GODS AND WARRIORS

GODS AND WARRIORS
By Michelle Paver
304 pp. Puffin. £12.99. (Ages 11 and up)

ISBN
9780141343082

Rating: ? Stars

    Because I was going to be a young reporter at Michelle Paver's book talk, I thought it would be a good idea to read this book before going. This is a book written for older children, about nine all the way up to thirteen or fourteen years old. Even though this book was specifically written for children, adults can still read it because it has some quite grown up parts.
    This book is about a boy called Hylas whose sister and dog get attacked by black warriors. He and his sister escaped but his dog was killed. Even though his sister escaped he still did not know if she lived or not because he went the opposite direction to her. After the black warriors lost him, he immediately set off in search for his sister. While looking for her, he met a dying Keftian who told him that his answers were at the sea. When he arrived at the sea he found a raft and sailed across the sea. While on the sea he befriended a dolphin named Spirit. With the dolphin's help he found an island and on that island he befriended the high priestess's daughter Pirra. Together the three manage to kill the black warrior's leader turning the old leader's nephew (Hylas's best friend) into a leader.
    The book talk itself was brilliant, and explained the book and its Bronze Age characters well. I was fascinated to hear about Michelle Paver's research experiences which taught her that dolphins' stomachs feel like marble, and that Bronze Age Greeks used to make purple dye from millions of sea snails. I was very interested to find out that they either ate animal eyes or turned them into glue. And I found it inspiring that she wrote a story when she was five about a mouse goddess.

A HERO FOR WONDLA

A HERO FOR WONDLA
By Tony DiTerlizzi
464 pp. Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing. £12.99. (Ages 10 and up)

ISBN
9780857073013

Rating: ? Stars


  A while ago, I read a brilliant book called A Search for Wondla, written and illustrated by the same person who created and illustrated The Spiderwick Chronicles. Then about a week ago I found this book in the library while looking for a book to read. I immediately checked it out. I have actually met the writer of this book and had the first book signed. The writer is quite interesting and if I ever become a writer I will probably write books like him as I like drawing and writing. I shall not give away too much about the book, but what I shall say is that it is definitely not the end of the series. I think children aged eight to twelve should read this book. However you should read the first book in the series before you read this book.
  This book was about a twelve year old girl called Eva Nine, who was found by a pilot that brought her to New Attica. She was very excited because she would be able to meet other humans like herself, but it was a bit suspicious because she found out that in return for delivering her the pilot got the plane pieces he wanted. Even though everyone was very kind to her and she was with her own kind, could it be that New Attica was not the right place for her? I look forward to reading the next book in the series.
also on Guardian Children's Books Site

GHOST KNIGHT

GHOST KNIGHT
By Cornelia Funk
352 pp. Orion Books. £6.99. (Ages 8 and up)

ISBN
9781444008494

Rating: ? Stars


  As I am a child magic books normally appeal to me the most, so of course I thought this was a brilliant book. I get excited by a book not because of the social emotions you feel but because I like to feel like I am on an adventure.
  It wasn't just the magic that caught my eye though. Cornelia Funk doesn't just copy some boring old writer, but she really thinks of her own ideas and entertains you with a new story every time. This was a brilliant book and I recommend it to everyone.
  This book is about a boy called Jon Hartgill, who is sent to a boarding school in Salisbury. On his second night sleeping there he is woken up by the sound of trotting hooves and out of his window see's three hideous ghosts on horses. For a few nights he is haunted by them until he makes friends with a girl called Ella who tells him about a ghost called William Longspee who helps them fight off the ghosts. They think that the ghosts are gone forever, but are they really?
  The moral of this book is quite a small and hidden moral but it is still a moral. It is to never trust a person (in the book it is a ghost) that claim's your hero or friend is a murderer and definitely don't let yourself nearly get killed because you think your hero or friend is a murderer.