I wish I’d written…


Katharine Briggs was an expert on British folklore, Dictionary of Fairies


whose is an


Jonathan Stroud’s latest book The Hollow Boy (978-0-5525-7314-6), book 3 in the Lockwood and Co series is published by Corgi Children’s Books, £7.99.


inexhaustible seam that every fantasy writer should trace. But my favourite of her books is this novel, published in 1955, concerning a kindly hobgoblin who lives at Widford Manor in the Cotswolds, protecting the folk that live there. When a family of Puritans takes possession of the house in the mid-Seventeenth Century, they threaten the old ways that bind the human and supernatural worlds; Hobberdy Dick must overcome witches, ghosts and religious bigotry before he can save the children of the house and, in a piercingly beautiful ending,


achieve his Good Reads


Jonathan Stroud chooses one of the finest post-war British fantasies. own salvation.


The author’s


depiction of time and place is exquisite, and her knowledge of fairy lore allows her to fuse the real and magical in a charming, matter-of-fact way. It’s one of the finest post-war British fantasies, and I still remember the joy I felt when I first read it, all in one sitting. Never was there a better or warmer conjuring of English rural traditions, both mythic and historic. Hobberdy Dick stands beside Kipling’s Puck of Pook’s Hill as a lyrical evocation of the past – how it was, and how it ought to have been.


Hobberdy Dick (978-0-5712-5206-0) by K. M. Briggs is published by Faber & Faber, £10.00


Our Good Reads were chosen by children at Aith Junior High School, Shetland. Thanks to Jane Spall, the school’s librarian. Jane was one of two librarians on the Honour List for School Librarian of the Year 2015. Pupils at the school told us: ‘No one at school thinks that reading is uncool!’


Divergent Veronica Roth, HarperCollins Children’s Books, 978-0007536726, £7.99


A girl named Beatrice finds out she is Divergent and is it very dangerous to be Divergent. She leaves her family to go to Dauntless but she doesn’t know that it is more dangerous to be in Dauntless because a Divergent is aware in simulations.


Their final


test is in a simulation that processes fear. I thought the book was great. It was very exciting and sometimes humorous. The theme is about a girl having to grow up in a hostile world full of war and chaos. I learned that you should not discriminate against people for their beliefs, race or if they are different in any way shape or form. It is told by the main character, Beatrice Prior. It was set 200 years after a war and in Chicago. It was well described. You could picture it in your head. There was suspense that made me want to finish it. It made me sad at times but sometimes it made me laugh. I would definitely recommend the book. By Sinead Wood, age 12


Four Children and It Jacqueline Wilson, Puffin, 978 0141 34144 6, £6.99


This book is about a girl called Rosalind and her brother Robbie and they move in with their dad’s girlfriend who is


called Alice. Alice has one


child called Samantha (Smash) and Maudie is half related to Rosalind and half related to Smash. They go for a picnic in the forest, as they are playing they come across a Psammead in the sand pit, just like the one in the book Rosalind is reading. The Psammead can grant three wishes. Alice is one of the main character and is the young mum. She doesn’t really care for her child Smash who is a tomboy and spiteful to Rosalind’s and her brother Robbie. Rosalind and Robbie don’t like Alice and Smash but they do love their little half-sister Maudie. Their Dad wants everyone to get along but slip-ups and misunderstandings keep happening.


I really like this book because it


was written really perfectly. I would definitely recommend it to anyone. I loved the storyline and I will always love Jacqueline Wilson..


By Iona McCulloch, age 11 Books for Keeps No.216 January 2016 17


Skeleton Key Anthony Horowitz, Walker Books, 978 1406 36021 9, £7.99


I am doing my book review on a book called Skeleton Key. It is a brilliant book: it is fun and inspires you to read more and when you’ve started it is a great book to get into. So I would recommend it 9+. It is about a reluctant teenage superspy, on an island near Cuba. The insane Russian General Sarov is


creating


explosive plans to rewrite history. Will Alex be able to stop the bomb from going off as the seconds ticking away to the end of the world? This book was shocking at some parts and it thrilled me with excitement. By Peter age 10


Volcano Adventure Willard Price, Red Fox, 978 17829 5021 9, £6.99 This book is a brilliant book! It’s full of action, adventure and can even be funny at times. I would recommend this to people who want an exciting read, but it can be scary in parts so I would recommend it to children over 9 years old. The two main characters are Hal


and Roger Hunt. They are animal collectors from America and are on a new expedition. This time they are not collecting animals but studying volcanoes! They encounter lots of dangerous times, stories of how cities have been buried in ashes and near death situations!


It fills me with thrills and


excitement every time I pick the book up. A real page turner... By Emma Deyell, age 10


Sinead


Iona


Peter


Emma


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