Good Reads: Aith Junior High School
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, Beatris 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 books.
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 Psammeed in the sand pit, just like the one in the book Rosalind is reading. The Psammeed 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
Skeleton Key
Antony 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