Month: February 2019

 

As fourteen-year-old Ella begins her first day at work she steps into a world of silks, seams, scissors, pins, hems and trimmings. She is a dressmaker, but this is no ordinary sewing workshop. Hers are no ordinary clients.

Ella has joined the seamstresses of Birkenau-Auschwitz, as readers may recognise it. Every dress she makes could mean the difference between life and death. And this place is all about survival.

Ella seeks refuge from this reality, and from haunting memories, in her work and in the world of fashion and fabrics. She is faced with painful decisions about how far she is prepared to go to survive. Is her love of clothes and creativity nothing more than collaboration with her captors, or is it a means of staying alive? Will she fight for herself alone, or will she trust the importance of an ever-deepening friendship with Rose?

One thing weaves through the colours of couture gowns and camp mud – a red ribbon, given to Ella as a symbol of hope.

 

Molly, Y8 says:

This story is so sad. But the book is built around hope, without which the story would fall apart. The end is so lovely, but the rest of the story will break your heart.

 

Bethan, Y7 says:

This book is VERY good. It is very realistic and I liked it a lot. There were a lot of twists and turns, and at one point near the end I wasn’t sure how the character would get out- but the next page had another twist! I would definitely recommend this book to everyone.

 

The Philippines, 100 years ago. A boy called Samkad wants to become a man. He is desperate to be given his own shield, spear and axe. His best friend, Luki, wants to be a warrior too – but she is a girl and that is forbidden. Then a new boy arrives in the village and everything changes. He brings news that a people called ‘Americans’ are bringing war right to his home . . .

 

Tommy, Y7 says:

I liked how this book was told from the perspective of a tribal person. They thought that humans like us were monsters. It was a great adventure that had scuffles, journeys and just village life scenes. I also really liked the dog!

 

When Angel moves to a new school after the death of her parents, she isn’t interested in making friends. Until she meets Bavar – a strange boy, tall, awkward and desperate to remain unseen, but who seems to have a kind of magic about him. Everyone and everything within Bavar’s enchanted house is urging him to step up and protect the world from a magical rift through which monsters are travelling, the same monsters that killed Angel’s parents.

But Bavar doesn’t want to follow the path that’s been chosen for him – he wants to be normal; to disappear. Fighting one another as well as their fears, Angel and Bavar must find a way to repair the rift between the worlds, and themselves, before it’s too late . . 

 

Caitlin, Y8 says:

This book was good as I liked the way it told the story of Bavar and Angel. Angel is drawn to Bavar after the death of her parents but Bavar isn’t too excited to talk to her. What will happen? Read the book to find out!

 

Evie, Y7, says:

This is a riveting story of a boy called Bavar who meets his catalyst, Angel, and the two work together to close a rift between the world of the Raksasa and the human world.

 

Bethan, Y7, says:

My friend recommended this book to me and told me that it only made sense if you read it thoroughly. I found this is true, but the story still didn’t really make sense. It was still an ok story, but it could have been clearer.

 

 

 

Welcome to Camp Reset, a summer camp with a difference. A place offering a shot at ‘normality’ for Olive, a girl on the edge, and for the new friends she never expected to make – who each have their own reasons for being there. Luckily Olive has a plan to solve all their problems. But how do you fix the world when you can’t fix yourself?

 

Molly, Y8 says:

This book is about a girl who goes to summer camp to try and cure her mental illness. I think this book is definitely 11+ in terms of who it is suitable for. I do think it is good how it ends on a cliff-hanger, but I would have liked it if more happened after the end, maybe there should be a sequel.

 

Tabitha, Y9 says:

This was a very well-written story about a girl who suffers with a mental illness. I loved everyone in the book, especially Olive. I’d recommend this book to anyone!

 

Cerys, Y8 says:

This is an enchanting novel, highlighting the issues of mental health. I feel enlightened about what it’s like to have a mental illness and I think older readers should consider reading the book.

 

A group of undocumented children with letters for names, are stuck living in a refugee camp, with stories to tell but no papers to prove them. As they try to forge a new family amongst themselves, they also long to keep memories of their old identities alive.

Will they be heard and believed? And what will happen to them if they aren’t?

An astonishing piece of writing that will enchant and intrigue children; perfectly pitched at a 9+ readership

 

Bethan, Y7 says:

This book is about children in some kind of camp, possibly a war camp or refugee camp. The children are re-named after letters and I and his four friends, L, O, V and E, have to scavenge for food and drink otherwise they will not survive.

 

 

 

‘Our hearts were broken in the same places. That’s something like love, but maybe not quite the thing itself’

Aza’s life is filled with complications.

Living with anxiety and OCD is enough but when Daisy, her Best and Most Fearless Friend, brings her on a mission to find a fugitive billionaire things are about to get even more complicated.

To find Russell Pickett, Aza must enter the world of his geeky, but maybe kind-of-cute son, Davis.

But the chances of a first kiss, and maybe even a first love, could send Aza into a spiral of anxiety…

A perfect coming-of-age novel filled with love, mystery and Star Wars fan-fiction.

 

Caitlin, Y8 says:

A book following a girl named Aza and her best friend Daisy. Will they get the 100,000 dollars or will they discover more as they search? This is a very engaging book and I really enjoyed reading it.

 

Molly, Y8 says:

This story is about a 14 year old girl and her life. To start with I was confused about where the book was set, as it used both English and American words! I think it is interesting and a great, quick read!

 

Bethan, Y7 says:

I think John Green’s other books are a lot better than this one. It is still a really good book though.I would definitely recommend it to older readers and fans of John Green. 

 

Erika, Y8 says:

16 year-old Aza has a mental health problem. The author takes you on a journey into her sometimes dysfunctional mind.

Also, the Earth is resting on the back of a giant Turtle …

 

‘Once an adventure digs its claws in, there is not an awful lot you can do about it. Especially when magic is involved . . .’
 
In the snowy kingdom of Erkenwald, whales glide between icebergs, wolves hunt on the tundra and polar bears roam the glaciers. But the people of this land aren’t so easy to find – because Erkenwald is ruled by an evil Ice Queen and the tribes must stay hidden or risk becoming her prisoners at Winterfang Palace.

Join Eska, a girl who breaks free from a cursed music box, and Flint, a boy whose inventions could change the fate of Erkenwald forever, as they journey to the Never Cliffs and beyond in search of an ancient, almost forgotten, song with the power to force the Ice Queen back.
 
This is a story about an eagle huntress, an inventor and an organ made of icicles. But it is also a story about belonging, even at the very edges of our world . . .

 

Lois, Y7 says:

A heart-wrenching tale written at a difficult time in the author’s life, ‘Sky Song’ is a wonderfully written, imaginative tale of magic and gods. The protagonist, Eska, is held prisoner by the Ice Queen. In her escape, she forms a bond with a golden eagle, named Balapan, and P.J.O.

 

Cerys, Y8 says:

Sky Song is an enchanting, heartwarming and beautiful story, which kept me on the edge of my seat all the way through. Even after having read it, I still feel my mind in the chapters. It’s so gripping and it made my heart sing! I think other people in year 8 would love it. The only thing that didn’t work was that it wasn’t long enough. I’d DEFINITELY recommend it! 

 

Josiah, Y7 says:

A very well-written story of a fantasy land with description of the adventures of Flint, Erska and Blue from Winterfang to the Nevercliffs.

 

Tabitha, Y9 says:

This was an absolutely beautifully written book and I loved every bit. I would highly recommend this to anyone who loves a good, long read.

 

It’s 1979, and thirteen-year-old Lydia has no idea how she’ll cope when her dad announces that the family has to sell up and move onto a Thames sailing barge in Essex. With his girlfriend. And her three kids.
Between trying to keep her clothes dry in a leaky cabin, disastrous hair-dye attempts, awkward encounters with local boys, and coping with her suddenly enormous and troublesome family, Lydia fears she’ll sink rather than swim . . .
At turns heartbreaking and uplifting, through Lydia’s innocent and perceptive voice we find out that while the mud may stick, the tide can turn – and in unexpected and joyful ways.

Molly, Y8 says:

This is an interesting story about a girl who is forced to move into a boat. At some points it can be a bit boring, but it is mainly a good and very addictive story. It is a wonderful book to read!

 

 

 

 

Annie is starting college and she can’t wait for the adventure to begin. No more being told what to do. No more rules. No more labels. As a teenager with cerebral palsy, independence matters more than anything to Annie. The last thing she’s looking for is romance.

Fab is starting college too. He’s wild and energetic and he believes that the greatest adventure in life is falling in love. He’s left his home in Poland and he feels adrift in the world. The one thing he’s looking for is romance.

What will happen when Fab and Annie meet? Will either of

them find what they are truly looking for?

Big thoughts, big dreams and bigger laughs, Jenny McLaghlan is the star of feel-good fiction.

 

Molly Y8 says:

In this book, two unlikely lovers meet, and eventually fall in love. It is very interesting and funny, however I think that the title should be different.

 

Evie, Y7 says:

This is a really good book with the ups and downs of college life/relationships. There weren’t many cliffhangers but it was still interesting.