Good Reads: The King’s School, Worcester

Chosen by Year 7 and 8 (11-13 year-old) pupils from the WRAITH reading group at The King’s School, Worcester.
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Thanks to Pauline James, Librarian.

Clay

David Almond, Hodder, 0 340 77385 5, £5.99 pbk

A strange boy called Stephen Rose comes to live in Felling. He has waxy skin and a haunted expression. He can make wonderful sculptures out of clay which seem alive! When Davie befriends him strange and unearthly things begin to happen – but can Stephen help Davie and his friend Geordie fight Mouldy and his gang? What will Stephen do with the stolen body and the blood of Christ? This is a good read and a thrilling page-turner. It held you in suspense; you never knew what could happen next. It’s also a mystical and enchanting read full of strange happenings. I would recommend this book for anyone who likes a read full of weird happenings. There was no downside to it, definitely 10 out of 10.

Ellie, Year 7

Firewing

Kenneth Oppel, Hodder, 0 340 85255 0, £5.99 pbk

Firewing , the sequel to Silverwing and Sunwing , is one of the best and most fast-paced books I’ve ever read. I read all three in less than a week! Firewing is about Griffin, Shade’s son. While Griffin is trying to steal fire from humans, he is responsible for gravely hurting his friend Luna. Ashamed, he crawls into the tunnels underneath Tree Haven where he becomes trapped during an earthquake. He follows a breeze – but it is a wind that sucks him down to the nightmare cannibal underworld of Cama Zotz. Can his father Shade rescue him? It’s an amazing story with lots of action, fun, and a big, sad twist at the end.

Jonathan, Year 8

The Great Team Omnibus

Rob Childs, Corgi Pups, 0 552 55225 9, £4.99 pbk

This is 3 stories in one; about the village school of Great Catesby’s football team The Greats. In ‘Great Save’ the team enter a tournament in which every goal they score raises money that goes towards saving their school which is threatened with closure. Tom, the Greats Captain, struggles to score goals in ‘Great Shot’. Will he find his form in time for the big game? In ‘Great Goal’ the school children make the charts with their school song, but will they be number one of the field? I thought this book was quite a good mix of real life and football, and although some of the situations are a little unlikely it’s still a good read. I think it would appeal to aspiring footballers of around 9-11 years old.

Katie, Year 7

Nelly the Monster Sitter, Book 2: Cowcumbers, Pipplewaks and Altigators

Kes Gray, Hodder, 0 340 88433 9, £4.99 pbk

Once I had started this book I didn’t want to leave it. It’s about a girl called Nelly who baby-sits monsters. The first story is about Petal Cowcumber who puts her tooth under the pillow when Nelly tells her about the tooth fairy – with unexpected results. In the second story Nelly is looking after the Pipplewaks’ egg which hatches a week early. Nelly doesn’t know what to do but she has a good idea which she hopes will work. The last story is about a family of three altigators who are afraid of heights, but Nelly conquers their fears and deals with the scary teenagers who live on the floor below. Kes Gray won the Children’s Book Award in 2001 with Eat Your Peas . This is the second book about Nelly and I hope there will be more.

Becky, Year 7

Darkhenge

Catherine Fisher, Definitions, 0 09 943849 6, £5.99 pbk

This is about a boy whose sister is in a coma after a riding accident, and he must journey into the Underworld to save her. Rob tries to ignore his growing sadness about his sister but an encounter with a druid and the discovery of an ancient monument give him the chance to save his sister. The book was clever in that it tells two stories; one through Rob’s eyes, and the other story through his sister Chloe’s. The strange twist when he finds his sister is original. It is written with a lot of imagination, for example when Rob descends to the black forests of the Underworld. I like the descriptive writing style although the long passages with little action could put some readers off. Overall it’s an excellent read, descriptive, magical, a little but dark. 8/10.
Alex, Year 7