"A Monster Calls" by Siobhan Dowd and Patrick Ness

Side note: This book was started by Siobhan Dowd and finished by Patrick Ness because, sadly, Dowd died before she could finish it, which is a real shame. If you haven't read any of Dowds earlier books then your doing yourself an injustice. I strongly recommend them to all those who enjoy a good mystery and also a gripping fantasy; one of my personal favourites is "The London Eye Mystery". Drop a comment if you would like to see a review on it later on. 
Thanks,
Louis

The opening scene is in a house; the bedroom of a teenage boy, Conor O'Malley when he's experiencing a horrific reoccurring nightmare... Or so he thought.
He envisions the giant, towering yew tree in the back field, alive. As it moves; shuffling towards the bare brick outer shell of the house, and Conor's window, it speaks his name in a deep, resonating voice; I've come to get you Conor O'Malley...
The monster proceeds in telling 3 stories in return for a 4th; the truth about Conor's reoccurring nightmare. The stories uncover the truth about the monster and Conor in ways he could never have imagined and cure Conor of the thing he has been plagued by, that horrible thing that had been visiting his dreams ever since his mother fell ill...

RATING: 10/10- A superbly crafted book with plenty of twists and turns along the way; all the way up to a really emotional end. A brilliant read! One of my favourite books.

ELLAS FILM REVIEWS

Hi guys, just wanted to let you know (after much annoyance on my behalf) that my sister created a film reviews blog page so go check it out and leave some support in the comments!! 

Cheers,

Louis

ellasfilmreviews.blogspot.com.au

P.S. A review of "A monster calls" by Siobhan Dowd and Patrick Ness is coming out soon so watch out for that!

"Wicked" the musical blog review

I thought this would be a nice addition to this blog as it's something a little different. Comment if you enjoy and would like to see more and leave a suggestion if you want to see your favorite musical reviewed.
Side note- These musical reviews won't come out as frequently as my book blogs (which isn't saying much as I haven't posted in Aeons!!) because of their length, detail and research (it's a lot of writing!)

Thanks for the support,
                       Louis

Review:

Introduction- 
Title- Wicked
Director- Joe Mantello
Company- @thewickedcompany.co.uk - This company does specialist transport for theatre shows.
Opening date- May 28th 2003

PLOT INTRO:

The story begins with the death of the Wicked Witch Of The West being announced by Glinda the good witch. The scene then switches to the birth of the sorceress Elphaba; the offspring of her mother and a mysterious man who carries with him a liquid green drink.  Later Elphaba is born with green skin; the possible result of the green liquid her father used. Her illegitimate father orders for her to be cast away.
The play then shifts to a scene in which Elphaba and Glinda are attending college for the first time. Glinda is popular and respected whereas Elphaba is shunned and ignored. Nessarose, Elphaba's half-sister, then enters with Elphabas illegitimate father (nessas real father) and proclaims that the only reason she attends this college is to look after his pride and joy; Nessarose.

Later; after being ridiculed, Elphaba flies into a rage; producing enormous amounts of power. Her raw talent of sorcery is spotted by none other than the head teacher and exclusive sorceress; Madame Morrible. As a result of her prowess in the art of sorcery she is offered an invitation to see the Wizard in the Emerald City...

Rating: 8/10- All round a very high-class musical with an amazing set and brilliant costume and lighting. The only fault I can point out would be the fact the first half dragged on slightly.

Percy Jackson Heroes of Olympus- The Blood of olympus by Rick Riordan

This is the final book in the Percy Jackson chronicles and, personally, brings this amazing series to a jaw dropping close.

In this book, The team on-board the Argo-II find themselves on their way to Athens, the centre and most important place to all the Greek Gods. Meanwhile, Reyna, Praetor of new Rome and Nico son of God of the Underworld, Hades are on a quest to bring the Athena Parthenos (a giant golden statue of Athena that was made and originally placed in amongst the pavilions of the acropolis) too Camp Half-Blood to stop the Roman and Greek Demigods Warring with each other. The entire New Roman army arrived thirsty for Graecus or "Greek" blood. Every single cohort has turned up to fight. Camp Half-blood has only a few campers in their midst. The fate of Camp Half-blood rests on the shoulders of Nico Di Angelo and Reyna. If they can bring the Athena Parthenos back to camp in time, the war will be stopped. 
It is in Athens that Gaia plans, with her Giant sons and daughters, to overthrow Olympus, Just as the Gods had done to her son, Kronos. Each ghastly Giant was created out of the murkiest and most monstrous parts of Tartarus for two purposes. One is too serve Gaia and the other is to oppose and destroy a certain God. Her overall plan is to water the stones of the Ancient lands with the blood of a male and female Demi-God; half god, half mortal. This, and only this, will wake the Earth mother. Don't forget, the giants, including their king, porphyrion, can only be defeated with the combined powers of both God and Demi-God together. Can Percy and the crew of the Argo II save the world and stop Gaia and her Giant spawn running rampant? Find out in this final thriller of the Heroes of Olympus saga.

RATING: 9/10! A fitting end to the Percy Jackson and Heroes of Olympus sagas.

Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of The Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien

Frodo, son of Drogo and nephew of the famous Bilbo Baggins from The Hobbit, lives with Bilbo in the Shire. Bilbo is having some problems with Gandalf, the wizard, who is telling him to get rid of the ring and pass it on to Frodo. The ring can get too powerful, almost like an addiction. You don't choose the ring, the ring chooses you...

Bilbo is having trouble with the Took family. Even though he is partially Took, they still want his house. Why is it fair that he's gone on all these adventures to kill a so-called dragon and come back with all these riches? Surely he could go and build a bigger house somewhere else? Bilbo says that he was going to give the house away to the Tooks and the ring to Frodo and buy a smaller house in another nearby town in Middle Earth. Bilbo gives a leaving party in his huge pavilion and invites everyone in the village of the Shire to come. Gandalf creates his famous fireworks and stuns the crowd of Hobbits. And then, after his leaving speech, Bilbo puts on the ring...and vanishes. As you know, if you've read the Hobbit then you probably know that the ring, when put on, makes you vanish into thin air. It is one of the three most powerful weapons in Middle Earth and if it falls into enemy hands can cause catastrophic damage.

Frodo is talking with Gandalf in Bilbo's hole. All the furniture is being replaced with the Tooks' items. Gandalf needs Frodo to go on a quest and allows him to take one other companion. Gandalf overhears something outside. An eavesdropper. He whizzes out of the door like a bolt of lightning and picks up the gardener Sam Gamgee. "How much have you heard?" "Barely anything...I was just gardening...I couldn't help it. Please spare me, oh mighty Gandalf!"
"This is exactly the person who will assist you on your journey; after all, he has heard too much." And so the epic quest begins...

I think that J.R.R. Tolkien is a real wizard with words. The intro might be a bit long but once you get past that and into the real fizz of the book you will end up really enjoying it. After all, the intro is needed for those who haven't read the Hobbit.


RATING: 9/10!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Asterix and the Picts by Jean-Yves Ferri and Didier Conrad

This is the latest book in the Asterix series out just before Christmas and is, this time, written and illustrated by different people! Instead of R. GOSCINNY and A. UDERZO, the founders of Asterix the Gaul and the people who have written and drawn all of the other books beforehand, it is now written in the same style but by different authors!

This book starts with Asterix and Obelix strolling on the beach when they stumble upon a man frozen in a giant ice cube. The man frozen has strange tattoos on his chest and some sort of kilt around his waist. Since Obelix has infinite strength (because he fell into the potion of strength when he was a baby) he had no trouble taking him back to the Gaulish village to be examined by their druid, Getafix. Obelix brings the man in the giant ice cube into a fire-lit room to be melted. Meanwhile Getafix ponders over who he is and where he came from.

Once the ice cube has fully melted the man steps out but he can't speak. His mouth is numb! However Getafix soon finds a solution to the problem by brewing a simple talking potion. He then starts to inspect the tattoos. After a while Getafix concludes that he is a Pict from Scotland. He then instructs Asterix and Obelix to take a boat to Scotland.
Will they be able to battle the ferocious tribes of Picts in Scotland? And how will they fair against the legend of Loch Ness??

This book is another great addition to the series of Asterix the Gaul and I personally think that the different author and illustrator gives a good contrast.


Rating: 10/10!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!                                

Wonder by R.J. Palacio

"My name is August. I won't describe what I look like. Whatever you're thinking, it's probably worse."

I decided to put that down because it basically sums up the book. As you've probably guessed by now it's about a boy who doesn't look very ordinary. He does all the stuff that modern day kids like you and me do, for example, he plays Xbox, eats ice cream and rides his bike but his face is, let's say, extraordinary.

August is ten and has a best friend called Christopher, a mum, a dad and a sister called Via. Christopher and August used to do everything together. They would play with August's Star Wars action figures, they would watch T.V.together. Everything. The first major thing that happens in this book is that Christopher moves away and August's mum and dad are considering school for him. Now school is a big thing for August as he has always been home-schooled by his mum. His parents end up looking at a school called Beecher Prep. The middle school Director is called Mr Tushman (oh and by the way, a middle school director isn't fancy terms for head teacher.) A few pupils from the school show August around. One is called Charlotte who, as you will later find out, gets A* in everything. Then there is Julian. He's one of those kids that really gets on your nerves but acts all nice and polite in front of the teacher. Finally there's Jack Will and, well, he's just Jack Will.


I don't really want to go into any detail about what happens next because the story kicks off round about now. It has everything though - bullying, fitting in in high school, friendships and lots more! I really think this is one of the best books that I've read (as well as Phoenix by S.F. Said.) It is suitable for all ages but maybe younger kids (ie younger than me) might not relate to it too much and is a really good read for you adults too. It's one of those stories that has just the right amount of humour and doesn't feel as if the author rushed it.


RATING: 8/10!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ruby Redfort Catch Your Death by Lauren Child

Hi Guys, this book is the 3rd Ruby Redfort book and is equally as good as the 1st and 2nd. Also, this is the first book that I've read on my new kindle! Hope you like it!

Ruby is off on another mission, though not one for Spectrum (the secret spy agency Ruby works for), this time to investigate the weird appearance of wild animals roaming around on the streets of Twinford. Ruby's mum has sighted a weird hippo in the Redforts' swimming pool and some of Ruby's best friends have seen strange animal appearances too.

While this is going on, Spectrum are doing a survival test for all their employees. They are dropped out of a helicopter into the woods and are left to make there way back to camp. (Warning! SPOILER ALERT! SPOILER ALERT!) Ruby gets a little bit too cocky and falls into a fast flowing river. Even though she survives, she checks into camp 13hrs after the end of the time limit. You know what that means - she failed. Fortunately for her, LB lets her off the hook (again!) but LB takes no prisoners. The next time she flops, that's it, she's out of Spectrum. As well as LB letting her off the hook, she also lets her investigate the current Spectrum case, The Missing Perfume Of Marion Antoinette. Some strange happenings have happened at the perfume launch. The perfumer who was up on stage at the time fainted! Spectrum began to piece information that they gathered together. They found that the perfume consisted of the smell of the cyan wolf (also known as the blue Alaskan wolf) which radiated such a smell that it would draw people in almost hypnotising them! The weird thing was... this wolf is extinct!

If you want to know what happens next, get the book for yourself!!!!!

This book is a wonderful addition to the Ruby Redfort series and I really hope that Lauren Child writes another book to maybe cap off the series because I still think there's more to come.

RATING: 10/10!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Diary Of A Wimpy Kid Hard Luck by Jeff Kinney

This is the eighth book in the bestselling Wimpy Kid series and has loads of crispy laffs (!!) included in its pages.

Rowley, Greg's best friend has ditched him and is instead hanging out with his girlfriend, Abigail (see Diary Of A Wimpy Kid - The Third Wheel.) Greg is trying to find new friends but it's proving to be a tough task and his options aren't the best. Even his little brother Manny has made a friend! Things are getting worse for Greg and he needs to think up something... and fast.

It's Easter and the Heffley family are off to Greg's Grandma's for the day. All of the family is there for the celebration. The family used to go to Meemaw's house (Greg's Great Grandma's house) for the day. Meemaw would do this egg hunt for the kids where she would buy some plastic eggs and put prizes in them but soon Meemaw began to get a little bit loopy and put some strange things in the eggs. The last egg hunt was the year that Meemaw passed away. Soon the relatives were wondering which one of them would get Meemaw's diamond ring. There was a lot of bickering but finally they decided that it was every relative for themselves and started to search for the ring. Aunt Laura looked in the photo albums to see if there was any trace of a will but there was nothing. They began to flick through the pages and found a clue to the ring's disappearance. In one picture, Meemaw had her ring on and was putting prizes in the plastic eggs, in the next picture, taken right after, Meemaw was holding up her homemade apple pie but the ring was no longer on her finger. It didn't take a genius to figure it out. In about five minutes every single adult was out in Meemaw's garden with one of those wicker baskets that are seriously overrated!

Greg's options for friends are at an all time low. He has resulted in looking in his brother's room for something that can help him with his big decisions (in the past, looking in his brother's room has proved very helpful.) He gets lucky and finds one of those magic eight balls that when you shake it an answer comes up in a small hole at the back. Can this eight ball really change Greg's luck or is it just a gimmick?

This book, for me, feels a little bit short but that's only because it's so good you want there to be more!

RATING: 7/10!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    

All The Wrong Questions - When Did You See Her Last? by Lemony Snicket

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!

This is the second in the series of All The Wrong Questions and if you want a review of the first one it is also on my blog.
PS. I hope you got loads of presents and books for Christmas!! I did!

The first book has a very strong link to the second one so I suggest that you read the first book to get a good understanding of what's going on. In this book (as well as in the first one) Lemony Snicket is the main character. I know it sounds cheesy but it fits in really well.

Lemony Snicket is on another case but this time in search of a missing girl called Cleo Night, part of the wealthiest family in Stain'd-by-the-sea. Lemony doesn't know if it has something to do with the evil villain Hangfire who has a talent of mimicking people's voices or some other evil villain. Cleo Night is a brilliant scientist so Hangfire could use her for all sorts of reasons.

Lemony soon finds out that Mr and Mrs Night have been dosed with Laudanum, and drug that makes people go all crazy and forget anything that has recently happened in their lives. Lemony has already noted a suspect, Dr Flammarion, the person who has been injecting them with it. He calls upon Moxie Mallahan, a budding journalist and close friend, to help him do some research on Dr Flammarion. They both find that he worked on the Colophon Clinic, the clinic of a famous war hero called colonel Colophon who had an accident with a statue. (Get the book if you'd like to find out what happened!) Lemony decides to investigate. He calls up his old friends, the Bellepheron brothers too give him a ride up to Colophon Clinic. There is quite a crucial part to the story in the middle and coming up so I'll leave them out so as not to give too much away. (It includes Ellington Feint and her search for her father.)

I think that any Lemony Snicket book is a good book because they include a nice amount of humour and always leave you wanting to read more.

RATING: 9/10

The very cool Lemony Snicket website is here

                                                                                                                                                                                                            

Liar and Spy by Rebecca Stead

Liar and Spy is all about a 12 year-old boy called Georges (yes, it does have an "s" at the end) who moves house to a flat complex and meets another boy his age called Safer.

Safer has a little sister called Candy (yes, Candy) who is part of the Spy club with Safer but since it's only them, they take full advantage when Georges comes along. They make him a member of the Spy club and send him on loads of missions but first Georges has to learn the qualities of a spy. For example, Safer is always alert and watching while Georges is always unfocussed and in another world completely.

Georges and Safer's first mission is to break and enter the mysterious Mr X's apartment to see what he's been up to. Mr X is always seen in black and carries a large briefcase. No-one knows what he has in it. Safer tells Georges to watch the lobbycam as Safer sneaks in. Safer states that he finds a chainsaw on the cabinet. This episode happens three times!! Which is why I didn't really like this book! It didn't really take off and basically the same thing keeps happening over and over again. There are a few minor swear-words - nothing too serious but for the little ones between 6 and 8 it wouldn't be a good book to pick off the bookshelf!

So guys, this is the last review of the year although I will be posting more reviews in 2014 especially if I get lots of books for Christmas! SO... MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!

Heroes of Olympus The House of Hades by Rick Riordan

This is the second-to-last book in the Percy Jackson Heroes of Olympus series and sees Percy and Annabeth falling into the bottomless pit of Tarturus, Frank Zhang taking on a herd of poisonous cows and Hazel Levesque meeting a daughter of Circe, the evil and ancient goddess of magic; all to get to the House of Hades and close the Doors of Death!

The seven demi-gods in the Prophecy of Seven set off to close the Doors of Death in the Argo II, a flying Greek battleship made by Leo, Son of Hephaestus. As a reminder, the seven demi-gods are: Jason Grace, son of Zeus, Piper Mclean, daughter of Aphrodite and all the other I mentioned such as Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena, Frank Zhang, son of Ares, Leo Valdez, son of Hephaestus, Hazel Levesque daughter of Hades, Nico Di' Angelo, son of Hades, (he isn't a member of the seven but don't underestimate him, he can make spirits of the dead rise again, just the sort of thing to deal with your average school bully) and of course, Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon.

The Roman side of the Gods is fighting with the Greek side all because Leo was possessed by an evil spirit that made him fire the Argo II ballistae catapults (cool Greek weapon!) on New Rome, the Roman version of Camp Half-blood. New Rome was a major discovery in the first of the series, The Lost Hero (spoiler alert!!) In the grand scheme of things, this meant war and New Rome's stupid Augur, Octavian, son of Apollo who likes sacrificing stuffed teddy bears to the gods, is leading the revolt with the whole of New Rome supporting him.

The seven find out that the Athena Parthenos, a huge gold and ivory statue that was built in the Acropolis can restore peace between the Roman and Greek demi-gods if a Roman brings it onto sacred Greek ground, e.g. Camp Half-blood. Will the team be able to tell Reyna, The Praetor of New Rome (the only Roman that listens) the news in time?

I personally think this is the best Percy Jackson book yet but I think that the final book is going to be pretty good too!! It had a really good build-up and climax which is the proof of a good book.
Well done Rick Riordan!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Willoughbys by Lois Lowry

This book is a bit like Matilda by Roald Dahl, the parents are horrible and there is a mean older sibling. Unfortunately, this book didn't catch my fancy but if you like stories set in the 1800s like the Railway Children and the Treasure Seekers, then this is the book for you.

Mr and Mrs Willoughby are cruel parents and the Willoughby children have to put up with them. Mr and Mrs Willoughby believe that children shouldn't have existed and that they were a curse sent from the depths of hell! Mr and Mrs Willoughby have 4 children, the oldest being Timothy, he's twelve, Barnaby A and Barnaby B, they're both ten and then there's little Jane and she is 6 and a half. Tim, being the oldest devises a point system, the person with the least points would end up in the coal bunker. Tim would deduct points for no apparent reason from his other siblings and give himself bonus points so he would always win. The Willoughby children absolutely loathe their parents and when they decide to go on a spontaneous holiday and hire a nanny the children are overjoyed.

It's Barnaby A's turn in the coal bunker when he notices something, a FOR SALE sign hanging on the house! Mr and Mrs Willoughby have gone off to buy a new house! Nanny and the children have to disguise themselves from the realtors or else they won't be able to stay in their house for long! 

I didn't really like this book because I thought that everything happened too fast and it was all so sudden, I almost couldn't keep up! The upside to this book is that it is very engaging and the vocabulary used in the book is really funny.

I rate this book 6/10!

Phoenix by SF Said

I'm sorry that I haven't written a review in a while but I'm coming back with a real whopper...


The Humans and the Aliens are at war. Shadow guards, people that have special stealth armour that allows them to melt into the shadows have been brought in to protect the Humans. These guards will stop at nothing to protect the Human race and distinguish any threats; no matter how big. Lucky, a normal or, kind of normal boy is trying to stay out of trouble but Lucky feels like something very bad is going to happen, something very, very bad indeed.

One normal suburban morning in Phoenix, the town where Lucky lives, a safe but far away place from all war, Lucky wakes in a cold sweat. He had a nightmare, something about the wolf that eats the stars? He can't remember, then he sits up and notices the smouldering hole in his bed sheet. His mum smells the burning and runs in. She has a look of pure terror on her face. She runs to the window and looks up at the sky, a tiny crack shaped like a V is visible. She turns as white as a sheet and runs into her room where the suitcases are stored muttering "I didn't know that this would happen so soon!" What can this V mean?

Just as they are about to leave, Lucky peeps into the closet and sees something sitting in the corner. It was a smooth black rock with faint lines engraved in it. "Mum" Lucky says, "can I take this?"  Mum looks very worried but nods, "OK but don't let anyone see it." She looks out of the window again. The V shaped crack is getting bigger. "Come on Lucky, we must hurry." Lucky and his mum run for the Spaceport, all Lucky knows is his mum is desperate to get off this planet.

They arrive at the Spaceport. Lucky's mum asks for a craft to Lethe. Suddenly, the word 'Cancelled' flickers onto the screen and a image appears on the giant vidscreen, burning buildings, smoking from a recent attack. Lucky pulls the shiny rock out of his kitbag and there's a shout, "Hey look, that kid's got a Astrolabe! That's illegal!" Lucky and his mother run. Lucky looks up at the sky, the V is bigger, much, much bigger, "Don't look up Lucky!" his mum says sharply. They round a corner into a dark and dingy alley where a mob is gathering around something, Lucky can't work out what it is but as he and his mum get closer he can see perfectly well what it is - the curved horns, the fiery eyes - it is a fully grown male alien; and he is very, very angry. They have stumbled across an alien refugee camp...

Later in the book, Lucky and the Aliens that he now calls friends embark on galactic adventures such as journeying through the Spacewall (inside the Spacewall is where all the fighting happens) and finding the Alien secret base that no Human has ever been able to find, Charon.

I really liked this book because Lucky is a great super hero for kids, someone who puts others first. People who like SCI FI and adventure novels and are Varjak Paw fans will enjoy this too. The illustrations by Dave McKean were very inspirational and went with the book really well. The picture of the Wolf that Eats the Stars is in Greek style and I really liked that.

I give this book 10/10!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

SF Said's website is here



  

Peter Nimble and his Fantastic Eyes by Jonathan Auxier

Peter Nimble is a skilled young thief and this is a story about how his ordinary life as a house thief turns into something different altogether...

Peter Nimble is a orphan. A blind orphan who got his eyes pecked out by ravens. As you should all know blind children make especially good thieves. Peter was rescued by a couple of sailors fishing. (Peter was floating in a basket at the time.) They took him back to shore and the council of a nearby port town gave him a name and threw him out on to the streets to fend for himself. Peter Nimble from that day on started learning the art of thievery. One day when Peter was out in the market stealing some food, a man called Mr Seamus spotted Peter slipping in to the crowd and stealing an apple from the apple store as if it was second nature. Mr Seamus had to give up his lifelong dream of becoming a pickpocket and instead become a Beggarmonger (someone who takes children off the street, bribes them to come with him\her and then tells them to go out and beg for him\her.) Mr Seamus saw that Peter had talent and did the usual bribing and pleading. In fact, he sold all his other children to devote himself to Peter's life in thievery.

One day when Mr Seamus shoved Peter out of the front door to do some grocery "shopping" Peter spotted a crowd. He went to investigate. The crowd was listening to a Haberdasher selling goods. Peter new that this would be a perfect chance to do some pickpocketing since pickpockets thrived on crowds. Peter slipped in and got to work. By the time he was a halfway through his burgle sack was almost full to the brim with purses overflowing with jewellery. The Haberdasher was talking about faraway lands but Peter didn't believe in them. "You don't think they're there, do you?" the Haberdasher said. Peter whipped around, "M-me sir?" "Yes lad, I thought I could steal you away for a moment?" Peter stood stock still. "Come and pick your way to the front," the Haberdasher said. So the haberdasher carried on with his sales while Peter just stood there looking like a moron. Soon the crowd began to thin out and soon there was nobody left except Peter and the Haberdasher. Peter turned around but the Haberdasher wasn't there. All that was left was a carriage that belonged to the Haberdasher. In the carriage was a small wooden box. Peter grabbed the box, slid his finger into the lock and felt inside. He thought they were eggs but what they really were was something far more fantastic, Peter was holding the box that contained the fantastic eyes! What follows are adventures for Peter which delve deep into magic and mystery!

This was probably one of the best books I've ever read and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading - it's that good!!
RATING: 10/10!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!       

Find out more here

Ruby Redfort Look Into My Eyes by Lauren Child

Ruby Redfort is a brilliant code cracker and a secret agency called Spectrum have been tracking her down... After the disappearance of their former code cracker Agent Lopez on a mountain-climbing expedition, Ruby is the exact material that Spectrum needs.

Ruby is an ordinary kid who goes to an ordinary school but there's one thing about her that is truely extraordinary. Her ability to solve codes. And that hasn't gone unnoticed. A secret agency called Spectrum have been watching her for some time like when she won the Junior Code Cracker championships and when she won Junior Code of the Year awards when she stunned the judges with her code that was almost impossible to break. It took them 2 weeks to crack it and she was immediately offered a place at Harvard university but she didn't accept the offer. She didn't want to become some sort of nerd. Spectrum needed to make their move.

A few years later on a normal day, Ruby receives a mysterious phone call. There is a woman with a gravelly voice on the other end. She is speaking in code. It's a secret message. 

Ruby's findings lead her to a garage that shut down years ago and to a old petrol pump that when you lift it up it reveals a secret passageway. Ruby Redfort isn't scared usually. She isn't scared of spiders or sharks or vampires or..... I could go on, but the thing she is afraid of is small spaces, she is very claustrophobic. When Ruby reaches the end of the corridor there is just a dead end. Ruby waits. Suddenly, there is a powerful beam of white light that fills the tunnel. Then the dead end opens and Ruby walks in. There is a woman standing behind a desk. She explains that she is the leader of Spectrum and she is called LB. LB doesn't wear any shoes!

Ruby is soon given a tour of the Spectrum gadget room by a agent called Froghorn (the G is silent but Ruby ignores that and calls him Froggy!) and is soon drawn in by a kid called Bradley Baker's rescue watch. Everyone seems to be talking about him because he was one of the best agents Spectrum ever had. Can Ruby find out the infomation that she needs to find Agent Lopez and uncover another plot?

My favourite character in this book is Ruby because of her cocky attitude and sense of humour!
RATING: 10/10!!!

The Third Wheel by Jeff Kinney

This is the seventh book in the Wimpy Kid series, hope you enjoy it!

Greg Heffley is having trouble. He can't find a date for the Valentine's dance at school. Well, it was meant to be a motocross/wrestling party and not a Valentine's dance. At least that's what the school council decided. But I  think the teachers got a bit confused...

The dance is drawing near and Greg needs a date. That's why he asks his not so brainy pal, Rowley to try out for the school council so that he can tell all the girls how great he is. Part of Greg's plan works and Rowley does get elected for school council but the other part, the bit about the girls, doesn't. When the teachers start to hand out Valentine's cards for people to write on, all the girls write cards to Bryce Anderson, the fastest and most handsomest boy in the year. Greg gets nothing.

Windows open up for Greg from time to time like when the girl Abigail Brown got cancelled on by a guy called Michael Sampson and then found out that he was going out with another girl! Greg takes the chance to swoop in to be the hero. His plan works but involving Rowley is a big mistake. The day of the Valentine's dance comes quickly and Greg has to order a chauffeur with a posh car to make a good impression on Abigail. Unfortunately, the only person available for the chauffeur position is Rowley's dad, Mr Jefferson.

A couple of days later and Greg is sitting in the boot of Mr Jefferson's car as there is no room in the back, while Rowley and Abigail are deep in conversation. He is the third wheel, if you like! Will Greg be able to grab his date off Rowley before the Valentine's dance? 

This isn't the funniest in the Wimpy Kid series but it is funny. I didn't like it as much as the others because the other books varied around different topics but this particular book just stuck to one topic. I think the quiz at the end is very funny. RATING: 7/10 :{)

Small Change For Stuart by Lissa Evans

Stuart Horten is small for his age. He is a ten year-old boy who has a good life. He has a treehouse, a nice garden and a 8 speed bike. Then when his mother gets offered a amazing new job which is over 100 miles away, Stuart and his family have to move out. They move to the dreary old town of Beeton but life in Beeton isn't as dreary as you'd expect. This is the story of the Mystery of "Teeny, Tiny" Tony Horten - the magician.

Stuart is unpacking his things into his new wardrobe. He's very bored. He asks his dad if he can go on a cycle around town and his dad says yes. As Stuart is cycling around the town something catches his eye. It's an old house saying "Horten's Miraculous Mechanisims." He starts to climb the fence to the garden but all the windows and doors were boarded up. Stuart climbs back over the fence, gets on his bike and is about to head home but again, somthing catches his eye. On the side of the banner saying "Horten's Miraculous Mechanisims" is a money box. Stuart's dad has one exactly like it.

As soon as Stuart gets home, he asks his dad about the money box. His dad says that when he put money in, it disappeared. Stuart took the box. It was heavy. "It's a trick box!" he exclaimed. He tries twisting it clockwise but it doesn't budge. Then he tries twisting it anti- clockwise and it opens smoothly. Out came three threepence coins and a letter. The letter read: I have to go away and may not be able to get back. If I do not return then my workshop, and all it contains, is yours if you can find it... Affectionately your Great Uncle Tony. Stuart is shocked. He needs to find that workshop.

The next morning Stuart is happy. His mother had booked a family holiday from Friday evening to Monday morning so that they could spend more time together. Stuart decides to visit Great Uncle Tony's house one last time before he leaves. He jumps on his bicycle and rides down the street. When he gets there there are a few builders around. Then one builder comes up to him, "Kid, you shouldn't be here." "Why not?" Stuart said, "because it'll be demolished by Monday morning," he replied. Suddenly, Stuart didn't feel so happy about going on holiday anymore.

Will Stuart be able to solve the mystery and find Great Uncle Tony's workshop in time?

I really liked this book because it was so gripping I just couldn't put it down. This is a great book for people who are into Magic and Mystery.
RATING: 10/10!!!!

Ruby Redfort take your last breath by Lauren Child

Ruby Redfort is a 13 year old girl and a expert code cracker who works for a secret agency called Spectrum. She is currently the youngest Spectrum agent and she works for a particular part of Spectrum called Spectrum 8. They have teamed up with Spectrum 5 (the sea division) to teach younger agents like Ruby how to dive. Ruby's instructor is called agent Kegoa who is one of Spectrum 5's best agents.

Her mum and dad are on a luxury cruise in the local Ocean and they don't know about Ruby's cover. The only person that knows about Ruby's cover is her best friend Clancy Crew. She had to swear to Spectrum 8's boss LB that Clancy wouldn't give her cover away.

At last Ruby is given a mission. There have been srange happenings at sea. The currents in the nearby ocean have stopped and shipping disasters have been happening at sea. Ruby and agent Kegoa take a dive to try and find out what is happening. Meanwhile, the luxury cruise ship with Ruby's and Clancy's parents on it has been captured by a band of rusty pirates.

A couple of days later Ruby is talking Clancy through her diving mission. Clancy is petrified of the ocean because he read the book Jaws at the age of 5. Ruby soon finds out about how the currents are stopping. There is a meteor covering the currents. She also finds out that there are strange sea sounds that are aggravating sharks. Spectrum concludes that this is connected to a villain that they have encountered in recent missions, Count Von Viscount. They think that the Count is bribing the pirates to attack the vessels and ships with the Martha Fairbank treasure which was sucked under the current and into a old shipwreck. Can Ruby and Spectrum foil the Count's evil plans?

This is a extremely good book and is a very good read for all people who are into Mystery stories. My favourite character is definitely Clancy because of his weird nature and phobia of the sea.
Rating: 10/10!  

Ruby Redfort's cool website is here!

Warriors Into The Wild by Erin Hunter

This is the first of the Warriors books that features a house cat venturing into the wild and coming face to face with a clan of wildcats!

Rusty is a house cat that lives with his owners near a forest. He has heard tales of fearsome wildcats that live in the forest but doesn't believe them until he meets one for real. Luckily for him it's only an apprentice who is not as skilled as a fully trained warrior (cats that have learned all the skills they need to become warriors.) This apprentice was called Graypaw, a graystriped Tom who was with his mentor, Lionheart, a fully trained Warrior cat. Then he meets the clan leader Bluestar who accepts him into Thunderclan, one of the clans in the forest. There are four cat clans in the forest - Shadowclan, masters of ambush attacks, Windclan, the fastest runners in the forest and Riverclan the best swimmers in the forest. Rusty becomes Firepaw because of his flame coloured fur but life isn't easy in the forest and Firepaw has to get used to clan life and must rid the clan of a power-craving cat whose name I won't reveal as it will spoil the surprise! Firepaw has a natural hunting ability which is good for mice in the dense undergrowth of Thunderclan territory. Firepaw is quite a cheeky cat and sometimes disobeys the warrior code which all cats in the forest are bound to but only for the good of his clan.

This book is the first in a great series and I'm already on the last book in the third series! I think that Erin Hunter really liked cats and how they can be very adventurous and I think that's what led her to write these stories.

If you're into cats and the unexpected then this is definitely the book for you and you will love the whole series.

Rating: 9 out of 10!

Read about the series here on Erin Hunter's website