A wonderful short story for older children and Young Adults (contains some strong language), all about the breakdown of a family from the perspective of a grown up son reminiscing on the past.

The narrative is a nice change from the usual, and talks rawly about the father's declining mental health in a kind of child-like naivety that really hit me as an adult reader.

The story is very simple and leaves plenty of room for personal interpretation and imaginative continuation.

Perfect for empathetic and advanced young readers, or for older understanding children with a lower reading ability.

I haven't cried at a book ending like that in a good while!

I do love when a book picks you at just the right time, to take you through every emotion you've got going on, and gives you a character's name to put them behind when you close that final page.

For a book about two siblings in the care system in the 80s, I'd call this a Happy Book. It has wonderful moments of happiness and love, and a perfect ending that gives good clarity and closure for every character, and the reader.

But, I would definitely say it has tremendously sad moments. As does life.

Written through the narrative of 10 year old Ira, all the emotions in this book are described in such wholesome and beautiful ways that show art and wisdom beyond years.

I would highly recommend, especially to those future, or current teachers around me, as a view into the mind of children with great emotional burdens. This is possibly the closest I've ever read to the thoughts I used to write in the diary of my own childhood, and aside from that, it is a beautiful, easy, emotional read.

I put this book on my to read list after attending a lecture where the author was part of a discussion panel. A friend who also attended recommended it fully and I was eager.

And then... I just happened to find it on the shelf of a charity shop. So clearly, it was meant to be.
And I have to say I loved it!

I'm a big fan of fantasy/Sci-fi etc as it is (as I'm sure is obvious by now), and this book catered to that perfectly, whilst still maintaining a perfect real world balance.

It was engaging, full of suspense, and every single character was tolerable at the very least. The plot unraveled in a sensible yet entertaining way, and the ending was well done.

I felt it moved a little quickly for my taste (basically the only reason it's missing a star), but I think that as a children's book, this is often the case, and I can under why.

It's also done a good job at making me want to read the next instalment, with plenty of characters only just touched on who I'm sure will reappear, and a continued plot line past the ending to unfold... I'm not sure if I will or not yet (really not a fan of series...), but we'll see.

I have very mixed views on this book!

On the one hand I really didn’t /enjoy/ reading it. It felt like a chore, felt disjointed and broken, and was sometimes rather annoying

But on the other hand, I absolutely loved it! The story itself was as original as fiction books can get. The characters were enjoyable and not irritating to be around. The peaks were well written and gripping, the puzzles were interesting and the magic and fantasy was well done.

The ending was relatively well done. I’m satisfied by all but one small hole that I’m assuming the author left on purpose (which we can add to the not happy list): So what’s his real name?!?!

I would definitely recommend this as a free reading book for older children, and can imagine them enjoying it a lot. Personally, it isn’t one of my favourites, but I will definitely remember it for a longtime to come.

The story of a 13 year old boy who is left alone in his flat whilst his mother goes on holiday with her neglectful boyfriend.

The story tackles some heavy subject matter around poverty, race, abuse and neglect, as well as the beginnings of love in childhood. However, it is handled gently and cleverly by being narrated first person through Joe’s own voice.

I enjoyed the voice of the story, and the progression of the plot, which even though simple still managed to hold twists and turns. I also enjoyed the ending, which I rarely find. However I didn’t personally enjoy the book. I think it is a book that I would recommend for children, as it is exactly the kind of story a child who can relate to Joe might find hope and empathy in. It’s the kind of book I would have liked to have found in my own childhood.

From a teachers perspective though, it’s not the kind of story I would recommend for learning and wider reading. It is one of an emotional tool than a learning experience.

It took me a while to finish this one because simply put, it was a chore.

Although the characters were well written, interesting and diverse, and although the plot was nice enough, I couldn’t stand the writing style! And I feel so bad saying that because it seemed like such a personal choice of the author’s.

The author had little references and interjecting narratives that just really put me off course and confused me. It made me just want to give up on the story itself, which really was quite fun!

Overall, it was a nice read. But nothing that I would recommend unless you are a child who is particularly into magic or London.

A great twist on a classic sci-fi concept for children!

Caitlin finds a tiny alien, that she saves and takes care of. They become close friends until Perijee is taken away from her and becomes a monster intent on destroying the world.

The story is all about Caitlin's adventures to save her friend and get him back home in a hostile dystopian world full of terror and hatred.

I loved the characters, realistically created with flaws and complex personalities which children can easily catalogue but also debate.
I also particularly enjoyed the representation of Caitlin finding reading hard, struggling socially and academically, but excelling in an array of other things, making close friends over the story and remaining a likeable a character throughout.

The family dynamics are interesting and realistic; neither heavily negative nor unrealistically positive, with a good closure point.

I would definitely recommend for children who enjoy sci-fi, action, fantasy or dystopian novels. Or for children who find reading a little harder, as they will find both gripping entertainment and representation within.

The How To Train Your Dragon movie series is one of my wife's all time favourites so of course I had to read the book if I am to be respectable husband and teacher in her eyes!

The book is /so/ different from the films. I am very used to films deviating from (and usually badly representing) the books, however this was on another scale. And for the first time possibly in my life I can say I am glad for it. I much prefer the films to the book.

The book wasn't bad at all, but it also just wasn't anything special. It was relatively enjoyable to read and didn't feel like a chore to get through. The characters were decent, not irritating to deal with, but also nothing that I hugely connected to. In fact I felt a kind of numb apathy throughout the entire book. I never really got invested at all.