We know how many of you are massive John Green fans so it is no surprise that two of his books have made it into our roundup this week as the first premieres of The Fault in Our Stars hit the big screens! Site member infernalpanemallegiance2 was first to comment, with an excellent review of Paper Towns! In this story, Q goes in search of his childhood crush (and neighbour) Margo. When Margo goes missing one night towards the end of term, Q goes on a mission to try to find her.
"Paper Towns was a book I could not put down from the moment I started it. John Green has done an amazing job with writing the book in Quentin's point of view. I also love the different relationships shown between the characters, many teenagers could probably relate to this … I found the ending very fitting for the book. It was sad, but not expected. All of John Green's books have made me think more about even the simplest things - and this isn't an exception. Paper Towns is by far one of my favourite books of all time and I would highly recommend it to anyone who likes books with a hint of mystery, romance and humour."
And now it's the one you've all been waiting for; if any of you are planning to watch the film without having read the book, we urge you - READ THIS FIRST! CaraErica has written a superb review of The Fault in Our Stars, declaring it "a literary triumph!" This book follows the star-crossed relationship of Hazel, a teenager diagnosed with terminal cancer, and Gus, who she meets at a cancer support group.
"Love, loss and laughter all combined into one emotional rollercoaster … Green wisely writes: "You don't get to choose if you get hurt in this world... but you do have some say in who hurts you." Truly this is an epic love story that highlights not the fault in ourselves, but the fault in our stars."
Elsewhere, moving to themes of fantasy, KhadijaH10 wrote an outstanding review of Rags & Bones: New Twists on Timeless Tales by Melissa Marr and Tim Pratt. This collection of short stories explores and retells some classic plots such as Rumpelstiltskin.
"All of the authors in this book found some way to add a new twist to the tales that have been retold over and over. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good short story – each takes about half an hour to read – as a way to unwind or relax. I think that the book is more appropriate for an older range of kids, starting around eleven years old, as many of the new stories are quite dark and twisted. Anyone who likes fantasy, mystery, or mythology should definitely read this book, as it references many legendary characters, like dwarves and witches."
More classics now, with a superb review by alia123 of Dear Olly by Michael Morpurgo. This story switches between three perspectives: Olly, whose brother leaves to become a clown in the circus; Matt who grows up in a orphanage, and Hero, a swallow, who journeys to Africa while pursued by a dangerous falcon.
"This book is written for children aged 7-12. I recommend this book to everyone because it drags you into a different dimension. The emotions jump right of the page into your body and flows out of you as tears. I'm sure you will enjoy this fascinating book!"
This week's roundup ends on a rather mute (but not moot!) note, with a terrific review by Amazed Earthling of The Mute Button by Ellie Irving. In this story, Anthony find out he has a brand new big brother called Ben! However when Ben starts to get all the attention, Ant decides to stop speaking in protest.
"I really enjoyed how the story is written in a journal style and how he compares himself to different cheeses at the beginning of some chapters. It is both hilarious and moving and has emotional issues that children can relate to … The story kept me hooked for every one of the 296 pages so I couldn't rate it anything less than five stars. This is a thoroughly entertaining book … it is the first book that I have read by Ellie Irving and I will definitely be checking out her other books."
Thank you to all our site members for your amazing reviews this week! If your review has been included in our roundup, be sure to email the Book Elves, and we will send you a prize in the post (HINT: it's readable).
Happy Reading!
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