Book Reviews

This week, we reviewed a book we've read recently.  There were two parts to our review.  Firstly, the synopsis needed to include the key points.  The aim was to hook someone in without giving away the ending!  Secondly, we needed to give an honest opinion of the book.  You can read all our book reviews by clicking on the correct tab at the top of the page.  Here are four great examples:


Warhorse - Michael Morpugo.  Reviewed by Bethany.

Albert and Joey [a young bay gelding] are best friends. Joey is happy with Albert and his stable mate, old Zoey, until a war is on between the Germans and them. The army needs more horses for the men to ride so Joey gets sold to the army. While the war was raging, Joey meets some new friends such as Topthorn [a tall black horse], Trooper Warren [a soldier] and Emily and her grandfather.  Who will win the war, will the war even end and will Albert and Joey ever see each other again?

As I am a horse lover, I loved this book. It is a great read for people that love horses and war. My favourite part is when Joey and Topthorn meet Emily and her father. The three main themes are war, the friendship between man and horse and adventure. I give this book a rating of 9/10.

Catching Fire - Suzanne Collins.  Reviewed by Darian.

Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark have survived the Hunger Games, now the Capitol wants revenge.  Against all odds Katniss and Peeta are still alive. Katniss should be relieved but now there are whispers of a rebellion against the Capitol - a rebellion that Katniss and Peeta may have helped create. But now there is a 75^th Hunger Games and this time the names will be drawn from the Victor’s pool, which means Katniss is going back in the arena a second time. As the nation watches, the stakes are higher than ever. One false move and the consequences will be unimaginable. When Katniss is in the arena she is forced to make allies with those who she would normally consider them as enemies. While they are in the arena Katniss and her allies find out how the arena works (like a clock) and they have found a way to destroy the forcefeild that makes the whole arena blow up! But will they survive the explosion? Will there be a victor in the annual 75^th Hunger Games? Or will they be overcome by the power of the Gamemakers and the arena’s deadly disasters?

Overall I rate this book a 10 out of 10 and I recommend it to ages 11 and older. I really enjoyed this book because it is actioned-packed and had a really good plot. It is a killing, action, adventure, bravery and mystery book.

Mr Nobody’s Eyes - Michael Morpugo.  Reviewed by Logan.

Harry is just another ordinary kid whose dad had died in the war. But then it all changes when he meets Ocky, the chimpanzee. A few weeks later, after Harry first saw Ocky, he sees the chimpanzee again in the park alone without her owner.  Harry takes Ocky home to his secret den. He hopes that Ocky’s owner won’t mind if he looks after Ocky for one night. But when one night stretches into two weeks something happens that makes Harry’s stepfather and the police find out about the chimpanzee.  Harry and Ocky are soon on the run. Will Harry be able to sort things out, or will he sink like a stone into dark water?

I really enjoyed this book. Its two main themes are friendship and family. I could never put this book down as I always wanted to read more. When I finished the book I was begging for more. Sometimes there are moments when you think something bad is going to happen but then they just manage to slip by. I would rate this book ten out of ten.

The Reluctant Hero - Paul Little and John Lockyer.  Reviewed by Sophie.

Willie Apiata grew up on a farm, with his mum teaching him and his siblings the way of the world. He enjoyed pig-hunting adventures and looked up to his mum, respecting her very much. When Willie was 17, he had just completed Territorial Force Annual Camp as a recruit in training. He trained hard to try and get into a selected group of soldiers for the Burnham Base Camp, but missed the cut off as he dislocated his shoulder near the end of the training. After another selection training, he joined the team, working nonstop to keep fit. While all this was going on members of the Burnham Soldier Group were in Afghanistan fighting hard for freedom. Little did Willie Apiata know that soon this would be him! When Willie was in Afghanistan the group of soldiers he was with had watch duty and suddenly people opened fire and threw bombs at them. The truck that they had travelled in blew up from one of the bullets hitting the petrol tank and Willie saw his mate was in deep trouble of being shot. What happened next made Willie Apiata famous, after a superb act of bravery.

I enjoyed this book and I think the genre would be war-time, heroism, bravery and fighting for what’s right. When I read the book it was a page turner and I just couldn’t stop reading. It was very interesting, but also showed that the VC is very special and you would have to do something such as what Willie Apiata did to receive it. I would rate this book a 10 out of 10. This may seem generous but I believe this biography is fantastic.