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[[Category:New Reviews|Confident Readers]] __NOTOC__<!-- Remove -->{{newreviewFrontpage|authorisbn=Michael Morpurgo and Briony May Smith1836285493|title=The Giant's NecklaceDouble Life of a Wheelchair User|author=Rob Keeley|rating=4.5

|summary=On holiday in Cornwall Cherry found Will is a length keen player of fishing line video games, a conscientious student, a slightly annoying brother and decided that she was going to make a giant's necklace with cowrie shellssupportive friend. But most of all, he is an aspiring writer. English is his favourite lesson at his school, Marlowe Park, and one at which he excels. SheThis hasn's patient and painstaking - it takes her weeks to gather the shellst gone unnoticed by his headteacher, cleanMrs Howarth, polish and string them together. On the final day of the holiday she knows how many more she needs has suggested to Will and she's determined his mum that she's not going to be beaten. The family head off for he spends a couple of afternoons a day on their beach and Cherry begs to stay on for week at a little longer so that she can get the shells she needs. Only she's not ''quite'' careful enough and allows herself to different school, Station Road, where his ability might be cut off by the tide when the weather takes a turn for the worsebetter extended.|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1406373494</amazonuk>

{{newreviewFrontpage|authorisbn=Derek Landy1836282028|title=ResurrectionThe Fighting Spirit|author=Rob Keeley

|summary=Skulduggery Pleasant – the sharply dressed ''Would you like to adopt a ghost?'' ''Young spirit, born 1887, seeks kind home to haunt. Gentleman by birth. Good company. Gets on well with other children. Jokes and wise-cracking skeleton – is back and he needs helpshocks a speciality. A small group '' ''If interested, place outside your home three twigs, in the shape of disgruntled sorcerers have banded together and have plans an arrow, pointing to use their unique set your front door...'' Hooray! Bookbag favourite Rob Keeley is celebrating a decade of skills to wage war on the mortal world. Others have tried this his wonderfully entertaining [[Rob Keeley's ''Spirits'' series in the past but this particular group have Chronological Order|Spirits]] series with a scheme new adventure that should guarantee their success: they're going to resurrect is both a reboot and a terrifying evilcontinuation. Despite Just like Doctor Who, Edward Fitzberranger, our incorrigible Victorian ghost boy, has some new companions. Ruby and Jayden respond to this intriguing advertisement and Edward, who has broken the rules as usual and absconded from his powersmanor house home, Skulduggery can't defeat is adopted by them aloneand takes up residence in... He successfully persuades his former partner – Valkyrie Cain – to join him for just twenty-four hours. But will she stay when the time runs out? Will they be able to save the world?|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0008169020</amazonuk>a wardrobe!

{{newreviewFrontpage|author=Barry HutchisonRob Keeley|title= Super Creepy Camp (Beaky Malone)|rating= 5|genre= Confident Readers|summary=First of all, I'd like to start off by making a complaint to Barry Hutchison. His latest book, ''Super Creepy Camp'' has been giving me sleepless nights. I've been kept awake by the raucous laughter emanating from my son's bedroom as he reads it before bed. I'd just be settling down and then it would start again, bouncing off the walls in the dead of night and probably keeping the neighbours awake too. I'd stomp angrily across the landing, open his door, to find him helplessly rolling around on the bed in fits of giggles. So thanks, Barry. Thanks a lot.|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1847158129</amazonuk>}}{{newreview|author=Rachel Renee Russell|title=The Misadventures of Max Crumbly 2Childish Spirits: Middle School Mayhem10th anniversary special edition|rating=2.54

|summary=Max is in the middle Around here, we're big fans of children's author Rob Keeley. He's a situationball of happy positivity, and no mistake. [[The Misadventures of Max Crumbly: Locker Hero by Rachel Renee Russell|Last time]] he had to bust himself out of his own school lockerunderstands children, and found himself caught up in a right scrape suitable only he writes for his own superhero aspirationstheir pleasure and enjoyment, involving burglars at the school, retrieving valuable comics, and so much morenot to lecture or hector. Joining right back into the action with a literal  The ''Childish Spirits'splat'series is one of his greatest achievements. It' this time we face the thieves up front and personals a sequence of ghost stories centring on Ellie, and at the same see Max trying to save what little friendship he has a stalwart young girl who can cope with anything the hot computer-loving girl spirit world throws at schoolher, and Edward, who can easily rank as his only friend there – a spoiled lordling and whose clothes he happens to be wearing. Oh woe is he…the first spirit Ellie encounters|amazonukisbn=<amazonuk>147114464X</amazonuk>1783064617

{{newreviewFrontpage|author= Rosemary SutcliffMax Boucherat|title= Black Ships Before TroyThe Last Life of Lori Mills|rating= 4.5|genre= Confident Readers|summary= This is the perfect book for those that want a taste of Homer's Iliad before attempting the full work. Although aimed at a younger reading audience, Sutcliff's writing is concise and gripping; thus, this will be as equally beneficial to adults. This, when brought together with the excellent artistic skills of Allan lee, makes for a lavish retelling of the Iliad. |amazonuk=<amazonuk>1847809952</amazonuk>}}{{newreview|author=Judith Kerr|title=When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit|rating=5

|summary=ItWe meet Lori on the first evening she's Germanygot the house to herself – no neighbour to pop in, babysitter poorly, mother at work, 1933 and nine just an avidly rule-breaking eleven year old Anna has , on her lonesome. What could possibly go wrong? Snuggled in a dream – blanket fort, she wants has one main intention, and that is to log on to be famous when she grows up. Unfortunately nearly all Voxminer, the famous people she's heard of have suffered from world-building, critter-collecting game that is a ''difficult childhood'' and Anna knows thathit in Lori's not herworld. She But first Lori has a loving family with enough money. Her life is, however, turned upside down by Adolf Hitler's rise to power. Anna's told tiny inkling that shethis stormy night doesn's Jewish (t find herself entirely on her parents aren't particularly religious so own, and then she finds something even more spooky. For the server she was only dimly aware of this) and her dad is likely bestie and nobody else should be able to be a target under a Nazi governmententer shows signs of tampering. Anna and When malevolent eyes spark up on her family are forced to flee Germany and build a new life as refugees in Switzerlandphone screen, then France and ultimately England. It's a hard life, especially when money worries settle her safe place inthe game has been doctored – well, but for Anna and her brother it's also an adventure. It's, therefore, where is a long time before Anna realises that her experiences might actually count as a ''difficult childhood''.girl to turn?|amazonukisbn=<amazonuk>0007274777</amazonuk>0008666482

{{newreviewFrontpage|author=Geraldo ValerioKieran Larwood and Joe Todd-Stanton|title=My Book of BirdsDungeon Runners: Hero Trial

|genre=Children's Non-Fiction Confident Readers|summary=I never really caught Meet Kit. Like most of the bird-watching habitpeople in his world, it seems, even with the opportunity he is an avid fan of growing up on Dungeon Running – the edge of sport where a village in the middle team of nowhere. It was in the familywarrior, mage and healer enter specially prepared, century-old, toomagical mazes, but I resigned myself and race to never seeing much that was spectacularthe exit, perhaps bothering with the treasure or the big bad and once the points they grant youalong the way. Unfortunately for Kit, the only thing he've s seen of the latest race on the inn TV equivalent is that one blackbird you've seen them allteam has been retired, eaten, was my thinkingand a new trio of questors is needed. If IPossibly very unfortunately indeed for Kit, he has taken to the goading from the token bully of his world and stumbled into declaring he'd had this book ll enter as a youngsterteam. What chance does this friendless, who knows – I may muscle-free-zone have come out of it differently, having been shown the diversity of the bird world in snippets of textactually managing that, and some quite unusual illustrations…how could he possibly hope to succeed?|amazonukisbn=<amazonuk>1526360004</amazonuk>1839945184

{{newreviewFrontpage|author=Danna Smith and Bagram IbatoullineJames Sherwood Metts|title= The Hawk of the Castle: A Story of Medieval FalconryPlanet Storyland|rating=5|genre=Children's Rhymes and Verse |summary=I don't know why I was surprised by this book – I've read enough volumes for the young audiences to know that as far as subject matter is concerned, pretty much anything goes. But this is about falconry, of all things – the use of a once-wild and still pretty much free-spirited bird of prey to hunt down animals, either for the heck of it or for the pot. An attractive girl and her father get their hawk ready, and leave the castle with all the equipment in tow – bells to hear the landed bird and what it's captured, the hood to act as blinkers for it on the way there, the lure if necessary. The story concerns just one trip out, girl, father, hound – and hawk. But while that may surprise you as a subject matter of choice, it was the whole artistic approach that won me over here…|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1406376698</amazonuk>}}{{newreview|author=Simon Mayle and Nikalas Catlow|title=How Harry Riddles Made a Mega Amount of Money (Shoutykid, Book 5)|rating=34.5

|summary=There is Things have been a child who likes his schoolbit sticky for the Earthlings. It just takes him AI and automation have been proceeding apace, often replacing jobs they're paid to be fictional for do and other tasks that comment took time to be trueaccomplish. YesJust as they were beginning to get used to all this technological change and starting to think of other, while the building is way above his older sister in Harry's estimationnew ways to spend time, along came an awful pandemic. Life was pretty much shut down and while school is way below his enjoyment of playing zombie games, he likes it. He likes it enough to worry about along with it being forced to close when there's a heinous sum of £7,000 to be made up – but does he like anything profitable enough to make sure he can get all the place saved?many daily social interactions on which they depend so heavily.|amazonukisbn=<amazonuk>0008158924</amazonuk>1736128426

{{newreviewFrontpage|author=Anthony HorowitzTom Percival|title=Never Say Die The Wrong Shoes

|summary=Set just five weeks after the events of ''Scorpia Rising'Will's life is difficult, Alex Rider is living in San Francisco and attempting to adjust to life as a normal high school studentmultitude of ways. Normal, however, is not a word that we associate with this particular fifteen year old. After all, this He is bullied because he has 'the boy whowrong shoes's completed nine successful missions for M16: the teenager who , he has saved the world (more than once) wrong shoes because his dad can't work and effectively brought down doesn't have enough money for even the international criminal organisationmost basic of things like food, Scorpia. And things arenand his dad can't about to changework because he lost his job at the college, was working a cash-in-hand job on a building site and had an accident. Given everything Throw into that has happened in Alexmix the fact that his mum and dad are separated, and Will's young lifeseems bleak in every direction. And yet, he still has a tiny amount of hope. He is good at art, and clings to the moments of joy when he is drawing, it's not surprising that feel like a light at the past is about to catch up with him…end of a long, dark tunnel.|amazonukisbn=<amazonuk>1406377058</amazonuk>1398527122

{{newreviewFrontpage|isbn=1805141872|title=Running on the Roof of the WorldThe Teacher Who Knew Too Much|author=Jess ButterworthRob Keeley

|summary=Rule Number One: Don't run in front of 'Seventeen banks and a soldierjeweller’s have been raided.<br>Rule Number Two: Never look at The police are baffled, but only Ben knows the truth – his Maths teacher, Miss Judson, is really a soldiersafecracker! With police and her gangster boyfriend Al on their trail, Miss Judson and Ben go on the run. <br>Rule Number Three: Say as little as possibleBut Al needs them for one last job.<br>..''

There are two words banned in Tibet: Dalai Lama. Tash lives in Goodness me, that Miss Judson is a Tibet under the Chinese occupation that began in 1950. Chinese soldiers are terror! How on earth did a constant and oppressive feature of nice teacher like her lifemanage to get mixed up with a bad 'un like Al? We'll find out. Most Luckily for Miss Judson, the pupil who discovers her terrible secret is Ben, the son of Tibet's cultural a famous magician who has ambitions to be as good as his father some day, and who thinks Miss Judson is worth saving}}{{Frontpage|author=Christopher Edge|title=Black Hole Cinema Club|rating=4|genre=Confident Readers|summary=Lucas and religious traditions his friends are severely suppressed and any act of rebellion can result all booked in you taken away by the soldiersfor a movie marathon at their local cinema, never to be seen again. But there is resistance. Tash's father belongs to a secret cell place that tries to get information out to has the wider worldnickname of 'The Black Hole'. But it All big movie fans, they's dangerous. And whenre looking forward to lots of exciting films, and many, one daymany snacks! However, a man self-immolates in her village as the movie starts, they very quickly realise that something about this new film format is very different, and they are swept up into an act of protestadventure they couldn't even imagine. But as they lurch from one film genre to the next, can they figure out what on earth is going on? Will they ever get back to the Chinese authorities crack down hard.cinema, and to their real lives?|amazonukisbn=<amazonuk>1510102086</amazonuk>1839942738

{{newreviewFrontpage|author= Mark Huckerby and Nick OstlerAdam Stower|title= Defender of the Realm: Dark AgeMurray and Bun|rating= 4.5|genre= Confident Readers|summary=King Alfred the Second Murray is still growing into his roles as King supposed to be a humble, tidy and Defender of the Realm. Just having defeated the Black Dragon at his coronationfriendly cat, Alfie one who is trying able to focus on making less of a fool of himself in his day jobsleep and eat and eat and sleep and, something the Prime Minister is keen to encourage as much as possiblewell, when a new threat hits whatever takes his fancy next of the Kingdomtwo. The UK is being savaged by But he's a hoard of undead Vikings, intent on causing as much trouble as possible, who have all been stirred up by Alfiebad magician's old History teachercat, Professor Lock. But how do you kill something that's already dead? Alfie is trying to save the Kingdom by nightso his favourite bun has been turned into a hyperactive sticky rabbit called Bun, rule it by day and keep his family togetherthe catflap they both use can chuck them out, all not into the while knowing if he failsregular back garden, we could be thrown but into another dark agea world of frightening adventure and whiffs. Well This time round it drops them into a Viking land, where a troll hunter is expected – well, no one said being King would much bigger than Murray was, to be easy. honest, but he's turned up and he'll have to do…|amazonukisbn=<amazonuk>1407164244</amazonuk>0008561249

{{newreviewFrontpage|author=Gareth P JonesAlex Bell and Tim McDonagh|title=Beards From Outer SpaceThe Glorious Race of Magical Beasts

|genre=Emerging Confident Readers|summary= You might not realise it but Earth Eli is a busy lad – by day an apprentice in the wondrous library we start by visiting with him, and in the evening a helper at the dessert cafe his gran owns and runs. Eli lives with his lovely gran, too – for there is under constant alien attacka generation missing in the family. Luckily we humans don A few short years ago, Eli't need s parents were both lost to worry because the Pet Defenders (titular race, a secret society globe-trotting adventure where all entrants have to navigate the world in the company of our domestic pets) are always on standby a magical beast. This has made the race anathema to keep us safe. The activities of the Pet Defenders are normally kept secret pair – but Stripes Publishing are kindly allowing human children when a brief glimpse into their exciting adventures. In ''Beards From Outer Space'' we are able bad incident at the eatery leads to read how a dog and cat – secret agents Biskit and Mitzy – team up confession from gran, Eli knows his only hope is to dare to rid enter what he most hates, with the world sole aim the prize of an army of alien beardsmagic at the end – the only thing to possibly save his gran.|amazonukisbn=<amazonuk>1847157858</amazonuk>0571382231

{{newreviewFrontpage|author=Helen Cooper|title=The Secret Taming of the Wooden Chest (Roman Magic)|author= Catherine RosevearCat

|summary=Hannah lives with her parents Once again, mice are pitched against cat. In this case, principally, we have Brie the mouse, up against Gorgonzola the cat – and in case you're seeing a connection, they live in a flat above cheese shop and therefore all the names used here seem to be the nursing home where her mother is matronnames of cheeses. Hannah Anyway, Brie is an only child shunned, scorned and so she enjoys making friends , if you must, mous-tracised, for the way his habits don't match the other mice he lives with some of . They nibble up paper wrapping from the cheese for bedding – he displays it as art and makes stories based on the homevisuals on it. And that story-telling will come in handy one night, when he feels all alone and cast out. It's residentsalmost as if there were another character from fable who had had to tell stories to keep themselves alive. So when Mrs Oberto moves This makes Brie the top dog inthe mouse community, Hannah is keen though, as all the others had the chance to make her acquaintance half- Hannah has never met anyone Italian before. Mrs Oberto is quite standoffish at first but Hannah persists and soon they are inch some cheese while the best of friends. Mrs Oberto is particularly keen on helping Hannah with her school project about ancient Rome and relates many interesting stories about her Sicilian childhoodcat was distracted. But she remains tight-lipped about will the mysterious wooden chest, story have the key to which she keeps around her neck...successful sequel it needs when that cheese runs out?|amazonukisbn=<amazonuk>1788032535</amazonuk>0571376010

{{newreviewFrontpage|author=Alan GibbonsLauren St John|title=The Beautiful GameFinding Wonder

|genre=Dyslexia FriendlyConfident Readers|summary=Football is all about its coloursRoo's life has become almost impossibly difficult. And even if I write Her mum died when she was young, and now she finds herself awoken in the season middle of the night by the police banging on her door to tell her that her dad has dropped dead on his way to the corner shop to buy a lottery ticket. When asked what other family she has, she can only name her aunt, Joni, who she knows her dad didn't think very highly of. But she has no one else, and so off she goes to live with her unreliable aunt. Things continue to get worse for Roo, as when one team she and Joni leave London in blue knocks another team Joni's old campervan, it breaks down in blue from the throne middle of English football, itnowhere and then bursts into flames! Poor Roo!|isbn=0571376169}}{{Frontpage|author=Adam Baron and Benji Davies|title=Oscar's common knowledge that red Lion|rating=3|genre=Confident Readers|summary=We start incredibly bluntly, with Oscar hoping to have his mother – or father, but mother is the more successful colour likely – read him his very favourite book a couple of times before he has to wearbe ready for school. But when he enters his parents' bedroom, all he sees is a mahoosive male lion on their bed, looking sheepish, and admitting that flame red? he won't be hungry for another two days. Blood red? But there are benefits to having a lion around – it can be shown as an unspoken threat to the bully that ruined a birthday party for Oscar the other month. The red of the Sun cover banner when And it can shapeshift, so he can take it falsely declared 96 Liverpool FC fans were fatally caught up in a tragedy – to school and that it had been one can get him out of their own making? a problem. And while weit're on s wonderful to have around the house – not limiting his biscuit intake, being much more lax about colourthe rules, where were the people of colour in football in the olden days? and so on. There are so many darker sides to footballOK, it can's history t work a dimmer switch but it's enough to make can give Oscar a young lad question the whole game…wonderful time.|amazonukisbn=<amazonuk>1781126917</amazonuk>0008596751

{{newreviewFrontpage|author=Bernard AshleyJudith Eagle|title=Lena Lenik S.O.S.The Stolen Songbird

|genre=Dyslexia FriendlyConfident Readers|summary=LenaCaro's mother seems very ill, a world-famous whistler, has failed to return home from her recent work trip abroad and is now missing. Her other mother, Ronnie, is having to go up North to take care of her sister who is unwell. So who is going to look after Caro? Sent to stay with Gam, someone Caro has heard her mother despises, she feels frustrated and confused and worried. Scary noises All her summer holiday plans of building herself some equipment to practise her gymnastics are coming from the bathroom, brought to a halt whilst sheis stuck inside this staid old Victorian lady's off food and completely listlesshouse, along with an orphan boy, Albie, who is living there too. But she soon finds herself caught up in a mystery, complaining as she discovers a painting of the effort involved in sewing a patch onto bird hidden away inside her mum's old suitcase, and all across London a cub scout uniformfearsome gang called the Snakes are thieving artworks and terrorising people. It might be a surprise Is the painting somehow linked to the young reader of this book when we learn gang? And what has happened to Caro's mother? Is she somehow involved in the reason mystery too?|isbn=0571363148}}{{Frontpage|author=Tania Unsworth|title=Nowhere Island|rating=4.5|genre=Confident Readers|summary=Meet Gil. Just twelve, he is so determined to escape the care system – the system that constantly puts him in futureless places that are not homes – certainly and find a home for himself. He is en route to yet another fosterer, when he jumps into an anonymous car, and lets it was obvious from page two for me ride him to his future. That future seems to be in jeopardy when someone steals his one bag of belongings – but there are that someone lives with his brother in a camp on an island between the two directions of a motorway, a place inaccessible and definitely more surprises ignored enough to comeprovide for their safety and seclusion. Mother makes Them, and a slightly unusual decision about her condition – leaving Lena with mute girl also finding a lot on her plate when fate sets in with home there, albeit so much more successfully. Over a surprise of its own…few weeks we see if their oddball destinies can combine, or if this is one place where life as we would want it just would not work…|amazonukisbn=<amazonuk>1781125716</amazonuk>1804540080

{{newreviewFrontpage|author=Maria McArdleHelen Peters|title=Dancing Paws of MagicFriends and Traitors

|summary=''Dancing Paws of Magic'' offers us almost two related stories in oneEngland, WW2. Two young girls are new at the country pile called Stanbrook. Part One focuses on is Nancy, destined to be in service all her life it seems, like the problems female generations before her. The other is Sidney, a girl from a hoity-toity Sussex boarding school that arise when has been removed there away from bomber flight-paths. The girls are chalk and cheese, and if we hadn't guessed that then their behaviour with each other over their first encounters would only prove it so. But something is amiss, and first separately and then in combination they realise the dancing cats Lord Evesham must be a rum 'un. Midnight deliveries are received under cover of the Pusska Mogginsky Ballet Company go on strike. There secrecy, talk is made of meetings with Germans, and not only one feline who can put things right but sadly that, a local Spitfire factory has been attacked. But surely the lepremog (girls are wrong, and the cat equivalent of a leprechaun) Galway O-Toot upper class could never be so underhand?|isbn=1788004647}}{{Frontpage|author=Jamie Littler|title=Arkspire|rating=4|genre=Confident Readers|summary=Two sisters, Juniper and Elodie, born fifteen minutes apart, are growing to be chalk and cheese. Juniper is deadan eager hunter and trader in illicit magic, crushed by a falling wallincluding relics from prior major wars left out in the Badlands. If the animal ballet Elodie is intent on getting closer to be savedpower in one of the religious districts of Arkspire, perhaps even to become the child in line to inherit the remaining members power of the ballet company must work together Watcher, the closest to find his bones a ruler the district has, and restore his life even if this means taking on one of the five major victors in said earlier war. Being trained in the magic that only five people can use would definitely change the status of the Black Treacle Farm Gangwhole family. In Part Two But in finding something oddly magical, we move on Juniper might just be able to gain some power of her own – for good, or for very, very bad…|isbn=0241586143}}{{Frontpage|isbn=024162343X|title=Stolen History|author=Sathnam Sanghera|rating=5|genre=Children's Non-Fiction|summary=I was the bad company other people got into at school. I was disruptive in religious education classes because I disputed the existence of a 'god'. Where was the proof? In history lessons, it was probably worse still. Not too long-awaited performance after the end of WWII, I didn't so much want to learn about the British army's successes (and occasional failures, but we didn'The Sleeping Beautyt dwell on those) in what came to be called 'the colonies'. Here everything seems as want to dispute what right the army had to be going just purrthere in the first place. Looking back, I still believe I was right -fectly until but I regret that I lacked the Black Treacle Farm Gang – including Gang Leader Bruiser Bumfluff – appear maturity to get their revengeapproach 'the problem' politely. I wish I'd had Sathnam Sanghera's ''Stolen History''.|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1788036875</amazonuk>

{{newreviewFrontpage|titleauthor=The Harder They FallThiago de Moraes|authortitle=Bali RaiOld Gods New Tricks

|genre=Dyslexia FriendlyConfident Readers|summary=Cal loves comic booksMeet Trixie. He also dreams of being a superhero Forever getting into scrapes, larks and saving adventures involving flooding the day while simultaneously winning the heart school aircon with fart powder, she could almost be thought a young goddess of the girl (Freya being the girl, hopefully). Batman is his favourite superheronuisance. But Caljust when she's being told that by her one-last-chance-giving headteacher, the world outside his daydreams is not particularly superhero-likechanges. Because Cal is Suddenly, practically everything electronic stops working – a bit power-out, even of a geek and he is being bullied by mean girl Anuelectric cars, who makes him complete homework assignments which she then sells on to lazy classmates. Still, ithits not just the town the school's not in but the entire planet (apart from mobile phones, and all bad. Calthat powers the Internet, just for our convenience's parents are lovely sake). Trixie, luckily, realises what has happened – the ancient Gods have taken the power of power from us. And so she begins her epic quest, to gather all the people that can steal it back – namely the characters from myth that have past form in stealing from the Gods, ie the semi-deities, giants, half-gods and so on known as the gorgeous Freya is making friendly overtures..tricksters.|amazonukisbn=<amazonuk>1781126828</amazonuk>178845295X

{{newreviewFrontpage|author=Liz PichonHannah Gold and Levi Pinfold|title=FamilyFinding Bear|rating=4.5|genre=Confident Readers|summary=[[The Last Bear by Hannah Gold|Last time]], April had been on Bear Island, a lot further north than many people would venture, and finding a ridiculously unexpected but delightful friendship with a polar bear – that she called Bear. Back home, things on the domestic and family front are a bit advanced, but not perfect for her, and so can easily be ignored when word comes through from the islands Bear was last left on. For a bear doing very Bear-y things has been shot and wounded. Desperate to make sure he's OK, she and her father return to the Arctic and hope that in a world of very white and very dangerous things, Friends she can find one specific white and dangerous thing – and that the friendship can continue.|isbn=0008582017}}{{Frontpage|author=Simon Fox|title=Deadlock|rating=4.5|genre=Confident Readers|summary=Late one night Graham Blake is late back from his shift on the force, and then suddenly rings Archie, demanding he fetch something from a secret place, and join him on the run. They get together, but barely begin to smell the whiff of Southern trains when the father is arrested, leaving Archie on the late express to Brighton, toting a tin his father was determined to keep away from his colleagues, and the bearer of a whole heap of questions.|isbn=1839944420}}{{Frontpage|author=Cath Howe|title=My Life on Fire|rating=5|genre=Confident Readers|summary=Ren's family home is destroyed in a fire. She, her parents, and her little brother lose everything. She doesn't have any of her clothes, or any of her special little knick-knacks from her cupboard, and now she is living at her grandmother's house where they can't touch anything, or do anything, or even eat the foods they normally eat. When she goes back to school she discovers that the class are doing a special art project, creating boxes of their lives, to display things that are important to them and show who they are as a person. But Ren has nothing to put in a box, and so she finds herself starting to steal things. Small things, things that people might not really miss, not when they have so much already. But what will happen to her if someone finds out what she is doing?|isbn=1839942835}}{{Frontpage|author= Rob Keeley|title= The Boy Who Disappeared and Furry Creatures (Tom Gates)Other Stories

|summary=Tom Gates has got a problem: his shoes are making a noise. They sort of rasp when he walks, only he can't recreate the sound at home. At school it's a different matter: not only Hooray! Bookbag favourite Rob Keeley is the noise very loud, there are those of his classmates who suggest that it has originated from somewhere a little more, well, ''intimate''. All in all it's not back with a good start return to the day for Tomshort story format! The Boy Who Disappeared treats us to eleven new tales, particularly when he realises that he's also forgotten each as fun to read as his baby photo for the latest school project. Class 5F are building their family trees and they've got to interview family members to get stories of their lives for the projectprevious offerings.|amazonukisbn=<amazonuk>1407168118</amazonuk>B0BVW69N1G

{{newreviewFrontpage|titleauthor=Cheeky Charlie: Bugs and Bananas (My Crazy Brother Book 2)Laura Noakes|authortitle=Mat WaughCosima Unfortunate Steals a Star

|summary=Cheeky Charlie has already had [[Cheeky Charlie Meet Number One. Or rather, Cosima Unfortunate. Or rather, just Cos to her friends. The practice in the home she lives in is for the girls to just be named by Mat Waugh|one book]] written the number they correspond to in the ledger, and they're all Unfortunates – young people with disabilities, uncommon mentalities or suchlike that Victorian society frowns greatly upon. But Cosima bears the tag as a surname because nothing else seems to be known about him where she came from, as the first ever inmate, and now he has anotherunique in having no known family in the outside world. His slapstick adventures are related once more by During a daring escapade to steal some posh cakes from the kitchen one afternoon, she discovers a plan involving said outside world – a devilish Lord Fitzroy seems to want to adopt all the girls for his sister Harry. I love HarryInstitute. Harry is by turn infuriated But why, and amused by her brother Charlie. what does that body entail? And Harry also brims over could it possibly bring Cos closer to the past she has so little link with enthusiasm. ?|amazonukisbn=<amazonuk>B072F58644</amazonuk>0008579059

{{newreviewFrontpage|author= Claire FayersAlice M Ross|title= Journey to Dragon Island (The Accidental Pirates)Nowhere Thief|rating= 4.5|genre= Confident Readers|summary= Two questsAt last there is new stock in the impoverished yet over-full antiques shop Elsbeth and her mother run in a seaside town. Can Elsbeth knows this because she has stolen it. She also knows she should be free from worries about being found out, because she has the crew ability to leave this world, and use an unworldly portal of kaleidoscope colours to enter other worlds, where the good ship Onion (don't ask) help their young friend Brine to find her home? And does sea levels are rising dramatically and the legendary island buildings are generally empty of dragons really exist or – a rather important pointhumans and ripe for plunder. With eviction imminent, this – if can Elsbeth nab anything to actually generate custom at the ship keeps sailing westshop? Well yes, will it just topple off is the edge of answer, but the world? Of course, if you think fact a little thing like terrible peril and near-certain death should stop Captain Cassie and her shipmates mysterious man knows exactly which items come from going wherever they fancy, then you're reading the wrong series. these different Somewheres only raises more questions…|amazonukisbn=<amazonuk>1447290623</amazonuk>1839943769

{{newreviewFrontpage|author= Bear GryllsNatasha Farrant|title= New Jungle Book Adventures: Spirit The Rescue of the JungleRavenwood|rating= 35|genre= Confident Readers|summary= This book story is technically another excellent but unfortunately it falls flat adventure from the author of ''Voyage of the Sparrowhawk''. Ravenwood is an old house, in the actual executionNorth of England, where Bea and Raffy have been living for most of their lives. Grylls uses trusted storytelling techniques such They are part of a complex, extended family arrangement, as Bea is there with her Uncle Leo, and Raffy is there with his mum, and they are living together as a family. They have grown up swimming in the cove, roaming through the herotrees, completely at one with all of the nature around the house and loving every inch of the place. But now the house is under threat, as Leo is under pressure from his other two brothers to sell the property to a developer as it's journey becoming more and Chekovmore expensive to maintain. The children find themselves worrying not only about where they're going to live, but if they'll even be together, and if Ravenwood itself will be torn down.|isbn=0571348785}}{{Frontpage|author=Robin Birch and Jobe Anderson|title=Secret Beast Club: The Unicorns of Silver Street|rating=4|genre=Confident Readers|summary=Jayden's Gun nose is forever in a book, which means he knows a lot about mythological creatures – the phoenixes and unicorns of the world, for example. Aisha is addicted to produce a frame her new tablet, where she can see videos of anything that should might be engaging with the target audience but unfortunately out there. The problem, as their mothers see it does not quite hit , is that they are never 'out there' themselves, exploring the markoutside world of Hackney, London. What we ultimately have is But when a narrowboat turns up carrying a great idea science-minded, educational purpose, and with some wonderful moments that a past involving Jayden's cousin, they find a magical world they never really recovers from knew existed. For many of those mythological creatures are real, including the one Aisha thinks she's seen on a bit of local footage. The crew of the boat, including a slow beginningliving gargoyle, are tasked with saving the rare critters – and the kids unknowingly have the magical sight needed to join in. Dare they side with Leila, the woman on board, and her relative who lives as a figure in a painting, and become saviours of the unseen?|amazonukisbn=<amazonuk>1509828486</amazonuk>0241573483

{{newreviewFrontpage|isbn=B09XWSXSKY|title=Spudboy Maestro Orpheus and Chipthe World Clock|author=David WindleRobert Penee and Joanne Grodzinski

|summary=Frederick (or Fred, but never Freddy, please) couldn't sleep. A tune, rather like the ticking of a clock was playing over and over in his mind. It happened every time he came to visit his grandfather. He hadn'Sticky Toffee Trifle flavour mashed potato. This onet really wanted to come; after all, he's a winner!'ten now and all those old clocks don't appeal to him anymore.

Er''Who needs old clocks anyway? All they do is tell the time. And time isn't good for anything.. ok then. Not.''

Colin Sludge's parents run a fish and chip shop and it isn't doing so well. So Colin's mum is trying out new recipes to tempt in more customers and Colin's dad is using Colin as a guinea pig. The only problem is that Colin has eaten quite enough exotic mashed potato, thankyouverymuch. He's practically bursting with it. And the house is practically bursting with potato peelings, so it's no wonder that Colin slips and falls when was why he's taking them out to was looking at the clock beside the garbage bins.|amazonuk=<amazonuk>154314702X</amazonuk>}}{{newreview|author=Chris Priestley|title=Flesh and Blood|rating=5|genre=Dyslexia Friendly|summary=Families change in wartime – in size, if not any other waybed. Bill and Jane have already had to get used to their father being away to fight, It was nearly twelve o''and'' they've tried the evacuee experience, clock but are back in London – just in time for at midnight the Battle of Britain, which is a circumstance Bill hates Jane for, as he quickly grew to love the countryside, while Jane resisted the idea of them settling there, so they were returned to an allegedly safe capitalclock chimed only six times. One night after a bombing raid they settle outside the neighbourhood's token empty, boarded up and deserted home – only There was nothing for Bill it but to convince himself he hears someone inside. The unidentifiable go and severely burnt child that gets rescued becomes a kind of new family member – find grandad - but does this have anything to do with Bill's resent-filled wish for a brother to replace Janewhere was he?|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1781126887</amazonuk>}}{{newreview|author=Matilda Woods|title=The Boy, the Bird and the Coffin Maker|rating=4.5|genre=Confident Readers|summary=Alberto is a carpenter, the very best in the town of Allora. But after the plague sweeps through the town, taking many of And why had all the citizens and Albertoclocks stopped at twelve o's wife and children, he turns his skills away from furniture and toys to making coffins. Wrapped in sadness, and waiting only for the plague to come and claim his life too, Alberto lives alone, keeping company with the dead who are delivered to his house to await their coffin. One day, however, he realises that he must have a living visitor, as food starts to go missing. He begins to leave scraps of food, to try and discover who his mystery thief is…|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1407178695</amazonuk>clock?