Horrible Histories (may include sad ending!) by Haiden Norman

Horrible Histories is a series of illustrated history books published in the United Kingdom by Scholastic, and part of the Horrible Histories franchise. The first titles in the series, The Terrible Tudors and The Awesome Egyptians were published in June 1993. As of 2011 with more than 60 titles in the series, the books have sold over 25 million copies in over 30 languages.
                                

Sad News
 

Terry Deary announced that the series would officially come to an end in 2013. The Daily Telegraph said Terry Deary was reported to have given up the bestselling series because he had run out of tales to tell.

Terry Deary commented in an interview, "If I had it my way, I wouldn't have schools at all. They don't educate, they just keep kids off the streets. But my books educate, because they prepare kids for life...It's outrageous, why don't we start telling children the truth about history? I hope my books do just that."

I really don't want Horrible Histories to come to an end because I absolutely love reading useful information.

~Haiden Norman~

Fizzlebert Stump: The Boy Who Ran Away From The Circus (And Joined The Library) by AF Harrold

A really simple (but highly entertaining) story which is more or less summed up in the title! Fizzlebert is a young boy who is growing up in a travelling circus. Both of Fizz's parents are performers, his mother is a clown and his father is a strong man. Although he is happy, he has quite a lonely life as there are no other children in the circus. Because they are continually travelling from city to city, he never gets the chance to go to school and make friends, and is taught by the adults in the circus. When he is out exploring one day, Fizz walks into a library for the very first time. As he has never experienced one before, he is amazed by all of the incredible books that are available and tries to join and become a member. The librarian tells him that he is too young and that he needs to have his parents with him to fill in the paperwork. Fizz, bitterly disappointed, leaves the library. On his way back to the circus, he is approached by a very strange old couple. They tell him that they will happily pretend to be his grandparents so he can go back and join the library...but why?

I managed to read this book in one sitting, it's quite long but a very simple (and addictive) read. The writing is quite similar to Philiip Ardagh in style, with lots of asides for the reader, and some very funny scenes (one of my favourites is when Fizz tries to buy the books from the library as he doesn't understand how it all works). There isn't really a huge amount of plot but there doesn't need to be, as it is so engagingly written. I don't normally worry too much about the illustrations too much when I'm reading but these ones are great, full of life and energy. There is already a sequel available, Fizzlebert Stump and the Bearded Boy, which was published earlier this year and I have no doubt that the series will continue. It certainly should.

 

Highly recommended for Years 3-6. Any book which mentions how important libraries are for children is alright by me!

 

Mr Biddle.

Alex Rider series almost finished.

I finished reading the eighth book in the Alex Rider series, Crocodile Tears, a few weeks ago. However, I've been delaying reading the ninth, Scorpia Rising, as it is the last one, and I think I'm going to be quite sad when it all ends. Some of the books in the series have been better than others (Snakebite is my personal favourite, closely followed by Scorpia), but I've enjoyed them all.

Luckily, I'm halfway through a couple more amazing series, the Young Bond books by Charlie Higson and the Jimmy Coates books by Joe Craig (the seventh book has just been published). I've also just read the first Vampirates book by Justin Somper, so I've got lots to read over the summer.

My top ten eleven twelve series of children's books:

1) Alex Rider (Anthony Horowitz)

2) Young James Bond (Charlie Higson)

3) Artemis Fowl (Eoin Colfer)

4) Harry Potter (J.K. Rowling)

5) Jimmy Coates (Joe Craig)

6) Cirque du Freak (Darren Shan)

7) Hunger Games (Suzanne Collins)

8) The Chronicles of Narnia (C.S Lewis)

9) The Mystery books (Enid Blyton)

10) Percy Jackson (Rick Riordan)

11) The Enemy (Charlie Higson)

12) Gone (Michael Grant)

What have I missed? What series do I need to read next? What is your number one series?

Mr Biddle

Lost Worlds by Andrew Lane

Over the past few years, Andrew Lane has written five Young Sherlock Holmes books, based on the adventures of the character created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Conan Doyle also wrote a very famous book called The Lost World, which was the inspiration for Lost Worlds (in fact, the main character is the grandson of the original hero!).
 

The book is an extremely fast paced adventure, set in a remote mountain wilderness. Calum Challenger, the main character of the book, is unable to walk due to an accident and has been in a wheelchair for the past few years. He is convinced that there are undiscovered animals and plants in the world that could help him walk again. A team of 'adventurers' are assembled, including Gecko, a free runner, Tara, a computer hacker, Natalie, a spoilt American child, and Rhino, an all-action hero. The team travel to Georgia to track down some mysterious creatures called the Almasti, a lost tribe of human-like creatures who are believed to be extinct. The team are being pursued by Nemor Incorporated, an evil company who need the Almasti for their own reasons, and who will stop at nothing to get what they want.
 

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. All of the characters, with the exception of Rhino, added to the story and each of them had an interesting background. I loved the idea of the main character not being part of the action (Calum can only follow what's going on via a set of cameras). The ending did feel a little rushed, although that is partly because the author is already working on a sequel. If you like books full of technology, action and excitement, you will definitely enjoy this. (After writing this review, I've just remembered that I haven't yet read the latest Young Sherlock Holmes book!)

 

Mr Biddle

Diary Of A Wimpy Kid: The Third Wheel by Jeff Kinney

My favourite book is Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Third Wheel because it's really funny and you could learn something from it. Another reason why I like the book is because at the back there are some boxes that you have to tick. Next to the boxes are sentences that say things like 'Have you ever had a sleep over?' or 'Have you cut your own hair?'. If you have, you tick the box next to the sentence.

By Tommy B.

Molly Moon by Georgia Byng

Molly Moon is a great book. It is about a girl called Molly who she goes to see a Japanese band. Molly and her friends, Gerry and Micky, end up meeting them backstage and they all become friends. Hiroyuki, Chokichi and Toka (the members of the band) tell Molly and her friends that they can come back to Japan with them. The next day they all end up travelling there, apart from Micky who chose to stay with his parents. Molly has magic powers and can hypnotise people so she hypnotises the flight manager so they don't have to show their passports. When they got to Japan they met the band members again. Later on in the story, they all have dinner with the band's manager (who doesn't care about the band, just the money). When they had finished there dinner Molly played her mouth organ with the whole restaurant enjoyed it.

Review by Alisha Harris.

Jack Slater, Monster Investigator by John Dougherty

This book is really good. There's a young boy who is the main character and he's called Jack. He is a monster investigator. Also, there's a monster called Bernard. He meets Jack and then there's an invasion of monsters. Later on, they meet a girl called Cherry and they get up to all sorts of adventures in an underground tunnel. Do they get caught or not? Read this fantastic book to find out more...I liked this book because it has lots of adventures in it. I would recommend it to anyone, because I think lots of people would enjoy it.

Review by Emma.

Niteracy Hour by John Dougherty

Review by Lily Mae Allen.

I have not read any books about nits until now. This book is about a nit (called Jim) that hatches on someones head when they are at school. It is an ordinary head louse, but if it feeds on someone's blood it gets really good at whatever the person was good at. My favourite part is when the nit meets another nit and gets extremely annoyed with him. I enjoyed this book because it is really weird and very funny.
 

The Wickedest Witch in the World by Kaye Umansky

The Wickedest Witch in the World is a really quick book to read. It's also very funny, so that's why lots of people would absolutely love this book. It is definitely my favourite book at the moment. I think I will buy this book with my mum and dad. I will also try to get my brothers to start reading it because I think they might really enjoy it too.

Review by Sharice.

Goosebumps: Let's Get Invisible by R.L. Stine

I've read loads of Goosebumps books, however this one is one of my favourites as it is about a mirror that turns a boy called Max invisible. It sounds good but turns into a disaster, as each time he goes invisible it gets harder to become visible again! It all started on Max's birthday, when Max's dog found a hidden door in the attic, and they found the mirror that turned him invisible. Will he be invisible forever? I can't tell you, This book is great and I recommend reading it!

Score 10/10

Reviewed by Kye.

Hagurosan by Darren Shan

Hagurosan is a amazing book written by the best selling author of The Demonata, The Saga of Darren Shan and Zom-B. If you like horror books, I would recommend this book for you.

 

The spirits have cursed people for less.

They have brought dreadfull illness upon them.

They have struck them down dead.
What will they do to Hagurosan?
 

Hagurosan is a little boy who lives in a poor village. One day he climbs up the Holy Mountain and finds a coin. He then climbs up the holy mountain every day and finds loads of coins. Hagurosan had never seen as much money in his life. He must have picked up at least five or six hundred coins. His father comes to collect him from the mountain. But it is not as easy at it seems...

If you decide to read this book, I guarantee you will love it. It is exciting and easy to read. I loved it.

10/10

Aidan Allen

Ghost Stadium by Tom Palmer

School's finished for the summer, so Lucas and his two mates decide to go camping in the old abandoned football stadium, when suddenly they are awoken by something terrible. Will Lucas make it out alive with his friends or will the evil lurking in the stadium catch them? You need to read this book to find out what will happen.

This book is so amazing you could read it one million times and not get bored. It is not scary, but it is spooky and an awesome adventure book. It is also very short and quick to read, I finished it in about 35 minutes.

I would recommend it for anyone who enjoys atmospheric and spooky stories! Will you read it? I want to know if you enjoyed it as much as I did.

reviewed by Alec Ford.

Hagurosan by Darren Shan

Darren Shan's brand new book Hagurosan is amazing!

It's about a boy called Hagurosan who has to deliver a cake that his mother made to the Holy Mountain. On the way there, Hagurosan starts to eat the cake and eventually there are only crumbs left. When he arrives at the Holy Mountain he starts to pray, then as he walks towards the exit he finds a coin. He picks it up and puts it at the feet of one of the statues. Then he finds another coin, so he does the same again. And again. And again. Hagurosan is cursed! Hagurosan's father tries to take him home but he can't. Hagurosan is still there many years later and has found thousands of coins.

The book continues, but I don't want to spoil the rest for you as it is such an exciting story. I recommend this book to the people who love Darren Shan and his books.

Review by 
Sean Innes