This week HorseLover3000 wrote a wonderful review of H.I.V.E by Mark Walden. A novel about a secret school - hidden beneath a fake volcano - which teaches children to become criminal masterminds! She loved the fast paced storyline: 'the action never stops... this book had me hooked from the first page' and thought the novel was a fantastic read for all those aged 11 and above.
Meanwhile, littlepud1 had mixed feelings about Charlie Higson's first young James Bond book: Silverfin. Young Bond in this book endures terrifying mutated eels and murderers as he uncovers a mystery at his aunt's lodgings in Scotland. Littlepud1 commented:
"The ending is very exciting... It gets into the mystery too late but you still won't want to put it down... Some kids will enjoy Alex Rider more but overall it is a good book with lovable characters. I liked this book and I hope you will too."
If you enjoy dystopian novels, you might want to try Divergent by Veronica Roth. This story is about a world divided into five factions based on a single core value. When Tris finds she does not fit into any of the factions, she must abandon her entire family to become one of the Dauntless. Site member PearlyDewdrops wrote a fantastic review in which she described her love of the book:
"I think it was a heart-pounding and taut debut. I was immersed in the story right from the beginning. It has been labelled as 'the next Hunger Games' which is understandable due to the many similarities in both trilogies but the overall storyline and the romances are different, completely original and their own.
I would recommend the story to anyone who enjoys a haunting young-adult novel that will leave you excited and craving more."
On a similar theme of magic and mystery, Rachie wrote an extraordinary review of Seraphina by Rachel Hartman. This tale is about a young lady who is half-dragon, half-human! As tension rises between the dragons and the humans, Seraphina struggles to protect her secret:
"Seraphina was a captivating book. The plot exciting and the characters suited the story perfectly... My favourite character is fruit bat - he sounds very funny and I felt very sorry for him when Seraphina found out he couldn't talk. A thrilling book, I would recommend it to boys and girls aged 9+."
The division of society is a continuing theme this week. Likewise, SilverRoo wrote a riveting review of Knife Edge by Malorie Blackman - in which he describes the conflicting world of Noughts and Crosses!
"Knife Edge by Malorie Blackman is intriguingly great. It's a fantastic follow on to Noughts and Crosses, Blackman's first book in the series. Jude McGreggor is a Nought, a pale skinned inferior in a world run by Crosses. Persephone (Sephy) Hadley is a Cross, one of a class of black rulers looking down on every Nought... I love this book because of the hard choices that each character has to face. The relationship between the different people in the book is so similar to ours in our world that it makes the characters even more realistic. Blackman has really captured that hate in this wonderfully written book."
And finally, lilybelle wrote an lovely review of Little Darlings by Jacqueline Wilson. The story is about a girl called Destiny who lives in a flat with her mum, and a daughter of a famous popstar.
"This story it inspired me a lot... although I would have liked to know much more about the ending; I had a feeling that there were still things to be said and done and maybe more secrets to be revealed. I liked the way that it was told from both Destiny and Sunset's points of view... I'd rate this book 9/10, because, as I said, I'd have liked to know more about the end."
And that's it for this week. Thanks for all your superb reviews – if any of your reviews were mentioned drop us a line at guardianchildrensbooks@gmail.com and we'll send you a surprise book from our cupboards.
We hope you enjoyed this week's readers review roundup. Happy reviewing!
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