This week mariakozhuhar sent in a reviewing delight: our first play script critique! Pymalion by George Bernard Shaw is a classic comedy in which a well-known phonetician places a bet that he can transform a flower girl into a 'true lady' in a mere couple of months.
"What I found particularly interesting in this play is surely the classic British humour sense which gives life to its characters in a very special way. As a result, the characters become extremely true-to-life and every single phrase fulfills you with joy and excitement."
With similar witticisms, but for our younger readers, Ivantheinvincible sent us a terrific review of the picture book Toothy! (Dirty Bertie) by Alan MacDonald and David Roberts. The Dirty Bertie series follows the antics of Bertie as he embarks on crazy and chaotic adventures.
"In Toothy, Dirty Bertie goes to the dentist, he goes on holiday and finally tries to sneak an ice-cream into school. He causes mayhem in all of them. They were all really funny. I most enjoyed hearing Bertie calling his Dentist a murderer! You would like this if you like the Horrid Henry books."
Likewise, site member TheoWolfTiger wrote a wonderful review of an illustrated novel 'aimed at younger readers': The High Skies of Adventures by Blue Jay the Pirate by Scott Nash. With birds (who are also pirates!) as the main characters - this book combines a 'fantasy and a fairy-tale type story... mixed with a pirate adventure'.
"I really enjoyed this book, mostly because of the uniqueness of having birds as the main characters... The illustrations are beautiful! They really go well with the story. The pictures are a vital part of this book, and while they do look a bit cartoonish, that does not make them any less good...I liked how the villains are totally believable. I liked that as I find books that have stupid villains make the heroes seem stupid too!"
Moving onto a young adult fantasy genre – one of our critics Krazy Kesh wrote a superb review of Alcatraz vs. The Evil Librarians by Brandon Sanderson. In this intriguing tale, Librarians rule the world by 'spreading lies through academics and supposed knowledge'. After receiving a gift of magic sand - it falls to 13-year old Alcatraz to save the world from the evil Librarians and restore true knowledge – which 'mostly consists of magic and spectacles'!
"The book is amazingly weird yet fun to read. With strong humour and a light plot, Brandon Sanderson has formed a perfect escape route from the academics that everyone hates. The book is suitable for kids from age's 8-14."
On a similar fantasy theme, Sophie Scribe wrote a marvellous critique of How To Be Invisible by Tim Lott – in which Strato Nyman discovers a book which enables him to become invisible!
"I thought this book was brilliant! At first I wasn't sure about all the 'family issues' as it's not what I normally read, but it was definitely only an aside to the main invisibility plot. Strato is a very lovable character, and is easy to relate to. Although there were some complex 'science' bits (like the light wave/particle paradox), the style is generally easy to understand, though it can be read on many different levels. It wasn't just a straight forward fantasy and I can't really think of any books that are comparable to it, which I guess is a great thing. Putting it simply, this is a must-have book!"
Continuing elements of dream-like fantasy, Jaffacakes4eva wrote a magnificent review of Dreams by Daniela Sacerdoti! As part of the Sarah Midnight Trilogy this novel is about a 17-year old girl called Sarah Midnight who is welcomed into a secret society of demon killers after the death of her parents.
"I really enjoyed reading this book. It was an addictive, imaginative read where you could feel yourself getting sucked into the fantasy ... Although I found the pace of the book too fast at times, I was always left anticipating what was on the next page. It was interesting to read a novel where it was truly hard to predict what would happen next... I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys fantasy adventures."
And finally, reviewer pinkbookworm explained in her excellent review how Meg Cabot's The Princess Diaries series can be enjoyed by all literary-lovers!
"Some teenage girls pride themselves on being readers of only classically refined novels. Some choose mystery, thriller or science fiction. It's safe to say that the whole "boys read action and girls read chicklit" stereotype is disappearing rapidly. But there are certain books that every girl has admitted to reading on several occasions. And Meg Cabot books generally tend to top this list. Mainly because even the tomboy girls and the ones who can't stand girly teen fiction as a rule; can't stop themselves from chortling out loud at Mia's life and antics... Meg Cabot truly deserves a standing ovation, for capturing every single thought and emotion that goes through a teenage girl's head so accurately... She does a great job at reassuring girls all over the world through the Princess Diaries that it's OK to not be perfect, whether you're royal or not."
And that concludes the round up for this week. Thank you to all our brilliant readers - reading your bookish thoughts is always a pleasure! If any of your reviews were mentioned email in at the Children's site address - childrens.books@theguardian.com - and we'll send you something nice from our cupboards.
Happy reviewing!
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