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[[Category:New Reviews|Confident Readers]] __NOTOC__<!-- Remove -->{{newreviewFrontpage|authorisbn=Danna Smith and Bagram Ibatoulline1836285493|title= The Hawk Double Life of the Castle: A Story of Medieval Falconrya Wheelchair User|author=Rob Keeley

|genre=ChildrenConfident Readers|summary= Will is a keen player of video games, a conscientious student, a slightly annoying brother and a supportive 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. This hasn's Rhymes t gone unnoticed by his headteacher, Mrs Howarth, and she has suggested to Will and Verse his mum that he spends a couple of afternoons a week at a different school, Station Road, where his ability might be better extended.}}{{Frontpage|isbn= 1836282028|title=The Fighting Spirit|author=Rob Keeley|rating=4|genre=Confident Readers|summary=I don't know why I was surprised 'Would you like to adopt a ghost?'' ''Young spirit, born 1887, seeks kind home to haunt. Gentleman by this book – Ibirth. Good company. Gets on well with other children. Jokes and shocks a speciality.'' ''ve read enough volumes for If interested, place outside your home three twigs, in the young audiences shape of an arrow, pointing to know your front door...'' Hooray! Bookbag favourite Rob Keeley is celebrating a decade of his wonderfully entertaining [[Rob Keeley's ''Spirits'' series in Chronological Order|Spirits]] series with a new adventure that as far as subject matter is concernedboth a reboot and a continuation. Just like Doctor Who, pretty much anything goesEdward Fitzberranger, our incorrigible Victorian ghost boy, has some new companions. But Ruby and Jayden respond to this intriguing advertisement and Edward, who has broken the rules as usual and absconded from his manor house home, is about falconryadopted by them and takes up residence in.... a wardrobe!}}{{Frontpage|author=Rob Keeley|title=Childish Spirits: 10th anniversary special edition|rating=4|genre=Confident Readers|summary=Around here, we're big fans of all things – the use of children's author Rob Keeley. He's a once-wild and still pretty much free-spirited bird ball of prey to hunt down animalshappy positivity, he understands children, either and he writes for the heck their pleasure and enjoyment, not to lecture or hector.  The ''Childish Spirits'' series is one of it or for the pothis greatest achievements. An attractive It's a sequence of ghost stories centring on Ellie, a stalwart young girl who can cope with anything the spirit world throws at her, and her father get their hawk readyEdward, a spoiled lordling and leave the castle with all the equipment in tow – bells to hear first spirit Ellie encounters|isbn= 1783064617}}{{Frontpage|author=Max Boucherat|title=The Last Life of Lori Mills|rating=4.5|genre=Confident Readers|summary=We meet Lori on the landed bird and what itfirst evening she's captured, got the hood house to herself – no neighbour to act as blinkers for it pop in, babysitter poorly, mother at work, just an avidly rule-breaking eleven year old, on the way there, the lure if necessaryher lonesome. The story concerns just What could possibly go wrong? Snuggled in a blanket fort, she has one trip outmain intention, girland that is to log on to Voxminer, fatherthe world-building, hound – and hawkcritter-collecting game that is a hit in Lori's world. But while first Lori has a tiny inkling that may surprise you as a subject matter 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 nobody else should be able to enter shows signs of choicetampering. When malevolent eyes spark up on her phone screen, it was and her safe place in the whole artistic approach that won me over here…game has been doctored – well, where is a girl to turn?|amazonukisbn=<amazonuk>1406376698</amazonuk>0008666482

{{newreviewFrontpage|author=Danna Smith Kieran Larwood and Bagram IbatoullineJoe Todd-Stanton|title= The Hawk of the CastleDungeon Runners: A Story of Medieval FalconryHero Trial|rating=54|genre=Children's Rhymes and Verse Confident Readers|summary=I don't know why I was surprised by this book – I've read enough volumes for Meet Kit. Like most of the young audiences to know that as far as subject matter is concernedpeople in his world, it seems, pretty much anything goes. But this he is about falconry, an avid fan of all things Dungeon Running – the use sport where a team of a oncewarrior, mage and healer enter specially prepared, century-wild old, magical mazes, and still pretty much free-spirited bird of prey race to hunt down animalsthe exit, either for perhaps bothering with the heck of it treasure or for the potbig bad and the points they grant you along the way. An attractive girl and her father get their hawk readyUnfortunately for Kit, and leave the castle with all the equipment in tow – bells to hear the landed bird and what itonly thing he's captured, seen of the hood to act as blinkers for it latest race on the way there, the lure if necessary. The story concerns just inn TV equivalent is that one trip out, girlteam has been retired, fathereaten, hound – and hawka new trio of questors is needed. But while that may surprise you Possibly very unfortunately indeed for Kit, he has taken to the goading from the token bully of his world and stumbled into declaring he'll enter as a subject matter of choiceteam. What chance does this friendless, it was the whole artistic approach muscle-free-zone have in actually managing that won me over here…, and how could he possibly hope to succeed?|amazonukisbn=<amazonuk>1406376698</amazonuk>1839945184

{{newreviewFrontpage|author=Simon Mayle and Nikalas CatlowJames Sherwood Metts|title=How Harry Riddles Made a Mega Amount of Money (Shoutykid, Book 5)Planet Storyland|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 in the season Her mum died when one team she was young, and now she finds herself awoken in blue knocks another team in blue from the throne middle of English football, it's common knowledge that red is the more successful colour night by the police banging on her door to wear. But is tell her that flame red? Blood red? The red of her dad has dropped dead on his way to the Sun cover banner when it falsely declared 96 Liverpool FC fans were fatally caught up in corner shop to buy a tragedy – and that it had been one of their own making? lottery ticket. And while weWhen asked what other family she has, she can only name her aunt, Joni, who she knows her dad didn're on about colour, where were the people t think very highly of colour in football in the olden days? . There are But she has no one else, and so many darker sides off she goes to live with her unreliable aunt. Things continue to footballget worse for Roo, as when she and Joni leave London in Joni's history old campervan, it's enough to make a young lad question breaks down in the whole game…middle of nowhere and then bursts into flames! Poor Roo!|amazonukisbn=<amazonuk>1781126917</amazonuk>0571376169

{{newreviewFrontpage|author=Bernard AshleyAdam Baron and Benji Davies|title=Lena Lenik SOscar's Lion|rating=3|genre=Confident Readers|summary=We start incredibly bluntly, with Oscar hoping to have his mother – or father, but mother is more likely – read him his very favourite book a couple of times before he has to be 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 he won't be hungry for another two days. 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.O And it can shapeshift, so he can take it to school and it can get him out of a problem.S And it's wonderful to have around the house – not limiting his biscuit intake, being much more lax about the rules, and so on. OK, it can't work a dimmer switch but it can give Oscar a wonderful time.|isbn=0008596751}}{{Frontpage|author=Judith Eagle|title=The Stolen Songbird

|summary=Caro''Dancing Paws of Magic'' offers us almost two related stories in ones mother, a world-famous whistler, has failed to return home from her recent work trip abroad and is now missing. Part One focuses on the problems that arise when the dancing cats Her other mother, Ronnie, is having to go up North to take care of the Pusska Mogginsky Ballet Company go on strike. There is only one feline her sister who can put things right but sadly the lepremog (the cat equivalent of a leprechaun) Galway O-Toot is dead, crushed by a falling wallunwell. If the animal ballet So who is going to look after Caro? Sent to be savedstay with Gam, someone Caro has heard her mother despises, the remaining members she feels frustrated and confused and worried. All her summer holiday plans of the ballet company must work together building herself some equipment to practise her gymnastics are brought to find his bones and restore his life even if a halt whilst she is stuck inside this means taking on the Black Treacle Farm Gangstaid old Victorian lady's house, along with an orphan boy, Albie, who is living there too. In Part Two But she soon finds herself caught up in a mystery, we move on to the long-awaited performance as she discovers a painting of a bird hidden away inside her mum''The Sleeping Beauty''s old suitcase, and all across London a fearsome gang called the Snakes are thieving artworks and terrorising people. Here everything seems Is the painting somehow linked to be going just purr-fectly until the Black Treacle Farm Gang – including Gang Leader Bruiser Bumfluff – appear gang? And what has happened to get their revenge.Caro's mother? Is she somehow involved in the mystery too?|amazonukisbn=<amazonuk>1788036875</amazonuk>0571363148

{{newreviewFrontpage|titleauthor=The Harder They FallTania Unsworth|authortitle=Bali RaiNowhere Island

|genre=Dyslexia FriendlyConfident Readers|summary=Cal loves comic booksMeet Gil. He also dreams of being a superhero and saving Just twelve, he is so determined to escape the day while simultaneously winning care system – the heart of the girl (Freya being the girl, hopefully)system that constantly puts him in futureless places that are not homes – and find a home for himself. Batman He is en route to yet another fosterer, when he jumps into an anonymous car, and lets it ride him to his favourite superherofuture. But Cal's world outside That future seems to be in jeopardy when someone steals his one bag of belongings – but that someone lives with his daydreams is not particularly superhero-like. Because Cal is brother in a bit camp on an island between the two directions of a geek motorway, a place inaccessible and definitely ignored enough to provide for their safety and seclusion. Them, and he is being bullied by mean a mute girl Anualso finding a home there, who makes him complete homework assignments which she then sells on to lazy classmatesalbeit so much more successfully. Still 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's just would not all bad. Cal's parents are lovely and the gorgeous Freya is making friendly overtures...work…|amazonukisbn=<amazonuk>1781126828</amazonuk>1804540080

{{newreviewFrontpage|author=Liz PichonHelen Peters|title=Family, Friends and Furry Creatures (Tom Gates)Traitors|rating=43

|summary=Tom Gates has got a problem: his shoes England, WW2. Two young girls are making a noisenew at the country pile called Stanbrook. They sort of rasp when he walksOne is Nancy, destined to be in service all her life it seems, only he can't recreate like the sound at homefemale generations before her. At school it's a different matter: not only The other is the noise very loudSidney, there are those of his classmates who suggest a girl from a hoity-toity Sussex boarding school that it has originated been removed there away from somewhere a little more, wellbomber flight-paths. The girls are chalk and cheese, and if we hadn''intimate''t guessed that then their behaviour with each other over their first encounters would only prove it so. All But something is amiss, and first separately and then in all itcombination they realise the Lord Evesham must be a rum 's un. Midnight deliveries are received under cover of secrecy, talk is made of meetings with Germans, and not only that, a good start to the day for Tom, particularly when he realises that he's also forgotten his baby photo for the latest school projectlocal Spitfire factory has been attacked. Class 5F But surely the girls are building their family trees wrong, and they've got to interview family members to get stories of their lives for the project.upper class could never be so underhand?|amazonukisbn=<amazonuk>1407168118</amazonuk>1788004647

{{newreviewFrontpage|titleauthor=Cheeky Charlie: Bugs and Bananas (My Crazy Brother Book 2)Jamie Littler|authortitle=Mat WaughArkspire

|summary=Cheeky Charlie has already had [[Cheeky Charlie by Mat Waugh|one book]] written about him Two sisters, Juniper and now he has another. His slapstick adventures Elodie, born fifteen minutes apart, are related once more by his sister Harrygrowing to be chalk and cheese. I love Harry Juniper is an eager hunter and trader in illicit magic, including relics from prior major wars left out in the Badlands. Harry Elodie is by turn infuriated intent on getting closer to power in one of the religious districts of Arkspire, perhaps even to become the child in line to inherit the power of the Watcher, the closest to a ruler the district has, and amused by her brother Charlieone of the five major victors in said earlier war. And Harry also brims over with enthusiasm Being trained in the magic that only five people can use would definitely change the status of the whole family. But in finding something oddly magical, 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|amazonuksummary=<amazonuk>B072F58644</amazonuk>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 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'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''.

{{newreviewFrontpage|author= Claire FayersThiago de Moraes|title= Journey to Dragon Island (The Accidental Pirates)Old Gods New Tricks|rating= 4.5|genre= Confident Readers|summary= Two questsMeet Trixie. Can Forever getting into scrapes, larks and adventures involving flooding the crew school aircon with fart powder, she could almost be thought a young goddess of the good ship Onion (donnuisance. But just when she't ask) help their young friend Brine to find s being told that by her home? And does one-last-chance-giving headteacher, the legendary island of dragons really exist or world changes. Suddenly, practically everything electronic stops working – a rather important pointpower-out, this even of electric cars, hits not just the town the school's in but the entire planet (apart from mobile phones, and all that powers the Internet, just for our convenience's sake). Trixie, luckily, realises what has happened – if the ship keeps sailing westancient Gods have taken the power of power from us. And so she begins her epic quest, will to gather all the people that can steal it just topple off back – namely the characters from myth that have past form in stealing from the edge of Gods, ie the world? Of coursesemi-deities, giants, if you think a little thing like terrible peril and nearhalf-certain death should stop Captain Cassie gods and her shipmates from going wherever they fancy, then you're reading so on known as the wrong seriestricksters. |amazonukisbn=<amazonuk>1447290623</amazonuk>178845295X

{{newreviewFrontpage|author= Bear GryllsHannah Gold and Levi Pinfold|title= New Jungle Book Adventures: Spirit of the JungleFinding Bear|rating= 34.5|genre= Confident Readers|summary= This book is technically excellent [[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 unfortunately it falls flat in the actual executiondelightful friendship with a polar bear – that she called Bear. Grylls uses trusted storytelling techniques such as Back home, things on the hero's journey domestic and Chekov's Gun to produce family front are a frame that should be engaging with the target audience bit advanced, but unfortunately it does not quite hit perfect for her, and so can easily be ignored when word comes through from the markislands Bear was last left on. What we ultimately have is For a great idea with some wonderful moments 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 never really recovers from in a slow beginningworld of very white and very dangerous things, she can find one specific white and dangerous thing – and that the friendship can continue.|amazonukisbn=<amazonuk>1509828486</amazonuk>0008582017

{{newreviewFrontpage|titleauthor=Spudboy and ChipSimon Fox|authortitle=David WindleDeadlock|rating=4.5

|summary=''Sticky Toffee Trifle flavour mashed potato. This Late one's a winner!'' Er... ok night Graham Blake is late back from his shift on the force, and then. Not. Colin Sludge's parents run suddenly rings Archie, demanding he fetch something from a fish secret place, and chip shop and it isn't doing so welljoin him on the run. So Colin's mum is trying out new recipes They get together, but barely begin to tempt in more customers and Colin's dad smell the whiff of Southern trains when the father is using Colin as a guinea pig. The only problem is that Colin has eaten quite enough exotic mashed potatoarrested, thankyouverymuch. He's practically bursting with it. And leaving Archie on the house is practically bursting with potato peelingslate express to Brighton, toting a tin his father was determined to keep away from his colleagues, so it's no wonder that Colin slips and falls when he's taking them out to the garbage binsbearer of a whole heap of questions.|amazonukisbn=<amazonuk>154314702X</amazonuk>1839944420

{{newreviewFrontpage|author=Chris PriestleyCath Howe|title=Flesh and BloodMy Life on Fire

|genre=Dyslexia FriendlyConfident Readers|summary=Families change Ren's family home is destroyed in wartime – in sizea fire. She, her parents, if not any other wayand her little brother lose everything. Bill and Jane She doesn't have already had to get used to their father being away to fightany of her clothes, or any of her special little knick-knacks from her cupboard, ''andnow she is living at her grandmother'' s house where theycan've tried t touch anything, or do anything, or even eat the evacuee experience, but are foods they normally eat. When she goes back in London – just in time for to school she discovers that the Battle class are doing a special art project, creating boxes of Britaintheir lives, which is a circumstance Bill hates Jane for, as he quickly grew to love the countryside, while Jane resisted the idea of display things that are important to them settling there, so and show who they were returned to an allegedly safe capitalare as a person. One night after But Ren has nothing to put in a bombing raid they settle outside the neighbourhood's token emptybox, boarded up and deserted home – only for Bill so she finds herself starting to convince himself he hears someone insidesteal things. The unidentifiable and severely burnt child Small things, things that gets rescued becomes a kind of new family member – but does this people might not really miss, not when they have anything so much already. But what will happen to do with Bill's resent-filled wish for a brother to replace Janeher if someone finds out what she is doing?|amazonukisbn=<amazonuk>1781126887</amazonuk>1839942835

{{newreviewFrontpage|author=Matilda WoodsRob Keeley|title=The Boy, the Bird Who Disappeared and the Coffin MakerOther Stories|rating=4.5

|summary=Alberto Hooray! Bookbag favourite Rob Keeley is back with a carpenter, the very best in the town of Allora. But after the plague sweeps through the town, taking many of the citizens and Alberto's wife and children, he turns his skills away from furniture and toys return to making coffins. Wrapped in sadness, and waiting only for the plague short story format! The Boy Who Disappeared treats us to come and claim his life tooeleven new tales, Alberto lives alone, keeping company with the dead who are delivered to his house each as fun to await their coffin. One day, however, he realises that he must have a living visitor, read 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>}}{{newreview|author=Gill Lewis and Jo Weaver|title= A Story Like the Wind|rating= 5|genre= Confident Readers|summary= A small group of people huddle together in a tiny boat in a large sea. Strangers to each other but united by a common experience. They have each lost everything and yet each has a dream of seeking and finding refuge. They each have hope. A small hopeprevious offerings.|amazonukisbn=<amazonuk>0192758950</amazonuk>B0BVW69N1G

{{newreviewFrontpage|author=Ryder WindhamLaura Noakes|title=Cosima Unfortunate Steals a Star Wars: Return of the Jedi Junior Novel (Star Wars Junior Novel 3)

|summary=We open here with the Rebellion in disarrayMeet Number One. Or rather, and our heroes separatedCosima Unfortunate. Obviously they need to rescue the ones imprisonedOr rather, liaise with the ones acting as secret agents, and get back just Cos to what they do besther friends. For The practice in the Empire are doing home she lives in is for the same – they are building another Death Star – a new, bigger, quicker one without a piddly little hole in it that girls to just happens to allow be named by the goodies the chance number they correspond to destroy it at in the first attempt. Ohledger, and our main herothey're all Unfortunates – young people with disabilities, Luke, still has uncommon mentalities or suchlike that Victorian society frowns greatly upon. But Cosima bears the matter of who he should count tag as a family member surname because nothing else seems to settle… Yesbe known about where she came from, this is as the third film made first ever inmate, and unique in having no known family in the ''Star Wars'' universeoutside world. During a daring escapade to steal some posh cakes from the kitchen one afternoon, in she discovers a plan involving said outside world – a handy form devilish Lord Fitzroy seems to want to adopt all the girls for his Institute. But why, and what does that body entail? And could it possibly bring Cos closer to the eager junior novelisation reader.past she has so little link with?|amazonukisbn=<amazonuk>1405285443</amazonuk>0008579059

{{newreviewFrontpage|author= Julia GoldingAlice M Ross|title= The Diamond of Drury LaneNowhere Thief|rating= 4.5|genre= Confident Readers|summary= Set At last there is new stock in 18th Century London, this historical thriller captures all the rawness of life impoverished yet over-full antiques shop Elsbeth and her mother run in the grimy citya seaside town. Elsbeth knows this because she has stolen it. A young girl She also knows she should be free from worries about being found out, Catbecause she has the ability to leave this world, who was orphaned at birthand use an unworldly portal of kaleidoscope colours to enter other worlds, is taken under where the wing of a kind benefactor, Mr Sheridan, who found her abandoned on sea levels are rising dramatically and the steps buildings are generally empty of his theatrehumans and ripe for plunder. The Theatre Royal With eviction imminent, Drury Lane, is an exciting place can Elsbeth nab anything to grow up, and Cat becomes a well-loved member of the staff behind the scenes. While running errands in actually generate custom at the theatreshop? Well yes, she dreams of being a famous writer herself one day. Before her dream is realised thoughthe answer, Cat has an important role to play in solving a mystery - but the mystery of fact a diamond hidden in the Theatre Royal itself.mysterious man knows exactly which items come from these different Somewheres only raises more questions…|amazonukisbn=<amazonuk>1405285303</amazonuk>1839943769

{{newreviewFrontpage|author=Ryder WindhamNatasha Farrant|title=Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back Junior Novel (Star Wars Junior Novel 2)Rescue of Ravenwood|rating=3.5

|summary=I've never actually held by This story is another excellent adventure from the theory that author of ''The Empire Strikes BackVoyage of the Sparrowhawk'' . Ravenwood is the best film an old house, in the seriesNorth of England, where Bea and Raffy have been living for most of their lives. To meThey are part of a complex, extended family arrangement, as a youngsterBea is there with her Uncle Leo, I got the willies suitably and Raffy is there with what happens to one characterhis mum, and it was great to meet they are living together as a family. They have grown up swimming in the cove, roaming through the Emperor trees, completely at last, but beyond one with all of the assault on Hoth there was too much that didn't work for me. I certainly wasn't impressed by nature around the kissy-kissy nonsense interrupting house and loving every inch of the great space-faring actionplace. But I have always been eager enough to revisit itnow the house is under threat, as Leo is under pressure from his other two brothers to sell the film Iproperty to a developer as it've seen the least of the sevens becoming more and more expensive to maintain. The children find themselves worrying not only about where they're going to live, and these YA variants of the films – adaptations of the canonical 2004 DVD editionsbut if they'll even be together, and first published at that time – are about the best way to do thatif Ravenwood itself will be torn down.|amazonukisbn=<amazonuk>1405285435</amazonuk>0571348785

{{newreviewFrontpage|author= Bobbie PeersRobin Birch and Jobe Anderson|title= William Wenton and the Luridium ThiefSecret Beast Club: The Unicorns of Silver Street|rating= 4|genre= Confident Readers|summary= Bobbie Peers Jayden's nose is forever in a pretty talented guy. Not only did book, which means he win knows a lot about mythological creatures – the phoenixes and unicorns of the world, for example. 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'Palme d'Or'' award for themselves, exploring the outside world of Hackney, London. But when a narrowboat turns up carrying a film he wrote science-minded, educational purpose, and directed in 2006, but with thisa past involving Jayden's cousin, his first bookthey find a magical world they never knew existed. For many of those mythological creatures are real, heincluding the one Aisha thinks she's turned his hand seen on a bit of local footage. The crew of the boat, including a living gargoyle, are tasked with saving the rare critters – and the kids unknowingly have the magical sight needed to writing for young peoplejoin in. And Dare they side with Leila, the list of awards he's collecting woman on board, and her relative who lives as a figure in his native Norway are testament to his vivid a painting, and entertaining imagination. become saviours of the unseen?|amazonukisbn=<amazonuk>140637170X</amazonuk>0241573483

{{newreviewFrontpage|authorisbn=Amanda Wood, Mike Jolley and Frances CastleB09XWSXSKY|title=Spot Maestro Orpheus and the Mistake: Lands of Long AgoWorld Clock|author=Robert Penee and Joanne Grodzinski|rating=4.5|genre=Children's Non-FictionConfident Readers|summary=YouFrederick (or Fred, but never Freddy, please) couldn'll t sleep. A tune, rather like as not have seen the ticking of a children's book before clock was playing over and harangued it for containing errorsover in his mind. It happened every time he came to visit his grandfather. This book has at least two hundredHe hadn't really wanted to come; after all, and thathe's not a problem. Yes, in personifying the idea of learning through your mistakes, we get ten large dioramas of historical activity, now and all containing twenty things that shouldnthose old clocks don't be thereappeal to him anymore.  ''Who needs old clocks anyway? Your task, should you choose to accept it, All they do is to try and find them alltell the time. And time isn't good for anything...'' And that was why he was looking at the clock beside the learning is also here, as we get text to tell us what bed. It was nearly twelve o'clock but at midnight the goofs were designed to show usclock chimed only six times. Make no mistake, this is a clever There was nothing for it but to go and absorbing read…|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1847809634</amazonuk>find grandad - but where was he? And why had all the clocks stopped at twelve o'clock?