H.I.V.E book 1 - Mark Walden

Title: H.I.V.E - Higher Institute of Villainous Education

Author: Mark Walden

Genre: Children’s/ Action/ Sci -Fi/ Adventure

Publisher: Macmillan
Publication date: 2006
Paperback: 298 pages

Series?: Yes, it is a series of 8 books.

How did I get this book: I borrowed it from the school library.


Why I read this book: It looked like a really good, and my friends recommended it.

Blurb:

H.I.V.E. (Higher Institute of Villainous Education) is a top-secret school of applied villainy where children with a precocious gift for wrongdoing are sent to develop their talents into criminal mastermind. After all, 'villains have the best lines and wear the best costumes'. One small catch is that the children cannot leave until training is complete, six years later. With villainy comes a certain freedom of thought, and every year one student in particular will show exceptional talent - after all, it takes the best to produce the worst. This year there are two students: Otto Malpense and his new friend Wing Fanchu are both exceptionally bad, and they are definitely not keen on being held against their will for six long years...

Review:

• Loved this book as it was full of action and had unpredictable twists in the plot.
• It was interesting right from the start - which I always think is important.
• The characters were interesting and likable. 
• You could really imagine H.I.V.E and all the teachers and characters. Let's your imagination run wild.
• Makes you want  to read the next one!

Everybody Jam - Ali Lewis

Title: Everybody Jam

Author: Ali Lewis

Genre: Coming of Age

Publisher: Anderson Press
Publication date: March 2011
Paperback: 336 pages

Series?: Stand alone

How did I get this book: I bought this book from Waterstones.


Why I read this book: It was on the Carnegie medal shortlist, (2012), and I read the blurb and comments and it sounded interesting so I decided to give it a go.

Blurb:

"Danny lives on a cattle station in the middle of the Australian outback, where everyone’s getting ready for the annual muster. But this year, everything is different: because Danny’s beloved older brother Johnny has died in a farm accident, and nobody talks about it: because his fourteen year old sister is pregnant, and about to be packed off to Alice Springs in disgrace: because his mother can’t cope, and has decided to hire a house-girl  and what they get is a wide-eyed English backpacker called Liz. She has no idea what she’s let herself in for. Neither do they."

Review:
.
Some people may think this book is a little long-winded, but personally I really enjoyed it.
One of my favourite things about the book was Danny and his pet camel Buzz - I loved hearing about what they did. It felt so real!

The ending was quite emotional, and personally I think it could have ended better, though it was still quite good.

I loved this book because it was something different - a break from all the other normal teen books I read, (mostly adventure/action).

It is fresh and new, and set in Australia and uses some Australian language, making you really feel like you're there and connect with the characters.

There were many interesting points in the plot - as more than one thing happening at one time.

This is a a really good book and I highly recommend it to anyone 14 and over. (I do not recommend it for younger people, as although it is not that rude it does have some parts of it including racism because that was what it was like at the time this book was set).

If there was a sequel, I would definitely read it.

Awards: Shortlisted for the Carnegie medal

Lord of the Flies - William Golding

Title: Lord of the Flies

Author: William Golding

Genre: Children’s/ Contemporary (with a bit of sci-fi, as it is about space)

Publisher: Faber and Faber
Publication date: 17 September 1954
Paperback: 225 pages

Series?: Stand alone

How did I get this book: I got given it by my English teacher.


Why I read this book: We are studying this book for our IGCSE course, so I didn't really have a choice about whether I wanted to read it or not...

Blurb:

A plane crashes on a desert island and the only survivors, a group of schoolboys, assemble on the beach and wait to be rescued. By day they inhabit a land of bright fantastic birds and dark blue seas, but at night their dreams are haunted by the image of a terrifying beast. As the boys' delicate sense of order fades, so their childish dreams are transformed into something more primitive, and their behaviour starts to take on a murderous, savage significance. First published in 1954, "Lord of the Flies" is one of the most celebrated and widely read of modern classics.

Review:

• I read this in the summer holidays, and have been going over it in class. I think this book is disturbing and frankly quite demented.
• I think this is aimed at adults, and when reading it I found it quite horrifying  It was not as bad as I expected and it is quite well written, but it is not at all to my taste.
• This book is full of symbolism and hidden meanings. Going over things and learning about these was actually quite interesting.
• Would I have read it if I didn't have to for school? - No.
  Am I glad I read it? - Not really. It wasn't so bad, but I wouldn't choose to read it.

Cosmic - Frank Cottrell Boyce

Title: Cosmic

Author: Frank Cottrell Boyce

Genre: Children’s/ Contemporary (with a bit of sci-fi, as it is about space)

Publisher: Macmillan
Publication date: July 2008 (First edition)
Paperback: 256 pages

Series?: Stand alone

How did I get this book: I borrowed it from the school library.


Why I read this book: It looked like a really interesting plot, and it really stood out to me on the shelf. I have read Millions (also by Frank Cottrell Boyce) and I really enjoyed that, so I decided to give this a go to.

Blurb:

Liam is too big for his boots. And his football strip. And his school blazer. But being super-sized height-wise has its advantages: he's the only eleven-year-old to ever ride the G-force defying Cosmic roller coaster -- or be offered the chance to drive a Porsche. Long-legged Liam makes a giant leap for boy-kind by competing with a group of adults for the chance to go into space. Is Liam the best boy for the job? Sometimes being big isn't all about being a grown-up.

Review:

• I have just finished reading this book and I think it is absolutely superb.
• It is both funny and moving, and Frank Cottrell Boyce writes this book with a great care and accuracy to detail.
• Although the plot of the story sounds unbelievable, as you read it you find yourself believing that all of this could happen. The power of words and a good story in this book is immense, and makes the book all the more readable.
• There are great characters in the book, including those you come to love, and those you come to hate.
• I am 14, and I was worried I may be too old for this book; however, I was proved wrong.
• This is a page-turning tale and I highly recommend it to anyone 14 and under.

Awards: Carnegie medal winner