With a regular ‘Book Corner’ spot in our school magazine, our two self-confessed bibliophiles, Rose and Yaminah share their top tips on how to write an ‘almost-perfectly perfect book review’:
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‘The Race’ by Roy Peachey (KS3)
‘Not your typical happily ever after, Roy has written a wonderfully relatable and inclusive tale, where all are welcome, and the beauty of sport brings everyone together in the end. There are life lessons to be learned in this inspiring story with friendship at its heart.’ Shaunagh Brown, International Rugby […]
Continue reading‘After the War’ by Tom Palmer (KS3)
Longlisted for the The CILIP Carnegie Medal 2021 Synopsis: Summer 1945. The Second World War is finally over and Yossi, Leo and Morecai are among three hundred children who arrive in the English Lake District. Having survived the horrors of the Nazi concentration camps, they’ve finally reached a place of […]
Continue reading‘Amal Unbound’ by Aisha Saeed (KS3+)
Amal is a young girl who dreams of being a teacher. She stays behind to help her teacher regularly and is a keen reader. After her mother gives birth to another girl and develops post-partum depression, Amal stays at home to look after the home and family and has to […]
Continue reading‘The Hate U Give’ by Angie Thomas (Mature Upper KS3+)
Be aware that there is strong language, though it is completely within context and appropriate for the nature of the book. One of the most powerful YA books I have ever read. This is a story of one young girl’s witnessing of police brutality and institutional racism, the impact it […]
Continue reading‘Clap When You Land’ by Elizabeth Acevedo (KS4+)
Clap When You Land follows Yahaira and Camino, two half-siblings from contrasting worlds who are unware that the other exists until the death of their father and carefully kept secrets begin to surface. The story is a powerful exploration of the rawness and complexity of loss within a family in […]
Continue reading‘Things a Bright Girl Can Do’ by Sally Nicholls (Upper KS3+)
Things A Bright Girl Can Do combines fact with fiction in the stories of three girls: Evelyn, May and Nell, each from diverse backgrounds and their experiences through the Suffragette movement and the beginning of WWI. Historical fiction is one of my favourite genres. Things A Bright Girl is an […]
Continue reading‘The Night Diary’ by Veera Hiranandani (KS3+)
This is a beautiful book which explores the power of relationships in its many guises. In particular, I loved the relationship Nisha and her twin brother Armil have – how she sees him and the way they complete each other. I loved the relationship Nisha has with cooking too; how […]
Continue readingMs Carter-Dunn’s Desert Island Reads
When We Were Very Young by A. A. Milne (1924) There have been a number of childhood books that I hold dear still, but the one that has had the biggest impact on me is this collection of poems by the creator of Winnie the Pooh. My mum used to […]
Continue reading‘The 57 Bus’ by Dashka Slater (KS4+)
The 57 Bus is an amazing book. It really opened up my mind and helped me to understand things I had never fully understood before. It really showed society’s mentality as a whole, and I think it’s a book that needs to be read by everyone. Emeli, Year 11 ‘The […]
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