Category: Uncategorized

 

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.

 

Since the crash, since Eliza died, Samuel can’t find a way to go on. His need to see his love again is overwhelming, and so he ventures into the strange, terrifying world of Hoodoo. Samuel is about to make a pact with powers he cannot comprehend, let alone control…A chilling tale of love that reaches beyond the grave.

Molly, Y8 says:

This book is so creepy! Had I known that it was, I probably wouldn’t have chosen it- it is awfully sad, and the story felt quite fast paced.

 

When angels start falling from the sky, it seems like the world is ending. But for Jaya the world ended when her mother died, two weeks before the first angel fell.

Smashing down to earth at extraordinary speeds, wings bent, faces contorted, not a single angel has survived and, as the world goes angel crazy, Jaya’s father uproots the family to Edinburgh, intent on catching one alive. But Jaya can’t stand his obsession and, struggling to make sense of her mother’s sudden death and her own role on that fateful day, she’s determined to stay out of it. Then something extraordinary happens: an angel lands right at Jaya’s feet, and it’s alive . . .

Set against the backdrop of the frenzied Edinburgh festival, Out of the Blue tackles questions of grief and guilt and fear over who we really are.

 

Bethan Y7 says:

You may read the blurb of this book, then put it down thinking it’s about religion- Angels are falling from the sky. But if you do read this book, you will find that it is about a girl called Jaya. Her father tries to catch the falling angels to sell them, but they are always dead before they hit the ground. One day, however, Jaya finds one which is alive…

 

Caitlin, Y7 says:

I really liked this book and think anyone over 13 would too. It was very good and exciting. There isn’t too much, well anything< wrong with this book. It’s just amazing!

 

 

 

 

Around the time that Freya loses her voice while recording her debut album, Harun is making plans to run away from home to find the boy that he loves, and Nathaniel is arriving in New York City after a family tragedy leaves him isolated on the outskirts of Washington state. After the three of them collide in Central Park, they slowly reveal the parts of their past that they haven’t been able to confront,and together, they find their way back to who they’re supposed to be. 

Told over the course of a single day from three different perspectives, this is a story about the power of friendship and being true to who you are.

 

Zack, Y9 says:

It’s about 3 completely different characters. One that is famous, one that is gay, one that came from nothing. It’s a teenage romance in the space of a day. It’s a bit confusing but it makes sense at the end. It’s a really good book and I’d recommend it.

Nelly, Y7 says:

It is about 3 characters Freya, Nathaniel and Harun who are all lost in their life until they meet each other in a very coincidental, weird way. The 3 can find a way out of their own life but that would leave the other 2 still lost. This wasn’t exactly my favourite but still a good read. Also, it was sometimes easy to get confused with characters.

 

Bethan, Y7 says:

 

My friend had told me that she didn’t really enjoy this book but I read it anyway and think it is OK. I feel like the story needed a little more drama and unexpected twists. I still liked this book though!

 

Lottie, Y7 says:

It was interesting as well as a really good book. It didn’t really work at the beginning since it didn’t make sense to me. Generally I would recommend it to 12 and above, for people who have a good sense of book choice.

 

 

Told with heart and humour, The Boy at the Back of the Class is a child’s perspective on the refugee crisis, highlighting the importance of friendship and kindness in a world that doesn’t always make sense.

There used to be an empty chair at the back of my class, but now a new boy called Ahmet is sitting in it.

He’s nine years old (just like me), but he’s very strange. He never talks and never smiles and doesn’t like sweets – not even lemon sherbets, which are my favourite!

But then I learned the truth: Ahmet really isn’t very strange at all. He’s a refugee who’s run away from a War. A real one. With bombs and fires and bullies that hurt people. And the more I find out about him, the more I want to help.

That’s where my best friends Josie, Michael and Tom come in. Because you see, together we’ve come up with a plan. . .

Lara, Y7 says:

The Boy at the Back of the Class is a funny but heart-warming book full of friendship and adventure. This is a really well written book. I recommend it to anyone age 11-13 who is looking for an adventurous but down-to-Earth book.

 

Tommy, Y7 says:

This book was a really good read. Sad in parts, hilarious in others. One of the things I liked about it was that it was told from the point of view of a 9-year-old. He also wasn’t very clever and needed to ask the definition of some fairly basic words!

 

Ciara, Y7 says:

This story is shown through the eyes of a nine year-old. One of the interesting things about it is that you barely know anything about the narrator, if it’s a boy or a girl or what their name is. Anyway, one day a new boy arrives in the class. The narrator and their friends want to make him welcome.

 

Georgia, Y7 says:

I likes this book. It was about a boy called Ahamet who was a refugee and ran away from Syria. His got split up from his parents.I recommend this book for all ages because it’s a lovely book.

 

Nelly, Y7 says:

The book is about a new boy named Ahmet who is joining the same school as Alexa, Josie, Michael and Tom. They try to find out about him and then they go to the Queen to try and get her to help him.

 

They think I hurt someone. 
But I didn’t. You hear?
Cos people are gonna be telling you
all kinds of lies.
I need you to know the truth.

Joe hasn’t seen his brother for ten years, and it’s for the most brutal of reasons. Ed is on death row.

But now Ed’s execution date has been set, and Joe is determined to spend those last weeks with him, no matter what other people think …

From one-time winner and two-time Carnegie Medal shortlisted author Sarah Crossan, this poignant, stirring, huge-hearted novel asks big questions. What value do you place on life? What can you forgive? And just how do you say goodbye?

 

Bethan, Y7 says:

I would like this book more if it was not written in verse like it is. However it still had a really good story line!

 

Tabitha, Y9 says:

I absolutely loved this book! It was so moving and I felt every word. Some of it was a bit confusing though, how it would flip chapters from one time to back in time. This book is for anyone who enjoyed reading ‘One’ (by the same author).

 

Evie, Y7 says:

The style is really interesting. It is a diary written in a poetic way. It is quite short because the writing is spread out.

 

 

In a small village, a long time ago, young Ryo is desperate for excitement and adventure. When he sees a lone warrior chase bandits away from his home, he realises how he can find it. He learns the man is from a secret group of warriors known only as the `Hidden Ones’. He decides immediately that he is going to leave home, to train to become a fighter. Setting out on his journey to find his way in the world, Ryo will meet brave warriors, wise hermits, and heart- breaking tragedy. His quest and the people he meets along the way lead him to an understanding of what it means to follow his dream, and where his place in the world truly lies.

Josiah, Y7 says:

An amazing story of ancient China. A story of loss and discovery. The blurb was exactly right: ”a story of self-discovery for anyone trying to find their place in the world”

 

Lauren St John’s stunning Christmas classic is about forgotten children, the power of nature to heal us and a girl who will climb mountains in search for a place to call home. Nominated for the 2019 Carnegie Medal.

Growing up in vibrant, crowded Nairobi, Makena has only one dream: to climb Mount Kenya like her hero, her mountain guide father. But when her beautiful world is shattered, she finds that in the city’s dark places there are a thousand ways to fall, each more deadly than any crevasse. In a world of strangers, does she dare trust Snow, whose ballet dreams are haunted by a past she’s still running from? And is the sparkling fox friend or foe?

After a fresh start in the Scottish Highlands turns bad, Makena flees to the mountains. But will they betray her or be the making of her?

 

Molly, Y8 says:

This book was truly beautiful. It captures how hard life can be, but how happy and wonderful it can be at the same time. I would thoroughly recommend it to anyone.

 

Cerys, Y8 says:

This book is an enchanting story about friendship, trust, love and heartbreak. It made me feel both happy and heartbroken. I loved it.

 

Nastia is no traitor. She is a daring pilot, the daughter of revolutionaries, and now, as the Second World War descends on Russia, she must fight to save the glorious Motherland. But all is not as it seems, and when the battles begin, secrets are revealed and everything that she once knew is challenged… A thrilling adventure brimming with historical detail and powerful female characters. 

Toby, Y7 says:

A good book based on World War II. It is great in many ways. It is action-packed and has some information about World War II.

 

A heartbreaking and powerful story about a black boy killed by a white police officer, drawing connections with real-life history, from award-winning author Jewell Parker Rhodes.

ALIVE
Twelve-year-old Jerome doesn’t get into trouble. He goes to school. He does his homework. He takes care of his little sister.

Then Jerome is shot by a police officer who mistakes his toy gun for a real threat.

DEAD

As a ghost, watching his family trying to cope with his death, Jerome begins to notice other ghost boys.

Each boy has a story and they all have something in common…

Bit by bit, Jerome begins to understand what really happened – not just to him, but to all of the ghost boys.

A poignant and gripping story about how children and families face the complexities of race in today’s world

Eliza, Y7 says:

Ghost Boy is about an innocent 14-year-old boy Jerome who because of his skin colour is shot and killed by a police officer! Turning this story into two lives of when he was alive and when he is dead. If this was to be written again I would not change a thing. I think this book is suitable for 11+ due to its upsetting subject. Overall I think it’s a great read that educates you about racism, bullying and more.