Schools & Libraries Book Reviews
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My Name's Not Friday
Name: Katie Lancaster
20 October 2015;Genre: Adventure
Set in the American south during the American civil war, this book is about a boy who believes very much that he is being guided by the hand of God even when he is lead into a path of slavery and hardship. Although not altogether unlike other books set during this period, what is compelling about...
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The Last Summer of Us
Name: Victoria Dilly
20 October 2015;Genre: Friends and family
The opening few pages of the book had me thinking was this going to be another maudlin, teenage story that made me feel depressed. I say that because much of YA fiction today seems to be full of misery and pain, but this was actually not the case. Yes there was sadness and frustration and some...
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The Boy at the Top of the Mountain
Name: j.Hambleton
19 October 2015;Genre: Adventure
The Boy at the Top of the Mountain is another fascinating story from the pen of John Boyne. Set before and during the Second World War, it traces the path of orphaned Pierrot, from his home in Paris via the orphanage to the Berghof, the retreat of Hitler high in the Bavarian Alps. It is during...
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The Ghosts of Heaven
Name: Dawn Woods
18 October 2015;Genre: Adventure
Described as a novel in four parts, each part able to be read in any order, The Ghosts of Heaven describes essentially good people who are dragged into a spiral beyond their control. Their lives take unexpected paths, during which they discover more about themselves, although...
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All My Secrets
Name: Mark White
15 October 2015;Genre: Adventure
Sophie McKenzie has run the gamut of almost every literary genre from War (Time Train to the Blitz) to Romance (Defy The Stars/Falling Fast et al) via Thriller (The Medusa Project) and Mystery (Girl, Missing series). The Flynn/River saga placed the author firmly in the Teen/Young Adult category,...
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Gawain Greytail and the Terrible Tab
Name: Lizi Coombs
11 October 2015;Genre: Animals
Sir Tristan of Raven Castle has a terrible mouse problem so buys a Terrible Tab. The cat hunts down the mice until only three remain. The future looks dim, but luckily these mice are saved by the arrival of Gawain Greytail, a fierce mouse knight who teaches them the ways and leads them to defe...
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Mad in the Back
Name: Lizi Coombs
11 October 2015;Genre: Adventure
I'm a big fan of Michael Rosen - I like his funny real-ness (It is a word - honest!) and this book is no exception. Mad in the Back is a car journey that we've all had - infact, we've all been the two children who go 'mad in the back'....and we've all had the Mum who threatens (and then does!) st...
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Pugs of the Frozen North
Name: June Hughes
11 October 2015;Genre: Adventure
Pugs of the Frozen North is the third 'Reeve and McIntyre Production' and continues the pairing of illustration and text, where you really cannot imagine one without the other. Every page has something to look at, all in various shades of green and grey, making it very readabl...
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The Misadventures of Charles Darwin
Name: Dawn Woods
05 October 2015;Genre: Adventure
An accessible biography of Charles Darwin with chapter headings to entice and interest children. From stinky schoolboy to seasick sailor, Darwin's life is told and the importance of his discoveries in the context of the time explained. This latter is important as children will not necessarily be...
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Story of our Lives
Name: Sue Wilsher
05 October 2015;Genre: Adventure
This book links the family history of the Hancock family from Liverpool to historical events over the past 100 or so years. This is a very attractive book, cleverly combining family pictures and artefacts with photos of world events. The use of 'tape' to label the photos is effective, combined wi...
