Tuesday, March 11, 2014

March reviews from St Kilda

Coraline by Neil Gaiman - reviewed by Sylvie

It’s about a girl who moves house to an apartment and she finds a secret door which just opens onto bricks, but at night when she opens the door the bricks vanish and there is a world there where people have buttons for eyes. She doesn’t want to stay in this world because she doesn’t want to have buttons for eyes. The woman there tries to persuade her to stay and promises her a lot and then Coraline realises these people are evil and bad and tries to get back to her normal world but it is really hard.

Rated:  3 reallys - "The book is not as scary as the film!"

The key to Rondo by Emily Rodda - reviewed by Jack

This is about a boy called Leo who inherits a music box. One of the scenes painted on the music box has a queen in it. She is called The Blue Queen and she is eeeeevil. There are important rules that come with the box, like the key must only be turned three times. Rondo is the magical land inside the music box. Leo gets sucked in to the music box with his cousin Mimi who has turned it more than 3 times.

Rated:  4 reallys


Two authors live in a tree that is 26 storeys high. Their names are Andy and Terry. Terry gets a sea monkey, Ed, instead of a mermaid. The mermaid is actually a sea monster. They have to shrink the sea monster until it is tiny. I don’t want to give away too much so that’s the end of my review!

Rated:  5 reallys


It’s about a world where everyone has their own fairy. For instance if you had a fashion fairy you will get great dress deals or a parking fairy you’d get really good parks or a love fairy all the girls or all the boys, depending, like you. In this story the girl gets a parking fairy. She doesn’t even like cars. She tries to get rid of it and get a different one. The girls don’t like the girl with the love fairy because all the boys like her. In the end they work out a way to swap. The story has got a lot of tension, it doesn’t leave you hanging and it finishes well. I had a lot of late nights reading it – it was so much fun.

Rated:  5 reallys - Recommended for those 9-29!


There are 13 storeys every single time. In this book they have added a non-erupting volcano, an opera, baby dinosaur zoo, a boxing elephant called the Trunkinator, not a very merry-go-round, a disco with a large dance floor and mirror ball and lots more.

I have got all 3 books and in September The 52-storey treehouse will be out. It is about when Terry invents a once-upon-a-time-machine - there is one toilet for 50 animals and 3 people and one bowl of porridge for each of them to eat.

Rated:  5 reallys

Red samurai by Tiffiny Hall - reviewed by Lola

This is the sequel to White ninja. It's about a girl called Roxy Ram and she is at a cemetery and she is fighting to the death with ninjas and ghosts. She becomes the White Warrior. Her sister is a diva with weird magic tricks like levitation and stuff. She is called Electra. Her mum has put mattresses on the ceiling so Electra doesn’t hit her head on the ceiling when she’s flying around at night. I haven’t finished it yet.

Rated:  4 reallys


It’s a story about the girls who are in the North Tower. They play tricks on the teachers like they stick pellets on the roof and when it rains they ping down. The main characters are Connie and Ruth who are twins, and Clarissa. The 3 of them go on a picnic with Clarissa’s old nanny. They go to the old nanny’s house. They get a lot of food and have a midnight picnic in a thunderstorm. When they go into the first formers' common room one of the teachers, Miss Potts (known as Potty) comes in and they all hide. 

Rated:  5 reallys

Mary Poppins by P. L. Travers - reviewed by Olivia

I’ve read it 3 times! I really like it because it’s a really good book. Mary Poppins comes down on an umbrella, the umbrella has a bird head that talks. She looks after Jane and Michael, John and Barbara and takes them on adventures into paintings. She has a magic handbag that has everything in it, also everything can fit into it. 

Rated:  3 reallys - "the book is better than the film, although the film is pretty good."

The illustrated mum by Jacqueline Wilson - reviewed by Louise


This is about 2 girls, Star and Dolphin, and their mum who is called Marigold. Marigold has red hair and emerald eyes and lots of tattoos. She stays out late and gets drunk, then one day she meets her old boyfriend that she’d had a baby with, that baby is Star. She wants to get back together but Mickey thinks Marigold is crazy (which she is). Star doesn’t want to live with Marigold but Dolphin goes into care. Marigold goes into a mental hospital. They meet up in the end and all is happy…… but then…..

Rated:  5 reallys

The magician by Michael Scott - reviewed by Jackson

This is about Josh and Sophie, 2 children who enter a world of magic with a man called Nicholas Flamel, disguised as Nicholas Flemming. He has a codex which holds the secret to eternal life but is also capable of destroying humans as we know them. Dr John Dee, who is working with Niccolo Machiavelli is just 2 pages away from that knowledge. Josh, Sophie and Nicolas Flamel and Scatty (Scathach) are running from Dr. John Dee. Sophie’s powers are awakened and Nicholas Fleming searches for a way to awaken Josh’s powers. I can’t tell you anymore.

Rated:  5 reallys

Base camp : Zac Power mega mission, bk. 1 by H. I. Larry - reviewed by Jack


This is about a boy called Zac who goes on these really weird and awesome missions.