Good Reads: King Solomon High School
Chosen by Year 7 (11/12 year old) pupils from King Solomon High School, Ilford, Essex
Thanks to Veronica Hurley, Librarian
The Bad Beginning
Lemony Snicket, Egmont, 0 7497 4611 4, £5.99 hbk
The story starts with three rich children called Klaus, Violet and Sunny. Violet being the oldest, Klaus the second oldest, and then Sunny the youngest. Violet loves to invent things and loves to think of inventions. Klaus loves to read; he is a bookworm. Sunny is a baby and loves to bite things.
The three youngsters were on the beach when their parents’ friend comes called Mr Poe. He told them their house had burnt down with parents in it, and told them they were not allowed to use their fortune until Violet was old enough.
They are sent to live with an evil, sneaky and dirty man called Count Olaf who makes them do all the chores while he was off with his theatre group. Count Olaf has a wicked plan to steal their fortune. He uses fraud to try and steal their great fortune but it’s not that easy.
David Cohen
The Henry Game
Susan Davis, Corgi, 0 552 54793 X, £4.99 pbk
This story is about three teenage girls and one homemade ouija board. Abbie, Marina and Lauren sit around the table one hot, sticky afternoon and have fun summoning up a spirit. They then find out their spirit is a fat English King who killed his seven wives because their babies were girls and not boys. They discover more every afternoon and each time Henry the Eighth gets a little more personal. Are the girls about to lose their heads?
This is the perfect book for someone who wants a little drama, comedy, romance and horror all under one roof. I recommend this book to an older reader, as the print is fairly small and the terminology used is of a higher standard reader.
With suspense in every turn of the page it’ll definitely keep you on the edge of your seat!
Sheri Bernstein
Lola Rose
Jacqueline Wilson, Doubleday, 0 385 60184 0, £10.99 hbk
Lola Rose is a real life story about a girl who runs away with her mum and little brother. They run away because her dad started to hit her. They change names and go all the way to London. While everything seems to be going ok something bad happens out of the blue and Lola Rose is forced to grow up and act like an adult. She soon finds that just because her name is cool doesn’t mean her life is too. Despite all the bad things Lola Rose makes a friend, gets in contact with a relative, and works it out.
I would recommend this book to people over 11 years old because it is very serious. I would also recommend this book to girls although some boys might like it. But like all the other Jacqueline Wilson books, it always turns to be a happy ending.
Annie Binysh
