I wish I’d written…
Reading children’s books these days often engenders in me a niggling element of professional jealousy.
If
only I’d had that idea … if only I’d constructed that sentence … if only I’d got even close to that level of brilliance. But there are some books where that dissolves, where you feel lucky that you didn’t write it because that would mean you wouldn’t have been able to read it in the first place.
Guy Bass’ new book, The Ghosts of Grubbers Nubbin (978- 1847156099), is published by Stripes Publishing, £5.99 pbk.
The Lost Thing by Shaun Tan is a world in a book – as transporting on the tenth read as the first. Of course, it looks beautiful – every inch of every page is illustrated, evoking a sort of accidental dystopia that’s both inviting and sad – but it’s the text that makes the story feel so effortless. It has one of
Good Reads
Apple and Rain Sarah Crossan, Bloomsbury, 978-1408827130, £6.99 Apple and Rain is all about a girl called Apollina Apostolopoulou, but she prefers to be called Apple. Eleven years ago, Apple’s mother leaves on Christmas Eve. Now she is back with a surprise! Apple has a little sister called Rain. Apple thinks her sister is odd. Rain believes her doll, Jenny, is real. When Apple meets someone who is as lost as she is she begins to see things the way they are. This is a story about happy beginnings and sad endings. A story to make you realise who is special. I would recommend this book to people who enjoy stories all about families, friendship and love. I really enjoyed this book and hope you will too. This story made me laugh; made me cry. This is Apple’s tale about how she learnt to love.
Raheema Year 8
Looking at the Stars Jo Cotterill, Corgi, 978-0552566704, £7.99 Looking at the Stars is a tale about Amina, or Minni, and her family who live in Talas. The country they live in is ruled by the feared Kwana. If you break the rules you are dead. Amina is an extraordinary child. Her wild imagination gives the people around her a reason to survive. She finds hope in the power of stories, to never give up on the people she loves. I enjoyed this book so much and if you love tales about love, war, family and friendship you will too. When there
Guy Bass is transported by Shaun Tan’s The Lost Thing.
the lightest touches of any book I’ve read. A boy finds a benign, living ‘thing’ (what looks like a giant alien robot washer-dryer) on a beach, decides that it must be lost and tries to help. It’s a big, strange idea but plays out like a casual anecdote, never attempting to be anything other than everyday in tone. At the same time, the book muses rather than moralizes on our need to categorize, compartmentalize and ghettoize, and on our tendency to see difference as inconvenience. And somehow there’s not a hint of heavy-handedness or judgment anywhere. It’s an absolute cracker.
In fact it’s so good that I’m glad I didn’t write it. But I really wish I had.
The Lost Thing (978-0734411389) by Shaun Tan is published by Hodder Children’s Books at £9.99 pbk.
Chosen by pupils at Manor High School, Oadby, Leicester.
is nothing left to lose, stories are all we have. What if your homeland is no longer your home? What if your family cannot keep you safe? What if the stars are not simply stars?
Raheema Year 8
Counting by 7s Holly Goldberg Sloan, Piccadilly Press, 978-1848123823, £7.99 Counting by 7s is a tale told by Willow Chance. Willow is a twelve year old genius obsessed with diagnosing medical conditions and nature. This book is very touching and really digs deep as Willow copes with the unexpected death of her parents. It focuses on being different and how it’s good to be different. The way the book is written makes you feel that you are there with Willow feeling everything that she feels. Many other reviews have agreed with my view of this book. I would highly recommend buying this story full of creativity. I love this story because it is full of twists and turns and the plot changes every page you turn.
Safia Year 8
More Than This Patrick Ness, Walker Books, 978- 1406350487, £7.99 This book is about Seth, a boy that drowns and wakes up in a
18 Books for Keeps No.213 July 2015
place that looks like his old home in England, a place that has a lot of memories for him. But, as he explores more of this ‘hell’ world he realises it is a ghost town, with no life anywhere. Along the way he meets Regine and Tomasz who save him from the Driver. Teaming up they begin to uncover the truth about their lives, about each other and for Seth, about the fateful day his world changed. I liked this book because it was gripping and kept you guessing on every page. So read it if you are prepared to join Seth and his friends as they uncover an operation called the Switch and that everything
they
knew was nothing more than going online. Because a video game is better than real life – isn’t it?
Sa’fa Year 8
Every Day David Levithan, Electic Monkey, 978-1405264426, £7.99 This is a story about A. A changes bodies and is never the same person for more than 24 hours. A never gets attached to anyone until he meets Rhiannon. I liked this book because it is interesting and you can never guess what’s going to happen next, as a new body can change the situation completely. I would recommend this book to
people who enjoy stories about life, love and friendship and the importance of being yourself.
I
also enjoyed it because it was in a diary/journal format which is one of my favourite types of book.
Sa’fa Year 8
Lily Alone Jacqueline Wilson, Yearling, 978-0440869252. £6.99 I found this book quite sensitive and it hooks the reader in. I also chose Lily Alone because Jacqueline Wilson is one of my favourite authors.
She writes
about how girls and boys live their life and talks about their feelings. Her books can relate to how some people are living in the same conditions as her characters. Which leads me on to Lily, a young girl who is left alone with her siblings; Bliss, Baxter and Pixie, while her Mum goes on holiday with her new boyfriend. Lily is determined to keep the family together without any grown-ups, but will they be able to keep this a secret especially when they have a nosey grandma as a neighbour!
Romaana Year 7
Thanks to Brenda Heathcote, Head of English and one of the UKLA Book Awards teacher judges 2015.
Raheema
Raheema
Safia
Sa’fa
Sa’fa
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