March reviews - from the St Kilda club

Hetty Feather by Jacqueline Wilson - reviewed by Lily (aged 8)

Lily loves anything by Jacqueline Wilson, because she really makes stories and characters more realistic.  

This is an amazing tale of Hetty Feather, who is abandoned as a young baby and is taken in by one of the orphanages, and over the years foster homes. All the tribulations that Hetty goes through as a baby to a young child, she never gives up on looking for her real mother. 

Hetty is a survivor of the Foundling Homes that were established for children who were abandoned. The Foundling Home in the story was started by a Thomas Coram which was more a hospital for the maintenance and education of exposed and deserted children in 1739.

It still continues today and there is a web site that can be visited that one can see what life was like for the likes of the Hetty Feathers of this world -  www.foundlingmuseum.org.uk

Lily just loved the book because the characters were so real, the situation, horrible though it was, made you think about Hetty and those like her, plus there was always humour.

5 reallys

Age group that it would appeal to:   8-10

Once by Morris Gleitzman - reviewed by Julia (aged 12)

This is part of a trilogy, the others being “Then” and “Now”.

Felix is the main character in Once. He is a young Jewish boy who has been placed in a Catholic convent orphanage in Poland.  Felix is convinced that his parents are not dead, but very much alive and that they will come back to get him.

However when Nazi soldiers come to the convent one day, Felix decides to escape from the convent and make his way home.  As it is a time of difficulty and danger, Felix must rely on his own wits to survive, along the way he takes another orphan called Zelda under his wing.  They are lucky in that they meet this kind dentist, Barney, who rescues and hides Jewish children from the Nazis.

Unfortunately, the work that Barney does is discovered by Nazis, this means that the Jewish children are taken and put on trains for the death camps.  The kind dentist makes the decision to go along with the children to the camps, instead of taking the option of freedom offered to him by one of the Nazi soldiers.

“Once” was recommended by a few of her friends and she has not been disappointed.

4.5 reallys

Age group that it would appeal to:  8-12

Julia is also reading, although hasn't finished it yet, a book called  “Gone”  by Michael Grant - an interesting scenario where the world is ruled by 15 year olds, and anyone over 15 is gotten rid of.

A series of unfortunate events by Lemony Snicket - reviewed by Oriana (aged 8).

There are 13 books in the series, and Oriana read all of them over 2 weeks and has really enjoyed books 1-12, however she felt that the final one, book 13, “The End” was a let down.  It just did not seem to ring true to her - "A bit disappointing!!"

4.9 reallys for books 1-12

3.5 reallys for book 13

Age group they would appeal to:  9-15

Demon Thief, book 2 of the “Demonata" series by Darren Shan - reviewed by Max (aged 10).

Max loved it because it's so good with the characters, it’s freaky and he just loves the cover.

“The demon thief is about a young boy, Kernel, who has always been able to see lighted shapes in the air. He seems to have the power to move these shapes around. He thought that others could see these shapes as well, but not so and other kids and adults thought he was a freak. 

One day out of boredom, he concentrates and puts all these shapes together to form a “window” a window into the other world. With that, all the freaky horror begins.

Max says this is a book that both children and adults can really get into. There is some graphic violence, so it’s recommended that if you don’t like that type of thing, you might want to give this series a miss.  If you love horror, and freakiness, then you will love it as it moves at a fast and entertaining pace.

           

5 reallys

Age group that it would appeal to:   10-28