HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS

HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS
Harry Potter Book 2
by J. K. Rowling
Illustrated by Mary GrandPré
341 pp. Scholastic. $10.99. (Ages 9 and up)

ISBN
9780439064873

Rating: ? Stars

   This is one of the best books Ive ever read. Even if I read it when I was 6 also. It is a great book. I also like the other books. But you need to read it from the fist book so you can understand everything.
  The three of them is always in the go. Like it when things always happens to them. It makes things cooler. The three is perfect. Harry is the main reason the problems happen, Hermione is the smart wizard, Ron makes everything much cooler.
  It's not the best Potter book, particularly if you don’t like spiders and snakes, but it’s pretty easy to get through and will definitely whet your appetite for the rest of the series.
  My favorite character is Hermione. She is smart and has an attitude. She was not born in a wizard family but she has good grades. She tries her best even though she just learned it. The part that I don't like is the part where Hermione tries to make an elf community. I agree it is upsetting.

HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER'S STONE

HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER'S STONE
Harry Potter Book 1
by J. K. Rowling
Illustrated by Mary GrandPré
309 pp. Scholastic. $10.99. (Ages 9 and up)

ISBN
9780439708180

Rating: ? Stars

  This is a very thrilling book for me to read. I have read this before, but when I was 7 years old. At that time I did not understand the story well. I only remembered the movies. But in conclusion, I like the book better that the movie.

  Harry potter is a clueless kid. When he was born he did not even know he was famous. He didn't even care. I thought, like potter he would be a regular kid in Hogwarts. But I guess not. It's very sad that he has to be chased by a dark wizard and also be hovered by fans. I bet it would be really hard being him. I also like him because he can be not so braggy about his popularity

  I like how the author writes about how Harry, Ron, and Hermione friendship began. In the book they also have fight but still stay as best friends. They help each other and hold each other up. True friendship!

  The conclusion is that the book is great!

AMY WILD: AMAZON SUMMER

AMAZON SUMMER
Amy Wild: Book 1
By Helen Skelton.
304 pp. Corgi Childrens. £6.99. (Ages 9 and up)

ISBN
9780552568395

Rating: 5 Stars



      This book starts off with the main character (Amy Wild) being invited to go on a trip to Peru with her Aunt Marg, to help her take photos of all the wildlife and city life. Her aunt is a photographer for magazines. When she arrives there she meets a man called Dudu and his son Juan who are also helping her aunt, and for a few days everything seems to be going well. Their good luck doesn’t last long, though, as after a few days Amy accidentally runs over her aunt with a truck. Terrified that Dudu will kill her, or she’ll be put in jail by the police, she runs away and hides in a boat she finds in the Amazon. The next morning she wakes to find herself deep in the Amazon with Juan purposely driving the boat. Not wanting to turn back, Juan decides to let Amy tag along with him. Sadly, he hasn’t taken her clumsiness into account, and their adventure starts to get crazier and crazier…
      My favourite character has to be Amy as I feel like I can connect with her in many ways. For example, in the book she seems to be a tomboy who would rather be having adventures or playing games and sports rather than just talking and gossiping with her friends. I have to say I agree with her as in school I’ll often get bored of just talking to my friends and go and play football instead. I also feel I can connect with her, as I have actually been to the jungle myself before, so I understand some of the dangers she faced, even though it was probably much safer for me when I went to the jungle.
      The scariest part of this book was probably when Juan’s boat breaks because he and Amy were fighting, and they are left in the middle of the Amazon with no way of transport except their own feet. I found this the scariest part of the book because before it was already scary and they were all alone in the jungle, but at least they had some shelter and some way of transport. When the boat breaks, suddenly everything seems more real and scary than before.
      I think that this book should be read by children eight to fourteen years old who like adventure books, as younger children won’t be able to read it, and older children may find it childish. The majority of this story takes place in the Amazon rainforest in Peru and is set in our time. As it is an exciting adventure story about the rainforest I think this book deserves five out of five stars.
An interview with the author on the Guardian Children's books site

DEMON HEADMASTER

DEMON HEADMASTER
by Gillian Cross
160 pp. OUP Oxford. £6.99. (Ages 9 and up)

ISBN
9780192755827

Rating: 5 Stars



     The story is about a girl and 2 boys and a very mean headmaster. When you look in his eyes he says "You are so so tired" and then you fall asleep. Except for the Splat group…
     The most scary part was when the demon headmaster nearly killed Splat with learning children - but a noise interruption by Dinah stopped it. I like how there is always excitement in the chapters.
     I enjoyed this book and I will give this book 5 stars. I think 8 – 11 year olds will like this book because it is not that scary at all like it has a many bits of scariness.

TOM GATES: GENIUS IDEAS (MOSTLY)

GENIUS IDEAS (MOSTLY)
Tom Gates book 4
by Liz Pichon
320 pp. Scholastic £6.99. (Ages 9 and up)

ISBN
9781407134505

Rating: ? Stars


     This book won an award for the best book for children in 2012. It was also the winner of the Waterstones book prize in 2012. In my opinion, this book is suitable for all ages. The main character in this book is Tom Gates.(as you may have guessed.)

     Tom goes through a lot of embarrassing phases and unbearable shocks. One of the 'embarrassing phases' was when his dad started a fitness regime, and wore really tight cycling shorts and a vest. One of the unbearable shocks was when he saw his sister... WITHOUT HER SUNGLASSES! His sister always wears her sunglasses and she NEVER takes them off. But when he saw her without them, it made him so shocked that he was late for school.

     He has one shocking sister, an embarrassing mum and an extremely embarrassing dad. His best friend is called Derek, and he plays in a band with Derek and Norman - his other friend. His arch enemy is Marcus and he has to sit next to him in class.

     Tom Gates: Genius Ideas is a genius idea. It is a very funny book and I'm sure you would enjoy reading it, just like I did.

LOOK INTO MY EYES

LOOK INTO MY EYES
Ruby Redfort Book 1
by Lauren Child
432 pp. HarperCollins. £6.99. (Ages 9 and up)

ISBN
9780007334070

Rating: 5 Stars


     This book is especially interesting because it is all about codes, and Ruby Redfort (the main character) even makes up her own code which I am still trying to figure out! Really, besides this book being brilliant to read it is also really fun to stop reading for a bit, try to solve the code, then go back to reading and find out if you were right. I personally want to become a secret agent or spy when I grow up and wish that I had the chance to practice some of the amazing things Ruby Redfort does.
     This book is about a very smart girl called Ruby Redfort who was asked by a secret agency to become their secret code cracker. She had to find out a secret that their old code cracker Lopez found out just before she died. At first Ruby had trouble with the code and didn't attempt to become an action agent. However when she found a pencil of Lopez's she started to crack the code but to decode the rest she would have to become an action agent so from there first things went well but then things started to go wrong.
     I think all children would love this book because it shows how normally adults never listen to children even when what their saying is really important, and how normally something really bad happens then. This book definitely deserves five out of five stars.

ARCTIC ADVENTURE

ARCTIC ADVENTURE
By Willard Price.
272 pp. Red Fox. £7.99. (Ages 9 and up)

ISBN
9780099482277

Rating: 5 Stars


    I got this book from my school library when I was looking for a book to read. This is the second book I have ever read by this author. I really like this author's books because they make you want to save endangered species from becoming extinct. However, I do not agree that it is good for animals to all be in zoos because then animals don't learn how to live in the wild. I personally think this is a good book to read around this time of the year because I finished it yesterday, and as it just snowed it looks as if your in the Arctic today.
    This book is about two brothers, Hal and Roger, who go to Greenland and Alaska to pick up animals that their father sells to zoos. While they were in Greenland they made very good friends with Olrik and a polar bear that they named Nanook. Nanook saved them when they were at the point of death and was always there for them. In both Greenland and Alaska, Hal and Roger captured and saw some very interesting animals that I wish I could see in the wild sometime as most people never do.
    I think ages nine and up should read this book because if you are younger it will just be an adventure and you will not get the real point, even some nine year olds will get only the adventure from the story. I think this book definitely deserves five out of five stars.

THE GRIM GROTTO

THE GRIM GROTTO
A Series of Unfortunate Events: Book the 11th.
By Lemony Snicket. Illustrated by Brett Helquist.
352 pp. Egmont Books Ltd. £6.99. (Ages 9 and up)

ISBN
9781405266161

Rating: 5 Stars


    Even though this is "Book the Eleventh" you can still read it on its own because it explains the rest of the series in the beginning. That said, this book was very interesting to me because it revealed a lot of secrets. For example I was very surprised to find out that their friend Fiona's stepbrother had joined Count Olaf's troupe. I felt extremely sorry for Fiona that she had to be the one in the middle: the one both sides wanted.
    This book is about the Baudelaires and their extremely unfortunate events underwater. I myself think that the most unfortunate and frightening event that they encounter is when Sunny is poisoned by the Medusiod Mycelium. Even though the events that occur after that are still very frightening, I hope I have not frightened you so much that you won't read the book.
    Ages nine and over should read this book because it is brilliant for EVERYONE who can read. This book definitely deserves five stars and would go on my favourite books list. Even so, there are other books in the series that are as good as this book.

SAFARI ADVENTURE

SAFARI ADVENTURE
By Willard Price
240 pp. Red Fox. £5.99. (Ages 9 and up)

ISBN
9780099482284

Rating: ? Stars


    This book was kindly sent to me to review by the Guardian because my cousin enjoyed reading this series. I finally read it after Michelle Paver recommended it. When I first got it I thought it would be full of drama and was concerned that it would be like 'Running Wild' by Michael Morpurgo. It turned out completely different and brilliant.
    'Safari Adventure' is about two brothers called Hal and Roger who fly to an African park to help get rid of the poachers and especially Blackbeard. On the way there the pilot is shot by a poison arrow. When they get to the camp a suspicious judge tries to cure him, but while doing so he nearly kills him. The brothers suspect the judge to be bad, but he could be someone they would never imagine him to be...
    Even though it was a brilliant book I didn't understand why the whole series had to be called 'Adventure Stories for Boys'. In my mind girls can read the series too because my friends and I (who are girls) read many books that are similar to this series. I think boys and girls aged nine to seventeen who like wildlife adventure stories should read this series.

also on Guardian Children's Books Site

THE AUSTERE ACADEMY

THE AUSTERE ACADEMY
A Series of Unfortunate Events: Book the 5th.
By Lemony Snicket. Illustrated by Brett Helquist.
224 pp. Egmont Books Ltd. £6.99. (Ages 9 and up)

ISBN
9781405266116

Rating: ? Stars


    I have actually read this book before, but back then I didn't review it. I have read it again and I am now reviewing it. I have decided to read this book again because Snicket is completely absurd - a word which here means he says contradictory things in a clever way. Lemony Snicket is a very interesting writer because Lemony Snicket isn't his name, it's a pseudonym. No one knows who he is as he keeps that a secret. I don't blame him as I would probably do the same if I had all that fame.
    This book is about the three Baudelaire children when they go to boarding school. Because they didn't have parents or a guardian they had to live in the orphan shack. Inside the shack, fungus dripped from the walls, crabs crawled around and they slept on hay. This wasn't the worst of their problems though, for Count Olaf, their nemesis, had followed them disguised as a PE teacher!
    I think ages nine to fifteen should read this book. Even clever adults can read it! This whole series is brilliant and this book definitely deserves five stars.

MY STORY: TITANIC

MY STORY: TITANIC
By Ellen Emerson White
176 pp. Scholastic. £6.99. (Ages 9 and up)

ISBN
9781407131412

Rating: ? Stars


    I haven't read or reviewed one of these books for a while but don't worry around twenty of them are still coming. I decided to read the 'Titanic' in particular because of a girl called Lily who I played with for a while in my old school. She always wanted to play act the Titanic and after pretending to be on a giant boat with her I wanted to read the book.
    This book is about a girl called Margaret who is an orphan at an orphanage. One day she is lucky enough to be chosen as a rich american lady's companion on the Titanic. While on the Titanic she makes friends with her steward Robert. Sadly on the way to New York they hit an iceberg and the impossible happens. The Titanic sinks. Luckily Margaret is saved on a lifeboat, but sadly her friend Robert drowns.
    Ages 9 and up should read this book because it would be brilliant for all ages that can read very well. It is set in 1912 on the Titanic and a little bit in London and America. It is very interesting to read the history bit so I would advise no one to skip it.

THE WINDVALE SPRITES

THE WINDVALE SPRITES
By Mackenzie Crook
224 pp. Faber and Faber. £6.99. (Ages 9 and up)

ISBN
9780571240722

Rating: ? Stars


    I read this book because I found it interesting that someone who is best known as a bad pirate that is always pulling his eye out and eating it could be a respectable writer. It would surprise you to see what completely different people he could be.
    This book is about a boy called Asa, who after a huge storm finds a sprite (fairy) in his garden. Determined to find out if anyone else knows about these sprites he looks through old books in the library. While looking through books he finds one about a madman called Benjamin Tooth who said he saw sprites. It also tells him about a trunk and a lost key. While going outside he trips over a bird case and finds the lost key inside the bird. Then he gets himself locked inside the trunk and looks through it until he finds out that the sprites live in the Windvale Moor. This book reminds me of how people kill endangered species for no reason. The boy in the book is like Jane Goodall because he cares about animals. I think many children aged nine to twelve should read this book because they would enjoy it and it has parallels in the real world.
also on Guardian Children's Books Site

HARRIET TUBMAN, SECRET AGENT

HARRIET TUBMAN, SECRET AGENT
By Thomas B. Allen
192 pp. National Geographic Society. $5.95. (Ages 9 and up)

ISBN
9781426304019

Rating: ? Stars


            My dad got me this book last year. For a long time it just sat sadly on my shelf as I am not a big fan of non fiction, but finally I took it down one day and began to read it. Unlike other non fiction books this one was so adventurous, surprising and amazing that it seemed more like a fiction book then a non fiction book, and kept me happy for a while.
            This book is about Harriet Tubman and her amazing life full of heroic adventures. This all really happened one hundred and fifty years ago back in America, when black people where still slaves to the white people. Even though most of the white people were bad not all of them were and some extra nice white people like Elizabeth Van Lew even tried their best to help the blacks.
            I think people of all ages should definitely read this book. The reason I think this is because it has the adventurous story that most little children like, but the kind of writing grown ups like.
            This book has millions of morals but I have decided only to tell you the most important and easy to see one so that I don't give to much away. The most important moral is that it's not fair to treat people differently depending on the colour of there skin, and that as long as you always try your best and keep going that things will always end up all right.

THE DEADLY DESPERADOS

THE DEADLY DESPERADOS
By Caroline Lawrence
288 pp. Orion. £9.99. (Ages 9 and up)

ISBN
9781444001693

Rating: ? Stars


            I got this book along with two others and because it looked like the best one I decided to read it last. Just as I had predicted this was the best one.
            When I first started reading this book the author foreshadowed that the main character was going to die, but did he really? Well for most of the book it seemed like the main character was definitely going to die. However this didn't happen in most books so I doubted what the author had foreshadowed a bit.
            This book is about a boy called PK Pinkerton whose foster parents were killed by the most deadly desperados. His foster mother tells him to take her medicine bag with him when he runs away as she lay dying. The rest of the book is about all the problems caused by what is inside the medicine bag. I took a deep breath when Belle Donne (a soil dove he met) threatened him with a gun if he didn’t give her what was inside his medicine bag. Although then I breathed out a sigh of relief when he wasn’t shot.
            One of the things I really liked about this book was that it was my favourite kind of story an ADVENTURE story. This book is also a historical fiction book, it is set in Virginia City when girls wore corsets and you could trust no one.

THE MYSTERIOUS BENEDICT SOCIETY

THE MYSTERIOUS BENEDICT SOCIETY
By Trenton Lee Stewart
512 pp. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. $6.99. (Ages 9 and up)

ISBN
9780316003957

Rating: 5 Stars

      I am not sure if this book would appeal to everyone but it certainly appealed to me! I must say that when it says (behind the front cover) that this book is like Lemony Snicket’s books, the Harry Potter series and Roald Dahl’s books, it is definitely true.
      Meanwhile I really like how the writer blends clues with adventure and fantasy. However this story isn’t exactly all fantasy. First of all it is true that most teachers are treated badly by parents if their children don’t get a perfect grade. Last of all TV does actually control your brain because of COMMERCIALS. Have you ever noticed that after seeing TV you run to the shop and buy something? Well if you have it’s because of commercials.
      Anyways the actual story in this book is about four children called Kate, Reynie, Constanse and Sticky. These four children do the same contest and all of them win. They then must go on an adventure to try and destroy the whisperer which is controlling everyone's minds, but I shall leave the rest for you to find out.
      Whether or not you would like this book depends on what type of person you are. For example if you like those books I mentioned at the beginning and you are six then you should read this book, and if you like those books and you are eighteen you should still read this book. I really enjoyed reading this book and I hope they will publish the rest of the series in England.

THE NEVERENDING STORY

THE NEVERENDING STORY
By Michael Ende
445 pp. Puffin. £7.99. (Ages 9 and up)

ISBN
9780140317930

Rating: ? Stars

I haven't finished “The Neverending Story” and I never will because it never ends. I got this book for my ninth birthday because I read too quickly and my parents thought this might keep me company for a while. I started to read this book because I had watched the movie. The movie was good, so I expected the book to be just as good (or better, because most of the books I've read have been better than the movies which they make after them just to get more money).

This book is about a boy called Bastian who reads a stolen book in the school attic. The book Bastian reads is about a boy called Atreyu who is trying to save Fantastica. He can only do this by finding a human who can give the childlike empress a new name, which will make the Nothing go away and which will make the childlike empress well again. Bastian ends up calling the empress “Moon Child”, which makes the childlike empress well again and makes Fantastica safe again, but he does not know what adventures Fantastica has waiting for him.

I think that you should be at least nine to read this book because if you are younger you won't understand it when it switches between the two worlds, and if you are older you won't appreciate the adventure and the magic.

In my mind the old turtle is a bit like humans. Most humans don't care a bit in the world about what happens to the world and if their ancestors have a happy life or a sad life but only care about themselves, just like the old turtle. The Big Bang is a bit like the Nothing, except the Big Bang started off with nothing and ended with something, but the Nothing started off with something and ended with nothing at all. I think that Atreyu is bit like ME because he does care if Fantastica survives or not. When I came to the part where the monkey said that he would have to stay in that topsy turvy town forever if he didn't find his way home again before he lost all of his memory, a shiver went down my spine because I was worried that he would have to stay in that topsy turvy town forever.

The characters were definitely not all realistic because some could do magic, and the characters definitely don't look normal. Contrary to those big differences between the characters and us there were some similarities. For example, Bastian turned a little evil from having the power of wishing, because power makes you sour. Similarly the setting, like the characters, was a bit realistic and a bit unrealistic. The human world where Bastian lived was realistic, but Fantastica was completely unrealistic (you can even guess that by its name).

Although I had discovered many morals in reading this book there is one in particular that stuck with me. The moral that I think is really important is that when Bastian had the power of wishing he turned a bit evil. However, I am not sure that the book was all about this real moral problem in the world. Still, while reading it I noticed that it talked a bit about Bastian turning evil from all of the power he had, Atreyu trying to save him by defeating him, and Xayide trying to defeat him by being defeated (the opposite, something which doesn't make sense at first but after you think about it starts to make sense).

also on Guardian Children's Book Site

THE EVOLUTION OF CALPURNIA TATE

THE EVOLUTION OF CALPURNIA TATE
By Jacqueline Kelly
352 pp. Square Fish. $7.99. (Ages 9 and up)

ISBN
9780312659301

Rating: ? Stars

      I came to read this book because my mom had bought it from America. She had read some of it first. She thought it would be nice if I read a book about a girl born in the same place as herself, Texas, and liked that it talked about evolution and nature.
      You might be wondering what this book is about. It is about a girl called Callie. She turns into a naturalist, but then faces the problem of what she is expected to do. The moral off this book is that it’s not really fair that girls are expected to be house wives. The truth is that some girls want to do other things for their life. I completely agree with the author’s point. This book teaches you about naturalists and how a long time ago in Texas girls weren't allowed to be naturalists but had to be housewives. A naturalist is a person that studies nature, like plants and animals.
      Callie (Calpurnia tate) is a bit realistic and a bit unrealistic. I think she is a bit realistic because she is not “Mrs Perfect” and acts like a normal person. However Callie is a bit unrealistic because most people don’t find a humming bird’s nest a few weeks after they start looking for a new species. In contrast J.B. (Callie’s younger brother) is definitely realistic because he is a lot like my younger sister who always wants cuddles.
      The setting was quite realistic because it wasn’t magical or anything. I do acknowledge, though, that they must have been one of the richer families to have everything they had. Ages nine and up should read this book because if you are any younger you will think it is boring because it's not magical or silly.

WOLF BROTHER

WOLF BROTHER
Chronicles of Ancient Darkness: Book 1
By Michelle Paver
240 pp. Orion. £8.99. (Ages 9 and up)

ISBN
9781842551707

Rating: 4.5 Stars

      This books tells you about a boy whose father had died and had been told to go to the world spirit before the red moon and ask for help to destroy the bear that killed him.
      When Torak finds himself all alone in the forest to fend for himself, find the world sprit and ask for help he meets up with a wolf cub and becomes friends. He calls it Wolf. One day Torak finds himself captured by a different clan for killing an animal in their part of the forest. Torak is luckily helped out by one of the girls. What happens when Torak find that he has to find the three strongest pieces of the Nanuak? Will he be able to find them in time or not?
      This book made me understand what dangers you might have in North West Europe six thousand years ago. My favourite character is Renn because she's really good at archery. My favourite part is when Torak find the river eyes. I think ages nine and up should read this brilliant book. I think this book deserves four and a half out of five stars.


Renn's Bow and Arrows. Accessories for World Book Day costume, inspired by Wolf Brother. Gift bag covered in packaging paper with designs in colored pencil. String and twigs carved with pocket knife. Original design by Bellusaurus sui.

OVER THE EDGE

OVER THE EDGE
Mysteries in Our National Parks #7
By Gloria Skurzynski and Alane Ferguson.
160 pages. National Geographic Society. $4.99 (Ages 9 and up)

ISBN
9781426301773

Rating: 5 Stars

      This book tells you about a family who goes to the Grand Canyon to solve the mystery of the condors, but have to take a boy called Morgan with them.
      The brother and the father in the family want to take Morgan with them but the mother and sister don't. A few days later the mother finds out that Morgan wrote some bad stuff about the sister. What happens when somebody pushes the mother over the Grand Canyon and everyone thinks Morgan did it? Is Morgan innocent or is he not?
      My favourite character is Morgan because he becomes good at the end. My favourite part is when the mother falls over the edge and everyone accuses Morgan of pushing her because that's the most exciting bit. I think ages eight through fifteen should read this brilliant book. I think this book deserves five out of five stars. This book made me go back in time to when I was at the Grand Canyon and makes me remember the fear of falling and the beauty of the colourful rocks.

THE WORST THINGS IN LIFE ARE ALSO FREE

THE WORST THINGS IN LIFE ARE ALSO FREE
Dear Dumb Diary Series: #10
By Jim Benton
160 pages. Scholastic. $5.99 (Ages 9 and up)

ISBN
9780545116145

Rating: ? Stars

I like this book because it is funny. The funny part is melt 1000 Popsicle and re - freeze them into a massive Popsicle. And birds sing for free but they poo for free to. And Isabella cut all of her hair. And Isabella is her 3rd friend.

This book is about she's fining money for going to the amusement park. But it's is long time for getting 100 dollars. But Emmily said "it is not hard to mack 100 dollar". So she mack car wash for $4.50. Emmily is her best friend.

I do not like this book because. I do not like the part when Isabella cut her hair. And punch James mom. james is me. And Riky pup a lot.

The mean part is when Angeline drank the lemonade. and James set on baby's so it's easy to babysit. Angeline is her 1st friend.and Isabella yells at baby's to.

fun stuff for James is. merry-go-rounds with real animals.and all games have cash and diamonds. cotton candy.