Good Reads: Rednock School

Chosen by Year 8-10 (12-15 year-old) pupils from the lunchtime reading club at Rednock School, Dursley, Gloucestershire.

Thanks to Mrs Allen, English teacher, and Mrs Bennett, school librarian.

George’s Marvellous Medicine

Roald Dahl, Puffin, 0 14 131134 7, £4.99 pbk

George has to stay at home with his grandma while his mum and dad go to work. George’s mum tells him not to forget his grandma’s tablets at 12 o’clock, but George gets bored and comes up with a plan.

I like George because he is fun. I enjoyed it because it was easy to read. It was a good book because you can imagine the magic medicine. It’s a fantasy story.

Shelly McNally, Year 8

Peace Weavers

Julia Jarman, Scholastic Point, 0 439 97771 1, £4.99 pbk

Do you like war-related books? Have you been tuned in about the war in Iraq? Do you enjoy a tragic love story? Most importantly, do you enjoy history? If so, Peace Weavers by Julia Jarman is for you.

The story begins in northern Europe 1500 years ago, and then travels forwards to the 21st century. From there, the story flicks between the 6th century and the 21st. It’s based on a United States Air Force base, where the main character Hilde is surrounded by preparations for the war in Iraq. When she gets involved with an archaeology dig on the base, Hilde starts unravelling the history underneath the air base, and she soon becomes involved with a tragic love story…

Interested? It’s a great book. I was hooked from the first line; ‘The girl sat by the fire with the jewellery in her hand,’ and I hope you will be too.

Rosemary Coates, Year 10

Eldest

(The second title in ‘The Inheritance Trilogy’)

Christopher Paolini, Doubleday, 0 385 60790 3, £14.99 hbk

Eragon and his dragon, Saphira, have just saved the rebel state from destruction from the might of King Galbotrix.

I would recommend this book to people who like sci-fi/adventure books. It is about a poor farmer boy who finds a blue polished stone in a mysterious range of mountains called ‘The Spine’, just to find that one week later it hatches into a dragon! An enthralling friendship bonds between him and his dragon.

This is an incredible book for people aged 10-17 years old as it is exciting and involves you in the story.

Thomas Dwight, Year 8

Stormbreaker

Anthony Horowitz, Walker, 1 84428 092 6, £6.99 pbk

Stormbreaker is the incredibly popular first novel in a series of six. I want to tell anyone who hasn’t read the book about all of the treats inside.

The novel is the story of Alex Rider, a normal London teenager, whose life is turned upside down when his guardian suspiciously dies in a car crash. As Alex attends the funeral a lot of strange events happen; most chauffeurs don’t wear guns under their suits. Alex decides to investigate. He finds out that his uncle is not a bank manager after all, but a secret agent working for MI6! He also finds that his last, and fatal, mission was never finished. But how can the new Stormbreaker supercomputers be connected?

Stormbreaker and its sequels are great books. All of the stories are well thought out and carefully written. The plots are gripping and action packed, giving the reader a lust for more. My opinion: 5/5.

David Hill, Year 8

Scorpia

Anthony Horowitz, Walker, 0 7445 8323 3, £6.99 pbk

The fifth instalment in the Alex Rider series, Anthony Horowitz will grip you from the first page. Alex Rider’s already abnormal life goes from bad to worse when a terrorist agency known as Scorpia goes on the loose. MI6 force Alex into a life-threatening mission once again, but there is more to Scorpia than meets the eye. Alex is tempted to join them when he hears the truth of how his father died! Will this be enough to turn Alex against MI6? Can Scorpia really be trusted though? Who will Alex trust? Who is telling the truth? Read the book to find out the truth.

Good points about the book: There is very good suspense. The book is very easy to get into. The book is packed with action. My rating for this book would be 10/10.
Chris Dolphin, Year 8