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Mosston School

8,003 pages read and 4,227 team points

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    Cheryll

    6,186 pts
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    Rachel Dale

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Cheryll

6,186 pts
(5,735 pages read)

  • Spotty the Zebra

    By Peter Millet
    4 stars

    Spotty was different to all the other zebras - and he didn't like it! He was teased and got very sad until one day he met a small golden mole (who was wise and kind). He explained to Spotty that she should just be happy being her and be proud of her spots. A lovely story about fitting in if you're a bit different, with fun illustrations by Raymond McGrath. Some interesting facts at the back of the book about different animals and plants. A perfect read aloud book for home or school.

  • Harry the Hermit Crab

    By Danni Rae
    4 stars

    A lovely little rhyming text book about how difficult it is for Harry to find a new home due to the pollution of the sea and beach. Poor Harry attempts to fit into a plastic bottle but the bottle was too big and slippery . A sparkly shoe would not do! The big blue bottle top was far too small. Finally a big human cleared away all the rubbish and Harry found the perfect shell that was just right. The illustrations (by Evan Heasman) in this book fit perfectly too! The colours just 'pop' and the different font styles, sizes and colours are well suited to the pictures. There are some interesting crab facts at the end of the book - a perfect picture book/read aloud for any home or school library.

  • The Clockmaker's Daughter

    By Kate Morton
    4 stars

    Oh my goodness - what have I just read? I'm not sure if I loved this book or not... it certainly confused me. It was a tome of a book at 621 pages and it took me a while to get into it (maybe 300 pages!) Then I would forget who all the characters were - there were so many! It was the summer of 1862 and then 150 years later, it was London and Birchwood Manor, adults, children, ghosts, artists, lovers and secrets - even a murder! Sometimes it was hard to know who was talking but I battled on. Finally, the end was in sight and boy what a page turner it turned out to be. Lots of emotions... I am left wondering how an author can write something so complicated?

  • Starminster

    By Megan Hopkins
    4 stars

    You'll be captured by the cover! Read about Astrid (who has lived in the rhubarb shed all her life) and the adventures she has when she is finally set free from the shed. She is taken to London Overhead - a secret city in the sky - but will she be safe in this magical world?

  • Whetu Toa and the Secret Spies

    By Steph Matuku
    3 stars

    The setting for this book is a magical farm where animals talk - a sheep named Baabara! a male chauvinist goat called Rames, a shy bull and a Robot dog called Baked Beans. There's lots of alliteration - Mighty Mikaere, Rrremarkable Rrrawiti (both magicians) Amazing Amanda, Dangerous Dan and Stupendous Steven too. The sheep decide to protest for sheep's rights and the signs they made were hilarious! 'Don't Fleece us of our Rights', and 'Flock Off' (I bet that one will cause a stir! There's a smattering of Te ao Maori and the simple, line drawn illustrations complement the story. So who is the traitor stealing the magician's tricks? A great read aloud for 8 - 12 year old children.

  • Castaway

    By Bill O'Brien
    4 stars

    An excellent historical fiction book I'd recommend for 8 - 12 year olds (although I thoroughly enjoyed it and read it in one sitting!) It is written in 'diary form' by Sam - a fictional character. It tells the true story of the sinking of the Dundonald sailing ship in the Auckland Islands, south of New Zealand in 1907. There were 15 survivors who lived in horrendous conditions on Disappointment Island for 10 months. The weather was freezing cold, they had very little shelter or food. It was distressing to read how they killed mollymawks, seals and mutton birds but they had to eat to survive! The men very cleverly made a raft out of branches and canvas and rowed to Auckland Island where there was provisions depot. They were eventually saved by a steamship called the Hinemoa. What an amazing adventure!

  • Pukeko Who-keko?

    By Toby Morris
    3 stars

    Quirky illustrations, clever short rhyming text with a good sized font although explanations of 'kazoo', 'fondue' and 'tiramisu', would be required for little kids. 'What do you call a pukeko who left the nest?' Flew-keko! 'What do you call a pukeko who swallowed a cat?' Mew-keko! A pukeko that thinks it's a pigeon might say "Coo-keko!" Yes, pukeko rhyming IS VERY CONTAGIOUS!

  • The Long and Winding Road

    By Lesley Pearse
    5 stars

    I wouldn't normally read an autobiography but I was totally blown away by this book. Lesley Pearse has had such an amazing life. There was so much sadness both in her childhood and adult life but also many hilarious anecdotes as well. She had an awful stepmother, got pregnant and had to have her baby adopted, had numerous men in her life and lots of fun too. She finally became an author and was able to draw on her life experiences in her writing. The book made me laugh and cry and I highly recommend it.

  • The Gifted Son

    By Genevieve Gannon
    3 stars

    This book was an ok holiday read but it didn't really grip me. I know I should have felt sorry for Jamie after he was coward punched and badly injured, and I did to start with until it was revealed what had happened to Mark at St. Nick's school. That made me angry! I think the book would resonate more with Young Adult readers rather than old adult readers!!

  • Upside Down Inside Out

    By Monica McInerney
    4 stars

    I loved this book! I haven't read a romance/humorous book in ages so this one was a refreshing change to the historical fiction I usually read. It's an excellent holiday read set in both Ireland and Australia, with no violence, mean characters or sadness. I enjoyed the way Eva talked to herself in her head - her alter ego telling her off or telling her what she should or shouldn't do. Very funny! Joseph was the perfect man to meet while Irish Eva was on holiday in Australia. What a lucky girl! The perfect holiday read.

  • The Perfect Family

    By Robyn Harding
    3 stars

    This book was not my usual genre but it was certainly a page turner! I wouldn't make a very good detective - I had no clue 'who done it' and didn't spot the red herrings! Everyone had their secrets... They were not the Perfect Family after all.

  • Wish You Were Here

    By Karly Lane
    3 stars

    The story's main characters are Reggie (female) MacLeod and Tim Warbois. The setting is the MacLeod cattle farm in New England, Australia. Tim is a broken man after 3 of his army friends had committed suicide after serving in Vietnam. He needs to get away from everything and comes across the MacLeod's Farm Stay, where he learns to fly fish, gets a job on the farm, meets Reggie, falls in love with her and the rest his history! Apart from the bad guys and the theft a prize bull and some cattle... It was an easy holiday read but too much of 'holding back the tears' and 'biting the lower lip' for me.

  • The Golden Doves

    By Martha Hall Kelly
    4 stars

    I love historical fiction and this novel didn't disappoint. It's the story of Arlette and Josie who worked for the French Resistance in Paris. The story is set in both 1943 and after the war in 1952, When they are arrested they are taken to Ravensbruck Concentration Camp and suffer the atrocities that happened there. Arlette's son Willie was taken from her and after the war she vowed to find him. She ends up in French Guiana but stumbles across Nazis who are doing medical tests on children there. It's an exciting but disturbing book. 'Always remember'...

  • Jinnie

    By Josephine Cox
    3 stars

    Susan deserts her newborn child Jinnie so her sister Louise adopts Jinnie as her own. Adam and his sister Hannah witnessed their mother's murder and are traumatised. They are being looked after by their devoted grandmother. This story follows their lives and what happens when Susan returns to take Jinnie back. An easy read with likeable characters.

  • The One Plus One

    By Jojo Moyes
    4 stars

    Jojo Moyes is a favourite author of mine and this book didn't let me down. The main character, Jess has a daughter, Tanzie who is gifted at maths. Her teenage stepson is a bit different and gets bullied. The family need to get Tanzie to a maths competition in Scotland so she can get a scholarship to a private school. They end up meeting a man called Ed Nicholls (who has his own problems!) and he offers to drive them to Scotland. The adventures they have on the long journey make you laugh and cry. I didn't want the story to end...

  • The Miller's Daughter

    By Margaret Dickinson
    4 stars

    I love historical fiction and this novel was an excellent read. Set in Lincolnshire in 1918 it follows the life of Emma Forest whose father owns a flour mill. Her life was no fun - she had to work very hard in her father's mill and then the man she wanted to marry came back from the war a different person. She ended up in a loveless marriage to a man who only wanted the mill. Even though this book was published in 1997 I think I have found another author to follow!

  • Dawn

    By V.C. Andrews
    3 stars

    I'm not sure what aged reader this book is intended for? This edition was published in 1990 so obviously quite an old novel! I think I read Flowers in the Attic many years ago... Dawn (and her supposedly brother Jimmy) are moved from place to place by their parents. Their father gets a job at a posh school so the kids are allowed to go there too. Dawn meets the handsome Philip Cutler and falls in love with him. It turns out that he is actually her real brother and the mean Clara Sue is her sister. Dawns parents had actually kidnapped her from the rich family when she was a baby. Dawn is the start of a new series by V.C. Andrews - I'm not sure I'll bother reading anymore...

  • Blue Diary

    By Alice Hoffman
    3 stars

    Ethan, now a pillar of the community, has been exposed about a rape and murder he committed 13 years ago. His wife and son are obviously devastated and struggle to believe that their husband and father could be capable of such a heinous crime.

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