ANIMAL FARM

ANIMAL FARM
by George Orwell
144 pp. Penguin Group. £8.99. (Ages 13 and up)

ISBN
9780141182704

Rating: ? Stars


    This book is set in a future when animals are much cleverer than now. And because of their cleverness, the pigs started a revolution against the humans. Pigs could speak fluently in English unlike the other animals, and that gave them the power to be leaders. But, the story that follows only happened a few years after that...
    Their first leader, Old Major, was kind and fair who knew animals should be equal. But when Napoleon became the leader it was very unpleasant. He made a rule that allowed the pigs to have better food and that forced all of the other animals to work crazily hard every day and night. That wasn’t enough, Napoleon wanted more power.
    He decided to kill his brother, Snowball, so that he would be the only leader. Snowball was admired because he came up with a clever idea to build windmill. Snowball was also popular because of his role in the revolution. He and Boxer (a hardworking horse) were the bravest. So this selfish pig, Napoleon, destroyed what the animals built (the windmill) and blamed Snowball who escaped the farm. Then Napoleon made the animals work harder and harder, making the animals very weak and even die. If any of the animals were clever like Napoleon, he would just order an execution to get rid of them.
    My favourite character is Boxer the horse, who would work the hardest of the animals but never give up no matter how much it hurt, or how old he gets. He never complained to Napoleon, instead saying, “Napoleon is always right”. This book made me think of another newer book, Mockingjay (Part Two of The Hunger Games films) because President Snow is like the humans and President Alma Coin is like Napoleon. President Alma Coin defeats President Snow, but then becomes corrupt and maybe worse.
also on the Guardian Children's Books Site

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!

ASIAN SPINE CHILLERS VOL 1

ASIAN SPINE CHILLERS VOL 1
by Andrew Lee
160 pp. Monsoon Books. £5.99. (Ages ? and up)

ISBN
9789814423939

Rating: ? Stars

   This book is a thrilling book about scary stories from around Asia. Some stories are about monsters, some are about ghosts, and murders. The book says that these stories are true. Sometimes I'm scared while I read it. It chills my bones from top to bottom. I hope they aren't true, cause it did a great job scaring me!
  My favorite story is about the sunset hotel. Its my favorite story because it scared me the most. I love ghost stories because its scares me. The burning ghost scares me! If I was one of the characters that saw the burning ghost I would probably faint.
  The story I don't like is about the fortune teller. The story is not thrilling for me. But I pitty the person who will have to be like that. It has no thrill in the story.
  The conclusion is that The book is very thrilling

UGLIES

UGLIES
The Uglies Series: Book 1
by Scott Westerfeld
448 pp. Simon & Schuster Childrens Books. £6.99. (Ages 11 and up)

ISBN
9780857079138

Rating: ? Stars

   I am going to talk about the cool teen series, The Uglies. This book is a great science fiction novel about a girl name Tally Youngblood. Tally tries to have a normal teen life but because of her friend, she cant have one. Now she needs to fix everything to have her dream wish, to be a Pretty.

   Tally Youngblood is my favorite character in the book. I like her because she has her own thoughts. She is also like me, confused in every decision she makes. She is a 15-year old girl that has her world turned upside down in a few months. Her friend, Shay, dragged her in this revealing secret. She gives the readers unexpected turns in the story.

   The language in the book is very complicated. There is some words that i cant understand, Like bogus or Bubbly. I think the author should make a glossary in the back of the book. Some people might not understand those words.

   Smoke is the place where normal people lives(not controlled) its like the headquarters of the rebels of the city. I like The Smoke, the place is very similar to our cities, towns and countries. It has the art of living in the world in the 21st century. They bake and cook just like us.

   Tally youngblood is my favorite character. The language in the book needs changing. Smoke is very similar to our city. I recommend the book to be read by Teens and young adults. If it is read by children that is younger than 10, it might not be appropriate for their age.

TWILIGHT

TWILIGHT
The Twilight Saga: Book 1
by Stephenie Meyer
544 pp. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. $15.00. (Ages 14 and up)

ISBN
9780316015844

Rating: ? Stars

  I love this book so much! It is the best romance book I have ever read. It starts out with explaining the main characters life. And how the person moves to the new town, Forks. The main character is Bella Swan, she is an 17 year old girl who just has moved to Forks with her dad. She started out hating Forks then ends up loving the place. She loves the place because the Vampire.

  My favorite character is Bella swan. I like her because she is very brave. Even though she knows she likes a vampire she still fine (not freaking out). In some parts she is very romantic.

  This book has the best romance in it. The author, Stephenie Meyer, has wrote the book so well that my heart is in the air for more than two days. The romance has caught my heart in romance. It makes me became addicted to the book that I feel I must know everything after it.

  Overall I think this book is great, it has great characters and the romance is great. I recommend this book for any teen who loves Teen Vampire romance!

HUNGER GAMES

HUNGER GAMES
The Hunger Games Trilogy Book 1
by Suzanne Collins
464 pp. Scholastic. $7.99. (Ages 12 and up)

ISBN
9781407132082

Rating: ? Stars

     I have read this book many times and I never got bored. The book is very exiting and has many types of characters. Every part of the book makes a story of how we really live. Capitol is the rich people around the world, and only the important people know what’s going on. All the other people in the capitol is just people who does not know what is going on in the world, they just think of them selves. On the other side, poor people struggle to give what they have to the capitol so they have money survive. Hunger games is mostly the same thing but it's just made to attract peoples attention and make them understand about capitalism that is happening on the world right now.
     Katniss evergreen is the main character in the book. I really like her. She was a ordinary girl in the district that could trick the capitol. She is very sweet for volunteering for her sister. But she is also not faking her love for Peetah, even though she does not know. I think she is very shocked how the people in the capitol lives. Very different than the districts. At the game, she made a friend. Katniss wants to help her but she didn’t make it through the game. That maybe the reason she started to be against the capitol.
     Katniss and Peetah are supposed to act like their in love in the game. If not, their lives are in great danger. There doing this so their family and friends are safe from the torture of the capitol. The capitol wants the best for their people so they use the districts to make capitol people happy and satisfied. If they find out the capitol is not satisfied, many people in the districts will die, maybe even the whole district. So they keep the people satisfied. Even if the capitol is very mean.
     Katniss everdeen is similar to another character. She is similar to Tally Youngblood. Tally Youngblood is a girl from a book called Pretties, Uglies, Specials. She goes with the usual cycle that on the background she does not know about. But after she knew the truth, She becomes something like a leader to people who also goes trough the truth about their lives. They both also have fears, that they can't control. One of the common thing is that they both have two boyfriends but they don’t know who to pick.
     I like the book because it's about the story of the present life. So similar. Another reason i like this book is because it is a great book for teens. It has a love story. That is the most important part in writing a book. Love stories can always grab other peoples attention.
     My favourite part of the book is when Katness makes the editor of the game choose Peetah and katness as the winner. It's very sweet because you might think they don’t love each other, but if you understand deeply, they love each other. Now, they have might made their selves in great danger. They will torture them.
     The Most worst part is when Katnesses closest friend saw her kissing with Peetah. They make Katniss do it to interest the Capitol. Maybe Gale, Satanist’s close friend, knows what is happening. But he might still be angry. It's a true love story. Teens would like it.
     If I can change a bit of the book, i would make the Districts more technological. Like they live in small apartments with cool futuristics things. But don't make them rich. It would ruin the whole story. And also make Peetah and Katniss more romantic.That would make Gale more angry.
     I think Teenagers would like this book. It has very interesting Story, Problem and etc. Also that Katniss is 16 so maybe more people of the same age would want to read it. I’m almost a teenager and I have read the book around 2 times. But my mom is the one who first introduced me to this book.
     i recommend you guys that are going to read this book to not see the movie first. It will ruin the vision of the book. Also don't search of the characters of the new movie that is going to come. It will also ruin you vision of the character. So don’t do it!

HEY, BABY, LOOK!

HEY, BABY, LOOK!
by Kate Shannon
Illustrated by Morgan Owens
Board book. Blue Dream Books. $7.99. (Ages 0 and up)

ISBN
9780991233007

Rating: ? Stars


I have been reading ' Hey, Baby, Look! ' with my youngest child several times over the past couple of months. He is currently 15 months old. He seems to really enjoy the bright colours and the different images and enjoys trying to turn the pages to look at all of them. When I try to read the text on every page, however, he is often in a hurry to turn the page before I finish, and does not point to a particular image in response to the questions. I think this is just due to his stage of development, as although he understands some simple phrases and can say a few simple words he is not yet familiar with the questions in the book.

He was able to point to the apple though after I repeated the question a few times and pointed to the answer myself. I think he will be better at this as he gets a bit older and I think I will try asking him just one question from each page for now.

He enjoys quite a wide selection of board books, but the ones he chooses to pick up and handle and 'read' in his own little language tend to be very small light ones which are suited to his little hands, and those with images of faces, people or animals and which tell a story.

I think ' Hey, Baby, Look! ' is probably ideally suited to 2 to 3 year olds and I look forward to seeing how my son responds to it in the future and possibly reviewing it again in a few months. I am also interested to learn more about the research behind it, and why most pages have three similarly coloured images and one different. Thank you very much for the book and the opportunity to review it.

(read with Thecodontosaurus antiquus; written by a parent)

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.

THE WOMAN IN BLACK

THE WOMAN IN BLACK
by Susan Hill
208 pp. Vintage £7.99. (Ages 15 and up)

ISBN
9780099288473

Rating: ? Stars



    This book started off on Christmas day with a man called Arthur thinking about his past and then deciding to write a book about the experience he had with a ghost when he was younger. He decides to write a book about his experience for the other members of his family to read. The rest of the book is the book he wrote about his experience with the woman in black. It starts of with him going to an old house to sort out the papers of a lady who died. He decides to go to the lady’s funeral as he is sorting out her things. Surprisingly, he is basically the only person there. At her funeral he sees a lady wearing all black with bluish white skin. Strangely, when he asks who she is no one seems to want to talk about her. Also he begins to hear strange noises at night even though no one except him is inside the house. To find out more, read the book.     The main character in this book was Arthur. However, he was not my favourite character. The dog, called Spider, was my favourite character because he seemed like such a good dog and helped Arthur not be so afraid of the strange noises in the night and of the woman in black.
    The scariest part of this book was when Arthur and his dog, Spider, heard the noise of someone dog whistling. At that point, Spider ran off and got stuck in the quicksand and nearly died. Luckily Arthur barely managed to pull Spider out without going under himself. The strange thing was, no one was near them for miles around. This was my favourite part because it was much more scary than the rest of the book as, firstly, the dog and Arthur nearly died and secondly no one could have whistled to Spider but someone did.     The worst part of this book was the entire first half, as I found it quite boring. My main reason for thinking this is that nothing scary happened at the beginning. Instead there is suspense, but no promise that the story will build up to a real ghost story. Suspense is good…but you have to make more things happen than seeing a strange looking lady and hearing whispers about her. Basically, you shouldn't leave all the scary and exciting bits to the end.
    The reason I read this book was for school as we were learning about suspense writing. In my opinion this book had extremely good descriptive and suspense writing because she conceals who the woman at the funeral is, only letting on that she’s a sinister and spooky character, but was a bit too slow and boring for my taste. However if you are a writer and need ideas for how to write a ghost story then this book is perfect because your getting shivers up your spine throughout most of the story.
    I think this book deserves 3.5 out of five stars because it was scary and sad, but a bit too dull for me. I would recommend that if you are under 10 you definitely don't read this book because you will probably find it very boring, as it is quite slow and action lacking. If you are older you may like it, but I suggest you wait until your 15 to read it because or else it may be hard to enjoy it because although you don’t need quite so much action to make it interesting when your about 13, but it would still probably be too slow. I also suggest that if you dislike scary or sad books you don't read this as it's quite scary and has a really sad ending.
    I realize this review has been a bit contradictory so I shall explain my muddled feelings as well as I can. On the one hand I feel that this is definitely not a page turner, spends to much time on the boring parts and that I wouldn’t recommend it to most people. However, on the other hand I appreciate that it does send some shivers up your spine and that when you are on the scary/sad parts she does write very well. I hope this has helped explain my contradictory feelings to you, I apologise for not being able to pick one side.

THE STORY OF THE WORLD CUP

THE STORY OF THE WORLD CUP
by Richard Brassey
24 pp. Orion Childrens. £4.99. (Ages 7 and up)

ISBN
9781444009460

Rating: ? Stars


    This book review is for football fans just in time for the World Cup. This is a nonfiction book about the FIFA World Cup. People fight in football. English people decided the rules for football. A team close to England called Scotland won the 1888 World Cup, before the FIFA World Cup started. Pele is the best football player in Brazil, the world, and forever.
    I like how the book includes sets from the FIFA World Cup. I think that 6,7,8, 9 and 10-year-olds would like this book because it has easy words and hard words. Girls should buy this book.

also on the Guardian Children's Books Site

THE ABSOLUTELY TRUE DIARY OF A PART-TIME INDIAN

THE ABSOLUTELY TRUE DIARY OF A PART-TIME INDIAN
by Sherman Alexie
illustrated by Ellen Forney
236 pp. Andersen. £6.99. (Ages 14 and up)

ISBN
9781842708446

Rating: ? Stars

This book is about an Native American boy that is called junior. Junior is a poor boy that lives in the reservation* filled with Native American people. Junior is always bullied by most of the people in his school. One day, a teacher tells him to go to a new school to find hope for the himself, but he upsets his best friend. He goes to the new school and got bullied a few times but, after he manage to protect himself he made new friends. Not everything was perfect in his life…

    This book is very interesting. This book has many emotions to it. Some parts are funny, gross, sad, crazy and awesome. When there is a part that is sad or makes you angry, the author puts in a joke to make you laugh. The book also has pictures that tell more about the character. the book tells a story of real person from the reservation.
*reservation means a place that keeps Native Americans

    The most interesting part of the book is when Junior got to be a normal kid in school. He didn’t get bullied or teased by any of the students that bullied him the first day he came. You know how he did that? He punched the bully! I know its bit violent but I found it’s quite funny, because the bully became nice after junior punched him and it’s also wrong to do that! Then the next day the boy who got punched by Junior was friends with him.

    The most emotional part for me was when his best friend died. His best friend was a dog from the reservation. The dog was very sick so the dad of junior had to put him down. Every time I read that part I cry. Maybe you aren’t that emotional but you’ll find a part that will break your heart. Most of the book is emotional.

    The worst part is when junior got bullied by 3 mean people. They also life in the same reservation. Every time junior goes to the bar they always bully him even though they are already adults. But his best friend had a better idea; his idea was to cut their hair. You know that it takes ages for a Native American to grow their hair. Well it’s a great idea. The next morning they still didn’t know who cut their hair.

    This book is very funny and interesting. It tells you about a real human being who lives in a real reservation. This book also tells a moral that Sais not to bully others that are different from you. When you get bullied always stand up for you self. This book is a good for children to read and learn new things about the world. Never stop reading about the world.
Thank you

YOUNG WEREWOLF

YOUNG WEREWOLF
by Cornelia Funke
64 pp. Barrington Stoke Ltd. £6.99. (Ages 8 and up)

ISBN
9781781122686

Rating: ? Stars


When I stared to read chapter 2 I noticed that I saw a dirty word called "stupid". So, if I changed it to "not very good" it would make it a better book.

Wonder how does the boy called Matt turn in to a werewolf? Read the book to find out.

SHE IS NOT INVISIBLE

SHE IS NOT INVISIBLE
by Marcus Sedgwick
384 pp. Orion £9.99. (Ages 11 and up)

ISBN
9781780621098

Rating: ? Stars


    How do writers describe the world in the books that you read? Take a look at a book you are reading, or have read recently and find a description of a person, place or thing. I would bet in most cases that the writer notes how things would look if you could be there and see what the writer describes. How often do the books you read have descriptions of the smell, feel, and sound of things? If you can see and have normal vision then imagine if you did not or were even born blind. What would it be like? How would a writer describe the world from the perspective of a person with a visual impairment?
    Marcus Sedgwick, author of She is Not Invisible, performs several incredible feats of writing. For example, although he is a sighted person himself, he takes on the perspective of not being able to see and instead describes the world through the other senses. Most impressively, like a magician, he performs this and other deeds without drawing attention to them. I was particularly moved by a few passages that inspired the title. In those, the main character (described by my reviewing partner below) talks about how sighted people seem to be the ones who are visually impaired because they do not truly see what and who are around them. Are there people you do not see? Are you paying attention to the way the world smells, feels and sounds? That’s a dad’s perspective on the book; here is a daughter’s:
    This book was more interesting than other books because it was a bit like a puzzle. It was like a puzzle because Laureth (the main character) had a father with a favourite number that he sees everywhere. Is it coincidence, or is the universe trying to tell him something? This book was also interesting because as the main character was blind and, because the story was written in first person, the writer couldn't describe how anything looked, only how it felt, smelt, sounded and tasted.
    This book was about a blind girl called Laureth and her little brother Benjamin. The main plot of the story was that her father had mysteriously disappeared in New York, so, while her mother was away, she took her little brother to New York to look for him. While there she had to save her father’s safe from burglars and do lots of other adventurous things before finally finding him.
    My favourite character was definitely Laureth because she was very brave and strong minded. I like how she became so courageous because she was blind and she did not want anything or anyone to hold her back. I think she shows that it doesn't matter if you are blind, deaf or unable to speak, you can still do anything you want.
    I think all ages should either read, or have this book read to them. However it might be best for people 10-years-old or older to understand the complexities of coincidence and the thoughts of a teenager.
also on the Guardian Children's Books Site

FRANKIE VS THE MUMMY'S MENACE

FRANKIE VS THE MUMMY'S MENACE
Frankie's Magic Football book 4
by Frank Lampard
Illustrated by Mike Jackson
112 pp. Hachette £4.99. (Ages 5 and up)

ISBN
9780349001630

Rating: ? Stars


    This book is about four characters that are friends and go on a school trip. Suddenly they start to play football at the museum, so the teacher called Mrs Murray tells them off. But suddenly they go on a magic adventure to the pyramids to see the king's sister. But they did not have any football tickets for the ancient king.
    I liked the book because I like football – mostly for tackles! I think 6 and 7 year olds will like this book because it is about time travel and because the book is short. I like the ways that the writer makes the book exciting and fun to read.

also on Guardian Children's Books Site

SPIDER-MAN 2: THE DAILY BUGLE STORIES

SPIDER-MAN 2: THE DAILY BUGLE STORIES
By Jacob Ben Gunter.
144 pp. HarperFestival. £4.99. (Ages 7 and up)

ISBN
9780060571320

Rating: ? Stars


SPIDER-MAN IS QUITE GOOD. FIRST HE WRITE A NEWSPAPER. WILL HE FIGHTS SOME MARSDERSE. BUT SOME PEOPLE HE A BADDIE. :-)

THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ; THE MARVELOUS LAND OF OZ; OZMA OF OZ

THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ; THE MARVELOUS LAND OF OZ; OZMA OF OZ
Oz The Complete Collection, Volume One
by L. Frank Baum
592 pp. Simon & Schuster Childrens Books. £6.99. (Ages 9 and up)

ISBN
9781471117008

Rating: ? Stars


    When I got these books I was surprised to find three books instead of one as I had always thought there was only one book about Oz, “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz”. Actually there are fifteen books altogether. My favourite book of the three was “Ozma of Oz” because the plot and characters became more interesting in that book. I think ages nine to fifteen should read this book because it would seem a bit childish for those older than fifteen and a bit hard to understand for those younger than nine. This book definitely deserves five out of five stars.
    “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” was about a girl called Dorothy who was taken to the Land of Oz by a tornado. At first when she got there the Munchkins that lived in that part of the country hailed her and honoured her because while her house was coming in it squashed the evil witch who had ruled there and made the Munchkins her slaves. Because she freed them she got to keep the witch’s magical silver shoes. Dorothy was not happy though because she wanted to go back to Kansas. The good Witch of the North advised her to follow the yellow brick road to the Emerald City to ask the Wonderful Wizard of Oz to send her back to Kansas. She also gave her a magic kiss that would keep her safe from harm. On the way there she met the Tin Woodman, the Cowardly Lion and the Scarecrow. The Tin Woodman wanted a heart the Cowardly Lion wanted courage and the Scarecrow wanted a brain. They had many adventures together before they got to the Wizard. When they finally did get there the Wizard of Oz told them that he would only help them if they killed the evil Witch of the West. They were all broken or hurt in some way by the evil Witch of the West. Excepting Dorothy who was only made a slave because of the kiss the good Witch of the North gave her. Even though the evil Witch of the West was not allowed to harm Dorothy she still tried to steal Dorothy's silver shoes. This made Dorothy so cross that she threw water on the witch, which melted her. They then all went back to the 'Wizard of Oz' but the amazing things that happened then and after you will have to find out for yourself.
    “The Marvelous Land of Oz” was about an orphan boy called Tip who had to live with an old witch. One day he escaped with some of the old witches life powder (which he had used earlier to make his new companion, a Pumpkinhead, come to life) and started to walk towards the famous Emerald City. On the way there he found a Sawhorse and brought it to life too so that the Pumpkinhead could ride on it. However, when they did get to the Emerald City they found out that it was being invaded by warrior girls so Tip, the Pumkinhead, the Sawhorse and the Scarecrow all had to escape together to the castle of the Tin Woodman (a friend of the Scarecrow). While there they made a flying sort of animal out of furniture which they brought to life with Tip's life powder, and used it to get to Glinda the good Witch of the South and ask her for help. What happened after they found her you will have to find out for yourself.
    Now I come to my favourite book. “Ozma of Oz” was about Dorothy coming back to Oz. Dorothy got to Oz the second time because of a storm that erupted while she was on a boat with her uncle. Due to this storm she and a chicken named Billina found themselves washed on the magical place on the other side of the desert. While on the island Dorothy, Billina and the robot (a new friend she made there) went to visit a princess. But the princess locked Dorothy up when she refused to trade her head in return for one of her other old heads. Dorothy was saved from this by Ozma, the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman, the Cowardly Lion and a load of other allies. After that she went on an Adventure with them to the Nome realm where they were going to try and save a whole royal family from his clutches (minus the dad) as he had turned them all into pretty ornaments for his underground palace. What happened there you will have to find out for yourself though. The part set in the Nome King's realm was particularly good, making “Ozma of Oz” my favourite book of the three. I look forward to reading the rest of the series. As all these books were amazing and I expect the series to get even more AMAZING.

also on Guardian Children's Books Site

GREET THE DAWN: THE LAKOTA WAY

GREET THE DAWN: THE LAKOTA WAY
By S.D. Nelson
48 pp. South Dakota State Historical Society Press. $18.95. (Ages 4 and up)

ISBN
9780984504169

Rating: ? Stars


    Greet the Dawn is about what the Lakota people do at dawn. They thank Mother Earth for everything that is on the Earth and Father Sky for everything in the sky. Dotted about the book there are songs in the Lakota language and translated in English.
    The book is very colourful. I was amazed at the detail in the art and it was funny to see the way he turned ancient artwork into more modern looking artwork. I especially liked the picture of the meadowlark and her nest with the beautiful, colourful background. While reading I noticed that one of the pictures of a tent had a horse design that had a resemblance to my dress.

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.