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

The Hobbit by J.R.R.Tolkien

The Hobbit, Bilbo Baggins, is whisked from his comfortable Hobbit hole by Gandalf the wizard and his band of dwarves wanting to reclaim the stolen treasure that rightfully belonged to their ancestors of the great dwarf town Dale from the evil dragon Smaug who lives in the lonely mountain and they choose Bilbo to be their burglar!

Bilbo is captured by the Goblins of the Grey Mountains and there he meets Golem in a underground lake. When Goblins stray too close to the water's edge Golem slits their throats. Bilbo is clever though and tricks Golem into a riddle contest and manages to claim the first of the three rings, the invisible ring. The ring helps Bilbo steal the treasure from Smaug.

This book is the first in the series of Lord of the Rings books. I would very much like to carry on reading the series to see what happens next. I really liked how Bilbo manages to adapt from his comfortable Hobbit hole to a draughty cave in the lonely mountain.

Rating: 10 out of 10!

Click here to read more about JRR Tolkien

How To Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell

Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third is the least Viking-like Viking on the whole of the Isle of Berk! Hiccup and his colleagues from the Hooligan Tribe face their first big challenge in this first book in the series. They must raid the Dragon Nursery and bring back a dragon baby for each of them to compete in the Dragon Initiation Programme. Whoever is the best will earn the honour of killing their first dragon in front of the entire county of Berk. The Meatheads who are also joining in the competition are the Hooligan tribe's fiercest rivals.

It is time for the amateur Vikings of Berk to raid the dragons' nest. They creep quietly in and snatch a baby dragon each for themselves and stow it away in a basket that they have been given. Unfortunately for Hiccup, he gets a Common or Garden dragon, one of the least terrifying dragons on the surface of the planet! Fortunately for Snotface Snotlout (another amateur Viking) he grabs a Monstrous Nightmare, the fiercest dragon on Berk and which has a habit of setting itself on fire! Hiccup calls his dragon Toothless and Snotface calls his Fireworm.

All of the amateur Vikings have to train their dragons so they can do the basics - fishing, sitting, sleeping in the right place and a few chores. They must be able to do all of these to complete the Dragon Initiation Test. Toothless is very stubborn so Hiccup has to bribe him somehow to train him... the one thing Toothless loves is a joke but Hiccup is really bad at telling jokes!

Near the end of the book, the amateur Vikings from Berk must join together with the Vikings from the Meathead Island and the rest of the Hooligan village to defeat Seadragonus Giganticus Maximus, a very old but very large monster dragon. Hiccup finds out that he once ate a whole Roman galleon and fell into a coma for several hundred years. He has awoken from his deep sleep and eaten another smaller seadragon and is heading for the isle of Berk!! Hiccup and the other amateur Vikings must persuade another seadragon to do their dirty work and fight the Seadragonus Giganticus Maximus. Hiccup hopes that they will tear each other apart and that there'll be nothing left but a pile of bones!!!

If you're into Vikings and gruesome tales and dragons, then this is definitely the book for you. It's hilariously funny and the illustrations and scribbles are fun too. Rating: 8 out of 10.

the How To Train Your Dragon website

Usain Bolt - The Fastest Man Alive - The True Story Of Usain Bolt by Usain Bolt and Shaun Custis

This book is about Bolt and his achievements as a sprinter.  The book also tells us about his family background and the things he likes to do when he's not running. Enjoy!

Usain Bolt wasn't the fastest runner in his school but he grew up to be an Olympic legend.  He lived in a small town called Sherwood Content in Jamaica and went to a school called Waldesia Primary and in later years, got a scholarship for William Knibb High School, track and field high school.  He was so good in his early years that he got picked for the Junior championships in Jamaica's capital, Kingston, every time!  That was when he got noticed by sports company, Pace.  They paid for flight tickets and all sorts of other things.  Bolt took the money but didn't keep it for himself, he gave it to his family.  His family includes: Mum, Dad, half sister, half brother, aunt and Grandma.

At the World Juniors, Bolt competed in the 200m only but in later years his coach, Pablo McNeil pushed him to do the 100m.  He would have some tough competition though, Asafa Powell from Jamaica, then the fastest man on earth and Tyson Gay from USA, the second fastest man on earth.  It would be no mean feat.

Bolt has a problem that stopped him competing in the Athens Olympics.  His left leg has always been shorter than his right leg.  Therefore, his first major event was the Bejiing Olympic games where he smashed the world record for the 100m to 9.69 seconds and beat his closest rivals. He even eased up with 20m to go!

Another major event in Bolt's career was the Diamond League 100m final. They were all lined up. The starter raised the gun into the air but Bolt false-started! He was disqualified and didn't get to race.
2009 was a smashing year for Bolt. He won the 100m final and broke the world record again! The record still stands at 9.58 seconds which scientists thought was impossible for the human body to acomplish.

At the London Olympics, Bolt set a new Olympic record in the 100m final and went on to win both the 200m and 4x100m relay. Unfortunately, Rio 2016 will be Bolt's last Olympics but he will still be remembered as a legend.

This book is filled with fun facts (like his main food on race days is chicken nuggets!) and awesome achievements. If you're into sport and althetics and sprinting then this is the book for you! Rating: 9 out of 10!!

Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

This is the first book in the epic series of Percy Jackson books. Enjoy!

Percy Jackson is a half-blood. This means that he is half god, half boy. It all starts when Mr. Brunner, Percy's Latin teacher and Mrs. Dodds, his maths teacher, take them on a school trip to the local museum. Percy gets left alone with Mrs. Dodds and he finds out what she really is.  Her fingers stretch into talons, her jacket melts into large leathery wings.  She isn't human.  Then Mr. Brunner charges in and throws his ballpoint pen at Percy. He catches it and the moment it touches his hand, it turns into a sword called Riptide. He slashes it through the demon's body and all that's left is a pile of dust.

Back at Percy's school, Percy is sitting in Mr. Brunner's office. He is very serious but not about expelling Percy but about who he really was, Mr. Brunner knows that Percy is a half- blood, he is going to take him to a special camp, a camp where they protect half-bloods.

At this special camp Percy makes some friends, Annabeth and Grover (who is actually a satyr which is like a Centaur.) He also discovers Mr. Brunner's real form, he is a tall, white Centaur and his real name is Chiron.

Later that night, Percy visits the Oracle for a prophecy.  The prophecy tells Percy, Annabeth and Grover to leave camp to go on a quest to retrieve Zeus's (King of the gods) stolen lightning bolt. There has been some accusations in Olympus so Percy must act quickly to find the thief or else a fully fledged war of the gods will erupt!

On the quest to find the bolt, the team meet dangerous cyclops and demons but luckily they are all trained fighters and use their skill to beat them. Near the end of the book, Percy finds out who stole the lightning bolt but I'm not going to tell you! The next thing you know, Percy and the mystery being (or god!) are locked in battle but you'll have to read the book to find out the result. (:

This was a very good book but it just misses out on 8 out of 10. It's not really my cup of tea but if you're a fan of gods and swords and fighting and all that stuff, this is definitely the book for you. (:
Rating: 7 out of 10!

The Percy Jackson books website

Bureau of Mysteries and the Mechanomancers by HJ Harper

Bureau of Mysteries is back in another thrilling story!

 George and Imp are at Rusty Gulch on the trail of the vicious villains Cloak and Dagger. George soon finds out that Imp has made them up so he could get a holiday! The real trouble is on the other side of the gulch, it's the powerful Mechanomancers! Luckily, the first three have already been defeated by Lord Perwinkle Tinkerton, the famous explorer. And just in time, he arrives in his mammoth mobile and stops the fourth Mechanomancer and his mechanical bull in their tracks. 

His scribe Lexia is writing in a big purple book, she never seems to stop. When George and Imp get back to HQ, Hobb and Tempora aren't that exited to see them. They both have their nose buried in Tinkerton's Tales (about The Bull of Rusty Gulch.) Soon Tinkerton is over in Little Obscurity for his book signing. This is when Tinkerton and the Bureau of Mysteries find the fifth Mechanomancer, the Stink King, by falling through a gaping hole in the library after a huge explosion. George befriends a giant rat called Bubonic and he helps them beat the Stink King. But first the Stink King traps them in his scungeon to rot until George cracks the code that is their best chance of getting out of the sewers - they have to joust the Stink King! Tinkerton has a go first on a giant wood louse but it scuttles into a corner, meanwhile the Stink King's louse stays perfectly still. The teams only hope is to find another steed to ride on. Then George calls Bubonic and rides on him. They beat the Stink King and his manure mansion (his house) dissolves.

  

After a job well done they settle down at HQ when George finds the sixth Mechanomancer, the Germinator. She has the power to control any types of plant and greenery. They need to get to the tallest tree. On the way, the Bureau of Mysteries discover weird dwarf like shrubs called weedlings. They speak a very strange language which George manages to figure out but they soon make enemies of the weedlings. One of the weedlings transforms in to an ENORMOUS weedling. Despite its size, it's very slow and George and Imp manage to slip past but George realises that the tree is surrounded by a maze! Luckily, they find their way through but as they come to the tree they realise that they can't get up! Soon they spot a weedling coming up to the tree. He says, "Knock, knock" and three vines slide down the tree. The weedling picked the first one and zoomed off into the branches of the tree. George soon figured that it was morse code in flowers. He soon deciphered it and knew which one to take. They took the second one because it spelled "harmless" and zoomed off into the tree.

When they got to the top they saw Tinkerton tied up in some vines, he had been a victim of the Germinator.

Then George and Imp come face to face with a massive pumpkin-head-like creature - Pumpkinstein to be exact! George uses a device to scare away the plants which is actually Imp singing in the shower, it makes such a bad sound that Tempora has to mute it so only plants can hear it. George uses the device but it isn't powerful enough to have an effect on  Pumpkinstein so he has to get Imp to actually sing! It has an immediate effect on Pumpkinstein but unfortunately Tinkerton can't cover his ears because he's wrapped up in vines. George has to think quickly, he grabs the Organic Desynthesiser and turns the handle, the vines that are holding Tinkerton wither away. As they do so the tree begins to tilt side ways, with an almighty thud the tallest tree hits the ground.... They had defeated the Germinator.

George, Imp, Tinkerton and Lexia are back at Bureau of Mysteries HQ on the trail of the Blue Baron, the seventh and final Mechanomancer. With no luck searching in the day, they retreat to their beds, when George spots the Blue Baron's airship. It has a special contraption at the front that shoots bolts of lightning. George wakes Hobb, Tempora and Imp to tell them about the news, Tempora says that there is no way to get to the airship but Hobb has an idea. He used to belong to the crew of the Musclebound, the fiercest pirate crew in the seven skies, not only that, he was their captain! He takes George and Imp to a pirate pub to meet the Musclebound crew. They agree to take them on their ship to destroy the Blue Baron. On the way, they meet a three-headed sky serpent, the only way to stop it attacking you is to call out the names of the each head. George does this brilliantly, he calls out "Dawn, Day, Dusk!" and soon stops them. They carry on in the Mustlebound until they reach the Blue Baron's ship. There is a thrilling battle AND some SURPRISES at the end but you'll have to read the book to find out more (: 

I really liked this book because of the funny names for the villains and heroes that HJ Harper used and the cool characters, especially the fierce and funny Bronzebeard - Captain of the Musclebound!! Rating: 9 out of 10!!

HJ Harper's Writing Laboratory (of Doom)!

"Who Could That Be at This Hour?" by Lemony Snicket

This book is the first in a new series that Lemony has written called All The Wrong Questions. I hope you enjoy it!

Lemony Snicket is with his parents at the local cafe. He's got a new job as a apprentice detective. His chaperone is called S. Theodora Markson. The only thing she does that's helpful to Lemony is to save him from a tea that his parents (or who he thought were his parents) gave him. It had a banned drug in it that would put you to sleep.

S. Theodora Markson and Lemony's mission is to bring back a statue called the Bombinating Beast. It is an important family object in the Salis family. (Mrs. Salis is the one who sends Lemony and S. Theodora Markson on the misson.) Mrs. Salis says it was stolen by the Mallahan family who live in a lighthouse nearby. When Snicket visits the Mallahan lighthouse he befriends the Mallahans' daughter, Moxie. She takes him up into their attic and Snicket finds loads of stuff to do with the Bombinating Beast including a statue of the beast that they were looking for but Moxie says it's been in the family for decades.

That night S. Theodora Markson and Snicket agree to climb a thin wire that leads from a nearby tree to the lighthouse. The only problem is the clusterous forest. Instead of trees it's seaweed! Soon Snicket is dangling dangerously on the wire above the clusterous forest. Suddenly Snicket loses his grip and plunges into the forest below.

Snicket wakes up in a small house teetering at the edge of a cliff, near the forest. It belongs to a girl called Ellington Faint. Ellington's father was kidnapped by a vicious criminal called Hangfire, he is very good at mimicking people's voices. He wants that Bombinating Beast so wherever Snicket is with that statue, he isn't safe at all...

I liked this book because of it's compelling plot and funny expressions. Rating: 9 out of 10!!

All the wrong questions website