Category: books for boys

The Blitz Next Door by Cathy Forde

9781782502036Pete has never even heard of Clydebank in Scotland, but when his dad finds a new job at last, Pete finds himself leaving his home in London overnight.
There are advantages to his new life, including a massive new bedroom and his first ever garden, complete with a real-life bomb shelter.
He’d even be ok with the sound of the girl next door crying all the time — except that there is no house next door…Pete makes two new friends: Dunny, who knows all about the Second World War, and Beth, the girl next door who somehow seems to come from it.
He slowly realises that Beth has returned from the 1940s for a reason.
But does Pete have the courage to step into the past to solve a mystery that’s over seventy years old?

It was a really good book because of all the characters. I loved the character Beth Winters. RW (S1) *****

The Piper by Danny Weston

piperHe who pays the piper calls the tune. When Peter and his little sister, Daisy, are evacuated from London to the countryside, they find themselves on an isolated farm in the middle of a treacherous marshland.
As Daisy gets drawn deeper into the secrets of their new home, Peter starts to realise that something very sinister is going on.
What is that music they can hear at night? And who are the children dancing to it?

Fabulous! It was the best book ever. AG (S1) *****

Awful Auntie by David Walliams

awful auntieAunt Alberta is on a mission to cheat the young Lady Stella Saxby out of her inheritance, Saxby Hall. But, with the help of Soot, the Cockney ghost of a chimney sweep alongside her, Stella is determined to fight back. And sometimes, a special friend, however different, is all you need to win through.

It was a very moving story. I personally enjoyed the characters Soot and Lady Stella Saxby.  ES & RW (S1) *****

Tom Gates: A tiny bit lucky by Liz Pichon

tiny bit luckyWill Tom and his band DOGZOMBIES be LUCKY enough to win the Rockweekly Bandbattle competition?
They just might be if they could find time to practice!
But with inspectors in the school, an amazing new cartoon on TV, caramel wafers to eat and a stray cat getting in the way, Tom’s a bit too busy having FUN!

I really enjoyed this book and I liked the way that the author went to another book. MW (S1) *****

Dark Spell by Gill Arbuthnott

15-year-old Callie Hall has just found out she’s a witch, and things keep going wrong. Sometimes her mind seems to make things happen, things she can’t control. She can set fire to things without a match, and when she’s angry people can get hurt.
Her friend Josh understands she’s a bit weird, but it’s only on a dark and dangerous visit to the tunnels under the ruins of St Andrews’ Castle that he realises just how strange she really is. Something comes back with Callie — in Callie — something she can’t escape. Can Callie control her power long enough to send back the darkness, before it takes over her life? And will Josh ever understand her secret? A brilliant, engrossing teen fantasy from the author of Winterbringers and The Keeper’s Daughter.

It is a really gripping book and I would recommend it. (S1) *****

Intriguing, mysterious & good. (S1) ****1/2

A Medal for Leroy by Michael Morpurgo

Michael doesn’t remember his father, an RAF pilot lost in the war. And his French mother, heartbroken and passionate, doesn’t like to talk about her husband. But then Auntie Snowdrop gives Michael a medal, followed by a photograph, which begin to reveal a hidden history, a story that will change everything – and reveal to Michael who he really is.

A very touching story. Well described characters. L McC (S1) *****

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth by Jeff Kinney

The ugly truthGreg Heffley has always been in a hurry to grow up. But is getting older really all it’s cracked up to be? Suddenly Greg is dealing with the pressures of boy-girl parties, increased responsibilities, and even the awkward changes that come with getting older. And after a fight with his best friend Rowley, it looks like Greg is going to have to face the “ugly truth” all by himself…

It’s really funny. It made me read more. BC (S1) *****

Better than what I thought. Not too long to read and its really funny. GB (S1) *****

 

Ferryman by Claire McFall

When teenager Dylan pulls herself free from a train wreck and emerges onto an almost deserted Scottish hillside, she believes she is the only survivor. Seeing the figure of a boy on the bank she enlists his help. But Tristan is no ordinary passerby, and Dylan soon learns that instead of being the only survivor of the wreck, she is in fact the only fatality.

 And, Tristan is no normal teenage boy – he is her ferryman tasked with guiding her through the wasteland to her afterlife. As the pair journey further together through the dangerous wraith-infested wasteland, they fall deeply in love. When they reach the other side, Tristan promises to cross over with Dylan, but when she steps across the threshold and turns back, he is not there. Confronted with life without Tristan, Dylan vows to find him, but that means traversing the dangerous wasteland without a guide.

I thought this book was great. I loved the story and the characters. This is a book well worth reading. P (S1) *****

Not my kind of book but I may buy it for somebody else maybe, but not me. J (S2) ****1/2

The Book of Doom by Barry Hutchison

There’s panic up in Heaven. They have mislaid the Book of Doom – the most important object in existence. Oopsy. They think Satan might have stolen it, the sneaky little devil, so to save the world – plus, you know, quite a lot of embarrassment, fifteen year old Adam and his angelic guide Angelo are sent to retrieve it.

I really enjoyed this book. There are lots of details and it’s really funny. I would really recommend this book. J (S2) *****

This book is confusing but its very good and interesting. I (S2) ***

It was an awesome book you don’t want to put it down. I would recommend this book. 😛 J (S2) ****