THE HUNGER GAMES TRILOGY

THE HUNGER GAMES TRILOGY
by Suzanne Collins
Scholastic. (Ages 12 and up). £7.99. Rating: 5 Stars


THE HUNGER GAMES
The Hunger Games Trilogy Book 1
464 pp.
ISBN 9781407132082


CATCHING FIRE
The Hunger Games Trilogy Book 2
480 pp.
ISBN 9781407132099


MOCKINGJAY
The Hunger Games Trilogy Book 3
464 pp.
ISBN 9781407132105




     I got this series as my tenth birthday present. I think this is a very good series and I really like the parts when she is actually in the arena where they have the Hunger Games in both book one and two. Even though it was a brilliant book I could say that Suzanne Collins should take out the boring parts, like when Katniss is in the cave with Peeta, because those parts are not really needed as part of the story. I can understand that to make the book more real you would have to have some grieving and death but I think that the author has gone a bit too far because it is not fun for the reader to be crying for most of each book in the series.
     The first book is about a girl called Katniss who volunteered to be in the Hunger Games instead of her twelve year old sister Primrose. The Hunger Games is something that happens on TV every year. It is where a boy and girl from each District, ages twelve to eighteen, are chosen to be put in varying Habitats and are forced to kill each other. The winner is the last person alive. Normally tributes (the children who are chosen to fight to the death) from District Two won, but this time Katniss and Peeta won. (You will have to find out how two tributes won from the book.) Even though one would think Katniss should have been happy about winning she was far from it, because while she was in the arena she made friends with a girl called Rue who was killed.
     At the beginning of the second book Katniss and Peeta thought that they and their families were safe from the Hunger Games and could live peacefully for the rest of their lives. However their hopes were soon shattered when President Snow proclaimed that that year the Hunger Games would include all the winners of the Hunger Games from the years before. In this Hunger Games the arena was a jungle shaped like a clock. It was similar to a clock because at each hour, always in the same place, something different happened. This time the Hunger Games was different because Katniss did not have to win. When there were still about six people left, Katniss and a few of the others were illegally taken to the secret District Thirteen. This surprised them because District Thirteen had supposedly been bombed away.
     At the beginning of the third book Katniss was so angry that she had not been let into the plans of rebellion and was still supposed to agree to be their Mockingjay ( the symbol of rebellion) that she kind of went crazy. Her anger got even worse when she was informed that she would not join in the fighting and when she saw how President Snow had brain washed Peeta on TV . Eventually her and Johanna (another winner who was in the last hunger games and got taken away towards the end) were allowed to do the training with children younger than themselves and if Katniss and Johanna were good enough (which they were) they would be allowed to fight. I think this was the saddest book because towards the end, while they are fighting, Primrose is burnt up by fire balls. Moreover it was doubly sad because her own side had made and fired the fireballs.
     I think ages ten and up should read this book because before that one would think it was boring. This book definitely deserves five out of five stars.

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.

NOAH'S ARK

NOAH'S ARK
By Georgie Adams

Illustrated by Anna C. Leplar
64 pp. Orion. £4.99. (Ages 4 and up)

ISBN
9781444007893

Rating: 5 Stars


The book is called Noahs Ark I like it because Noah listens to God. I will tell you about the story. Things have gone very wrong in the world he said to Noah

I’m going to send the biggest flood ever. I will keep you family safe. When the flood is over I’ll start.

I will tell you more about the story. so Noah got a girl and a boy firm each animals so he put the animals in the Ark.

5 out of 5 stars.

SERAPHINA

SERAPHINA
by Rachel Hartman
384 pp. Doubleday. £12.99. (Ages 12 and up)

ISBN
9780857531575

Rating: 2 Stars


     This book was AWFUL. When I say awful I do not mean you will be full of awe after you read it I mean awful as in boring. The reason I say this book is awful is because when you first see it you think it will be a really good book all about a girl fighting fire breathing dragons. Then when you start reading it you find out that the whole point of the book is that Seraphina (the main character) loves the prince. Can you think of anything more boring than that? If you can then I feel sorry for you because you must read a lot of boring books.
     This book was about a girl called Seraphina who was half dragon and half girl. I allow that the tiniest bit of it was about her fighting the bad dragons, but most of it, as I said earlier, was about her trying to stop thinking about how much she loved the prince. You are probably wondering how is it possible that a whole book is all about such a boring thing as that. I hate to tell you that it is possible and my proof is in this AWFUL book.
     I think no one should read this book, unless you really like boring books. This book deserves two stars, as it deserves some credit for the part where Seraphina actually fights dragons.

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.

LILY ALONE

LILY ALONE
By Jacqueline Wilson
Illustrated by Nick Sharratt.
320 pp. Doubleday Children's Books. £12.99. (Ages 10 and up)

ISBN
9780385618649

Rating: 4 Stars


    I read this book because my friend recommended it to me. I am honoured to say that her mom knows Jacqueline Wilson. I myself actually sometimes feel like Lily.
    This book is about a girl called Lily. One day her mom goes off with their may be future dad on holiday so they are left home alone. Poor Lily has to somehow get the house together before their mom comes back. Sadly with Baxter, Pixie, and Bliss always on the move that is nearly impossible. Just to make it worse they have a secret to hide: their mom has left them home alone.
    I think ages nine to twelve should read this book because the language is for older readers but adults and teenagers would probably think the story was a bit childish. This book definitely deserves four stars because it was brilliant but could have been a tiny bit better.

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.