Good Reads: Shavington High School

Chosen by Year 8 and 9 pupils (12-14 year-olds) from Shavington High School, Crewe.

Thanks to Brenda Smethurst and Karen Downard, School Librarians.

Mates, Dates and Tempting Trouble

Cathy Hopkins, Piccadilly, 978 1 85340 934 9, £6.99 pbk

Nesta, Izzie, Lucy and TJ are a group of best friends who live in London. They have secrets, go shopping and share troubles. But sharing boyfriends? Nesta, being beautiful, confident and wild, can get any boy she likes. And she chooses Luke. Unfortunately, Luke is a player, and he suddenly declares his love for TJ. She tries to forget him, but Luke is her co-ordinator and she is forced to report to him on a regular basis. TJ decides to share her secret with Izzie and the friends are forced to take sides. Will the gang ever come back together again?

Tempting Trouble never lets you know in advance what is going to happen! I’ve read this book many times and I’m never bored. I think it does show how some boys can be deceiving, but it also proves that if a friendship is strong enough, it can survive anything! Although the ‘Mates, Dates’ series is brilliant, this book has to be my favourite.

Becky Sharp

Artemis Fowl

Eoin Colfer, Puffin, 978 0 14 131212 5, £6.99 pbk

Artemis Fowl. A 12-year-old genius and a criminal mastermind. With the help of his 7 foot tall bodyguard, Butler, Artemis plots his evil plans in Fowl Manor, but this time he has got more than he has bargained for. Artemis has discovered the fairy race; fairies with guns, artillery and killer bombs. Of course, Fowl doesn’t know all this, until he captures a fairy and is suddenly besieged in his own home and set upon by a fairy squad, a troll and a very, very gassy dwarf…! I loved this book because it is suitable for both boys and girls. It isn’t all ‘airy-fairy’, it’s about plans, criminals and a bit of skulduggery. Artemis Fowl is a thriller with twists in the plot at every turn and humour on every page. I would recommend this book to 11-14 year-olds with a sense of adventure. And if you enjoy it, then read the sequels including #2, Artemis Fowl and the Arctic Incident and #3, Artemis Fowl and the Eternity Code.

Keren Whittaker

Apache: Girl Warrior

Tanya Landman, Walker, 978 1 4063 0331 5, £6.99 pbk

I found this book so addictive, I read it very quickly – and would even pick it up again! Every page is full of beauty and thrills that keep you totally hooked. The story is told by Siki – a young Apache girl who loses her family, later discovering secrets and resolving puzzles. She takes revenge, follows her dreams, falls in love, and suffers many ordeals. I became really attached to this character. The way it’s written, with its clever storyline, is absolutely captivating. I totally recommend this for all teenagers and adults – boys as well as girls!

A definite page-turner!!

Sophie Flinn

Stormbreaker: The Graphic Novel

Anthony Horowitz, Antony Johnston, Damerum Kanako and Takasaki Yuzuru, Walker, 978 1 84428 111 4, £7.99 pbk

It’s an accurate copy of the original book in pictures. It shows the same things that are in the book. I would recommend it to anyone who likes a long comic story. It’s the story of how, through a series of events, Alex Rider becomes a spy. He has to try and save the world from a man who is putting a virus into a computer. Can he save the world in time? A great exciting and thrilling read. I give it a five star rating.

David Lee

Children of Winter

Berlie Doherty, Catnip, 978 1 84647 026 4, £5.99 pbk

In this book, three children are protected from the plague by being left in an isolated barn by their parents. They have to survive all the way through the winter with the food that has been left for them and have to avoid any contact with carriers of the plague – which turns out to be harder than it sounds! I love this book because it is very emotional and exciting. I think it is aimed more at girls. My favourite part is where the farmer who owns the barn returns with the plague and the children have to look after him without catching the plague themselves. This is one of my favourite books.

Faith Whittaker