Benedict Cottrell Boyce, age 9
NOT JUST A WITCH
BY EVA IBBOTSON
Macmillan, £4.99
When people quarrel it is bad but when witches quarrel it is terrible. When Heckie and her friend Dora quarrel on the last day of Witch School, their plans for together making the world a better place are wrecked. Heckie meets Daniel, Sumi and Joe and they start freeing their town from evil, accompanied by fellow witches and wizards. They do well until a furrier tries to trick Heckie into doing something bad for money. The book is exciting and fun: my favourite bit is when Daniel gets knocked out by the evil furrier.
FINN MacCOOL AND THE SMALL MEN OF DEEDS
BY PAT O’SHEA
Puffin, out of print
Finn MacCool is a big, fierce warrior but he has a weakness — he cannot stand pain. And it’s just when he has a bad headache that a giant pays him a visit. The giant wants Finn to guard his king’s baby. On the way to the giant king’s castle, he is joined by lots of little men, who all have magical talents. When they arrive, the king tells them how his other two sons have been stolen by a mysterious thief. One of the little men says that the remaining baby will also be stolen. What is Finn going to do? Finn MacCool is a great book with a good twist, packed full of jokes.
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Catherine Tighe, age 14
THE THIEF LORD
BY CORNELIA FUNKE
Chicken House, £5.99
After the death of their mother, brothers Prosper and Bo run away to Venice, a place about which they had heard many fantastic stories. They are soon picked up by a gang of children living in a derelict cinema; their gang leader is Scipio, the mysterious “Thief Lord”. But Prosper and Bo’s aunt is on their trail, and private detective Victor Getz is hired to retrieve the boys. When Scipio is given the job of stealing a magical artefact, the children are plunged into a life of danger and adventure. This book about fantasy, magic and friendship is enchanting.
LOOKING FOR JJ
BY ANNE CASSIDY
Scholastic Point, £5.99
A murder, a change of identity and your name all over the tabloids is something that most ten-year-olds don’t have to worry about, but Jennifer Jones experiences it all. Jennifer’s (JJ’s) life had never been easy, as her mum’s modelling was irregular and money always an issue. When they move house JJ befriends bossy Michelle and compliant Lucy. After a fight with them she finds herself committing a horrifying crime. Readers can make up their own mind whether or not there is something deep in JJ’s psyche that mitigates her actions.
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Marlowe Heywood-Thornes, age 13
AL CAPONE DOES MY SHIRTS
BY GENNIFER CHOLDENKO
Bloomsbury, £5.99
Teenager Moose Flanagan has just moved to the notorious Alcatraz Island, where his new neighbours include Al Capone and Machine Gun Kelly. But they are the least of his problems: he has to look after his mentally ill older sister, and then there’s the bossy, roguish warden’s daughter, Piper. However, his move to Alcatraz isn’t all bad — it has made him the most popular boy in his new school. The story is exciting and the characters realistic (although their situation is unusual) — the only downside is the ending, which is rather inconclusive.
THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA
BY ERNEST HEMINGWAY
Arrow, £4.99
This is a moving tale about Santiago, a fisherman whose days of good fortune are behind him. He is a poor, bereaved old man with only one friend, Manolin, a teenage boy who he taught to fish. After 84 days of catching nothing, Santiago takes to the sea in an attempt to land his last big fish. When he hooks a giant swordfish, he is pulled into the water before a struggle that nearly kills him. Sailing back to Havana, he fights off hungry sharks to protect his prize. This is a short but deep and powerful story. Prepare yourself for a heartbreaking ride.
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Vicky Munro, age 10
PIG-HEART BOY
BY MALORIE BLACKMAN
Corgi, £4.99
This is a bizarre yet strangely realistic book. Cameron, the main character, is a boy with serious heart problems. After a discussion with his doctor he agrees to a heart transplant — using the heart of a pig. The book tells how Cameron feels about the operation, what happens afterwards and how other people shun him for it. Cameron’s feelings are described expressively and the plot is well developed with many unexpected twists. The story is quite sad, but the book is a very clever: Malorie Blackman has done a good job.
THE TEENAGE WORRIER’S GUIDE TO LIFE
BY ROS ASQUITH
Corgi, £5.99
This is the best book I have read in weeks. It is written as a self-help guide for depressed teenagers looking for love, yet the advice from unpopular teenager Lettie Chubb manages to be interesting and quite funny. The chapters are based on sections of her home-made dictionary and Lettie simply picks words from her vocabulary, in alphabetical order, and writes about them. The book uses illustrations to crack jokes or (rarely) make an important point. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good laugh.