I, Corinder by Sally Gardner

 This book is very interesting, as it is about a family with a child who was born in 1643, so it was set in a very old time. I think this makes the book very exciting to read because you can learn so much about the era and how people lived in that time.

Coriander hobie is a girl who lives with her parents in a great house on the river Thames. She says that she remebers happiness of her early years of life, but as you read, you find out that that is not so for her future. Coriander tells the story of her life in this book and she is a very likeable character; a genuine young girl with an imagination.

On the back of the book, the blurb tells you quite a lot of the story, but using a smal amount of words. As I told you, she says she remebers happiness of her early years, buy then  Coriander simply says, 'That was before I knew this world had such evil in it, and that my fate was to be locked up in a chest and left to die.' This book is clearly a thriller, yet when I first saw the front cover, I had no idea it would be of this sort of genre. This is what made me that much more excited about reading it.

A couple of quotes from other writers and magazines: Publisher's weekly, said 'a suspenseful masterpiece.' and The Bookseller, said 'this story entranced me from page one and didn't let me go until the last sentence'. These comments give a positive view on the book.

My favourite character would have to be Coriander, and I know that may seem boring as she is the main character, but she's just so young and imaginative, just like any normal girl, and i enjoyed reading about her throughout this great book.

A favourite of Coriander's quotes for me would be, 'This is my story. This is my life.' I like it because it just simply states that her story is going to be interesting, it gives you an idea and an insight that her story may not be a typical young girls journey through life.

I would give this book 5/5 stars, because it was a different sort of book to what I would usually read, as it is very deep and detailed. I really enjoyed reading this book and would definitely recommend it to anyone who likes mystery plots in books. For me, there is nothing I didn't like about the book and this is why I would give it full marks out of five.

Here are some links to the author of the book and other reveiws:

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sally_Gardner
• http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/145946.Sally_Gardner
• http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/455933.I_Coriander

My worst best friend by Dyan Sheldon

This book is really good. I bought it because I thought it looked very eye-catching and the title made me want to find out more. It's generally a teen's book, which is why I recommend this book to young girls from about 11-16 years old.

Gracie Mooney is a school girl enjoying life, with her best friend Savanna Zindle. They have always got on great, despite being totally different, a typical high school friendship, with a smart one, and a slightly ditsy one! They were inseparable, but what happens when Savanna gets a new boyfriend? Will the boy come between best friends Gracie and Sav? 'We were cosmic twins and we would be forever.' said Gracie, but will their friendship last?

They have a few fights along the way, so read this book and find out how they get through their problems...or if they ever do...

My favourite character from this book would have to be Savanna, because she is so crazy and naive. She gets so caught up with things and is always really forgetful. She's a bit of a mess, bus she makes you laugh as you discover more and more about her character throughout the book!

One of the quotes I particularly liked, which was said by her was, "All right? I'm like ten zillion times better than all right. I'm like, excellently fabulous. I've never been so happy to be me in my whole life." This quotation shows the typical character of Savanna; always so over the top and really happy!

I would rate this book 4/5 because I really enjoyed reading it, but at times it could be a bit predictable. However, it's a really good book and definitely worth reading.

Here are a few links to some other reviews of this book, and a bit about the author...

• http://www.wondrousreads.com/2010/03/review-my-worst-best-friend-by-dyan.html
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dyan_Sheldon
• http://www.play.com/Books/Books/4-/12332789/My-Worst-Best-Friend/Product.html

Utterly me, Clarice Bean by Lauren Child

This book is all about a young girl named Clarice Bean, and is the first book of two. Clarice has a wild imagination which comes into the storyline in many ways, as she gets confused or puzzled about little things (especially in school), which cause her to get into trouble. This first book introduces all the characters and their individual peronalities, so that you get to know them and so can relate to them. As Clarice and her best friends Kurt and Betty battle their class in an interesting exhibition competition, find out who will win and what they will discover along the way...

There are quite a few mishaps throughout the story, but I don't want to give away too much! So if you want to find out more, you'd better read this book!

My favourite character in this book would have to be Kurt, because he is portrayed as quite a bad boy of the class and is always getting into trouble with the teacher, Mrs Wilberton. He is also a very enthusiastic character. In particular scenes he is especially funny and makes little comments about life throughout the book.

I think the author, Lauren Child, writes this book in a certain style, in that the language is very childish with lots of made-up words. For example, Clarice says: 'Betty Moody is nowhere to be seen. I wonder what has happened. She is utterly, absolutely never not ever late for class.' This makes it easy for younger children to relate to, but the real humour of it is only understood as an adult. This makes the book very interesting and more personal to the reader.

A good quote from the story, was when Mrs.Wilberton (the teacher) says, 'Clarice Bean, I am really not prepared to tell you again, if you cannot be bothered to pay attention to me, then maybe you will pay attention to Mr Pickering!'. (Mr Pickering is the head master of the school.) I think this is interesting because it is very direct and straight to the point, as she uses Clarice's full name. This also shows her anger towards Clarice. The author is obviously trying to convey the authority of a head master, and as a reader, you feel sympathy for Clarice and a bit worried for her, as she has been sent to his office for misbehaving!

I would give this book 5/5, because I really enjoyed it, and I think the characters are really well portrayed and as a reader you can relate to them. I think the book is written very well and the humour is very clever. The plot is very easy to follow, and also, I thought the introduction was good because straight away I wanted to read on.

Here are some links to websites about the book, and about the author:
http://www.kidsreads.com/reviews/0763621862.asp
http://dragonflybookreviews.blogspot.com/2008/10/utterly-me-clarice-bean-by-lauren-child.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lauren_Child

Noah Barleywater runs away by John Boyne

This book caught my eye as it is a very simple yet unusual book cover, I think. It's sort of magical and msterious. This is why I decided to buy this book and give it a go. It looked vey intriguing and I immediately wanted to know more.

When I started to read this book, I found it had a lot of descriptive language, which I like, and so I was enjoying it a lot. The book is basically about an eight-year-old boy called Noah who runs away from home, and finds himelf in two different villages, one after the other. Something happens at the first one and he's on the run again! When he comes to the second village he finds a toyshop which is no ordinary toyshop - it's filled with magical toys that come to life. This is where the story REALLY begins and ends, and you will meet a lot of friendly characters along the way...

If you want to find out more about this great book, you will have to read it, and I will tell you that it is definitely worth giving it a go. One of the quotes I particularly like, is said by Noah's father, near the end of the book, and is quite sad. It might give away a part of the ending, but if you think so, you will find out whether it's what you thought it was or not by reading the book. The quote is, 'But Noah, it won't be long now. You realise that don't you? She doesn't have long left.' Find out more for yourself...

My favourite character from the story would have to be someone I haven't yet mentioned, and that is the old man. You don't get to know his name, but he is very sweet and caring, especially towards Noah when they first meet. They have a lot of great conversations together, which reveal a lot about the story line.

So in conclusuon, this book is definitely one of my favourites and I would love to read it again! I would really recommend it. I'll give it 5/5 because I enjoyed it so much. I hope I have persuaded you to read this book.

Book Review - The Amazing Tory of Adolphus Tips (by Michael Morpurgo)

This book is set in the time of 1943 on a farm, and it's all about a little girl who is really close to her cat, but to her dismay, her cat gets lost. Because of the time the book is set in, men are preparing to invade France, so the farm where the book is set is out of bounds. The story is about what happens to the little girl as she sets off to find her adored cat.


I found this book very interesting, as it was set in during World War II, which was a period that I had studied in junior school. Michael Morpurgo manages to describe the surroundings of the place in a lot of depth, which makes you as the reader feel like you're really there, experiencing everything the characters experience; this alone makes this book worth reading! Michael Morpurgo writes it as if it's the little girl in the story's diary; there are dates every few pages. It's an interesting way of writing that's quite different from a normal chapter by chapter book.
                                                      
'Books For Keeps' commented, 'Put this book at the top of your "must buy" list' and 'Funday Times' said, 'A master storyteller at his best'. These comments remind us that Michael Morpurgo is one of the top children's writers today.

Because the book is written as a diary, there isn't very much scene setting at the beginning of the book, which is something I usually enjoy. Something that did make an impression on me was something a character from the story says, ' A ray of Atlanta sunshine, that's what you are, a ray of Atlanta sunshine.' You would have to read the book, to really find out why I like this, as it's who's saying it that's the reason, but I found it sweet the way it was said. 


I think my favourite character in this book, would be lily, who is the little girl who's cat goes missing. She's the main character in the story, and she's my favourite because she seems very curious about a lot of things around her, and the friendship between her and her cat is so sweet! When her cat goes missing, she is very upset, which show her close relationship with him. 


I would give this book a star rating, 4/5, because I really enjoyed reading it, but I think it could use a descriptive paragraph or page at the beginning, to set the scene.