This roundup begins with something for our history heads: a fantastic review by notherlights13 of City Of Fate by Nicola Pierce. Northernlights13 brilliantly summed up the plot: "Set in the city of Stalingrad in Russia during the Second World War, City Of Fate is a story about four children, Yuri, Peter and Tanya whose homes were destroyed during the bombings, and Vlad, who was forced out of school to defend his country."

"This fantastically written book will hook you from the start. You rarely find books about the Second World War set in Russia, but this one is utterly brilliant and I'd recommend it to anyone! With believable characters and a fantastic story line, this is historical fiction at its best."

More historical fiction now, as Rider superbly reviewed Cleopatra and her Asp by Margaret Simpson. Set in ancient Egypt, this book tells the story of the pharaoh Cleopatra's life.

"I really liked this book because there are so many details about Cleopatra's life, and you even get to see her diaries. But there is way too much snogging in it, and tantrums … I liked finding out that Philip Reeve did the illustrations for this book, before this I only knew that he wrote books and not drew them. This book is like a Horrible Histories book but is much better … it has more story, is bigger and had more facts."

Whizzing forward in time now to the early 1900s, Rue Primrose wrote a terrific review of an absolute classic, Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. This story follows four sisters who live with their parents, and their personal desires and relationships as they grow up.

"This is one of the best books I have read because the real world (present time) disintegrates into their world and I feel that I am, let's say, a bird, following them wherever they go. The description is very detailed and the characters are very real. Overall this is a great read!"

Beaming back to the present day now, KatWinter penned a wonderful review of Scarlet Ibis by Gill Lewis, a moving story of family and friendship in which Scarlet must help look after her little brother Red to avoid going into care when her mum stops taking care of the house.

"I loved this book because the characters are so vividly described. Scarlet is very mature and persistent, and Red is interesting because only birds and feathers can calm him down. Gill Lewis makes you feel as though you are there with Scarlet and Red, fighting their fights and feeling their pain. When I read this book I was very impressed and wanted to read more of the author's stories – they look good! I rate this book 8 out of 10, and I recommend it to people who like books about hard situations with children."

Nellie999 wrote an excellent review of another heartbreaking family story (this one for teens), Love, Aubrey By Suzanne La Fleur. Told with a series of letters, it tells of the time after Aubrey loses her father and sister in a tragic accident when she is forced to take care of herself.

"By writing letters to Jilly, Aubrey shows you just how she is feeling. Jilly is Savannah's imaginary friend and by writing to her Aubrey feels closer to her sister. Love, Aubrey is an amazing book. By including a letter at the end of each chapter you can see just how Aubrey feels about her situation. I would definitely recommend this book as it was very hard to stop reading! Aubrey is honest, brave and hopeful. This is certainly a book to be read by everyone! 10 out of 10 stars!"

Lastly, on a lighter note, kitykat64 wrote an outstanding review of The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn by Hergé. This series of cartoon strips features Tintin as he buys a model ship called The Unicorn and tries to flog it to the highest bidder.

"I really enjoyed reading The Adventures of Tintin series because Tintin isn't a superhero (if he was, his sidekick would be Snowy, his dog) but he always saves the day or solves an adventure. My favourite character is Professor Calculus, because he is partially deaf, and the things he thinks people say are really funny (and he always relies on his pendulum). Star rating: 5 stars! I would recommend this book to a friend!"

Thank you for all your truly marvellous reviews this week! As ever, if we have included your review in our roundup, email the Book Elves and we will send you a parcel of book-shaped goodies in the post.

Happy reading!

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