Schmidt is brilliant at characterisation. He writes authentically and with heart. Thoroughly recommend.
It’s a classic, what can I say.
Really lovely children’s historical fiction. The narrator’s voice rang true, and it tackled poignant themes in a way that would reach a young audience. A really good read.
This was a wonderful, short read. Give it a year or two and this will be a book I read aloud to my son. Wonderful characterisation and simple writing. Great read.
I just love reading these aloud with my son.
This was my least favourite read of the summer so far. For a teenage girl it might be brilliant; but it was TOO teenager-y to be a young adult novel that transcends the genre. Loved the minority voice, loved the intent; did not love the book.
Simply written and simply moving.
I was surprised at how authentic the voice of the teenage boy came across. Anderson is a good writer, and I enjoyed this one.
This was another good YA read. Possibly not my favourite, and does need a suicide trigger warning.
The writing is unconventional and hard to follow at first. However, the human condition ends up front and centre by the middle of the novel, which makes it hard to put down. It wasn’t my favourite read of the summer, but I did enjoy it.
A interesting and unique story with a poignant undercurrent. I enjoyed it!
While the book started off very simply, by the end I was particularly moved by it.
I really enjoyed this one. Acevado’s writing is beautiful and poetic, and I really enjoy her storytelling.
Another great adventure story to read with my son!
Oliver Jeffers is my favourite children’s book author, so it was wonderful to hear a bit more of his story.
Wonderfully written. I would recommend this to dog-lovers (and lovers of good writing) everywhere.
Another wonderful adventure story by Enid Blyton. I am loving reading these together as a family.
A really good read but quite dark. I have enjoyed some of his other books more but still enjoyed this one too.
A nice New Zealand survival story; I would have wanted the themes to come through more strongly for me to take it into the classroom. I appreciate having it on my list to recommend to kids to read.
While very well written, and a lovely book, the themes sat heavy with me.
This book is witty and beautifully written. I would gladly recommend this book to anyone. Backs has a beautiful way with deep-hitting oneliners that peg down the human condition wonderfully.