A Monster Calls

By Patrick Ness

I absolutely loved this book! It was quirky and original with beautiful illustrations and powerful ideas. It was like reading a much loved book that I's read many times before, and it was incredibly moving for considering how short it was.

Rachel, Yr 12

My Name is Mina.

By David Almond

‘My name is Mina’ is about a creative, eccentric little girl called Mina. It follows the life of Mina who constantly writes in her diary up on her favourite tree which she shares with a family of birds. Throughout the book we learn about Mina’s thoughts and dreams as well as her past life where Mina gets up to all sorts or problems trouble and fun! It is the second book which follows the book ‘Skellig’ where we first meet Mina.

I think this is a truly beautiful book what with the birds following her journey, her inside thoughts about her troubles and loves and the way Mina turned words in a notebook into a fantastic piece of art. The way Almond has laid out the book is amazing. The way the fonts change depending on when it was written and Mina’s emotions when she does write it and the page layout is done to full effect. In my opinion, this is what connects people with the book and makes the diary seem more realistic.

Mina is an amazing character in so many ways and this; I think David Almond has done to her full potential. Her crazy little stories and they way she looks at life can only make you smile and be optimistic about your own. Mina is so lively and feisty, and yet when she spills her emotions onto a page she seems so vulnerable and hopeless. Perhaps she would put it as she is a little egg in a nest that has no one to go to.

Overall, between the characters, plot and art work, it is a fabulous, touching book, unlike one I have ever read!

By Jess year 9.

A Monster Calls

The name "Chaos Walking" suits this book aswell, Ness really stuck to his style on this one. Dark, very dark; I'm not complaining. I really enjoyed this book, we all now know that Ness was not just lucky with a trilogy - like J.k Rowling and the seven books of drivel known as Harry Potter - we know Ness can write a decent book that isn't backed up by one before that just got lucky (I never read New World but I count it as a Chaos Walking).

Then we get to the book itself, almost poetic, the "Monster" spoke the way you'd expect a wise old man to speak but could change to a Monster in a second. He lead Conner down a dark path, no following family, he seemed almost happy at the start though. Happy he was alone, his mother had cancer, that he was bullied and plagued with nightmares of a tree monster.

The entire thing was written in the same style as the Chaos Walking trilogy; dark, twisting, a certain hint to the writing that I can see but can never quite put my finger on.

The illustrations were yet another part of this book that added up up as awesome, the darkness of it, the style of it was almost goth, the Monster was - in my point of view - exactly how I would have imagianed it. A dark, twisted monster with tendrils and leaves, a brown that's closer to black than it is to brown. Just more perfection.

So, A Monster Calls is proof that Ness is more than just the amazing author of Chaos Walking, its proof Ness is an amazing author that we all hope will write more amazing novels. GO FOR THE SECOND WIN IN A ROW!

Louis Yr 9

Carnegie Shadowing is GO!

The Carnegie shortlist was announced yesterday, and our readers are already well into their reading, having snatched up the new titles.  We're still waiting for three books to arrive from our order, but we'll rush them through cataloguing as soon as they're here!

The shortlist is:


David Almond MY NAME IS MINA


Mina writes and writes in an empty notebook, and through her stories, thoughts, lessons and dreams, her journal grows into something extraordinary. A prequel to the author's CILIP Carnegie Medal-winning novel, "Skellig".

Lissa Evans SMALL CHANGE FOR STUART

Ten years old and small for his age, Stuart Horten moves to the dreary town of Beeton, away from all his friends. But before long he is swept up in a quest to find his great-uncle's lost workshop, a place stuffed with trickery, magic – and danger.

Sonya Hartnett THE MIDNIGHT ZOO


Under cover of darkness, two brothers cross a war-ravaged country carrying a secret bundle. One night they stumble across a town that has been reduced to smouldering ruins. Amidst the wreckage is a zoo, filled with animals in need of hope.





Ali Lewis EVERYBODY JAM


Danny lives in middle of the outback. His older brother Jonny was killed in an accident last year, but no-one ever talks about it. Meanwhile his sister is pregnant, the rains haven't come and it's time for the annual cattle muster, during which Danny is determined to prove he can fill his brother's shoes.




Andy Mulligan TRASH


Three friends, Raphael, Gardo and Rat live on a heap of trash and spend their days sifting through other people's rubbish. One day they find something extraordinary – a deadly secret. From that moment onwards, they are hunted without mercy, and their lives will never be the same again.

Patrick Ness A MONSTER CALLS The monster shows up after midnight. It isn't the one Conor has been expecting; the one from his nightmare; the one he has had nearly every night since his mother started her treatment. But this new monster is ancient, and wild, and it wants something just as dangerous from Conor: the truth. Annabel Pitcher MY SISTER LIVES ON THE MANTELPIECE Ten year old Jamie hasn't cried since his sister's death five years before. Though everyone kept saying they would get better with time; things are now worse than ever. Dad drinks, Mum's gone and Jamie still has a whole heap of unanswered questions.

Ruta Septys BETWEEN SHADES OF GREY


One night, fifteen-year old Lina, her mother and brother are hauled from their home by Soviet guards, thrown into cattle cars and sent away. They are being deported to Siberia. An unimaginable and harrowing journey has begun, but Lina refuses to give up hope of seeing home and loved ones again.







Details from Carnegie website

I'm so glad to see some of these titles on the list and delighted that there are some I haven't read yet!

If this is your first year of shadowing the award, please make sure that you read the tab at the top of the page, which will provide you with some simple guidelines for writing an effective review.  Don't forget, we get many authors and publishers looking at this site, so bear in mind others' feelings, particularly if you read something that you don't enjoy!

I'm starting with Between Shades of Gray.  How about you?

The statistical probability of love at first sight By Jennifer E.Smith

Hadley Sullivan is a problem struck girl,  living in the midst of the remainders her parents awkward break up. She lives with her mum, and her dad has moved on and has started a new life in england with his fiance. Out of pressure from her family, hadley is going on a trip to london to her father and soon to be step mums wedding.
Yet hadley finds herself in a bad situation, that she has just missed her flight by 4 minutes. But while waiting for her replacement flight she meets someone who might be worth missing a flight for; oliver. He is a charming english boy who finds out about hadleys story and becomes her travel companion.

The characters in the book, are all so unique and had been crafted like real people. Hadley seemed reasonably normal with her opinions and personality and I think this made her very likeable straight from the start. Oliver's character is well suited for the audience of readers, mainly teenage girls, as he has lots of charisma and his joking personality makes it funny to read. As for the other characters they are also very lifelike and interesting and quietly add to the books hook.

I know most would say she's a bit too obvious in the storyline, but still, my favourite character is Hadley. I just love the way her personality is very different on the outside to what she actually is. Also she makes the book exciting without being too bold and making too obvious actions, and smith really writes her well.

For the negatives about the book, I can't see any! But if I had to be picky I would say at times you could see what was going to happen, but wasn't too obvious and didn't spoil the storyline.

I reallyyy loved this book, for many reasons! The characters were so realistic and in so many books authors make their characters perfect, and I think with a few flaws it really adds to the books emotion! The books ending was all summed up nicely and made you have a sigh of relief. Also I like the short time period in which this book is set, it stops it from dragging on and let's the author go into detail, with added suspense as times runs quickly.
This book may seem a bit girly, but I think boys would enjoy it too, and people of most ages! I would definitely read another one of hers in the future!

9/10! Chloe year 9

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight By Jennifer E. Smith

Hadley Sullivan, an American girl living with her Mum in America and on her way to for a weekend of hell, her Dad’s wedding with his new fiancée in England.
Ever since Hadley’s Dad had left herself and her Mum she has had a rocky relationship with him but after weeks of persuasion she finally agrees to go to the ceremony. However she is four minutes late and by chance she meets Oliver, a handsome, witty, British boy who has his own reasons for travelling to England.
This is the story of their journey to England as they uncover each others’ reasons for their journey and their feelings for each other.

First of all, this is not my type of book, I personally try to avoid any romance books wherever possible so this book was already doing quite well to be in my hands and being read.

I thought the characters were very plausible and their different personalities and clashing opinions were really well written in the book and constant throughout.
I think Hadley was the sort of person that you could really empathise with and I found that I would have reacted in a similar sort of way to her Dad if I had been in her situation.
There was a good range of characters in the book however I personally thought that Oliver may have been a bit more upset on the plane journey throughout instead of just when a direct question was asked about his parents.

I found the plot very readable and there was always enough to make me want to keep reading meaning it wasn’t a struggle to persevere to the end like it is with some books. I thought it was very well planned and although I find it hard to believe that Hadley would have been able to find Oliver at the church at all I don’t think it took much away from the story.
The only complaint I’d have with the plot was the fact that there seemed to be endless flashbacks after they had got off the plane and I found that I could skip whole pages without it taking much away from the story, I think it would have been better if they were a bit more evenly spread out in the book so we can gradually learn more about the characters like that.

I thought it was written really, really well. Smith got across the characters personalities and feelings perfectly and it the romantic bits were good because they were neither over the top or boring.

I also found this story makes the reader think about several different issues and shows how they can affect people and what people do about them in real life, such as: love, divorce, the importance of marriage and family and, again, I found myself emphasising a lot.

Overall, although this isn’t ‘my sort of book’ I can see exactly why many people would love it and I don’t regret reading it. The plot was in some ways predictable but I think there was always enough to keep the reader hooked.
I think Smith perfectly demonstrated how well she can write and I would be very tempted to read any other of her books in the future.

Nathan Dumpleton, Year 9

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight

By Jennifer E. Smith

Hadley Sullivan lives with her Mum in America. Her Dad lives with his new fiancé in England. Right now they are not exactly the best of friends, but, after weeks of persuasion, Hadley has agreed to travel to London for her Father’s re-marriage. This story follows Hadley’s day as she misses her flight by four minutes, meets an English boy called Oliver, and falls in love over 50,000 feet up in the air. As Hadley struggles to accept her Dad’s future, Oliver has his own secrets and, not exactly by chance, they meet again in England. But will Hadley’s new found romance last or will she be left flying solo once again?

I really enjoyed this book and found it near to perfect. It is the kind of book you could read again and again and never get bored of! It follows Hadley, a normal American teenage girl, as she struggles to come to terms with her Dad’s fiancé and his new life in London. As Hadley’s day becomes a roller coaster with ups and downs, she misses her flight, landing herself into what she at first thought was trouble, but turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to her. She meets Oliver, a boy from London, studying at college in America and they sit next to each other on the plane. Hadley soon realises that what she feels for Oliver is not just gratitude, but love.

The characters in this book are very realistic and well formed. At first you think they sound almost too perfect but, by discovering their personalities and delving deeper into the book, you soon see they too have their faults. Smith has created Hadley, and, by giving her these everyday faults, she is easy to relate to. She seems just like a normal teenager and I believe this would connect with many readers, especially girls, and encourage them to read the novel too. Oliver is a handsome but intelligent boy and is constantly coming up with things to make Hadley smile. He has a jokey attitude but we can see that underneath he is very focussed on his studies.

My favourite character is Charlotte who, although not a main character, plays an important part in the novel, being in fact, Hadley’s Dad’s new Fiancé. Before she flies to England, Hadley has never met Charlotte, but has received numerous ‘girly’ emails from her filled with gossip and the latest trends. She immediately assumes she will hate Charlotte and that the whole classic ‘evil Stepmother’ story will commence. However, when we finally meet Charlotte, we instead find she is a kind, caring, down-to-earth woman, who is eager to meet and embrace Hadley into her family. By the end of the novel Hadley and her Dad are closer and have forgiven each other for all their misdoings. Hadley is even becoming friends with Charlotte, Smith leaves the novel open, all the loose ends are tied up, but, somehow, you’re still eager to know what is happening with Hadley and her family a few months or so later.

Another big theme in the novel is panic attacks. Hadley is scared stiff of flying in an aeroplane. She has to force herself to get on and is constantly trying to think of ways to get out of going. In the past she has had panic attacks due to pressure and worry. When this has happened her Father has always told her to look up at the clouds and feel free, she has used this trick every time, but it’s a totally different situation when the clouds are below you and you’re 50,000 feet up. When Hadley discovers her and Oliver are on the same plane she confides this fear to him and he keeps her occupied during the long flight. Coming up with crazy questions, interesting stories, and rubbish jokes. He refuses to let Hadley’s mind wander back to her fears. It’s in this way that the two main characters really get to know each other and it’s in this way they discover they have a real spark together. By adding this theme Smith has given another dimension to the book which makes it more interesting and gives the plot a new level.

Throughout the book Smith has narrated it from a third person point of view which I think also helps as it allows you to see how both characters are feeling and reacting during each chapter. It lets you get an outsiders view and think about the situation in your own way as the text is not biased to any individual point of view. Smith has been able to incorporate lots of detail for all the surroundings and characters by choosing this way of narrating as it does not leave one character, namely the person narrating, out like so many other novels do.

The other aspect of this novel which I really liked was the fact that it was set over just one day and night. It really allowed you to connect with the storyline as it felt as if it was in real time and not the make-believe time line of most fiction books. Chapters picked up after a few minutes instead of your normal few days or even weeks. This unique setting was enhanced even more by the fact that I read this book over just a couple of days as well and couldn’t wait to reach the end!

To conclude, I can safely say that I loved this book and would definitely read any more that are released by Jennifer E. Smith. The characters are really well created and you can relate to them easily. Although the plot is classic and a little predictable it is never boring as it includes the other theme of Hadley’s fear of flying. Smith has used an ingenious way of narrating giving you the outsiders view on everything meaning it is much easier to picture what is happening. Also, the description and techniques used in this book were very good and I loved the setting of just one day as it made it seem more like real life. Overall, a really fantastic read and I would recommend it to anyone who wants a fun, charming, light novel that will grab their attention and their heart!

By Eleanor,
Year 9

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight

By Jennifer E. Smith


This book is about a seventeen year old girl who is (against her will) forced to go to her father’s wedding. Her father had left her and her mother about 1 and a half years ago after meeting a lady in England. Hadley is very angry with her Dad and has spent as long as she can to avoid him but now she must face him. Not only does she have to fly all the way to England for a wedding she doesn’t want to go to but she has to fly whilst having a fear of claustrophobia! Who would’ve thought that one boy would brighten up her day?

I thought that both of the main characters were very likeable. I thought that Oliver was quite believable as you think he’s perfect at the start but you get to see the other side to him towards the end – the more human side! I found the Charlotte (the Dad’s fiancée) a bit predictable because in most plot lines where someone gets a stepmother they think the stepmother will be horrible but she turns out to be nice. This is the same for this book, however I did like her character. Perhaps because all the characters in the book were likeable it would’ve been nice to have one unlikable person to make it stir up the plot a bit.

I absolutely loved the plot line! I think it was a great idea to set most of it in a plane, it makes the love between Hadley and Oliver seem more magical. I thought that I would’ve liked a little bit more dialogue between Oliver and Hadley because we only hear a few clips of them talking and I think it would add to the big picture to see how they talk to each other (relaxed, tense etc.). I loved the twist at the end with Oliver I think it makes the story line fit together nicely.

Overall I would happily read this book over and over again, it’s very easy to read yet its gripping and I enjoyed it thoroughly. My favourite part was when she poured out her troubles to her Dad; you finally know that everything will be ok between her and her Dad. I think this book would make a great film, it has the right plot line and feel to it. I would recommend this to any girl who wants a light hearted, romantic read.

By Louise Year 9

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight

By Jennifer E. Smith

When a boy and a girl meet, who knows what the result will be? When Hadley and Oliver meet in an airport, there is something special going on between them. Could it be love at first sight?

The characters in this book were very believable as they were well described and you could feel all of their emotions. As this was written in third person, it helped to give the view of a spectator and this allowed the author to describe more clearly how the characters were feeling.
This story gripped me all the way through as it ran very quickly and most of the scenes were full of action. The more calm scenes were full of emotion and this kept you reading on too. This book did begin to get obvious towards the end and I could guess what the ending would be. This meant that, for me, the ending was not as powerful as it could have been.
I think that the author wrote this book very well and was especially good at the description and the romance scenes. This was helped by it being in third person.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I think that other people could really enjoy reading this book too.

By Ben Mason, Year 9

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight

By Jennifer E. Smith

Hadley Sullivan was on her way to London for her father’s re-marriage, when she misses her flight by four minutes. She has to wait at the airport for the next flight, after which she will have to go to the wedding straight from the airport.  While waiting at the airport, she meets Oliver, an English boy who will be sitting two seats along from her during the flight.
Let’s start with the characters. I thought both the main characters, Oliver and Hadley were really well developed. Something I find with most fluffy romance books like this is that the two main characters, especially the female one, are so PERFECT. It really annoys me. But Jennifer has managed to show there flaws, but still make them likeable people. It makes the book a lot more realistic, and by the end of the story I ended up relating to Hadley, feeling her pain and her happiness along with her. Smith has also managed to show Hadley’s changing opinions on the characters, and this manages to change your opinion on the characters too.  All in all, while reading this book, I felt like I experiencing everything just like Hadley was, and that can be difficult to write.


 The plot was a tiny bit predictable, but it was still gripping, and ran at a good pace. By the end of the book, all of the loose ends were tied up neatly. In the last few chapters I felt myself squeaking several times at the sheer cuteness of the storyline. It’s like a sort of modern day fairytale but the characters make more mistakes, and have more regrets, which makes for a more interesting read.


The book is set over the timeline of just a day, which is interesting but works really well, especially as I read the book in under a day. It keeps the story fresh, and has the impression of time running out, which keeps the tension.


In total, I really enjoyed this book. It’s a fluffy, sweet romance that would be perfect for holiday reading, or anyone looking for a light read. I think this book would appeal more to girls as it is told mainly from a girl’s point of view, but I think boys could enjoy it as well.


9/10.


By Elle, Year 9

Ready, steady, SQUEE!

The rights for Chaos Walking have been sold!  Lionsgate can make a film.

I'm not sure if this is exciting or scary, I have such a clear image of what these characters look like, how they act, how they move.  I know what they sound like, and I know you do too! So, can our expectations ever be met?  I've started a thread on this in the Forum, so head on over and let me know what you think.  Who would be your idea casting choices?  Who on earth could play the Mayor?!

Congratulations!

Well done everyone, your reviews for the Guardian Young Critics competition have been submitted, now we just have to sit back and see if we have any winners.  Many of you have asked if we'll be judged as a group or if they'll be looking at individuals, when they'd announce the winners and when the trip would be if we won.  

I don't know!  

But I do know that your work on the longlist was amazing, and they have now announced the shortlist from that selection (yeah, I know, their idea of a longlist wasn't terribly long...) 

The four shortlisted books are: 

My Name is Mina by David Almond

Return to Ribblestrop, by Andy Mulligan

Moon Pie, by Simon Mason

Twilight Robbery, by Frances Hardinge

I know I was very surprised to see that My Sister Lives on the Mantlepiece didn't get through, but what do you guys think?  

Read the announcement from the chair of judges, Julia Eccelshare, here.