Good Reads: St Stithians Girls’ Preparatory School

Chosen by 10-12 year-old pupils from St Stithians Girls’ Preparatory School, Randburg, South Africa.

Thanks to Marilynn Berrington, School Librarian

Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief

Rick Riordan, Puffin, 978 0 14 131913 1, £5.99 pbk

This is a magical story that starts when Percy Jackson discovers that he’s not normal. When his maths teacher explodes into dust, he decides to ask his mom about it and then sets off to the summer camp his father wanted to send him to. Life becomes interesting when strange things start happening. Why do mythical creatures keep attacking him from all sides and why does his father suddenly need his help?

To find out these answers and to read further, do not hesitate to take this superb book off the library shelf, or, buy your own copy of this excitingly scary adventure. This book is highly recommended for all primary school fantasy readers.

Ruth Gorven

Song Quest

Katherine Roberts, Element Books, 978 1 902618 94 4, £4.99 pbk

This is the first of three books called the Echorium Sequence. The main character is Rialle who has the gift to hear the Merlee who are half human, half fish people. The first time that she heard them crying for help she couldn’t see them. Then with their help she learnt to ask them questions through her thoughts. Once this lesson was taught, she could then talk to them from anywhere. However, the world is not all good as there are some people killing the Merlee. Rialle and her friend, Frenn, take a big risk in going on a voyage to save all the half-creatures.

Read this thrilling book to find out if they achieve their quest. This is a wonderful, exciting book which all readers aged 10-12 should read.

Chelsea Wardle

Dragon Rider

Cornelia Funke, Chicken House, 978 1 904442 48 6, £6.99 pbk

Firedrake, a young silver dragon, has to find a mystical and as yet undiscovered place called ‘The Rim of Heaven’, because his homeland is about to be destroyed by flooding. Firedrake and his best friend, Sorrel, a brownie, embark on a magical journey meeting many interesting and mythical creatures on the way. Their human friend, Ben, is the Dragon Rider of the book’s title.

I felt as if I was riding on Firedrake’s shoulders as I flashed through the pages of this powerful story. I would score this story nine and a half out of ten and would recommend this book to anyone aged from nine to ninety two if magic and fantasy appeal to you.

Bronwyn van Ryneveld

The Magic in the Weaving

Tamora Pierce, Scholastic, 978 0 439 96815 7, £4.99 pbk

This book is the first in a thrilling quartet – The Circle of Magic.
The Magic in the Weaving is an extraordinary read for anyone from the age of 10 to 16. It is set about 700 years ago in a world where mages (people with magical powers) are common. It is a tale of fantasy and reality.

The story is based on four young mages having all been ‘found’ at the age of 10 by the same man. This is actually a late age for mages to begin training. The four eventually become housemates at a small cottage called ‘Dicipline’. As they gradually learn about their wonderful powers, the friendship between them grows stronger. Throughout their small adventures, they learn to work as a team. But, will it prepare them for the disaster to come? Rating 10/10
Caitlin Cranmer