UGLIES TRILOGY

UGLIES TRILOGY by Scott Westerfeld
Simon & Schuster Childrens Books. (Ages 11 and up)

Rating: 4.5 Stars



UGLIES
448 pp.
ISBN 9780857079138



PRETTIES
384 pp.
ISBN 9780857079145



SPECIALS
400 pp.
ISBN 9780857079152

  The Uglies book series, intended for young adults, was actually recommended to me by my grandma. Now, although this might make you think, “boring”, and that this series must then be some weird old classic, I assure you it isn’t. Firstly, my grandma tends to pick good and modern books, and secondly she actually found out about this series from one of her high school students.
  Something I like about all the books in this series is that the main character, Tally Youngblood, is very, very far from perfect. Most of the time I dislike or hate her, and if we had met we probably wouldn’t have become friends. For me, this means that when Tally does do something good, it feels much more real and impressive, because you understand how hard it is for her. This also means that you feel like you are there with her on her rocky journey between right and wrong all the way.
  This series tells about the experiences of Tally, who lives in a future society where everyone is split into two groups: the Uglies and the Pretties. The Uglies series includes three books which document the lives of Tally and her peers: Uglies, Pretties, and Specials. (You may note that Scott Westerfeld also added a fourth book to this “trilogy”, Extras, but I think it does not mesh well with the others and therefore do not review it here.) Until the age of sixteen everyone lives as an Ugly, waiting for the day when they can be transformed into a Pretty, and look however they want to. However, there is also a group of people who want to keep their own faces and think that changing people into Pretties on their sixteenth birthday is wrong. In this series, Tally experiences friendship, love, betrayal and having to figure out -- and choose between -- right and wrong.
  Although this series is set in a fictional, futuristic society, it seems to be a commentary on our own social values. I think that the writer is trying to make a point about the way we view beauty nowadays and almost warn us about what will happen if we don’t change. It makes me wonder if with us already having Botox and plastic surgery we’ll be living in a world like in the Uglies series a few centuries from now. With the value put on beauty already, and people already striving to look like what someone says is perfect, I wouldn’t be surprised if that did happen. I think that the books show that we need to get our priorities straight. At the moment women, at least, put beauty before everything else (jobs, doing well at school, and even their own happiness). This, of course, is wrong. I mean, where does Botox and plastic surgery and make-up really get us in life? It doesn’t make us rich or happy, and it doesn’t even give us love (well, not the real kind at least). Most of the people who get their appearances changed, probably don’t even want to, and only do so because society would look down on them otherwise. This links directly to the Uglies series where everyone is forced to completely change how they look and act, whether they want to or not, to please their leaders and peers. At the moment, we are trying to change all this so our world doesn’t end up like the way it is in Uglies. For example, new Barbies are coming out that are curvy, tall and short, with diverse hairstyles, which are supposed to better represent people in the world around us. However, they will all still have perfect features and are extremely beautiful, therefore making it still seem as though there’s something wrong with looking anything less than perfect. Although these new Barbies help address the problem of young girls getting concerned with their weight and height because of Barbies, it doesn’t help the case of too many people smothering their faces with Makeup and even reassembling their faces with Botox and plastic surgery. In my opinion, changing Barbie is only the very beginning of what we need to do to protect our world from becoming like it is in Uglies.
  My favorite book from this series was Pretties because I think that Tally has to make the hardest choice in this book. In Uglies she doesn’t really know what it’s like to be a pretty yet, and she has more reasons for holding back and escaping with the Smokies, like her best friend Shay. Also, in Specials she doesn’t even really have to make that choice, because instead she gets to become something even better and stronger. However, in Pretties she has her best friend with her, gets a new, pretty boyfriend, and overall she knows how easy and fun it is to be a mindless pretty. Anyway, I think that this makes the second book especially interesting, because you can’t tell what her choices will be, and, to be honest, I’m not so sure I would make the right choice if I were in her position.
  My favorite character has to be Tally’s best friend Shay. This is because I feel like she’s always trying to be good, and help her friend Tally, but ends up messing up instead. I also feel like she doesn’t get enough credit for everything she does, and is sometimes just viewed as a sidekick. I think if I wanted to make the series better I would focus a bit more on her.
  Tally Youngblood reminds me very much of the main characters in two other books I’ve read: Katniss Everdeen (from “The Hunger Games series) and Beatrice Prior (from the Divergent series). All three of these characters are living in a futuristic world, and start off either poor, ugly, boring, or somehow inferior to the rest of society. Then they go through a sort of build up time where they make both right and wrong choices, on their way from being frightened young girls to becoming strong leaders. Although all three characters intrigue me, I have to say that Katniss Everdeen is my favorite because I feel like even though she probably went through the hardest time of all three characters, she managed to stay strong all the way through.
  I think that you should be at least twelve to read this book or else you might not understand it and see it’s hidden metaphors, however if you are younger you will probably still enjoy it. I really enjoyed this series so I think that it definitely deserves four and a half out of five stars.

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

THE EARTH IS SINGING

THE EARTH IS SINGING
by Vanessa Curtis
336 pp. THE EARTH IS SINGING by Vanessa Curtis336 @Usborne @UsborneDigital http://bit.ly/1DBhh3J . £6.99. (Ages 14 and up)

ISBN
9781409577447

Rating: 4 Stars



    I will admit that I was actually rather surprised I liked this book, as it wasn’t my normal choice. Normally I read fantasy or sci-fi, not historical fiction based on real lives. I may have to change my usual agenda, though, as this book was fascinating, and there have also been a few other historical fiction books and biographies which I have enjoyed. Throughout this whole book I really felt like I could connect with the main character, Hanna, There were a few times when my heart clenched in fear for her and I smiled when she was happy.
    This book is set in World War 2 in Germany, and is narrated by a 15-year-old Jewish Latvian called Hanna, whose father has been taken by the Russians. It starts off not too bad. Life is hard, but Hanna is still following her dream of becoming a dancer. Although many of her friends have deserted her because she’s Jewish, her best friend and boyfriend Uldis stands with her, so you think everything will be okay. Soon, however her world is turned upside down when the Nazis come and slowly take away everything she’s ever cared about. This book took me on a whirl of adventure as Hanna faced all types of danger, heart breaking sadness, betrayal and fear during a fight for her life. I would definitely give this book 4 out of 5 stars as it really explored the awful treatment Jews got during World War 2 and captured my interest from the start.
    My favorite character has to be Hanna as the writer does an amazing job of making you feel like she’s a real person telling you all of this and experiencing all of this. I can also really feel for her when she’s wishing she wasn’t different from everyone else, as my family has had trouble with living in England as we are American and Portuguese, although the problems this causes for us are nowhere near as large as the problems being a Jew causes for her.
    Most of this book is quite sad, but I would say two parts stand out in particular. First, Uldis betrays her leaving her heartbroken. Second, all the Jews, her mother included, are shot and thrown into a pit of dead bodies. This is especially sad because after her mother dies she is left with no one else in the world to care for her and love her.
    Although most of this book is sad there are a few parts where Hanna is happy. I would say the happiest parts of this book are when it’s the New Year and her uncle brings up a feast for them to share, and at the end of the book when Hanna escapes from the Nazis. I think this because in both these times Hanna feels free and safe from the Nazis and like everything might be all right again.

THE BATTLE FOR WONDLA

THE BATTLE FOR WONDLA
WondLa trilogy book 3
by Tony DiTerlizzi
496 pp. Simon & Schuster $17.99. (Ages 10 and up)

ISBN
9781416983149

Rating: 5 Stars


    In most adventure books the main character is a boy and the girls are all quite weak, which disturbs me. However, in this book a girl (Eva Nine) is extremely brave, a hero and the main character. Eva Nine was created in a lab, which means that she isn’t a proper person so she’s supposed to be controlled by normal people, although she's still the one who saves Wondla. For these reasons she is my favorite character.

    This book started with Eva Nine having gone into hiding with Hailey in the forest. They did this so they weren't captured by Loroc, who had already consumed his own sisters to make himself more powerful, and now hoped to consume his brother Zin also. Eva Nine had an idea for where Zin was hiding and got a trader in goods to take her there. When she got there she asked him for help and warned him about Loroc. He agreed to help her but before they could speak anymore they were attacked by Loroc's warships. Luckily, Eva Nine managed to escape; Zin, however, wasn't so lucky and got captured. Having escaped, Eva and Hailey went to Eva's alien friend Rovender and his tribe to ask them for help in trying to thwart Loroc's evil plan. They agreed and together the unlikely team did their best to stop Loroc …
    One of the things that makes this book unique and amazing are the illustrations. Tony DiTerlizzi is an inspiration to me because he is one in few writers who write long books and illustrate them. This inspires me because I love drawing and writing and if I ever write a book I would like to illustrate it myself. He also inspires me because normally fantasy and sci-fi writers only use well known magical characters like werewolves, fairies, witches, vampires, ghosts and wizards, maybe inventing one or two more creatures, whereas, Tony DiTerlizzi invents a whole new world of them. When you read, notice how it uses allusion to older stories like the Oz stories, and even the Grimm brothers’ fairytales, except more modern. For example, they all invent new imaginary worlds. The Wondla stories are especially like the Oz stories because they both have a young girl making new, sometimes strange, friends, in a magical world. I suppose “Alice in Wonderland” sort of fits in with them too, but I think that it doesn’t completely, because while the other stories have a fixed goal (finding home) “Alice in Wonderland” seems sort of muddled.
    As this is such a good book I won’t restrict it too much to one age group. I think the right reader for this book is any one over 8 who liked the last two books and can read well. As this book was amazing, it definitely deserves five out of five stars.

also on the Guardian Children's Books Site

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.

TERROR TOWN

TERROR TOWN
Elf Boy and Raven Girl Book 4
by Marcus Sedgwick
illustrated by Pete Williamson
176 pp. Orion. £6.99. (Ages 8 and up)

ISBN
9781444005271

Rating: 4 Stars

     This book was set in a fantasy town called Terror Town where creatures like werewolves and zombies existed. The main characters were Elf Girl and Raven Boy whose real names were not revealed. They went to Terror Town to get the Singing Sword so that they could defeat the Goblin King.
     I think this book is good for children who can read well but still like shorter books with pictures inside. This book definitely deserves four out of five stars.
     Even though this book was for the most part just a funny and scary story, the main characters do grow on you. Eventually you begin to see that even though they act like they dislike each other, they are actually really good friends. A good thing about this book is that even if you haven't read the first books in the series it still makes sense. I feel a bit sorry for Raven Boy because Elf Girl bosses him around.
     My favourite characters are Elf Girl and Raven Boy. Elf Girl is my favourite character because she has a cool arrow and is really brave. Raven Boy is my favourite character because even though he seems quite shy, he's actually very brave and kind.

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

THE UNDERLAND CHRONICLES

THE UNDERLAND CHRONICLES by Suzanne Collins
Scholastic. £29.95. (Ages 8 and up)

Rating: 5 Stars

GREGOR THE OVERLANDER
The Underland Chronicles Book 1
256 pp.
ISBN 9781407137032

GREGOR AND THE PROPHECY OF BANE

The Underland Chronicles Book 2
256 pp.
ISBN 9781407137049

GREGOR AND THE CURSE OF THE WARMBLOODS

The Underland Chronicles Book 3
288 pp.
ISBN 9781407137056

GREGOR AND THE MARKS OF SECRET
The Underland Chronicles Book 4
272 pp.
ISBN 9781407137063

GREGOR AND THE CODE OF CLAW
The Underland Chronicles Book 5
336 pp.
ISBN 9781407137070

    These amazing books just blew me away, for example, already by the first chapter, I got to thinking about how lucky I was because this book, unlike others, was about a family who had just enough money to live off of. An interesting aspect of the way the story was written was how the writer described humans through the perspective of human-like creatures in the Underland. In the book humans are described as Killers because they kill not only all of the other animals but their own species too. Sadly, it is all too true.
    This series starts off about Gregor and his little sister Boots falling through the laundry chute into the Underland. In the first book, Boots is pronounced 'Princess' by the Crawlers (cockroaches). Meanwhile Gregor is told he is the warrior from the prophecy. At the end, he bonds with a bat, Ares. In the second book Gregor has to go on a long journey to kill the Bane, a large white rat. However, when he gets there he finds that the Bane is barely a pup so he refuses to kill it. In the third book, Gregor’s mother , and Ares, catch a disease. Gregor and some other people go to look for a cure for the disease, only to have it destroyed by the Cutters (ants) immediately. At the end of the story, they find that it was made by the humans and that it was there all along. In the fourth book the Nibblers (mice) mysteriously disappear. Gregor and his friends set off to discover why and are shocked by the terrible truth. In the fifth and final book the biggest war of all time occurs in the Underland and Lizzie, Gregor’s other little sister, breaks the code of claw. At the end Luxa, a human, and Ripred, a Gnawer (rat), bond, therefore ensuring peace between all the humans and Gnawers.
    My favourite characters in this series were Boots, Ares and Luxa. I liked Boots because she seemed so funny and innocent. She made the scary and sad parts in the book seem happy and funny. Luxa was one of my favourites because I felt I could link to her. She was very brave and was always running off on adventures when she wasn't supposed to. I felt sorry for Ares, because he was such a good guy but he was always treated badly and like an outcast. He was always put into positions where he had to make a hard choice, and got scolded afterwards for not choosing the other option even though he would have been treated the same or worse if he had. Sadly, at the end of the last book he got killed.
    I think ages nine and over should read this amazing series. This book definitely deserves five out of five stars.

FIVE ON A TREASURE ISLAND

FIVE ON A TREASURE ISLAND
The Famous Five book 1
by Enid Blyton
192 pp. Hachette Children's Books. £5.99. (Ages 8 and up)

ISBN
9780340931592

Rating: 4 Stars


    This was a brilliant kids mystery book. Enid Blyton has always been one of my favourite authors but this truly swept me away. As you read this book you truly begin to admire the children for their bravery and courage. Personally, my favourite character is George (short for Georgina) because she refuses to act like a girl and is even more of a boy than most real boys. I'm also a big tomboy so I feel like I can understand her the best. I also like Julian because he is so cheerful and makes everyone around him happy.
    This book is about when Anne, Julian and Dick go to visit their cousin Georgina. Soon they learn that she hates being a girl and won't answer unless you call her George. After awhile they earn her friendship and she agrees to take them to her island with her dog Timothy. While there, they are caught by a storm which causes an old shipwreck to crash against the rocks. Curious, the children explore the ship and find a locked box which has a treasure map of the island. Soon they are on a big treasure hunt. Little do they know that they aren't the only ones looking for the treasure…
    I think this book is good for ages eight to twelve. I definitely give this book four out of five stars.

ASTERIX AND THE PICTS

 
ASTERIX AND THE PICTS
by Jean-Yves Ferri
Illustrated by Didier Conrad
48 pp. Orion Children's Books. £10.99. (Ages 10 and up)

ISBN
9781444011678

Rating: 4.5 Stars


             This story starts with Asterix and Obelix finding a Pict man stuck in ice. Quickly, they call all of the Gauls to help them free the Pict man.  Together they take the Pict man to Getafixi's hut.  Suddenly the Pict man pops out of the ice and starts to walk. The Pict man sees a tiny man with a stone tablet talking to him and also writing things down on his stone tablet.  As the Pict man can't speak he tells them his story in actions and carves the way to his land on one of Obelix's menhirs.  Then the Gauls decide to have Asterix and Obelix take him back to his land: the land of the Picts. While on the boat the Pict man gets his voice back and tells them his name is MacAroon. 
              If you didn't already know this book wasn't written by the same writer then you wouldn't notice the difference.  However, if you did already know then you would notice small differences like how each character seems to get a more equal time in the spotlight.  Even though these books might be meant for young children, we still never cease to be amused by them. The reason for this is that our favourite character, Obelix, plays a great part in all the books and we are pleased to see that the new writer still gives Obelix a big role to play.
              We think all ages that can read should definitely read this book.  For all off the Asterix and Obelix books we give five out of five stars, for this book by itself we give four and a half stars.    

also on Guardian Children's Books Site

ANIMAL FARM

ANIMAL FARM
by George Orwell
140 pp. Signet Classics. $8.99. (Ages 13 and up)

ISBN
9780451526342

Rating: 5 Stars


    This was a very strange but brilliant book. It really made me think about our world, as in how the government always try's to make a new start, create a better place, but making it work is hard. After a while, sometimes, bad people will take over and ruin it, making it just as bad as it started. Are all revolutions like that? This book made me think of the Hunger Games. They are both about revolutions where the new leaders end up being just as selfish as the old ones.
    This book was about a farm where the animals were angry with humans for imprisoning them, treating them badly and then killing them when they grew up. Finally they chased out the farmers and put the pigs in charge (as they were the cleverest). Snowball and Napoleon were both leaders and disagreed with each other on everything. Snowball was actually the good leader because he did everything for the good of everyone instead of being selfish like Napoleon. One day Napoleon became sick of Snowball and let 6 hounds, that he had secretly been training, loose on Snowball. This forced Snowball to flee, leaving Napoleon in charge. Will Snowball come back and create the place everyone wishes for? Or will Napoleon create a place even worse than before?
    I think this book is for ages ten and up because you need to be quite clever to get the true meaning of the story. This book definitely deserves five out of five stars. My parents told me it is a classic, and I can see why.

THE FATE IN THE BOX

THE FATE IN THE BOX
By Michelle Lovric.
352 pp. Orion Childrens. £10.99. (Ages 12 and up)

ISBN
9781444003390

Rating: 5 Stars


The Fate in the Box was different.  I mean, at first it seemed like a fact file about what Venice was like back in 1783.  Except it was kind of like Steampunk because they had machines that haven’t even been invented now, while still keeping everything else the same as it was back then.  However as I got deeper into the story it got so good that I couldn't stop reading it!  The main bad guy was Fogfinger and he did many bad things to the poor people of Venice.  I think the worst thing he did was kill the male Sea Saur, pretend the female Sea Saur had done it,  and invent the lambing (where two children, a boy and girl, were said to be eaten by the female Sea Saur).  The reason I think this is the worst thing he did is because it is awful when everyone thinks I did some bad thing I didn't do and it would probably be even worse if the thing I was being blamed for was killing my best friend, mom, dad, or sister.
The story was about three children called Tockle, Amneris, and Biri.  Tockle, Amneris, and Biri all live in Venice, a beautiful place turned awful by Fogfinger.  One day Tockle and Biri were taken away by the Piccolissimi Pochi (which is what the group of people who fought against Fogfinger called themselves) and recruited to be Piccolissimi Pochi. They were asked to find out exactly what happened when the lambs were sacrificed.  Meanwhile Amneris was making friends with Latenia, a fat rich girl who used automata for everything.  When Tockle and Biri got back they recruited Amneris to be a Piccolissimi Pochi. Amneris kept visiting Latenia.  One day when Amneris visited Latenia she found that she was very upset.  This was because she had to marry Fogfinger, who was by then an ugly old man and because her brother told her that Amneris, Tockle and Biri was probably a member of the Piccolissimi Pochi.  So, she completely baffled Amneris by asking if she could hire her as her own personal killer.  However you will have to find out yourself what happened next.
I think ages ten to fifteen should read this book because it is too fantasy for adults and smaller children wouldn't understand it at all.  This book definitely deserves five out of five stars.

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.

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.

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.