This week Lottie Longshanks wrote a fantastic review of The Last Wild by Piers Torday – a novel she initially admitted was 'not a book I that expected to love... but the language just sucked me in and I found it hard to put down'. The Last Wild is about a boy called Kester who discovers he has the amazing gift of talking to animals in a dystopian world where 'Red Eye' has wiped out almost all wilderness.
"It contains some serious messages about human behaviour as well as being an incredibly enthralling story... I absolutely loved this book, it deserves to win prizes ... I like the last sentence particularly because I it suggests that this book may be the first of a series. I certainly hope so."
Continuing with our animal theme, Jinan wrote a wonderful review of Huey's Story by Jane Clarke. In this story a girl called Hannah moves to a new home in London with a family and adopts a 'little, fluffy puppy called Huey' from Battersea Dogs and Cats Home.
"I liked this book because in the end Gemma is kind and Hannah is happy. I know what it feels to be in a new school and not to have any friends because friends are very important. I give this book 10/10."
Another book pet lovers might want to track down is I'm Dougal Trump: Where's my tarantula? by D Trump. Dougal is desperately searching for his missing spider and this week site member Robo wrote a superb review of the story, recommending it to 'everyone over 6 years'.
"This is a book for pet lovers and it has lots of mysteries... It is just a really good book and now that I have read it I want to read Dougal's other adventures. It reminds me of Diary of a Wimpy kid and Tom Gates which I also like. I liked the recipes like baked bean pizza!"
Meanwhile, moving on to teen fiction tackling the difficult issue of abortion rights, rileyb wrote a brilliant review of Unwind by Neal Shusterman. This controversial novel describes a world where abortion is illegal but parents are allowed to submit their children to become organ donors (or be 'unwound') before their eighteenth birthday. In his critique rileyb took issue with the emotional aspects of the novel:
"Despite the exciting appeal and interesting philosophical points, this novel definitely lacks a certain emotional element. Perhaps the author is trying to connect with a teenage audience through his stereotypical dialogue, but it certainly does not scream out with authenticity... The characters' actions may be heroic, but the personalities behind them are one-dimensional and surprisingly lacklustre."
Also this week ThePinkElephant wrote a tremendous review of Khaled Hosseini's moving second novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns. ThePinkElephant summarised the storyline as a journey of "two women in their marriages and in their war-torn country... Set in Afghanistan from the 1960s to the 1990s, spanning from Soviet occupation to the Taliban control" with a main theme of the "oppression of Afghan women".
"This is one of those books that truly moves you, pulling on your heartstrings until you bawl like a child... You blink several times. You squirm. You cry out in outrage. But Hosseini isn't finished... By the end you are not only left with a tear, but with a fire lit within. It is above all a story of hope and of life, the heroism that comes with love and the inevitable strife that comes with living. Inspirational, outstanding, every man and women must read this tale."
And last but certainly not least, Beth from one of our group members, the Millennium RIOT Readers, wrote a magnificent review of The Andersons by Zoe Ward. This book follows three children who discover a haunted house with mystical powers. Beth, however, was disappointed with elements of the story which she anticipated to be 'like a modern day Enid Blyton story'.
"I have to say that I was fairly disappointed in the story itself for a few reasons. I found it rather odd that these three children who are all of different ages only spent time with each other and didn't seem to have any other friends outside of school... Also the fact that it was quite repetitive slowed the story down as well... I think it could have possibly been better if it were a lot shorter... I would recommend this to very young readers who like adventure and mystery stories."
And that concludes the roundup for this week - thank you all for such engaging reviews! If we mentioned your review please do email - childrens.books@theguardian.com - and we will send you an exciting new book from our cupboards!
Happy reading!
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