obsessed with anime and Ru Paul’s drag race. I like that he’s the
complete opposite of Anton but they get along so well. Overall, King of Nothing has been a blast for me to read. I found myself laughing at every page, and the use of slang was the main reason for my case of giggles. There aren't that many books that
involve slang as part of the characters perspective, and this little detail is one of the main reasons why I enjoy this book, and I
recommend this book for anyone who enjoys both a redemption story with a little comedy along the way.
alex
Treacle Town
Although the book had lots of inappropriate language, and a bit of violence, I still enjoyed the book and found it quite interesting. To me, it felt like a realistic representation of UK gangs. Overall it was a decent read and I would recommend it to people into books with a bit of violence.
Owen