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Primary Times - the definitive what’s on and where to go family guide of activities and events for children of primary school age. Things to do with your kids during the school holidays including arts and craft activities, music and theatre for children, parties, competitions, days out, and family attractions along with term time drama schools, dance classes, after school clubs and sports activities. Things to do at a place near you!
Kid's Book Reviews
Reviews: September 2013
Read our March 2013 and June 2013 Reviews HERE
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  The Disappearing Duchessby Imogen RossiPublished by Hot Key Books ISBN: 978-1444006681 Twelve-year-old Bianca feels like the luckiest girl in Venice. She's apprenticed to the most famous painter in the world - Annunzio di Lombardi - and she's learning all the tricks of the trade in the most glamorous and powerful place in the city: the Duchess' Palace. But one night disaster strikes. Bianca's beloved Lombardi is given a poisoned cup of wine at a party, and collapses - but not before giving Bianca a magical paintbrush, which allows her to travel through hidden doorways throughout the city |
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A slow burner
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Gripping Storyline The reason I love this book is because of the gripping storyline – which makes it the sort of book that you just can't put down! It is not the sort of book that I would usually go for but I am so glad that I picked it up and would definitely recommend it, although I think it is best readers would be girls. It is very well written and holds your attention from the very beginning to the very end. A perfect read, give it five huge stars!!!
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by Gillian Cross When Holly's sister announces her engagement, wedding planning begins in earnest. But a tight budget means missing out on some wedding essentials - like the cake! Holly decides to put her baking skills to the test and surprise the happy couple with 1000 cupcakes! What could possibly go wrong? A light-hearted girly comedy. Particularly suitable for struggling, reluctant and dyslexic readers. |
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This story is about a girl called Holly who has to make 1000 cupcakes for her sister Mia's wedding. All of her friends help to make the cupcakes but at the wedding a disaster strikes with the cupcakes. However this book has a happy ending and everything works out fine in the end. I really liked this book and it was an easy read. I also liked the pictures in the book. The book was maybe a little too short, only 62 pages long but good for a quick read. I would recommend this book to a friend and would give it 4 out of 5 stars.
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 Paddy the Puppy (Fairy Animals of Misty Wood) by Lily SmallPublished by Egmont ISBN: 978-1908177845 it's Paddy the Puppy's birthday! As Paddy flies all over Misty Wood, spreading pollen to make the flowers grow, he invites his fairy animal friends to come to his party. And when he arrives home, he's in for a lovely surprise! |
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Paddy the puppy is quite a short book. I liked it because it was funny and exciting. Paddy is a pollen puppy who goes on an adventure where he meets new friends on the way to his birthday party. Paddy is very cheeky. He messes up other animals work and thinks he has annoyed them but it's all part of his birthday party surprise. I thought the book was a bit too young for me but other children would like it. There are activities at the back of the book which I enjoyed doing. It's nice to read a book that has extra things at the back to do. It also tells you about the fairy animals app, which I downloaded and enjoyed as it lets you read and do activities about the book. You can also visit fairy animals.com to meet the characters. I would give it 3 out of 5 stars.
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  Space Pirates: Stowaway by Jim Ladd Published by Nosy Crow ISBN: 978-178112213X When Sam's parents are stranded on Planet X, he bravely asks his neighbours, the notorious Space Pirates, to help rescue them. But they'd rather carry on bowling and singing space-shanties, so Sam has no choice but to hide in a barrel of alien slime and stowaway! A fast-paced, funny series with gags galore, this is a chase through space that will have you cackling from start to finish! |
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Sam is a stowaway on Captain Comets' space pirate ship. He needs to find his parents who have crash-landed on Planet X. Planet X is believed to be made of gold, but no-one has ever been there or knows where it is! When the pirates discover Sam is aboard with a map of how to find Planet X, they get very excited at the thought of all that gold. The adventure begins, with Black-Hole Beard ( a REALLY bad pirate) trying hard to steal Sams' map. This book was a bit too long, so Mum helped by reading some chapters to me. I enjoyed the adventure and the funny bits, especially when Black-Hole Beard gets scared of the Grumigators, which are blue crocodile-like creatures with five eyes. I would recommend this book to anyone that likes pirates and space. I give this book 4 out of 5 stars.
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by Tracey Turner From Victorian toshers who sifted London's sewage for treasure, to Roman gladiators who fought to the death on a daily basis, find out all about the hardest, most revolting and most hilarious jobs in the world through history. |
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Worlds Worst Jobs is quite a long non fiction book. It tells you about horrible jobs that people have done over the years in olden days but don't do any more or use different equipment to do the job today. Although I found the book a bit boring and it isn't the kind of book I would normally choose to read, I did learn something from it. I can't believe that children as young as my 6 year old sister had to do such dangerous jobs like, going down the mine or up a chimney and that girls didn't go to school at all. I also learned that a royal prince could not be whipped so another boy would be whipped instead. He was called a whipping boy and I don't think that was very fair. I would give the book 2 out of 5 stars because I didn't really like it but think that it could help me with my school work for future topic work.
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  Oliver and the Seawigsby Philip Reeve Published by OUP Press ISBN: 978-0192734556 Oliver grew up in a family of explorers - but his biggest adventure is about to begin! Along with his new friends, a grumpy old albatross, a short-sighted mermaid and a friendly island called Cliff, Oliver goes off in search of his missing parents. |
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I really like this book because it's not one of those short stories that is over too quickly, it is a longish book that took time to read. I normally read books like this because I like adventure stories – I'm not too keen on really girly ones. I thought it was well written and I like the clever ideas and descriptions, like the Sea Wigs that are moving islands and the Sarcastic Sea instead of the Pacific. The story held my attention and whenever I stopped reading I wanted to know what was going to happen next. I found it quite easy to read but there were some difficult words. I loved the black and white illustrations - everyone had big eyes! My favourite characters are the Sea Monkeys because they are funny and cheeky. I recommend this book and give it 5 stars.
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  A Royal Fairytale by Ink Robin Published by Egmont ISBN: 978-1405268431 See Kate and Will's romance develop, through their studying days at Edinburgh through to their happily ever after wedding at Buckingham Palace with the royal family, even the queen, in tow. |
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I liked the book, the best part was the wedding and fireworks as I like fireworks and the colours on the page were really bright. I also liked that they had a baby at the end. It was a real fairy story. I think Rapunzel would like a story like this as she married Flynn Rider. The book could have been a little longer as was quite brief at times and due to this we rate it 4 out of 5.
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by Kate Scott James Bond never had to wear a dress! Joe discovers his parents are spies, which is great. But Joe's parents are in danger which is not so great. And Joe has to go undercover as a girl which is definitely not great at all. |
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I did not likethe beginning of the story,because the story started off unexciting. However it got better and better after the slow start. Normally I would not read this kind of book because it was such a long story. I would recommend this book to my friends. The book was well written and the middle and end of the story held my attention. The book was challenging since I have never read such a long story before. I came across alot of new long words. My Mum read some of it to me so we could email you the review this week. I would give the book 4 stars out of 5. It was an enjoyable read. Look forward to reading the other books.
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  The Great Galloonby Tom Banks Published by Hot Key Books ISBN: 978-1471400889 The Great Galloon is an enormous airship, built by Captain Meredith Anstruther and manned by his crew, who might seem like a bit of a motley bunch but who are able to fight off invading marauders whilst drinking tea and sweeping floors! |
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This is a story about a big boat that floats in the sky. The Captain, Meredith Anstruther is about to get married to Isabella but his brother, Zebediah, steals her and marries her instead. The Captain begins to search for Isabella but on the way they have to find out who is making the loud noises, fight Behemoths and have to stop the ship from falling from the sky to the ground. My favourite character was Stanley because he is adventurous. It was a bit hard to read the book at the start and I had to concentrate a lot and ask my mummy what a lot of the words meant but the story became exciting and I hope that there is another book to follow. I would recommend this book to a friend but they must be a good reader. I would give this book 4 out of 5.
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by Fleur Hitchcock Sam comes home one day to find his family turning a little bit loopy - his mum is redecorating using hieroglyphics and his dad is building a pyramid in the back garden. He hopes it's just a weird new fashion ...but then the strangeness starts to spread. |
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I didn't really like this book and I only ever wanted to read about ten pages every time I picked it up. It is not the kind of book I would normally read but I have to say the front cover is incredibly funny and it did draw me in. I liked the idea, how all the parents started turning into Aztecs, Romans or Greeks and how the children had to defend themselves. I especially liked the character Ursula and how she videoed EVERYTHING on her camera! Parts of it were well written but it should have been longer because the story was rushed and certainly didn't hold my attention. The book was about history in a way but it was not very factual. It isn't a very challenging story except for of the Aztec terms and it was mainly easy. All together I would give it 3 stars – I wasn't that impressed and would not recommend this book to any of my friends.
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The book was by F.R Hitchcock. I liked the part where the characters found out why the whole town were turning into people from history. I didn’t enjoy the first few chapters and the end chapter because they were a bit boring. It is the type of book I usually read, but I read all sorts of books. I would recommend it to a friend because most of the book is enjoyable. I think the book was a bit short for me. Near the end it was very exciting and I could hardly put it down. I learnt lots about Egyptians and Aztecs. I have learnt lots of new words like piteous which meanssad. I found the book easy. I would give the book 3 stars out of five.
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  Heart-shapedby Siobhan Parkinson Published by Hodder Children's Books ISBN: 978-14444903607 Annie makes a startling discovery one day - and everything changes. She fears for the safety of her boyfriend Jonno, who has vanished, knowing he is in desperate trouble. |
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I liked how Annie was helping people and her best friend being there for her all the time. I didn't like how Annie found a dead body and that it made her really upset all the time. Heart shaped isn't the kind of book I would pick to read but after reading it I would recommend it to friends because it's all about best friends being there for each other at good and bad times. I think the book is really well written and explains a lot about Annie's life. I found the book too long because I found it hard to get into and I had to re read some pages if I put the book down for abit. I found heart shaped easy to read but at first it was challenging and trying to understand what was going on. I give the book 3 out of 5 stars.
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by Michael Harvey The Lady Luck is a floating casino sailing up and down the Mississippi. Among the passengers are Clarence (the owner's cat), Bruce (the Captain's Alsatian) and two stowaways: a weasel called William and a skunk called Rico |
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The Mississippi Steamboat Heist is a story about thieves who rob the Lady Luck. The Lady Luck is a casino steamboat where people go to gamble. In the story there is a cat called Clarence, a horse called Wyatt, a dog and a skunk who all team up to try and catch the thieves. I thought that "The Mississippi Steamboat Heist" was a bit long and boring book but that it would be a good book for boys. I didn't really like it and would give it 2 stars. I did learn something even though it was a fiction book as there were names I'd never heard of before and about casino's.
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by Tracey Corderoy There's more trouble afoot for the little girl whose Granny is a (shhh, whisper it) witch, whom we first met in Hubble Bubble Granny Trouble. Granny just loves to magic things along and a trip to the supermarket is anything but ordinary. |
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The book is a great all round book, but is very topical at the moment with Halloween just round the corner. I thought the book was very funny and liked it a lot, a lot. My favorite part was the giant teddy bear because I liked it when it was alive and it saved the day. The bit I didn't like was the nasty robbers because the were doing not nice stuff. The book was very funny with all of the food turning into things like real fish fingers that were flying!! The Granny was a nice witch as there are some nasty witches like in the Wizard of Oz, but Granny was a good witch. I liked the colours in the book. Lucie rates the book 5 out of 5.
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  I Am A Woolly Hat (EARLY READER)by Salma Koraytem Published by Orion Books ISBN: 978-1444008449 Early Readers are stepping stones from picture books to reading books. A blue Early Reader is perfect for sharing and reading together. A red Early Reader is the next step on your reading journey.M |
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I felt this book was very long for a young child and at times a bit long winded to put across the point. Lucie loves books and was able to sit through the book, where as my 3 year old son got bored and a little frustrated with it. This book made me feel lovely inside and I want to be the woolly socks. My mummy loves me a lot. The drawings were not as good because the colours were not bright like other books. I liked the quiz at the end where you had to say what your family were. Lucie rates this book 3 out of 5
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by Anna Lavis Lady Lydia of Poppinton Manor is old and eccentric, but she is never lonely. She shares her home with bats and mice and spiders, and all the animals round about are her friends too. |
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This is a very long book about Lady Lydia and her animal friends. We had to read the book in two sittings as it can become a little too long to keep attention. I am not too sure if reading about an eccentric old lady who is dying in this book has been such a good message as the Author intended. I have read other books that have put it in better context for a young reader. I like all the pictures of the animals in this book, but I don't like it when the pages have lots of writing on with no pictures. It made me sad at the end because mummy told me that the old woman had died and her animal friends will miss her. Lucie rates this book 2 out of 5
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This book is based on my diary and other writings of the Aunt Emma period. Later on, it all turned sour and I used to be almost frightened of the diary and writing the next page. |
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I liked the super brave bit because it was really brave of Timothy and Beth to kill the silver rat. It's really good because the silver rat is really mean, nasty and scary. It made me really scared sometimes. Grinny is not the kind of book I would normally read. I found that Grinny was hard to get into as it didn't interest me but the book was well written so I understood the plot. I think the book was challenging as I found it hard to get into at first. I would give the book 4 stars out of 5
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I'm an incredibly famous film star! I get interviewed in magazines and I'm friends with other celebrities and I know it's bad to gossip so I hardly ever do. |
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A superstar called Ellie May travels to New York with her chaperone Jeffrey and stays at a fancy hotel called The Splendido Marvellousa. She has gone there to do an interview. Whilst Ellie May is there she meets Kiko who is a famous dancer, singer and author and her twin sister Katsu but then disaster strikes when Ellie May finds out a big secret about the sisters and tells everybody. I liked the book a lot. It made me laugh and had funny pictures too. My favourite character in the whole book is Ellie May because she thinks she can keep a secret but she can't. My favourite part of the book was when Ellie May and Jeffrey tried to get into Kiko's room. I thought that this book was the right length and it kept my attention. I would recommend this book to my friends and would give it 5/5 stars.
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Twelve-year-old Kit Connelly has been saved from almost certain death ... by a ghost. A ghost who looks a lot like a fourteen-year-old version of herself. |
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I liked reading spooked as Kit Connelly a 12 year old girl is saved by her own ghost, but the ghost looks like a 14 year old version of Kit. Kit decides she wants to do something life changing but her plan takes on a nightmare journey. Spooked is a book that I would want to read as it's not too scary but keeps you wanting to read more to find out what's going to happen next. I would recommend it to my friends I think they'd like to read it like me. Spooked is quite a long book which is well written and is good for understanding the plot and conclusion of the story. I found the book really interesting and because of this it made me want to carry on reading more and didn't want to put the book down. I think spooked was easy to read and understand what was happening all the way through the story. I give this book 5 out of 5 stars I really enjoyed reading it.
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In a world where islands float above the sun and Cloud Hunters sail the skies for water, orphans Gemma and Martin live with their 120-year-old great, great, grand aunt Peggy and the sky-cat Botcher on a remote rock miles from civilisation. |
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I enjoyed the bit about how Martin used to love hearing Angelica's rat skinned stories and about her dad's fingers they got bitten off. They sailed all the way to hospital and because it took a long time the fingers was dry and dead, so he had to live with no fingers. It's not really the kind of book I'd want to read because I'm not into sharks and rats. I don't think I'd recommend it to friends Sky Run was well written and I understood it well it had words In that I understood which explained things throughout the story. I found the book hard to get into and it's taken me a little bit longer to read than the other books because I didn't find it really interesting and it made me bored. I'd give the book Sky Run by Alex Shearer 2 out of 5 stars.
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  The Ghastly McNastys: The Lost Treasure of Little SnoringBy Lyn Gardener Published by Piccadilly Press ISBN: 978-1848123441 Pirates ahoy! An island-of-treasure adventure starring the nastiest pirates ever to sail the seven seas! The McNasty twins are horrible. |
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This book was disgusting, talking about snot, sweaty socks and Mrs Slime - It was great! Really loved it, and have read it twice!!! |
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Horrid Henry's World Records  By Francesca Simon Published by Orion Books ISBN: 978-1444009217 Horrid Henry's gizmo collection is a massive 643...but that's nothing compared to the Magnet Lady, who owns over 30,000 fridge magnets. |
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I don't really like Horrid Henry because he is so naughty, but I found the facts very interesting and I learned a lot form them. |
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  Gnomes, Gnomes, Gnomes!By Anne Fine Published by Barrington Stoke Books ISBN: 978-1781122044 Sam loves making gnomes out of clay. Dozens and dozens and dozens of gnomes, living huddled together out in the shed. |
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I didn't know what a Gnome was, but my Dad explained it to me. I thought the story was a little bit silly but good fun. I leant it to my sisters to read when I finished it, they enjoyed it too. |
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  The Society of ThirteenBy Gareth P. Jones Published by Hot Key Books ISBN: 978-1471400551 London, 1891. When orphans Esther and Tom are caught stealing by Lord Ringmore, little do they realise the peril they are in. Rather than hand them over to the police, the lord employs the children. But what does he really want with them? |
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| I found that the book was well written however; personally it is not one of my favourites. Although, I would highly recommend it for its amazing storyline, description and brilliant action. I think its best audience would be 9-10 year olds of either gender. Bryony, age 10 |
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  Little CelesteBy Dawn McNiff Published by Hot Key Books ISBN: 978-1471402425 Eleven-year-old Shelley only leaves her bedroom for two minutes, but when she gets back, there's a real, true-life, lavender-eyed baby on her bed. It's far too noisy, smelly and heavy to be a ghost baby - so whose is it? |
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I thought Little Celeste was a very good book. I think it is for girls who are 10/11 so it was a little bit old for me but I liked it because there was lots of strange characters in it. It's about a girl called Shelley who's 11 and her mum who has a horrible ex-boyfriend called Scott. Shelley calls him Toadstool because he's mean and smells. In the book Shelley's mum is trying to get Scott back. Shelley finds a magical baby in her bedroom. The baby is invisible to everybody except Shelley. She calls the baby Celeste. Shelley finds some photos of herself as a baby and they look exactly the same as Celeste. She realises the baby is actually her but as a baby. Celeste helps Shelley make some new friends including a girl called Jay that people call names and think is a boy. Celeste helps Shelley tell her Mum about how horrible Scott is and about the names he calls her. Her Mum decides she doesn't want him back. I think the story is written to help children tell their mum's and dads about things that might not be nice that are happening to them. I would give the book at least 4 out of 5 stars.
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  How Brave is That?By Anne Fine Published by Barrington Stoke Books ISBN: 978-1781122433 Tom wants to join the army, but he has to pass his exams first! When he turns up without proper uniform on exam day, strict Mrs Dell threatens to send him home. |
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How Brave is That is a book about a boy called Tom who wants to join the army. It tells us about how he behaves at school and that everything he does is to do with the army. He makes a gun out of a ruler instead of using it to measure. Then one day his mum has baby triplets and calls them Gilly, Milly and Tilly. As the triplets grow up they become naughty and destroy his uniform bit by bit. His baby sisters throw up on his shirt, they bury his shoe and hide it in the coal to go on the fire and they pull a bath of water onto his clean trousers. He has to go to school everyday in different non uniform clothes and gets into trouble. All his teachers understand about the triplets but tell him that rules are rules and to wear proper uniform. The headteacher is mean and won't let Tom take the exam that he needs to do, to get into the army unless he's wearing school uniform. So he has to borrow a girls uniform including a skirt and a teachers shoes to be able to take the exam. I think the book is quite funny and that boys would like it. I give it 3 stars.
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  The Great Ice-Cream HeistBy Elen Caldecott Published by Bloomsbury Publishing ISBN: 978-1408820506 Those McIntyres are nothing but trouble!' When the McIntyre family moves in next door, Eva is intrigued - it is the first interesting thing to happen for ages. But her ever protective Dad - even more protective since Eva's mum died - does not agree. |
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I liked that Eva's dad let her do things that Eva didn't think her dad would let her do. He did this because he trust her & knew she'd act grown up. I disliked that Eva's friend Jamie lied to her that he hadn't vandalised but actually he had. Friends don't lie to each other so I really didn't like that part. Yes I think I'd of chosen to read 'The great Ice-Cream Heist' if I'd of seen it in a shop or book store. I have recommended it to my friend, she's just borrowed the book from me & is enjoying it so far. I didn't find the book either too long or short. It was just right. The great ice cream heist held my attention, I really enjoyed reading it & found it easy to read and understand. I'd give the book 4 out of 5 stars.
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  Joe and the Lightning PonyBy Victoria Eveleigh Published by Orion Books ISBN: 978-1444005929 Joe is delighted that his pony, Lightning, is brilliant at mounted games. The two of them make a great pair and Joe can't wait for them to try out for the Prince Phillip Cup team. |
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This book is about a boy called Joe who has a pony called Lightning. They join a pony club called the Bellsham Vale Pony Club. They meet lots of new friends and enter a competition to win the Prince Philip Cup. Will they win the Prince Philip Cup? I liked this book a lot. I liked all the different ponies. It was the right length of book for me to read. My favourite character was Lightning because she was a very funny horse and was very good at competitions. From the front cover of the book it looked boring, but when I read the book I was surprised as I really liked it. I would recommend this story to a friend and would give it 4 out of 5 stars.
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  Big Rock and the Masked Avenger: Wrestling Trolls: Match OneBy Jim Eldridge Published by Hot Key Books ISBN: 978-1471401930 Jack knows every wrestling move there is to know, and his dreams come true when he's recruited as a training assistant to Waldo's Wrestling Trolls. Little does Jack know that he's actually part troll, and that when his new family is in trouble he morphs into the terrifying Thud! |
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My favourite part of the book was the part where Jack turned into a troll. I didn't have a least favourite part because all the book was enjoyable. It is the book I normally read because it contains an adventure and I read adventure stories. I would mostly recommend the book to boys because boys wrestle. I think the book was written with an idea of who it was for. Once the book was in my hands I couldn't put it down. I got on well reading the book. I learnt lots of wrestling moves from the book (collar tie, tie clinch and mountain bomb). This book contains lots of brilliant words like questioningly. I found the book very easy. I would award this book 5 out of 5 stars.
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  The Huge Hair Scare: Mariella Mystery 3By Kate Pankhurst Published by Orion Books ISBN: 978-1444008920 Mariella Mystery (That's me!) - totally amazing girl detective, aged 9 and a bit. Able to solve the most mysterious mysteries and perplexing problems, even before breakfast. |
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This book is about a little girl called Mariella and all of her friends who are in a club called ' The Mystery Girls'. There is a strange fog coming through the town which is turning people's hair into strange colours and shapes. Who' s doing it, where is the fog coming from and why are they doing it? The girls try to find out the answers to the problem. My favourite character was Poppy because when she was in the mystery all that she was worried about was the swimming gala. What I liked about this book was that it has special reports in it. I would recommend this book to a girl. I thought that the book was the right length to read and it wasn't too easy to read. I would give it 5/5.
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  The Mouse and the CamelBy Eileen Noakes Published by A H Stockwell ISBN: 978-0722343319 This is the tale of a mouse and a camel who found themselves making a journey together, their growing friendship, and what they learnt from each other on the way. |
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I really loved this story, especially when the mouse climbed up the camel! There were some really big words that I didn't understand but my Mummy explained them to me. I couldn't read it by myself that well. I'd give it 4/5
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  Twit (EARLY READER)By Steve Cole Published by Orion Books ISBN: 978-1444009699 Twit is a raggedy little owl whose brothers love to play tricks on him. It gets him into all sorts of trouble! But that all changes when Twit meets Norma, a clever little vole. All of a sudden, Twit's brothers had better watch out - Norma and Twit might just have a trick of their own to play... |
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This book was so funny all the way through, even though Twit is very silly! I could read it by myself with a little help from my Daddy. 5/5
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  The Anti-Boredom Activity BookBy Sophie Schrey Published by Buster Books ISBN: 978-1780551654 An entertaining collection of activities, puzzles and ideas, The Anti-Boredom Activity Book will beat boredom in the most creative ways. |
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Had lots and lots to do which was great when we went for a long drive. 5/5
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Too Many Sweets! Lena and Larry are friends - Lena is slim and active and she likes to eat fruit and vegetables. Larry likes to drink fizzy pop and he eats too many sweets! Oh dear! Larry is getting very chubby and he feels too tired to go out and play with his friend. This lovely book will show children the benefits of eating healthily. |
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I did not like this book - it even made my Mummy very cross! I have sweets sometimes but I know when to stop eating them. The story said that the dentist gave the girl a lollipop for having looked after her teeth. They don't do that at my dentist - they always give me a really cool sticker! From Joanne (James mum) This book should not have been published! I found it very offensive in the way it tried to "preach". I did not even finish reading it with my son! |
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  School for Stars: First Term at L'EtoileBy Kelly Willougby Published by Orion Books ISBN: 978-1444008111 We are the Willoughby sisters and we have a story to share with you about one of the most important things in the world - friendship. |
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Molly and Maria are twins who go to a school called L'Etoile. L'Etoile is a school for stars where only girls go. You have to be talented and rich to go there and all the girls are good at singing, music, dancing and acting. The girls sleep there as it is a boarding school. The twins meet a girl called Pippa who is very shy. She is at the school because she's really good at singing and writing songs although she doesn't have lots of money and is at the school on a scholarship. The girls are in the same house and share a room. After they become friends the school holds a gala where the girls can show off their talents. Another girl called Lucinda hears Pippa's song and thinks it's better than her own. As Pippa is scared about singing in public Lucinda suggests that she sings Pippas song. She then tricks the headteacher by ringing her pretending to be Pippas Mum saying that Pippa needs to go home immediately. Pippa thinks Lucinda is doing it because she is being kind but really she wants to steal her song. The twins don't know what's happening when they see Pippa leave but try to help stop Lucinda when they find out her plan. I've really enjoyed the book as it's not like one I've read before. It reminds me of a book version of the TV series Victorious which I really like. I would give it 4 stars.
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  The BeatlesBy Mick Manning & Brita Granström Published by Frances Lincoln Children's Books ISBN: 978-1847804518 How did four cheeky lads from Liverpool – John, Paul, George and Ringo – become the greatest rock band in the world? Mick Manning and Brita Granström tell the amazing story of The Beatles with captions and strip pictures for fans of all ages. |
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The book tells the story of the famous pop group called The Beatles. It tells how they met and formed the band. I enjoyed the cartoon-style bits. Also I liked the layout, which is set into years, with paragraphs of information next to the drawings. The book shows a time line for the 60s, which I liked. There was so much information that it took over half an hour to read! I liked it because I like music and I enjoyed learning their songs, because some of the sings titles are listed. I would recommend this book to music-lovers and I rate it 5***** out of 5*****
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Four hilarious new Horrid Henry stories - HORRID HENRY'S MOTHER'S DAY, probably not the day his mum looks forward to most in the year, HORRID HENRY'S NIGHTMARE where Henry's chased by a ghost bunny with huge teeth, a wailing graveyard ghost and, for good measure, a slimy zombie, then a new story about one of his greatest enemies in THE RETURN OF THE DEMON DINNER LADY and last but not least FLUFFY STRUTS HER STUFF. |
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Story 1: When Horrid Henry's parents came into his bedroom one night, Henry screamed! He had been having nightmares. Story 2: Mrs Oddbod the headteacher and Henry found out the health monitor had ate all the sweets at the end of the story! Story 3: Henry was training fluffy at the start of the story. Peter paid money to train Fluffy. Story 4: The funniest part was when Henry and Peter went dashing up the stairs to take breakfast in bed for their mum. They banged into each other and the breakfast went flying onto mum's head! |
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  How To Draw Your PetBy Michael Garton Published by Buster Books ISBN: 978-1780551609 A must-have gift for budding young artists and animal lovers alike. How To Draw Your Pet contains simple step-by-step instructions on how to draw a wide selection of pets - from household favourites to the slightly more exotic. |
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I really enjoyed this book and having a go at drawing. My two older sisters (7 and 10) were better at it than me. |
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Horrid Henry books and audio have sold over 15 million copies in the UK alone and CITV have made a hugely popular cartoon series based on the nation's favourite naughty boy. 2008 saw a Horrid Henry exhibition at Seven Stories, Newcastle called Up To Mischief With Horrid Henry. |
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| I don't really like Horrid Henry because he is so naughty, but my friend read them and thought they were awesome. |
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  Mittens Finds a New HomeBy Sepideah Arkani Published by XLIBRIS ISBN: 978-1483666051 Mittens is a playful young cat. He lives a happy life with his brothers, sisters and owner, Mrs Rowen. They live in a house with a big garden. Mittens loves the outdoors. |
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| Loved this story, it was sad at the beginning but had a really happy ending. I'm glad Mittens was chosen by the man and the lady. |
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Vigi wants to be a Viking warrior, but the only thing he's ever really fought with is Grandma Grumpit's awful porridge! But when Vigi's father gets swindled by a band of pirates, Vigi and his friends set out on an adventure worthy of the Viking name. |
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| This book was funny because all the Vikings had funny names. I like Magnus Bigbelli, even though he shouted a lot at Vigi who was only trying to help. |
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Molly and her family have moved around for years. Every time they think they've found a home, one of the Quirks slips up and sends them packing. The Quirk family, you see, is a bit, well, quirky. Each family member has a magical power that makes them unique, and highly unusual. |
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This book is about a family who keep going to different places because they can't fit in. They go to Normal in Michigan. Molly Quirk wants her family to settle in but there is one problem, all of her family have special powers, mind control, time twisting and invisibility, except for Molly. Will they be able to settle into Normal or will they have to move on to another town? The best thing I liked about the book was that most of the characters had super powers. I would recommend this book to a girl that is my age because I sometimes didn't know what some of the words meant and had to ask mummy. I thought that the book was the right length. My favourite character in the book was Finn because he was naughty and could turn invisible. I would give this book 4/5.
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The Plague: A Cross on the Door 'In sixteen hundred and sixty-five there was hardly anyone left alive.' |
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This story is about a boy called Sam who was picked from the orphanage to live and work with a man. It is the summer of 1665 and the plague has hit the town where Sam lives. His master dies, so Sam is locked in the house and a red cross is put on his door. He has to escape but how? Will he ever make it out with the guards watching the house? Sophie Wadley-Jones, age 7 |
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Fairytale characters, story card and sticker activity book. Fairytale Theatre Cinderella Warning! Not suitable for children under 36 months due to small parts. |
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This is a thin book and on each page there is pop out people and furniture for the Cinderella story. When you open out the cover you can build a theatre with different scenes. I needed help to take out all the fiddly card shapes and put the theatre together but it’s a good book to get out when it’s raining or when you are a bit bored. It’s better to have a friend with you because there are lots of characters and bits to move about while you are acting out the story. Mum stuck the characters onto wooden skewers so that they were easier to move about. There is a little script you can follow if you want to but I didn’t use it. I liked this book and would recommend it to girls from 5 to 6 |
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Extra Special Treats It's really cold outside and we're all hoping it's going to snow. Yeah! Derek and I could make a snow Rooster and have a snowball fight (look out, Delia!). Granny Mavis has started to knit me a new winter jumper, but by the looks of things I'm not sure it's going to fit.
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I did not enjoy the Tom Gates book because I don’t think it was appropriate for my age and I think it would suit a younger boy or girl. I didn’t think the jokes were very funny and as it was told in the eyes of Tom I did not think he explained what was happening very well. I think it was really a copy on Diary Of A Wimpy Kid and it was not as descriptive as the wimpy kid books. I do like the doodles on the front and on the sides of the page. The characters I like but I think they need to take more time on them, stuff like what they wear or what they like. All in all I think the book is not done very well but think it would appeal to a younger age than me so I will give it a 4/10 and would hope that the other books that the author has written are a bit a better. |
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This story is about a girl called Eliza and her pet dog Einstein who are spies/ inventors with their family. Her next door neighbour Mrs Mcnice seems to be a bit suspicious to Eliza and she tries to find out why. Her dog likes Mrs Mcnice's dog but it doesn't like Einstein back. Is Mrs Mcnice up to no good or not ? I liked the book because it is written like a diary and she has a pet dog.i would recommend this book because it is silly and funny. It did not take long to read this book.
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The story is about a boy who works with some monsters in a restaurant called Fuzzbys. The boy is called Joe and one of the monsters is called Fuzzby. They both decide to make a 'doughbot',who can clean the restaurant for them. However things to do not go plan and the doughbot goes crazy. Joe then attempts to remove the potato brain out of the doughbots head so he stops being crazy... |
Put on Your Shoes! |
