Children Book Reviews

Name: Alison Kelly
12 September 2018;

Genre: Adventure

This year, National Poetry Day (NPD) falls on October 4th and, for the first time, a special anthology has been collated on behalf of the Forward Arts Foundation (the charity that funds NPD). Its focus is this year's theme - change. The book's format is distinctive: top children's poets have be...

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Name: Annabelle Age 10
09 September 2018;

Genre: Funny Stories

Wed Wabbit is a great mystery book following the main character Fidge. Strange things keep happening to her, from her cousin graham to her little sister's toy rabbit, so she's on a quest in the land of Wimbley Woos to find out why. I really enjoyed this book and would rate it 5 stars!

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Name: Jacqueline Harris
08 September 2018;

Genre: Non Fiction

I confess to being a bit of a foodie, so this book grabbed me from the start. In a combination of science, facts and humour, the book looks at a range of food, from fruit to dairy to drinks, as well as some original and off beat ideas around the topic, like pasta shapes or eating insects. Part...

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Name: Hayley Summerfield
07 September 2018;

Genre: Adventure

From the onset I was captivated by the front cover of this book, with its sassy heroine and her vibrant red hair. The title intrigued me and it didn't let me down, as this historical novel is brimming with authentic details that take its reader on a riddle-solving adventure that brings alive Nors...

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Name: Jacqueline Harris
06 September 2018;

Genre: Adventure

Alva is a young Viking girl with a pet wolf, Fenrir, and a mystery to solve. She is an investigator, finding clues and trying to solve crimes, as well as find treasure along the way. This is a truly feisty heroine, with bags of courage and curiosity. In many ways, despite being set hundreds of ye...

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Name: Jo Clarke
06 September 2018;

Genre: Fantasy

A Darkness of Dragons transports the reader to a mythical land of pipers, dragons and talking rats. The traditional tale of the Pied Piper of Hamelyn lies at the heart of this tale but children with limited knowledge of this fable will soon pick up the threads. Before long, th...

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Name: Nicki Cleveland
06 September 2018;

Genre: Fantasy

With The Choosing looming, Storm knows her destiny is about to be revealed. Which of the four Elementals will claim her as her own, determining her future in Yanlin? Last to undertake the Choosing, Storm visits the shrines where her fear of not being chosen by any of the Elementals is replaced...

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Name: Elizabeth Harris
05 September 2018;

Genre: Adventure

Warrior boy is powerful, moving and addictive. London teenager Ben accompanies his mother, a documentary film-maker, on a trip to Kenya. She is filming a documentary about elephant poaching and Ben travels with her to meet his Kenyan family for the first time. He is anxious that he won't be able...

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Name: Joanna Hewish
05 September 2018;

Genre: Representation & Inclusion

Original and inspiring, this short historical story will capture your heart; it's a real page turner.  Race to the Frozen North tells the tale of Matthew Henson - a young black child - who runs away from his violent stepmother and ends up becoming the first man to reach the No...

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Name: Emily Marcuccilli
02 September 2018;

Genre: Adventure

In this darkly comic tale that is set in the Nineteenth Century Dickensian world of orphans, hangmen and desperate poverty, young Cephas Catchpole has been enslaved to a cruel chimney sweep and forced to scramble up sooty chimneys. With smallpox ravaging the country and affecting both rich and p...

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