Difference between revisions of "Newest Confident Readers Reviews"
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| + | |title=Looking for Bear | ||
| + | |author=Holly Webb | ||
| + | |rating=4.5 | ||
| + | |genre=Confident Readers | ||
| + | |summary=Young siblings Ben and Cassie have just moved into a new house with their dad. Their new world is exciting to explore, but they wish that dad wasn’t so busy all of the time. They have lots of things that they want to tell him, like how Ben is being excluded by his friends at school, how they discovered that the new builders are actually pirates, how Ben designed his own football comic strip and best of all, how they both discovered a bear living at the bottom of the garden... | ||
| + | |amazonuk=<amazonuk>1407131788</amazonuk> | ||
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{{newreview | {{newreview | ||
|title=Goth Girl: and the Ghost of a Mouse | |title=Goth Girl: and the Ghost of a Mouse | ||
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|summary=Grey begins his life in occupied France, but Sabina can not bear to see him handed over to the German Army and ends up tossing the pup into a departing boat heading for Dover. We never know why the soldiers agreed to take him, perhaps refusing might have drawn attention. But for whatever reason Grey finds himself alone that night. He is befriended by a small spaniel who has become lost when a her owner was injured in an air raid. Molly's devotion to Grey will help him grow up, and he will repay his debt to her in act of courage that draws the attention of Young Nathan, a young dog lover who is just getting ready to start basic training. Nathan desperately tries to find a home for the dog, but Colonel Parry offers them a unique chance to stay with the dog that has so quickly won his heart. They can both train as paratroopers. Grey seems uniquely suited to this task with his courage and high intelligence. There is only one problem - Nathan is terrified of heights. | |summary=Grey begins his life in occupied France, but Sabina can not bear to see him handed over to the German Army and ends up tossing the pup into a departing boat heading for Dover. We never know why the soldiers agreed to take him, perhaps refusing might have drawn attention. But for whatever reason Grey finds himself alone that night. He is befriended by a small spaniel who has become lost when a her owner was injured in an air raid. Molly's devotion to Grey will help him grow up, and he will repay his debt to her in act of courage that draws the attention of Young Nathan, a young dog lover who is just getting ready to start basic training. Nathan desperately tries to find a home for the dog, but Colonel Parry offers them a unique chance to stay with the dog that has so quickly won his heart. They can both train as paratroopers. Grey seems uniquely suited to this task with his courage and high intelligence. There is only one problem - Nathan is terrified of heights. | ||
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0141347899</amazonuk> | |amazonuk=<amazonuk>0141347899</amazonuk> | ||
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Revision as of 12:07, 9 September 2013
Looking for Bear by Holly Webb
Young siblings Ben and Cassie have just moved into a new house with their dad. Their new world is exciting to explore, but they wish that dad wasn’t so busy all of the time. They have lots of things that they want to tell him, like how Ben is being excluded by his friends at school, how they discovered that the new builders are actually pirates, how Ben designed his own football comic strip and best of all, how they both discovered a bear living at the bottom of the garden... Full review...
Goth Girl: and the Ghost of a Mouse by Chris Riddell
It all starts with 'sigh, soft and sad and ending in a little squeak'. But while some mice can end up roaring, so this book soon escalates from just meeting the ghost of a dead mouse to something much bigger. Through exploring the country pile Goth Girl Ada lives in with her father, alongside the ghost mouse, she finds an albatross, a Polar Explorer who might be a monster, and then a compact club of young people her age she had no idea existed. There's even more to be found after that, as Ada discovers how malevolent the party season's plans are going to get, with a nasty indoor hunt having some remarkable prey… Full review...
The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell by Chris Colfer
Twins Alex and Connor Bailey have had it tough recently. Their father was killed in a tragic accident and their mother has to work all hours to make ends meet. They even lost their house, as the family could not afford to live there anymore. Things are not completely hopeless though. They have a wonderful grandmother who always seems to be there when they need her most and a special birthday gift from her is about to send them on an adventure that they will never forget: a trip to the enchanting Land of Stories. Full review...
Oliver and the Seawigs by Philip Reeve and Sarah McIntyre
Children the age of Oliver are supposed to be adventurous, but he just wants to stay at home. He's been dragged across the globe by his explorer parents, but he only wants to settle. Moving into a new home at last, when they retire, he soon finds them vanished, along with lots of small islands that had peppered the bay their house overlooked. Oliver, then, has to turn pioneer, and try and find out what has happened to the rest of his family. Full review...
The Lost Gods by Francesca Simon
Imagine that Christianity didn't end up a world religion. In its stead you have the Norse gods, a bunch of war-mongering, bling-loving, mead-slurping divinities with the appetite and impatience of a toddler in a sweet shop. Mad berserks battle to the death every day in their halls — for fun, that is — and their idea of meaningful communication is a thunderbolt. Only . . . they can't quite manage all that any more. Full review...
Silent Mountain by Michelle Briscombe
Silent Mountain introduces us to the world of Jack Jupiter and his adventures. An ordinary boy with an interest in wildlife, Jack is bullied in school and still grieving the death of his father when, ignoring his Grandmother’s warning, he heads to the frozen lake and gets drawn into a life changing adventure in another world. Full review...
The Surprise Attack of Jabba the Puppett: An Origami Yoda Book by Tom Angleberger
What is out there that can make a wimpy kid less, er, wimpy? Why, a paper finger puppet of the Star Wars universe's Yoda character, that's what. One kid in school has taken the Origami Yoda persona on through several other books and adventures, and he's going to be useful here, as he, our chief narrator Tommy and all their friends despair at changes in the school. In a rash move, the principal has banned all the semi-educational but fun classes, like music, drama and, er, Lego Robot Club, and replaced them with horrendously boring and patronising, shrill TV programmes and rote filling-in of worksheets, just so collectively the school's exam marks bounce back from a one-year dip. But how can one little paper Yoda inspire such a large scale retraction, and get the changes reversed? Full review...
Star Wars Jedi Academy by Jeffrey Brown
Roan has dreamed of going to pilot school his whole life, so it comes as a bit of a shock when he doesn’t quite make the grade. The next best alternative, unfortunately, is Tatooine Agriculture Academy, and a life as a farmer on his dusty, desert homeworld. Luckily, fate steps in and Roan receives a letter from Master Yoda, inviting him to train at the Jedi Academy on Coruscant. It may not be pilot school, but Roan realises that it may be his ticket to a better life. He just needs to get to grips with the Force, lightsabers and of course...girls... Full review...
The Ghost Prison by Joseph Delaney
Meet Billy Calder. The young orphan has got a job, which is lucky as he's nearly too old for the Home for Unfortunate Boys. Unluckily it's a job at the local spooky castle, which is the town prison. It's sat looming above everyone and has generated a whole host of legends and ghost stories among the people below. More unluckily, the truth behind those ghost stories is even worse than the public imagination. Even more unluckily, Billy has been singled out for the night shift. And we find out just how Billy's luck runs out completely when we learn who requested him to work nights… Full review...
The Lord of Opium by Nancy Farmer
At last! A long-awaited sequel to Nancy Farmer's acclaimed House of the Scorpion, in which she explored the life of a little boy who was created solely to provide organs for the failing body of a drug lord. Matt's story was exciting and heartbreaking - would you want to find out you were a clone? It was also incredibly thought-provoking, exploring ideas of prejudice, power, courage, love and sacrifice. And it all took place in a dystopian future in which the drug trade was all but legitimised and in which people are enslaved by microchips in the brain. Full review...
Lockwood and Co: The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud
Sensing ghosts is a risky business, even if you're as talented as Lucy. And when one simple mistake leads to the death of several children, she sets off for a new start in London. Here there is an absolute epidemic of ectoplasm, icy air and bloodthirsty beings from beyond the grave. But ghost-hunting is big business down south, and the major firms won't hire an unknown. The only agency which will take Lucy is a down-at-heel place run, in the basement of their home, by two teenagers. Full review...
The Little Ghost by Otfried Preussler and Anthea Bell
I have to admit I was slightly prejudiced about this book. The Little Ghost immediately brought back memories of Robert Bright's Georgie which I had cherished as a child. Like Georgie, Little Ghost is a wonderful friendly character, if you are looking for a fright, this book will not be at all suitable. But if you jut want a feel good adventure for younger readers, this book is just the thing. Full review...
The Dinner Club and Other Stories by Rob Keeley
Being on home dinners gives Aidan the chance to make some money...
A bridesmaid and a page chase a runaway wedding cake...
Mia and her Dad turn detective...
These are just a few of the premises you can try out for size in Rob Keeley's third book of short stories for middle grade readers. He's really having some fun with this format. I approve. We need more short story collections for this age group. They're entertaining and they appeal particularly to reluctant readers. Short stories like this can act as a springboard to full-length novels. Full review...
Rendezvous in Russia by Lauren St John
When Skye, Laura Marlin's three-legged Siberian husky, saves an actress's life, Laura and her friend Tariq get the chance to work on a film set in Russia. Heading to St Petersburg initially seems to be the chance of a holiday of a lifetime - but as 'accidents' start piling up, Laura and Tariq realise that they could be in yet another dangerous situation. Can they save the day again? Full review...
Stay Where You Are And Then Leave by John Boyne
Alfie is just five years old when the Great War breaks out in 1914. His father joins up straightaway. Cheerful letters come from Georgie for a while and Alfie's mother reads them to him. But then the letters grow miserable and frightening. Alfie's mother stops reading them aloud and hides them away - but Alfie finds them anyway. And then the letters stop altogether. Alfie is told that his father is on a secret mission and can't write, but he sees through the lie immediately. And then, one day, a chance meeting tells Alfie exactly what has happened to his father. He's home from the front but he's in hospital, suffering from a condition nobody understood at the time: shell shock. Full review...
Fortunately, the Milk... by Neil Gaiman and Chris Riddell
A boy and a girl are horrified to find their fridge is milkless, which means their cereal will be too dry for their breakfast. Luckily, even though mum is off working away from home, dad can nip out and fetch some. Or he could if he weren't as a result kidnapped by aliens, threatened by pirates and gods, forced to cooperate with a dinosaur in a hot-air balloon, and a lot more… Fortunately, the milk can save him and breakfast – or can it? Full review...
Samurai by Ian Beck and Daniel Atanasov
The hero of our story is nameless. He is only the Samurai, and not even quite that. He is dishonoured, a masterless Samurai, or Ronin. We do not know his master's fate but we can only assume it is death, and that Ronin has fled the field taking his injured dog to safety. The land is desolate and barren and both the text and the superbly drawn illustrations build a feeling of darkness and despair. The path he travels on is lined with skeletons of defeated warriors lashed to wagon wheels. It gives the reader the impression of the road to hell. The young Samurai takes refuge in a ruined palace, yet another sign of devastation upon the land, seeming to exist for the next few days only to care for Cho, his dog, while awaiting the punishment of the gods for his failure. He rises from despair to help others, first to defeat a demon haunting the palace, and then undertaking a journey to find and defeat another deadly demon. Soon the young warrior comes to a village suffering under the most horrific of curses. His courage will be put to the test as he must risk even his beloved Cho to save an innocent girl and lift the curse. Full review...
Thor and the Master of Magic by Kevin Crossley-Holland and Siku
I grew up with tales of the heroes of Asgard, and this story was always a firm favourite, but today's children are more likely to know Thor from The Avengers. This book is sure to interest any young comic book fans, and the illustrations will certainly help with this, but it is still faithful to the original myth, and in my mind would count as literature, rather than just a fun read - but I wouldn't tell the children that. This is an excellent retelling of Thor's visit to Utgarda - Loki ( the giant king's hall) from Prose Edda a collection of Norse poetry thought to have been compiled by the Icelandic poet Snorri Sturluson in the 13th century. Full review...
The Summer of Telling Tales by Laura Summers
Grace and Ellie are at the seaside with their mum. They're not on a holiday, though - they've escaped from their domineering and abusive father. As the two settle into a new school and make new friends, Grace - who only ever speaks to Ellie - meets someone she can be herself around, while Ellie reinvents herself as Elle, a confident and popular girl instead of the shy and scared youngster she used to be. But can they ever be free of the shadow of her father? Full review...
The Secret Mirror (Emily Feather) by Holly Webb
It was hard enough for Emily to cope with the news that she was adopted. She had missed all of the signs, but now everything seemed painfully obvious. She didn’t resemble her sisters and brother, with their slender, delicate features. 'They belonged together.' It was clear that Emily was different from the rest of her family, but the real shock was when she realised how different she was. The Feather family were not even human. They were high-ranking fairies and their home served as a gateway between the human and fairy realms. Full review...
Big Nate Compilation 3 : Genius Mode by Lincoln Peirce
They say you should live your life like an adventure, and Big Nate certainly does that, even if it is only four panels at a time, meaning the full plot of the story can take a week or more to come out. For Big Nate is a star of an American newspaper comic strip, and this, believe it or not, is his tenth collection. We learn from this all about his friendships at school, his relations with his teachers and father, and just what a soppy thing his most unmasculine dog can be. Here are comics, baseball and laziness, as every American kid knows them. Luckily for us, though, Big Nate travels well. Full review...
The Bomber Dog by Megan Rix
Grey begins his life in occupied France, but Sabina can not bear to see him handed over to the German Army and ends up tossing the pup into a departing boat heading for Dover. We never know why the soldiers agreed to take him, perhaps refusing might have drawn attention. But for whatever reason Grey finds himself alone that night. He is befriended by a small spaniel who has become lost when a her owner was injured in an air raid. Molly's devotion to Grey will help him grow up, and he will repay his debt to her in act of courage that draws the attention of Young Nathan, a young dog lover who is just getting ready to start basic training. Nathan desperately tries to find a home for the dog, but Colonel Parry offers them a unique chance to stay with the dog that has so quickly won his heart. They can both train as paratroopers. Grey seems uniquely suited to this task with his courage and high intelligence. There is only one problem - Nathan is terrified of heights. Full review...
