Far rock away / Charlie Fletcher

Cat is fighting for her life in two worlds: a midtown Manhattan hospital, and a strange landscape full of heroes and villains.
She doesn't know how she's gong to survive, let alone get home, but she does know one thing: Real girls rescue themselves.
A glorious adventure...
Cheshire Cat

Wonder / R. J. Palacio

No matter how hard you try, sometimes you just can't blend in.

'Wonder' is a fantastic book about a courageous little boy call August. August has a severe facial abnormality, which he has battled with all his life. During this book, we join August as he enrolls in his first ever school and faces the challenges of social life with others. There are both ups and downs in this book as you truly feel a growing connection with August and his family. The book succeeds to make you laugh and cry, as our hero is smart, funny and persevering - even when times are hard. Most of this book is written from August's point of view, but occasionally another character comes in to give their side of the story, which gives a whole new dimension to the book. 'Wonder' makes you feel guilty too, about how we are all so lucky to have something so simple. The most emotional part of the book is when August asks his mum 'Why do I have to be ugly?'
No matter how hard you try, sometimes you just can't blend in.

Klara Inman-Barnes

The haunting of Charity Delafield / Ian Beck

The Haunting of Charity Delafield is about a young girl called Charity who has not been allowed out of the grounds of her mansion until tomorrow when she will be off to boarding school. She begins to wonder why she is going to be sent away. She begins to discover why but will she find a way to visit the source of this information? Will she find out the truth about her past?
I rate this book:outstanding
Ruby W.

Warriors series / Erin Hunter

All of this series are really good - there are four sub-series each comprising of six books. The books are about four group or Clans of cats, each with different jobs and skills. They describe the lives of the cats and cover a wide range of topics. The first book is'Into the Wild' and really sets you up to read every other book in the series. There are also Super Editions, manga stories and field guides which tell you more about the cats and their lives. These are brilliant books and even though they are hard to get hold of (the writers are based in America) they are some of the best books I have ever read, and they have a special place on my bookshelves at home.
Outstanding
Emily N

Lemony Snicket / The Ersatz Elevator

Amazing! Really fast moving! the 6th Book of the 'Series of Unfortunate Events!' about the three Baudelaire Children when they encounter "Count Olaf" once again and what he does this time!
10 out of 10!!!!!!!
Outstanding

Natasha L.

Ingo / Helen Dunmore

I have just read this book and it is truly amazing, I would recomend it to anyone. Ingo is about a girl and suddenly her dad disappears and the girl and her brother believe he is not dead. But if you want to know what happens, read the book for yourself.
Outstanding.

Available in the library.

Rose Sherlock

Julia Golding / The Diamond of Drury Lane

This book is amazing. It's about an orphan who has to protect someone while telling the truth to a magistrate. An African boy gets involved and the son of a Duke gets involved, which attracts unwanted attention. I rate this book as great. It is in the School Library at JF / GOL. Reviewed by Catherine Tiplady.

Robert Swindells / Abomination

Abomination is a mystery story about a girl named
Martha. Martha has a very, very big secret, a creature
in her cellar, its name: Abomination. Martha's
sister, Mary, was sent away from home by her father
when she was very young. Her Parents have forbidden
Martha to do so many things that children take for
granted today and if she disobeys any one of her
parents’ rules, she will get the cane as her father
likes to call it. At Martha’s school, a new boy, Scott
joins who seems to stick up for Martha when she’s being
beaten up by the class bullies and respects her for
what she is. Scott and Martha become inseparable and
Martha even sneaks out without permission to see him.
Martha is so desperate for help that she tells Scott
what her parents do to her and Scott is determined to
help her and set her free. Will Martha and Scott find
a way to stop this cruelty and, find out what this
Abomination is?
Rating: Outstanding
Already in the library
Verity Platt

Michael Morpurgo / Shadow

Shadow is a moving story about a boy and his loyal companion Shadow the dog.
Shadow comes to a family when they most need him, during the time of the war in Afganistan. Shadow travels with the family all through Afganistan to England. Two years after the boy and his mother escape to England they are taken to a prison where they wait to be sent back to Afganistan.

Shadow is an amazing book and I really recommend it.
Rating: Outstanding

Sophie Vallis

J. R. R.Tolkien / Lord of the Rings, Part 1

This is mostly about a hobbit called Frodo Baggins. Left with a mysterious ring which will bring about the rise of evil, his life is in danger. Frodo flees the Shire where he lives and ventures out into the
unknown. The Black Riders on their huge black horses are never far behind Frodo and his companions as he tries to discover more about the Ring. But time is running out and the Black Riders are getting closer.
Rating: Great, Outstanding

Haidee

Robert Swindells / Ruby Tanya

This book is about asylum seekers and two girls. The two girls are called Ruby Tanya and Asra. Asra's
family are asylum seekers and the government have ordered them to move back to their country. But their lives would be in danger if they went back so Ruby Tanya has a plan to hide Asra from the police and her family so she doesn’t have to go back! Her mother and father are taken away and Asra doesn’t know what has happened to them. Ruby tells her grandma about Asra because her parents don’t like asylum seekers! Will Asra be found or will she be sent back to her home country and be killed!!!
Rating: Outstanding

Sasha Narraway

Caroline Lawrence / The Dolphins of Laurentum

I really loved the book. If you like books about animals you will love this one.

It’s the 5th book of the series ‘Roman Mysteries’. It’s all about 4 young detectives that have to save a
ship wreck. A young boy has to dive down to recover treasure from the wreck before the pirates do.
You’re probably thinking, pirates(?), I dont want to read about pirates. Well think again,
It’s amazing!!!!
Rating: Great

Tasha Lewis

Phillip Caveny / Sebastian Darke - Prince of fools

Sebastian Darke is a half-elf who is trying to be a
brilliant jester as his father was. The only trouble
is that he's not that funny (unless he's not trying to
be funny). He, his Sidekick Max and the Warrior
Cornelius set out on an adventure that brings them to
the city of Keladon (and a very pretty princess). What
will await Sebastian and his trio inside the city
gates? Read the book to find out! If you enjoy this
book, there are two more books: Prince of pirates and
Prince of explorers.
A laugh-out-loud book with marvellous illustrations
and a great read if you are looking for something to
smile about. I hope you will enjoy this book as much
as I did...

Rating: Great

Saoirse Reid

Robert Muchamore / The Killing (part of the Cherub series)

James Adams is a 13-year-old boy cherub agent. Cherubs are children, sometimes orphans or from care homes, which are part of a division of M15. Cherub agents are trained and sent on missions that would be impossible for adults. These kids are able to stay undetected by highly dangerous terrorists, drug-dealers, murderers, and thieves; they are able to bring criminals to justice. The blub is -' Leon is a small time crook who’s ridden his luck for three decades. When he starts splashing big money around, the cops are desperate to know where it came from. James' latest mission looks routine: make friends with Leon’s kids, infiltrate his home and dig up some leads. but the James begins to unravel isn’t what anyone expected. And the only person who might know the truth is an eighteen-year-old boy. But there’s just one problem. The boy fell to his death thirteen months earlier. ' I would recommend this book because it will leave you on the edge of your seat and you will never want to put the book down. I would like to recommend this book for older readers as it may not be suitable for younger readers, and I would recommend the rest of the Cherub series as they are good as well.

Panashe Kasambira

Phillip Pullman / The Subtle Knife

The Subtle Knife is a brilliant book that is number
two of three books, from His Dark Materials trilogy.
This is a gripping book that once kept me on the edge
of my seat for four hours straight! Philip Pullman has
written a truly fantastic, action-filled book about
two unalike characters, Will and Lyra. They are from
different worlds but coincidentally meet in a city
called Cittagazze, a place so different from what they
have ever heard of. Its silence, soul eating spectres
and empty streets are exciting to read about. Their
experiences together are written in such detail that
it is a book that must be read! Lyra and Will discover
secrets that the average human would never dream of as
they venture through strange worlds and meet quire
people.
Rating: Outstanding

Phoebe Shellman

Sue Townsend / The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole aged 13 3/4

The book is the diary of a boy called Adrian Mole, he
makes some resolutions for the new year.
The diary contains all his troubles and antics. It was
a very funny book for anyone who likes diary-entry
style writing. It will leave you either laughing your
socks off! Or maybe wincing at Adrian’s dorkiness as he
is a bit of a geek. Adrian gets into many awkward
situations, from attempting to pursue the love of his
life Pandora. In doing this, he tries to act
intellectual and charitable by writing poems to the
BBC and joining a group called the Good Samaritans. In
this group he looks after an old man, Bert Baxter and
is terrified by his large dog.As he is a
snobby, sensitive and peculiar charcater he turns his
nose up a Bert’s hygiene standards. It was a perfect
holiday read and I was hooked from cover to cover.
Maybe a slightly explicit read from anyone under the
age of 13 - as I was quite young when I read it. I
would definitely recommend this book. Sue Townsend
wrote it very well. Great!!
Rating: Great

Annabel Lewis

Michelle Harrison / The 13 Treasures

The 13 Treasures is about girl,Tanya, who visits her
Grandmother’s house and discovers that 50 years ago
a girl disappeared in the woods. Tanya can see fairies
and her grandmother won’t tell her anything about
her gift or about the girl who disappeared. Tanya
meets the caretaker’s son, Fabian, whose
grandfather was the last person to see the girl before
she disappeared, because of this many people think
that he is to blame for the girl’s disappearance.
Together they search the house for clues on the
Girl’s disappearance. Fabian and Tanya discover more
secrets about the manor, find secret passages and meet
mysterious visitors as they discover the truth about
the girl who disappeared 50 years ago. Soon Tanya
finds herself in danger as history is about change.
The book genre is probably adventure, mystery and
fantasy and for 9 -13 year olds.
Rating: Great

Olivia Pedder

Jill Marsell / Take a Chance on Me

This is an excellent and amusing book. It is a
laugh-out-loud read. It is mainly focused around Cleo,
a mid twenty year old girl and her sister, Abbie, and
their complicated love life.
Cleo starts off the book happily and madly in love
with Will, but he won’t move in with her. But she
thinks of it as nothing and just his personal issue.
However it all kicks off when she sees him out of
context!!!
Abbie on the other hand is safely married to Tom. He
is a kind man with a heart of gold and would never
dream of mistreating Abbie. But when she finds a
letter from Tom’s Daughter in his sock drawer
she goes ballistic! And things become even more
complicated when her boss, Dez comes into the picture!

Anyone who wants a laugh and a lot of fun should read
this book. It is a real page-turner. I couldn’t
put it down.
Rating: Great, Outstanding

Sophie Tamblyn

J K Rowling / Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows

This book is about Harry’s final confrontation with
Lord Voldermort, and, in my opinion the most exciting
of all six books. Filled with adventure, Romance,
danger, and much more, this book is a much read,
especially if you have read the first six books
(Philosophers stone, Chamber of Secrets, Prisoner of
Azkaban, Goblet of Fire, Order of The Phoenix,
Half-blood prince).The book is about Harry’s final
quest to find and destroy the remaining horcruxes,
enabling him to defeat Voldermort once and for all.
This also involves the battle of Hogwarts, the
breaking in of Gringots bank, a disastrous visit to
Godrics Hollow, and many more exciting events fraught
with danger.
It is probably the best book I have ever read ,you
have to read it!
Rating: Outstanding

Lea Adamson

Becca Fitzpatrick / Hush, Hush

Hush, Hush is a book that is somewhat like the
Twilight series. It is the story of a fallen arch
angel, who falls in love with a girl, Nora, on earth.
The other arch angels do not approve, and he is exiled
from heaven. Nora is no longer sure if she can trust
him, as he seems to be everywhere she goes. Things
just keep going wrong for her and her newly found
lover. But will they pull through?
It is a book aimed for teenagers and is highly rated
by many teen magazines. It has about 390 pages and is
a good read for over the holidays or half term. I
recommend it and I really enjoyed it when I read it.
Rating: Great

Katie Dillon

Dianna Wynne-Jones / Howl's moving castle

A young girl called Sophie hatter is turned into an
old woman by the wicked witch of the waste, she must
seek a way to break the curse. but on her way she
stumbles across a castle, but it is no ordinary castle
it is Howl's magic moving castle! The only thing is,
it is rumoured that the wizard howl entertains himself
by easting the hearts of young girls...
funny and extremely enjoyable, I fell in love with
this book quite literally
Rating: Outstanding

Saoirse Reid

Ann Kelley / Koh Tabu

9 girls are going to an island to go camping, but the
motor on the boat breaks and the girls are dropped off
at the wrong island. They don’t really seem to care
that they’re not on the right island because at
first the island seems like paradise until terrible
things start to happen. There is a storm on the night
they arrive at the island and they loose a lot of
their belongings and tents. The boat doesn’t arrive
on the day it is expected. The girls struggle to find
food and have to find ways to attract attention to the
island.
This book is fit for an audience of 10 and above. It
is an adventure book but contains some sad things. It
is a great book for people who enjoy books with many
surprises and detailed descriptions.
Rating: Outstanding

Belinda Nelson

Stephanie Meyer / Twilight

When Isabella Swan (Bella) moves into the cold, gloomy
and small town of forks she meets the mysterious and
strange Edward Cullen. Her life then takes a thrilling
and unusual turn. Bella meets Edward, with his
mesmerizing voice and a supernatual skill, Edward is
irresistable. But will Bella solve Edward's dark
secret? This story is romantic and dramatic with a bit
of action. It is also intense, emotional and you don't
know what is going to happen next. I would definitly
recommend this story to tennagers from 12-18 if you
like dark romance.
Rating: Great, Outstanding

Isabella Bourne

Sophie McKenzie / Girl Missing

Lauren is eager to find her real parents, but how? When
she thinks she could of been snatched as a baby, from
an American family she suddenly feels that her life
is lost forever. Lauren got fed up of asking people
questions, why is nobody answering my questions? How
can I find my real biological parents? So she runs
away from her family to find out the truth. She goes
to America with her best friend Jam, which is when she
got kidnapped. Going to America just led Lauren into
more and more trouble as the people that abducted her
are well prepared to keep her quiet ...
Rating: Great

Libby Watson

Carl Hiaasen / Hoot

This book is set in the sunny state Florida. After
following a boy with no shoes Roy finds himself in
trouble. A school bully, Beatrice, becomes one of his
best friends. Before he was an honest boy who never
got in trouble but thanks to an owls nest he ends up
lying to his parents, the police and most other
people.
There is a new pancake house being built and someone
is trying to stop it. The police are trying to find
the criminals and even try Guard dogs, but nothing
seems to work.
Will Roy get out of trouble?
Could these two plots fit together in the end?
Rating: Great

Sophie Naughalty

John Grogan / Marley & Me

This is an autobiography by john Grogan about him and
Marley. Marley is an extremely naughty book. This book
will make you laugh and cry. It’s an interesting, easy
to relate to story. It is well-written and easy to
read. John Grogan is a normal man. He has a wife, 3
kids and a dog. He sometimes wonders what his life
would be like without his dog? Different?
Rating: Outstanding

Claudia Gilchrist

Cora Harrison / The Montgomery Murder

Every halfpence is such a lot to Alfie and his Gang.
They need the money for food, to pay the rent. When
Inspector Denham offers them a staggering amount they
can't refuse. Alfie and the rest of his gang need to
find the killer.
Mr Montgomery, a wealthy man, has been killed in the
mean streets of Victorian London. Can they do it in
time before one of them gets hurt? They try many
tactics, they even have one of the gang inside the
victims house working as a knife cleaner. Could it be
the mean old butler? Or even Mr Montgomery's wife or
son?
Read this amazing book to found out the shocking
truth...
This is the first book in the the London murder
mysteries series. It is a fantastic book, creating a
vivid image in your head. I would recommend this book
for 11-14 year olds.
Rating: Great

Isla Scott

Karl Pilkington / An Idiot Abroad

In 'An Idiot abroad' Ricky Gervais and Stephen
Merchant sent Karl Pilkington on a trip around the
world to see the seven wonders of the world. This is a
hilarious travel diary that Karl kept as he travelled.
Karl is an unappreciative, lazy, simple man. At first
he is very reluctant to agree to going on the trip but
eventually decides to go because of the amount he
would be paid!
Once Karl said "The time we were in the Cotswolds and
could only get whole milk rather than semi-skimmed was
almost enough to make me turn around and go back home.
So this is going to be a challenge..."
On the trip Karl wasn't told what he was going to be
doing until the time came. He visited many different
cultures and tribes not knowing what was happening!
The places he visited were: The Pyramids, Christ the
Redeemer, The Taj Mahal, Chichen Itza, The Great Wall
of China, Petra, Machu Picchu and many many other
places along the way.
I highly recommend this book for 12 year olds and up.
Hope you enjoy it!
Rating: Outstanding

Anouska Jantzen

Christopher Paolini / Eragon

An amazing fantasy book, with an amazing and inventive
magical world within. For any reader who loves magic
and fantasy.
Eragon, an ordinary boy, has his life turned upside
down by a small, insignificant object. It looks like a
stone but what is it really? This magical object gives
Eragon great power and he travels on a magical journey
full of adventure.
Eragon is the first in The Inheritance Cycle by
Christopher Paolini. The books in the series are
Eragon, Eldest, Brisingr and Inheritance (which comes
out November 2011). I would highly recommend reading
this series. I am about to start Brisingr and have
loved all the previous ones!
Rating: Outstanding

Georgia Kirkham

Jack Maddox / In The Shelter of Each Other

It is about growing up in Liverpool in the 2nd world
war (1930-1940). It is very interesting as it
describes true stories (often amusing) of family life,
school and of course the war. In many chapters they
narrowly escape bombs, explosions and invasions. His
father actually received a OBE (Order of the British
Empire) award for bravery and saving many lives in
fires and explosions. The book also includes pictures
and vivid descriptions for the settings and atmosphere
in various scenes. It would more likely appeal to the
older years of the schools as it contains history that
would be more interesting and understandable to them.
If it is enjoyed there is also a 2nd book coming out
soon.
Rating: Outstanding

Izzy Maddox

Liz Kessler / A Year Without Autumn

This book is about a girl called Jenni Green who
visits her best friend Autumn and finds that she is
transported exactly one year forward in time. Sadly
during that year tragedy strikes. Will she stay
friends with Autumn? How did she skip a year? Can
Jenni get back to the past so that she can change what
lies ahead?
I really enjoyed this book it is filled with suspense
and I would recommend it to anyone interested in
time-travel.
Rating: Great

Freya Fairless

Elizabeth Chandler / Kissed by an angel

When Ivy's boyfriend Tristan dies, she's desolate
without him. But then she discovers that Tristan hasn't
abandoned her, he's her guardian angel, watching over
her.
Ivy is in danger, someone is coming for her, playing
tricks. Love one's die and friends are in danger. Can
Tristan save Ivy? If Tristan saves Ivy his mission
will be over and will have to leave her forever. Will
Ivy get over Tristan and find true love? If you love a
good romantic, murder and Mystery book then this is
the book for you.
Rating: Great

Madeleine Thompson

Zizou Corder / Lion Boy

Lion Boy is a thrilling book. It is suitable for
anyone older than around eleven years old. This book
has a marvellous plot and is extremely exciting. It is
about a young boy called Charlie who can speak cat.
One day he comes home from school to find that his
parents have mysteriously vanished. He is determined
to try and find where they have gone and why. However,
he is being tracked down by a dangerous man. In search
of his parents he climbs aboard and incredible circus
ship that takes him to Paris. There he meets six
beautiful lions who also need his help. They suddenly
find themselves in an adventure that can risk their
lives. Will Charlie succeed in finding his parents?
Rating: Outstanding

Cecily Bayliss

John Hornby / The Slam

Slam is a book about a 16year old boy called Sam. He
is like a normal teenage, he loves skateboarding and
is obsessed with Tony Hawk, who is a professional
skate boarder. His mum had him when she was sixteen so
she is only 32 so a very young mum and life is a bit
hard at the moment. He then meets a girl and they both
act like they don't like each other but actually both
of them fancy the other. They then get on a bit two
well and have a sexual relationship then they are too
silly and don't protect themselves and this is all Sam
can think of he can't get it out of his mind under all
the pressure he runs a way to a town by the coast and
stays in a motel and tries to make a new life and tries
to get a job it turns out it is a lot harder than Sam
thought as nobody wants to give a job to a young
sixteen year old boy. He doesn't know what he is going
to do with his life........
I would say this book is age appropriate for 14 year
old and up as there is some rude language and sexual
contact!!
Rating: Great

Helena Fitzsimons

Darren Shan / The Darren Shan Saga

This is a book about a teenage boy (Darren) whose life
changes forever when he goes to a circus and stumbles
across a fully grown vampire! But when Darren’s best
friend gets bitten by the vampires venomous spider, he
will do anything to save him. Even turn into a vampire
himself! I recommend this book to anyone who is
interested in the supernatural and paranormal. This is
an amazing series and will keep you mesmerised until
the last page!
Rating: Outstanding

Klara Inman-Barnes

Agatha Christie / Murder On The Orient Express

When the Orient Express gets stuck in a snowdrift, the passengers and crew are stranded in the middle of nowhere. Next morning, a rich, mysterious man lies dead in his cabin; he has been brutally stabbed various times, all over his body. With no one around for miles the murderer cannot have left the train. The police cannot be reached so it is up to Monsuier Hercule Poirot to solve the crime, answer the

This book is full of suspense and has a really good yet complicated plot. I would recommend it to everyone who loves crime and mystery novels because it keeps you guessing until the very last page.

Rating: Outstanding
Gemma