Strike of the Shark by Bear Grylls. A review by Finley Year 9

This is an adventure novel set in the Bermuda Triangle.   Beck Granger is shipwrecked in the open seas and he needs all his survival skills to save a small group of passengers.

They face many dangers but the best bit is when they had to survive against the sharks because it was intense and thrilling.

The book is also a mystery as, unknown to Beck, he has a dangerous enemy. The shipwreck was no accident and his enemy won’t stop until he has succeeded in killing Beck.

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes Bear Grylls’ TV programmes and adventure stories.

 

 

Boy- Tales of Childhood Review By Alex Year 9

This book is about Roald Dahl’s very own childhood, including sweet shops tales. He talks about mean old ladies and a great mouse plot. Also, this is where you will find information about the inspiration for some of his best books.

This book is heart-warming and funny and gives a great insight into the boy who grew up to write some of our best-loved books like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Esio Trot.

I would recommend this book to readers  who love Roald Dahl’s other books and for those wanting the inspiration behind the books.


Railhead – a review of the Carnegie shortlisted title by Amelia, Year 9

Railhead is an outstanding book totally free from the stereotypes of sci-fi.I am not a massive fan of science fiction and so my first impressions of Railhead were clouded by that. I often don’t like science fiction books because I find emotion lacking and characters not relatable. How wrong was I! Railhead is a fantastic novel that plays on dreams. I loved every minute of the thrilling ride around the galaxy. Every moment of the story is richly imagined. Railhead is set in a future in which humanity has left Earth and settled in many worlds. Zen a teenage boy embarks on a mission that changes the galaxy forever. Interplanetary travel is achieved by trains that pass through gates. The trains have artificial intelligence and as result have dreams, feelings and thoughts. This was my favourite aspect of the novel. I love how Reeve skilfully examines the feelings and dreams of the characters. We are invited to slowly peel away the layers of characters revealing their inner thoughts. There is a strong sense of wonder throughout the book, of seeing a new world for the first time. The depth of Reeve’s novel surprised me. A recurring theme is artificial intelligence and whether machines can ever be truly alive. Zen travels with a Motorix (a robot) who is adamant that she is alive. The books has beautiful moments in it that steal your breath away. I liked how zen is not an innocent and straightforward hero but someone whose actions lead to death and destruction. In conclusion I was startled by this book’s uniqueness and its sense of true wonder. A powerful and compelling read that showcases what is so wonderful about Sci-Fi.

Welcome to Nowhere by Elizabeth Laird. A review by Amelia, Year 9

nowhereI was lucky enough recently to read a proof copy of Elizabeth Laird’s book “Welcome to Nowhere.” The book tells the plight of Omar and his family as they try to escape Syria and make a new home for themselves. The refugee crisis has been constantly on our screens this year, with 50 refugee families being relocated to Norwich in the next few weeks. The news about the refugee crisis has been saddening and also very complicated. I feel that if you are 9+ (the age range the book is targeted at) this book will help you to make sense of the crisis. The book is incredibly powerful. It is bleak but so uplifting. One of the things that really struck me about the book was how it attempts (successfully) to portray Omar as a child like you and me. He hates school, argues with his siblings and loves playing football. Laird I feel is trying to fight the perception that refugees are different people, greatly distanced from us. One of the things I found interesting was how at the beginning of the book Syria seemed like an almost perfect home. You feel like this could be the UK. I liked how Omar’s family members are very different. Unlike other refugee inspired books I have read they are not perfect. They don’t get along. They have conflicting views. I really liked this because it made the family much more realistic. I could relate to them. Omar’s father was an interesting character. He was supporter of the government and clashed with his children. Laird did this to show how families have become divided by Syria’s civil war but also to highlight the turmoil Syrian civilians must have felt when their own government attacked them. I think it really shows what refugees can achieve in the right situation. Fleeing Syria is terrible but it allows Omar’s brother to fight the stigma of his disability and his sister to escape from a loveless marriage. Good things can be achieved from terrible happenings. One part of the book that really shocked me was the description of the refugee camp. I, and I suspect many others, had always believed camps to be safe havens for refugees. The book was illuminating as it showed the hardship of these refugee camps. I was really struck by how easy it was for children to get sucked into crime and gangs. The book also showed how lonely the camps can make a person feel. It really struck me how hard it must be to lose all your culture and tradition in a single second. I absolutely loved reading this book. It is a powerful book that is a strong advocate for the importance of empathy. I think the book helped show me who refugees are: not in fact refugees but people. I feel that as a result of this book I am more connected to those like Omar. This book really reiterates the ideal that we are more alike than we know. I urge schools and libraries to use this book to show children the importance of kindness and empathy. As Elizabeth Laird eloquently put it herself, we are the main characters in any refugee’s story. Happy or sad.

Hello Bookworms – by Amelia 9C

Welcome back to school!! I hope you are all not to devastated. However don’t despair the school library is ready to welcome you back. Also to celebrate we have created a quiz all about school. Yes this quiz will test your infinite knowledge of school from Harry Potter to Barry Loser. The quiz will be in the library from this week onwards. Also to celebrate here’s a list of my top five books to help you break into a new term.

  1. Verdigris Deep by Frances Hardingeverdigris

This book tells the disturbing story of a group of friends who after stealing money from a well, are forced by a Well Witch to grant wishes. Soon they find themselves caught up in a horrifying adventure where their wishes are increasingly turning darker.

  1. The Wryd Sisters by Terry Pratchettwyrd-sisters

Now is the perfect time to rediscover Terry Pratchett and what better book to it with than The Wryd Sisters. An absolutely hilarious retelling of Shakespeare’s Macbeth. A great showcasing of Pratchett’s talent.

  1. Northen Lights by Philip Pullmannorthern-lights

At number nine in the nation’s favourites the book is a modern classic. It tells the story of Lyra a girl who set off to rescue her friend and embarks on a journey across the dangerous Arctic. As heaven and Earth collide she must discover her real power.

  1. Watership Down by Richard Adamswatership-down

A young rabbit named Fiver is convinced that a great evil is about to befall the warren where he lives but no one will listen to him. At last he manages to persuade his brother Hazel and a few other brave rabbits to leave behind the safety of the warren, before its too late.  Follow them on their moving, terrifying and heart warming tale.

5. Maggot Moon by Sally Gardener  maggot-moon

This is my favourite book on this list. In an alternate 1950s, Standish Treadwell is growing up in a Britain dominated by the dark, ruthlessly oppressive forces of The Motherland. Standish struggles onwards – until his best and only friend Hector is taken away from him. In a desperate effort to protect the people he loves, Standish sets out on a heroic mission to expose the truth. Combining conspiracy theory and dystopia, this incredibly original novel from Sally Gardner will have you thrilled to the very end.

Fear by Michael Grant Recommended by Charlie in 9B

ficturesGenre: Action and adventure.

Fear is the penultimate story in the Gone series. Perdido Beach has been encased in a dome and everyone over the age of 15 has disappeared. The dome, that encases Perdido Beach, begins to darken. And Sam must find out why. Chaos begins to rise in the FAYZ as the daylight shortens and mysterious transformations begin to occur. Also Diana is having a baby but the Gaiaphage is after it. So it sends Drake a monster who cannot die and everyone is afraid.

fearThis book was really interesting as it had plenty of things which made you wonder and you were never given the answers for the question you had in mind. It is gruesome in places and can make you feel queasy with the detailed descriptions. However, these incidents are balanced out with the bravery aspects show by a whole host of different characters. From the small kid kidnapped, to the ruler of Perdido Beach, to the fisherman and his crew. Then, there are some cowards of the FAYZ.

The book switches from characters perceptive, so one chapter you could be down at the main town, the next in the desert with one of the bad guys. You never have too long in one character’s perspective otherwise you would get bored. Michael Grant is clever with how the different characters range in their attributes and personalities. I would recommend this book to any science fiction or action fans as it has things which don’t make sense in the real world, but it’s nice to escape to a world where the normal is crazy. I would also recommend this series if you are looking for a new book series to read. However, make sure you read the series in order, otherwise even the crazy doesn’t seem to fit into place. The series goes in this order: Gone, Hunger, Lies, Plague, Fear and Light.