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[[Category:Confident Readers|*]]
[[Category:New Reviews|Confident Readers]] __NOTOC__<!-- Remove -->{{newreviewFrontpage|author=Ali SparkesMax Boucherat|title=Car-Jacked|rating=5|genre=Confident Readers |summary=A boy genius who speaks Mandarin and Latin and a criminal who’s just robbed a bank and stolen a car: it’s an unusual pairing but, it turns out, a perfect team. ‘‘Car-Jacked’’ leads us through the twists and turns The Last Life of 12-year old Jack’s adventure when his parents’ car is hi-jacked with Jack still inside.|amazonuk=<amazonuk>019273346X</amazonuk>}} {{newreview|author=Joan Aiken and Quentin Blake|title=Arabel’s RavenLori Mills
|rating=4.5
|genre=For SharingConfident Readers|summary=It’s been manyWe meet Lori on the first evening she's got the house to herself – no neighbour to pop in, babysitter poorly, many years since I first met Arabel and her pet ravenmother at work, Mortimerjust an avidly rule-breaking eleven year old, whilst watching Jackanory on children’s televisionher lonesome. Bernard Cribbins used What could possibly go wrong? Snuggled in a blanket fort, she has one main intention, and that is to log on to read Voxminer, the storiesworld-building, critter-collecting game that is a hit in Lori's world. But first Lori has a tiny inkling that this stormy night doesn't find herself entirely on her own, and then she finds something even more spooky. For the server she and her bestie and they became firm favourites nobody else should be able to enter shows signs of minetampering. Here I am returning to the first book When malevolent eyes spark up on her phone screen, and her safe place in the series, game has been doctored – well, just where is a handful of years later, and the story has lost none of its charm.girl to turn?|amazonukisbn=<amazonuk>1847806910</amazonuk>0008666482
}}
{{newreviewFrontpage|author= Philip CaveneyKieran Larwood and Joe Todd-Stanton|title= One For Sorrow|rating= 5|genre= Confident Readers|summary= You'd think, wouldn't you, that Tom Afflick would move heaven and earth to avoid leaving Manchester to go to EdinburghDungeon Runners: on his last two visits there he ended up tumbling into the past, where he met all manner of scary folk. But parents tend to be pretty determined to get their own way about such things, and no way are they going to swallow some mad tale about him being chased by plague doctors and other assorted murderers. So, off he has to go, and yes – he's barely set foot in ''Auld Reekie'' when he's time travelling again, in a wondrous mix of drama, real live people and deadly peril.|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1905916957</amazonuk>}}{{newreview|author=Dave Cousins|title=Charlie Merrick's Misfits in I'm a Nobody, Get Me Out of Here!Hero Trial
|rating=4
|genre=Confident Readers
|summary=What Meet Kit. Like most of the people in his world, it seems, he is that sayingan avid fan of Dungeon Running – the sport where a team of warrior, mage and healer enter specially prepared, century-old, magical mazes, and race to the exit, about perhaps bothering with the best laid plans of mice treasure or the big bad and misfits gang aft agley? the points they grant you along the way. Charlie and his fondly thought of friends in Unfortunately for Kit, the soccer squad we met [[Charlie Merrickonly thing he's Misfits in Foulsseen of the latest race on the inn TV equivalent is that one team has been retired, Friendseaten, and Football by Dave Cousins|last time]] are hoping for a simple trip to a summer camp for a week's educative trainingnew trio of questors is needed. But noPossibly very unfortunately indeed for Kit, their dopey manager he has booked them in taken to a survival camp by mistake. Instead of hitting the back goading from the token bully of the net theyhis world and stumbled into declaring he're building tarpaulin sheltersll enter as a team. They can't set any watching footieWhat chance does this friendless, muscle-free-heads ablaze, for they zone have to spark their own fires at night. They can still scorein actually managing that, however, as there's a points-based competition and how could he possibly hope to hand, but now that Charlie has dropped his team in the proverbial, they're once more really up against it…succeed?|amazonukisbn=<amazonuk>0192738232</amazonuk>1839945184
}}
{{newreviewFrontpage|author=John McNallyJames Sherwood Metts|title=The Forbidden City (Infinity Drake, Book 2)Planet Storyland|rating=4.5|genre=TeensConfident Readers|summary=Finn may be only 9mm tall and still Things have been a teenager, but he's already saved bit sticky for the world onceEarthlings. Accidentally shrunk by his mad scientist Uncle Al, he joined a crack military team AI and helped foil the threat of a lethal bio-weaponautomation have been proceeding apace, the Scarlatti wasp. But thereoften replacing jobs they's no let-up for Finnre paid to do and other tasks that took time to accomplish. Before Al can restore him Just as they were beginning to get used to all this technological change and starting to normal sizethink of other, a new threat emergesways to spend time, along came an awful pandemic. Life was pretty much shut down and, along with it, all the many daily social interactions on which they depend so heavily.|amazonukisbn=<amazonuk>0007521650</amazonuk>1736128426
}}
{{newreviewFrontpage|author=Tom PalmerPercival|title=Rugby Academy: DeadlockedThe Wrong Shoes
|rating=5
|genre=Dyslexia FriendlyConfident Readers|summary=ItWill's the third story life is difficult, in a multitude of ways. He is bullied because he has 'the wrong shoes', he has the wrong shoes because his dad can'Rugby Academyt work and doesn'' series t have enough money for even the most basic of things like food, and so far wehis dad can've heard from Woody t work because he lost his job at the college, was working a cash-in [[Rugby Academy: Combat Zone by Tom Palmer|Combat Zone]] -hand job on a building site and Rory in [[Rugby Academy: Surface to Air by Tom Palmer|Surface to Air]]had an accident. In thisThrow into that mix the fact that his mum and dad are separated, the final book and Will's life seems bleak in this brilliant seriesevery direction. And yet, we hear from Owenhe still has a tiny amount of hope. We left the team He is good at art, and clings to the end moments of ''Surface to Air'' joy when Borderlands had got through to the World Championship in New Zealand. Despite the elation of doing so Owen isn't entirely comfortable with Jessehe is drawing, the team captain. He has no doubts that he was feel like a brilliant player - light at the best on the team - but he can't respect him as end of a personlong, dark tunnel.|amazonukisbn=<amazonuk>1781123993</amazonuk>1398527122
}}
{{newreviewFrontpage|authorisbn=E L Konigsburg1805141872|title=From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs Basil E FrankweilerThe Teacher Who Knew Too Much|author=Rob Keeley|rating=4.5
|genre=Confident Readers
|summary=Eleven-year-old Claudia Kincaid is tired of being taken for granted''Seventeen banks and a jeweller’s have been raided. As The police are baffled, but only Ben knows the oldest of four childrentruth – his Maths teacher, she suffers many an injusticeMiss Judson, is really a safecracker! With police and the interplay of school and home life is becoming monotonous. She decides to run away from her home in Greenwichgangster boyfriend Al on their trail, Connecticut to live in Miss Judson and Ben go on the New York City Metropolitan Museum of Artrun. But Al needs them for one last job... Middle brother Jamie, 9'' Goodness me, that Miss Judson is a terror! How on earth did a nice teacher like her chosen companionmanage to get mixed up with a bad 'un like Al? We'll find out. Luckily for Miss Judson, not least because he can fund their venture. By cheating his friend Bruce at card gamesthe pupil who discovers her terrible secret is Ben, Jamie the son of a famous magician who has accumulated more than $24 – whichambitions to be as good as his father some day, in 1967 when this classic children's novel first appeared, was not an insignificant amount.|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1782690719</amazonuk>and who thinks Miss Judson is worth saving
}}
{{newreviewFrontpage|author=Rachel Renee RussellChristopher Edge|title=Dork Diaries: Drama Queen (Dork Diaries 9)Black Hole Cinema Club
|rating=4
|genre=Confident Readers
|summary=Meet Mackenzie Hollister. She's a typical American tweenager – concerned in popularity, looks, the hot guys like Brandon, Lucas and getting one over on his friends are all those around her. That's made booked in for a lot more easy by her parents being spoilingly rich – if Mackenziemovie marathon at their local cinema, say, wants a new cover for her diary she will just rip up a new $220 leopard print designer blouse and use place thathas the nickname of 'The Black Hole'. But the problem isAll big movie fans, what shethey's reading back overre looking forward to lots of exciting films, and what she's writing inmany, many snacks! However, isn't ''exactly'' her diary – it's as the diary belonging to our beloved heroinemovie starts, Nikkithey very quickly realise that something about this new film format is very different, and Mackenzie has managed they are swept up into an adventure they couldn't even imagine. But as they lurch from one film genre to purloin it for evil deeds. the next, can they figure out what on earth is going on? Can Nikki Will they ever get it back – or live at all without her beloved journal? And could there actually be something worse than her biggest enemy ofto the cinema, like, all time, being the person reading itand to their real lives?|amazonukisbn=<amazonuk>1471117707</amazonuk>1839942738
}}
{{newreviewFrontpage|author=Lewis Carroll and Sir John TennielAdam Stower|title=Alice's Adventures in Wonderland Murray and Bun|rating=4.5|genre=Confident Readers|summary=It can hardly have escaped anyone's attention that 2015 Murray is supposed to be a humble, tidy and friendly cat, one who is the 150th anniversary able to sleep and eat and eat and sleep and, well, whatever takes his fancy next of the publication of Lewis Carrolltwo. But he's a bad magician''Alices cat, so his favourite bun has been turned into a hyperactive sticky rabbit called Bun, and the catflap they both use can chuck them out, not into the regular back garden, but into a world of frightening adventure and whiffs. This time round it drops them into a Viking land, where a troll hunter is expected – well, one much bigger than Murray was, to be honest, but he's Adventures in Wonderland'' turned up and wehe've seen numerous anniversary editions.ll have to do…|amazonukisbn=<amazonuk>1447287118</amazonuk>0008561249
}}
{{newreviewFrontpage|author=Guy Bass Alex Bell and Pete WilliamsonTim McDonagh|title=The Beast Glorious Race of Grubbers Nubbin (Stitch Head)Magical Beasts
|rating=4
|genre=Confident Readers
|summary=It's all wrong in Castle Grotteskew. The very walls should be terrified Eli is a busy lad – by the monsters the Mad Professor day an apprentice in the basement is creatingwondrous library we start by visiting with him, out of various body parts and different animals. But no, in the clamour of noise, evening a helper at the unlikely activities dessert cafe his gran owns and horrendous appetite for food come from something else entirely – a hundred rescued human orphansruns. That appetite needs feeding Eli lives with his lovely gran, too so it’s perfect timing for there is a generation missing in the village below family. A few short years ago, Eli's parents were both lost to the castle, Grubbers Nubbintitular race, a globe-trotting adventure where all entrants have to have their annual podge-navigate the world in the company of a-thon feastmagical beast. But This has made the race anathema to the pair – but when Stitch Head and a bad incident at the eatery leads to a confession from gran, Eli knows his human friend Arabella go only hope is to purloin some human food – there being no decent alternative – they're horrified dare to find something even worse than enter what he most hates, with the monsters trapped in sole aim the prize of magic at the end – the castle above…only thing to possibly save his gran.|amazonukisbn=<amazonuk>1847156096</amazonuk>0571382231
}}
{{newreviewFrontpage|author=Cassie BeasleyHelen Cooper|title=Circus MirandusThe Taming of the Cat|rating=3.5
|genre=Confident Readers
|summary=Micah is an orphan who has been raised by his grandfatherOnce again, but now Micah’s grandfather is dyingmice are pitched against cat. And if that wasn’t bad enough In this case, principally, we have Brie the mouse, up against Gorgonzola the cat – and in case you're seeing a connection, his horrible great aunt has arrived they live in a cheese shop and therefore all the names used here seem to take care be the names of himcheeses. Anyway, cutting their limited time together further. But don’t worry all hope Brie is not lostshunned, scorned and, if you must, mous-tracised, for the way his habits don't match the other mice he lives with. When grandpa Ephraim was a child They nibble up paper wrapping from the cheese for bedding – he visited displays it as art and makes stories based on the mysterious Circus Mirandusvisuals on it. And that story-telling will come in handy one night, where when he was promised a miracle by the miraculous Man Who Bends Lightfeels all alone and cast out. All Micah has It's almost as if there were another character from fable who had had to do is get a message tell stories to the Light Bender and his grandfather can have his miraclekeep themselves alive. With This makes Brie the help of Jenny Mendoza (the smartest girl top dog in the class)mouse community, Micah sets his sights on though, as all the others had the chance to half-inch some cheese while the cat was distracted. But will the story have the circus, a task successful sequel it needs when that requires unconditional love and faith. Aunt Gertrudis is wrong, Ephraim’s stories aren’t just stories ... are theycheese runs out?|amazonukisbn=<amazonuk>1101892315</amazonuk>0571376010
}}
{{newreviewFrontpage|author=Owen DaveyLauren St John|title=Mad About Monkeys|rating= 4|genre=Children's Non-Fiction|summary=Of all the many millions of animals on our planet that deserve a large format hardback non-fiction book, I guess monkeys are one of the ideal places to start. They are, of course, our distant cousins, with the ancestor we have in common with them walking around our world within the past thirty million years. They have a large range across the planet, they have over 250 variant species, and they have a lot of interesting facts and details regarding their social life, their diet, their diversity and their potential future – all of which makes this an interesting read whatever your species bias may be.|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1909263575</amazonuk>}}{{newreview|author=Josh Lacey|title=Dragonsitter TroubleFinding Wonder
|rating=4
|genre=Confident Readers
|summary=You don't need me to tell you what itRoo's like when your uncle owns two dragonslife has become almost impossibly difficult. He's the pig-headed type who has a mummy and baby dragon living with himHer mum died when she was young, and he must live on a remote island off Scotland, and he must spend half now she finds herself awoken in the time hunting middle of the world of dragons in Outer Mongolia, or searching for night by the yeti, so police banging on her door to tell her that trouble starts from her dad has dropped dead on his way to the very moment you arrive with your mother and sister corner shop to housesit for him – there's no foodbuy a lottery ticket. When asked what other family she has, the dragons are pooing everywhere and you she can't even use the front door properly because he only name her aunt, Joni, who she knows her dad didn't leave the key in an obvious placethink very highly of. StillBut she has no one else, that's nothing compared and so off she goes to when the neighbouring farmer gets his guns trained on the dragons when he accuses them of stealing his sheep… live with her unreliable aunt. Or how about Things continue to get worse for Roo, as when your big birthday party is hereshe and Joni leave London in Joni's old campervan, and it breaks down in the magician is booked – middle of nowhere and the two dragons come to stay, because somebody else with the talent to care for them has the hots for your mother…then bursts into flames! Poor Roo!|amazonukisbn=<amazonuk>1783442972</amazonuk>0571376169
}}
{{newreviewFrontpage|author=Jo SimmonsAdam Baron and Benji Davies|title=Super-Loud SamOscar's Lion|rating=53
|genre=Confident Readers
|summary=Sam is loud. Not just loud as in the loudest lad in classWe start incredibly bluntly, and not just loud as in loudest fire alarm in school. No, Sam is '''LOUD''' loud. Stop traffic in the streets loud. Scary loud. Loud enough with Oscar hoping to make passing birds forget how to fly loud. There's little rhyme have his mother – or reason for thisfather, just as there but mother is no real reason why more likely – read him his best friend Nina does nothing but knit all the livelong day, even when walking very favourite book a couple of times before he has to be ready for school. It's just something you have to accept. But whatwhen he enters his parents's this? Their favourite teacher has vanishedbedroom, and all he sees is a new one has taken his place – Mrs Mann. She's ridiculous with her weirdly large handsmahoosive male lion on their bed, looking sheepish, her huge cardigan and even huger beehive hairdoadmitting that he won't be hungry for another two days. The biggest thing about her though is But there are benefits to having a lion around – it can be shown as an unspoken threat to the threat she poses – bully that of eternal silence in her lessonsruined a birthday party for Oscar the other month. How And it can Sam possibly continue at schoolshapeshift, when even him clearing his throat is like a plane crash in your ears?|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1407152300</amazonuk>}}{{newreview|author=Christopher Myers|title=My Pen|rating=4|genre=Emerging Readers|summary=How long does so he can take it take you to read school and it can get him out of a picture book? problem. DonAnd it't worry counting s wonderful to have around the number of wordshouse – not limiting his biscuit intake, forget totalling the pages, and ignore how many times you may return to bring it off the shelf. What matters so being much more than how long it takes to scan a page can be how long it lies in lax about the memoryrules, and what it can lead toso on. This example, for instanceOK, it can be perused in seconds, 't work a dimmer switch but creates a vivid and long-standing mental image, and will if it hits the right buttons lead to untold future activities. You can't judge something like this on the value of give Oscar a wonderful time.|amazonukisbn=<amazonuk>1423103718</amazonuk>0008596751
}}
{{newreviewFrontpage|author=Cath Senker and Melvyn Evans|title=Ancient Egypt in 30 Seconds: 30 Awesome Topics for Pharaoh Fanatics Explained in Half a Minute (Children's 30 Second)|rating=4|genre=Children's Non-Fiction|summary=Egypt. It's up there with dinosaurs, space travel and not much else that can hold a young child throughout the length of their school career. Considering a lot of them will grow up declaring they have no interest in, or even a hatred for, history, it all was relevant a long, long time ago – and with Carter's finding of King Tut's tomb closing in on its centenary it won't go away yet. There are indeed books that solely concern themselves with the history of our love affair with Egypt. But I guess it does boil down to it being introduced by a fine teacher. Whether this latest book will supplant the human in giving us all the lessons we need remains to be seen.|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1782402373</amazonuk>}}{{newreview|author=Jonathan MeresJudith Eagle|title=The World of Norm: 8: May Contain ButsStolen Songbird
|rating=4
|genre=Confident Readers
|summary=Why is it the only person in NormCaro's mother, a world able -famous whistler, has failed to think straight return home from her recent work trip abroad and is Norm? now missing. His best mate Mikey is clamming up on certain subjectsHer other mother, and blaming mood swings on his hormones (wellRonnie, he is all having to go up North to take care of thirteen, her sister who is unwell. So who is going to look after all). Caro? His dad seems Sent to be mourning the loss of an antique bottle of aftershavestay with Gam, his someone Caro has heard her mother thinks sorting the recycling is a cure for boredomdespises, she feels frustrated and his grandfather is all full of weird expressions confused and euphemism thingiesworried. ThatAll her summer holiday plans of building herself some equipment to practise her gymnastics are brought to a halt whilst she is stuck inside this staid old Victorian lady's not to mention his younger brothershouse, along with an orphan boy, Albie, who have it is living there too. But she soon finds herself caught up in mind to use a mystery, as she discovers a painting of a bird hidden away inside her mum's hair straightener on old suitcase, and all across London a fearsome gang called the dogSnakes are thieving artworks and terrorising people. And that's certainly not Is the painting somehow linked to mention the girl next door, who evidently gang? And what has been incapable of thinking straight since birth, but at least is doing the good thing by moving house. Ithappened to Caro's a flipping miracle that Norm can get through a weekend like this without anything disastrous happening. mother? Or can heIs she somehow involved in the mystery too?|amazonukisbn=<amazonuk>1408334062</amazonuk>0571363148
}}
{{newreviewFrontpage|author= Piers TordayTania Unsworth|title= The Wild BeyondNowhere Island|rating= 5|genre= Confident Readers |summary= Stories for younger readers about the effects of climate change, known as cli-fi, are growing massively in popularity right now, as environmental disasters and the disappearance of many of the planet's animals and plants hit the news on a depressingly regular basis4. Shrinking glaciers mean rising water levels and the slow extinction of polar bears, and in many cities pollution and smog are so dire at times that governments are forced to ban cars and urge their citizens to stay indoors. But far from frightening children with tales of ever-increasing destruction and death, Piers Torday offers them a way to hope. No matter how bad things are, this trilogy tells us, all it takes is determination, and together we'll save our beautiful world.|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1848668481</amazonuk>}}{{newreview|author=Caleb Krisp and John Kelly|title=Anyone But Ivy Pocket|rating=5
|genre=Confident Readers
|summary=12-year-old maid Ivy Pocket Meet Gil. Just twelve, he is at a loose end after her employer the Countess Carbunkle leaves her for South America "for no other reason than it is far enough away from Paris so determined to ensure that I never see you again." Charitably deciding that escape the old woman is 'bonkers' on care system – the basis system that constantly puts him in futureless places that anyone who doesn't see how wonderful she are not homes – and find a home for himself. He is couldn't possibly be in their right minden route to yet another fosterer, Ivy thinks she'll stroll when he jumps into another job but finds an anonymous car, and lets it more difficult than she'd expect - until the Duchess ride him to his future. That future seems to be in jeopardy when someone steals his one bag of Trinity gives her belongings – but that someone lives with his brother in a camp on an important mission; to deliver a priceless diamond necklace to island between the granddaughter two directions of an estranged friend. But what should be a simple task becomes fraught with danger as Ivy faces obnoxious aristocratsmotorway, strange creaturesa place inaccessible and definitely ignored enough to provide for their safety and seclusion. Them, and betrayala mute girl also finding a home there, albeit so much more successfully. Over a 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>1408858630</amazonuk>1804540080
}}
{{newreviewFrontpage|author=Esme KerrHelen Peters|title=Mischief at MidnightFriends and Traitors
|rating=3
|genre=Confident Readers
|summary= At England, WW2. Two young girls are new at the country pile called Stanbrook. One is Nancy, destined to be in service all her life it seems, like the slightly strange female generations before her. The other is Sidney, a girl from a hoity-toity Sussex boarding school of Knight's Haddonthat has been removed there away from bomber flight-paths. The girls are chalk and cheese, thereand if we hadn's always t guessed that then their behaviour with each other over their first encounters would only prove it so. But something intriguing going on. New girl Janetis amiss, cool and confident even when arguing with first separately and then in combination they realise the teacherLord Evesham must be a rum 'sun. Midnight deliveries are received under cover of secrecy, talk is made of meetings with Germans, and not only that, a local Spitfire factory has been attacked. But surely the big surprise for Edie this termgirls are wrong, and they become friends - but Anastasia feels forced out by the newer student's presence. Then some things happen which make Edie start to wonder if Janet is hiding something - can she solve another mysteryupper class could never be so underhand?|amazonukisbn=<amazonuk>190948900X</amazonuk>1788004647
}}
{{newreviewFrontpage|author=Gareth P JonesJamie Littler|title=Attack of the Giant Sea Spiders (Adventures of the Steampunk Pirates)Arkspire
|rating=4
|genre=Confident Readers
|summary=It's a three-way battle Two sisters, Juniper and Elodie, born fifteen minutes apart, are growing to be chalk and cheese. Juniper is an eager hunter and trader in illicit magic, including relics from prior major wars left out in the Slurring Mariner pubBadlands. On Elodie is intent on getting closer to power in one of the one hand, four Steampunk Pirates – a fine mix religious districts of viciousArkspire, nefarious and metallic mariners who would make any passing human gulp (which is more than you could ever say perhaps even to become the child in line to inherit the power of the beer). On anotherWatcher, the Dread Captain Inkybeard, who is married closest to a squid who lives on his head ruler the district has, and keeps his facial hair darkone of the five major victors in said earlier war. On Being trained in the magic that only five people can use would definitely change the status of the third, a ridiculously rich, ridiculously French and ridiculously successful recruiter – but to just what is he taking so many seamen? whole family. Whatever it isBut in finding something oddly magical, it's enough to get the Pirates and Inkybeard working together (ish) to solve the problem – but someone else Juniper might just be controlling the whole farrago…able to gain some power of her own – for good, or for very, very bad…|amazonukisbn=<amazonuk>1847155995</amazonuk>0241586143
}}
{{newreviewFrontpage|isbn=024162343X|title=Stolen History|author=Liz PichonSathnam Sanghera|titlerating=5|genre=Children's Non-Fiction|summary=Yes! No (MaybeI 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 after the end of WWII, I didn't so much want to learn about the British army's successes (Tom Gatesand occasional failures, but we didn't dwell on those)in what came to be called 'the colonies' as want to dispute what right the army had to be there in the first place. Looking back, I still believe I was right - but I regret that I lacked the maturity to approach 'the problem' politely. I wish I'd had Sathnam Sanghera's ''Stolen History''.}}{{Frontpage|author=Thiago de Moraes|title=Old Gods New Tricks|rating=34.5
|genre=Confident Readers
|summary= WorkMeet Trixie. It's not something Tom Gates has been guilty of much before now – unless it's to work out how Forever getting into scrapes, larks and where to hide his favourite caramel wafersadventures involving flooding the school aircon with fart powder, or how to deflect the evil grin she could almost be thought a young goddess of his slightly goth older sisternuisance. But itjust when she's on being told that by her one-last-chance-giving headteacher, the cards this time round world changes. Suddenly, practically everything electronic stops working a power-out, even of electric cars, hits not only does his mother have just the town the school's in but the inspired idea of clearing entire planet (apart from mobile phones, and all that powers the house out Internet, just for a car boot sale (which causes disastersour convenience's sake) . Trixie, luckily, realises what has happened – the ancient Gods have taken the school is having an enterprise competition, where groups power of students have to create something to sell on to their peers at a profitpower from us. But And so she begins her epic quest, to gather all the people that can steal it's not like Tom wants much back of coursenamely the characters from myth that have past form in stealing from the Gods, ie the semi-deities, he's a simple ladgiants, with no real desires half-gods and so on known as such – he's never going to want to go hell for leather to get anything, is he?the tricksters.|amazonukisbn=<amazonuk>1407143190</amazonuk>178845295X
}}
{{newreviewFrontpage|author=Linda Chapman Hannah Gold and Kate HindleyLevi Pinfold|title=Best Friends’ Bakery: Birthdays and BiscuitsFinding Bear
|rating=4.5
|genre=Confident Readers
|summary=In this[[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 fourth story in the Best Friends’ Bakery seriesdomestic and family front are a bit advanced, but not perfect for her, Hannah is recovering and so can easily be ignored when word comes through from her sadness at being thrown off the Junior Baker show islands Bear was last left on TV. Fortunately there’s plenty going on in her town For a bear doing very Bear-y things has been shot and at her mum’s bakery to keep her busywounded. There’s a new beauty shop opening Desperate to bake formake sure he's OK, she and her father return to the Arctic and hope that in a doggy rescue centre in troubleworld of very white and very dangerous things, she can find one specific white and dangerous thing – and a new girl who seems intent on stopping anyone from befriending herthat the friendship can continue. How will Hannah get on with these new challenges in her life?|amazonukisbn=<amazonuk>1444011944</amazonuk>0008582017
}}
{{newreviewFrontpage|author=Frances HardingeSimon Fox|title=Cuckoo SongDeadlock
|rating=4.5
|genre=Confident Readers
|summary=Marketed as 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 twisted fairy talesecret place, ''Cuckoo Song'' is so much moreand join him on the run. Hardinge’s lyrical style sets it apart from other fantasy reads. Such phrases as ''she was weeping spider silk'' lend it a melody all They get together, but barely begin to smell the whiff of its own. At Southern trains when the story’s heart father is arrested, leaving Archie on the sense of wanting late express to belong and connect with others. It revolves around Piers Crescent’s daughter Triss who wakes up after an accident Brighton, toting a tin his father was determined to find that her world has changed. She doesn’t feel that she is herself and starts to exhibit extremely peculiar behaviour. She is ravenous and inexplicably binge eats. For some reason her little sister Pen appears to hate herkeep away from his colleagues, scissors act strangely around her and her parents are anxious for her to remain ill and cosseted. She has memories from the time before she nearly drowned but she can’t visualise the actual incidentbearer of a whole heap of questions.|amazonukisbn=<amazonuk>0330519735</amazonuk>1839944420
}}
{{newreviewFrontpage|author=Phil Earle and Sara OgilvieCath Howe|title=Demolition DadMy Life on Fire|rating=4.5
|genre=Confident Readers
|summary=JakeRen's dad family home is destroyed in a wrestlerfire. Nobody knows howeverShe, because Jakeher 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 dad also insists 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 Jake keeps it the class are doing a secretspecial art project, so creating boxes of their lives, to display things that no one realises that come the weekend he leaves behind the demolition sites that he works on, puts on his spandex suit are important to them and enters the ring show who they are as 'Demolition Man'! a person. But Jake is so proud of his dad that his alter ego can't remain Ren has nothing to put in a secret for longbox, and he sets about trying so she finds herself starting to change his dad's life through the world of wrestlingsteal 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?|amazonukisbn=<amazonuk>1444013866</amazonuk>1839942835
}}
{{newreviewFrontpage|author=Meg CabotRob Keeley|title=Notebooks of a Middle-School PrincessThe Boy Who Disappeared and Other Stories
|rating=4
|genre=Confident Readers
|summary=The author of the hugely successful ''Princess Diaries'' has written Hooray! Bookbag favourite Rob Keeley is back with a brand-new series for younger girls, telling return to the short story of awkward middle-school student Olivia Grace. She discovers that her father is actually the Prince of Genovia, making her...a princessformat! Not everyone responds well The Boy Who Disappeared treats us to the newseleven new tales, however, and poor Olivia is soon thrown into a world of jealous bullies, intrusive paparazzi, disgruntled relatives and a whole new family she never knew existedeach as fun to read as his previous offerings.|amazonukisbn=<amazonuk>1447280652</amazonuk>B0BVW69N1G
}}
{{newreviewFrontpage|author=Rachel HamiltonLaura Noakes|title=The Case of the Exploding BrainsCosima Unfortunate Steals a Star
|rating=4
|genre=Confident Readers
|summary= You'd thinkMeet Number One. Or rather, Cosima Unfortunate. Or rather, with one parent just Cos to her friends. The practice in the home she lives in is for the girls to just be named by the number they correspond to in prison 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 where she came from, as the other one hardly first ever moving inmate, and unique in having no known family in the outside world. During a daring escapade to steal some posh cakes from the sofakitchen one afternoon, she discovers a plan involving said outside world – a devilish Lord Fitzroy seems to want to adopt all the girls for his Institute. But why, and what does that middle school student Noelle Hawkins would have far too many problems on her hands already body entail? And could it possibly bring Cos closer to start worrying about the occasional past she has so little explosion at link with?|isbn=0008579059}}{{Frontpage|author=Alice M Ross|title=The Nowhere Thief|rating=4.5|genre=Confident Readers|summary=At last there is new stock in the Science Museumimpoverished yet over-full antiques shop Elsbeth and her mother run in a seaside town. After all Elsbeth knows this because she has stolen it. She also knows she should be free from worries about being found out, that's because she has the kind ability to leave this world, and use an unworldly portal of thing that's bound kaleidoscope colours to happen in a place littered with heaps enter other worlds, where the sea levels are rising dramatically and the buildings are generally empty of seriously wacky inventionshumans and ripe for plunder. With eviction imminent, rightcan Elsbeth nab anything to actually generate custom at the shop? Well yes, is the answer, but the fact a mysterious man knows exactly which items come from these different Somewheres only raises more questions…|amazonukisbn=<amazonuk>147112133X</amazonuk>1839943769
}}
{{newreviewFrontpage|author=Dave LoweNatasha Farrant|title= Squirrel Boy vs The Rescue of Ravenwood|rating=5|genre=Confident Readers|summary=This story is another excellent adventure from the author of ''Voyage of the Sparrowhawk''. Ravenwood is an old house, in the North of England, where Bea and Raffy have been living for most of their lives. 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 trees, 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 Squirrel Hunter property to a developer as it's becoming more and more 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= Ten year old Walter Kettle Jayden's nose is an ordinary boy until forever in a book, which means he eats knows a nutlot about mythological creatures – the phoenixes and unicorns of the world, for example. Then he transforms into unlikely superhero Squirrel Boy whose only superpowers seem Aisha is addicted to her new tablet, where she can see videos of anything that might be out there. The problem, as their mothers see it, is that they are never 'out there' themselves, exploring the outside world of Hackney, London. But when a large bushy tailnarrowboat turns up carrying a science-minded, educational purpose, an ability to climb trees and run very fastwith a past involving Jayden's cousin, and they find a sudden understanding magical world they never knew existed. For many of ‘Squirrelish’ (those mythological creatures are real, including the language used by squirrels)one Aisha thinks she's seen on a bit of local footage. In his second adventure The crew of the boat, including a living gargoyle, we are tasked with saving the rare critters – and the kids unknowingly have the magical sight needed to join Walter to find out whether these unusual powers will be enough to defeat in. Dare they side with Leila, the determined Squirrel Hunter woman on board, and save the squirrel population her relative who lives as a figure in a painting, and become saviours of the local park.unseen?|amazonukisbn=<amazonuk>1907912738</amazonuk>0241573483
}}
{{newreviewFrontpage|authorisbn=Lewis CarrollB09XWSXSKY|title=Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (150th Anniversary Edition with Dame Vivienne Westwood)Maestro Orpheus and the World Clock|author=Robert Penee and Joanne Grodzinski
|rating=4
|genre=Confident Readers
|summary=Somewhere Frederick (or Fred, but never Freddy, please) couldn't sleep. A tune, rather like the book reviewing gods have ticking of a list of those classic titles that you cannot deny or begrudge their place clock was playing over and over in literary history, that are soon his mind. It happened every time he came to have a 150th birthday party with my name on an invitevisit his grandfather. That means littleHe hadn't really wanted to come; after all, as I – he's ten now and in fact most people – will of course be reading them on their unbirthday, but the list does include the current recipient of that honour, all those old clocks don't appeal to him anymore. ''AliceWho needs old clocks anyway? All they do is tell the time. And time isn's Adventures in Wonderlandt good for anything...'' And that was why he was looking at the clock beside the bed. It being long out of copyright anyone can put together a 150th birthday edition was nearly twelve o'clock but at midnight the clock chimed only six times. There was nothing for it, but this is one to go and find grandad - but where was he? And why had all the clocks stopped at twelve o'clock?}}{{Frontpage|author=Nigel Baines|title=A Tricky Kind of the more distinctive effortsMagic|rating=4.5|genre=Emerging Readers|summary=Cooper loves to perform magic tricks. His father was a magician, for it comes with and named Cooper after the help of Dame Vivienne Westwoodgreat Tommy Cooper. And even though I have [[AliceBut sadly Cooper's Adventures in Wonderland (150th Anniversary Edition) by Lewis Carroll father died suddenly, and Anthony Browne|spoken before]] of how I donnow Cooper doesn't take quite know who to the bookbe, I can hereby declare this party was made all the better for being twice as longor how to be. And when his dad's prop rabbit starts talking to him, all courtesy of the presence of Lewis Carroll.he ''really'' doesn't know what's going on anymore!|amazonukisbn=<amazonuk>178487017X</amazonuk>1444960261
}}
 
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