Title: The Other Alice Author: Michelle Harrison Alice is a cursed writer and because of her curse, one day Alice goes missing. A mysterious cat appears from one of her stories but what is the cat doing here? Midge, Alice’s brother must find her and break a curse to stop characters from her books coming to life. On his journey to find Alice, Midge makes friends but when you make friends, you also make enemies! Can Midge and his new friends save Alice before the villain ends their lives for good? I really enjoyed this book because I always wanted to read on and find the answers to the riddles. I recommend this book to 11+ because it is quite long and at times the story is quite dark and it leaves you on the edge of your seat. When my book arrived, I was surprised to find a little gold envelope with it. When I opened it, there was a small handcrafted black cat; I didn’t know its significance until I read the story. I am going to use the cat to make a new bookmark! I give this amazing book 5*.  

Title: Eddy Stone and the Epic Holiday Mash-up Author: Simon Cherry Eddy Stone had a boring life; until one day Eddy heard a loud bang from the bathroom! At that moment, the 300 year old plaster from his Gran’s ruined house fell into his bowl of cereal. So, he went upstairs and found a pirate in his bath. The pirate asked him to be part of his crew because he wanted to find some treasure. So, of course Eddy said yes! He said yes because he liked pirates and had a good imagination. Eddy and the pirate went to a shop and they found a chest (Grungey Beard’s) with a map leading to his treasure but the pirate realised he needed a crew so the shopkeeper also joined them. Did they find it? You have to read the book to find out! I give it 10/10. I recommend it to 8+ readers who love adventure! I found the book funny and liked the poem (Poem for the Captain) and the song (The Captain’s Seasick Sea Shanty).

Title: The Accidental Secret Agent Author: Tom McLaughlin This book is about a boy called Kevin Twigg and a man called Jake who looks like his identical twin. One day, Kevin and his 2 friends Pete and Stu went to Kevin’s house for tea. In Kevin’s room, he announced he would zip wire from the rooftops and somersault and land perfectly on his feet. All of this to get a Miphone25! But… it didn’t go to plan! He zip wired well but fell over and crashed into the fountain with his bum on show! I’m not going to tell you any more about this bit but it’s very funny! This is when the man comes up to him (the identical one) and asks him to swap lives with him because he wants to have a break from his job. This is when he becomes Agent 006 ½ …. “The name’s Twigg, Kevin Twigg. I’ve got a licence to get up all in your face”. I give it 10/10. I recommend it to 8+ wannabe spies, so that they learn how to be proper spies!

Title: The Falcon's Malteser Author: Anthony Horowitz This is an amazing book about a 28 year old detective called Tim, who is dumber than his 13 year old brother, Nick. The beginning of the story is about their poor life. One day, Johnny Naples (a dwarf) gives them £200 and a mysterious parcel to look after for him, which they later discover is full of Maltesers. Suddenly, Johnny disappears and a few days later he is found dead in a hotel room. Who killed him? Why does every villain want to catch Tim and Nick? What was so special about the parcel? This is a brand new edition of the first novel in the Diamond Brothers series and has been updated by Anthony Horowitz. Since reading the book, I now want to watch the film or see the show that this is based on. I also really liked the illustrations in the book because they really intrigued me and made me read on. I recommend this book to 9+ comedy and crime story readers. I give it 5 stars *****  

Title: Dotty Detective Author: Clara Vulliamy This books is about a girl called Dotty, her dog McClusky and her friend Beans. On her first day at her new school, she sat next to Beans, on a table with Laura, Amy and Frankie. When the teacher, Mr Dickens, announced that there would be a talent show, Dotty thought that Laura was going to get up to mischief and ruin Amy’s turn. Does the talent show go to plan or do Dotty and her friends save the day? I liked the book but it was a bit too girly for me. I give it 4/5 for this reason. I recommend it to 6-7+ good readers who like to solve mysteries!

Read our blog post on the lovereading4kids website about the book launch for Wings: Flyboy by Tom Palmer. We can’t wait to read the other books in this series. Thank you to Shelley & Louise at Lovereading4kids.  

Title: Julius Zebra – Bundle with the Britons! Author: Gary Northfield This book is about Julius Zebra and his friends. They were going to go to the Colosseum to fight for their freedom but Julius’s opponent surrendered because he didn’t want to die. So, Julius and his friends finally thought they were going on their jolly holibobs. However, Emperor Hadrian had other plans and he sent them to BRITANNIA to compete in a tournament to win their freedom. If they won, they would have freedom, forever! On the ship journey to Britannia, their cabin was completely drenched in water because they cleaned the deck all day. Somehow, Julius and his friends ended up wearing chainmail which made them look like shimmering fish in the sea. Did they manage to escape from the ship or did it go terribly wrong? I recommend this book to 7+ boy and girls who love comedies, a bit of history and animals. I would recommend it to reluctant readers as there are lots of great pictures which help with the story. I give it 5/5. I would love to read another book in this series.

Title: Alfie Onion Author: Vivian French Aggie believed in fairy tales. On Aggie’s 18th birthday, she married a pig farmer. Together, they had 8 sons. The 7th son was called Magnifico and he was the 7th son of a 7th son which made him a hero! They didn’t want Alfie, who was the 8th son because they didn’t need him! Aggie sent Magnifico on a journey to kiss a princess so they could all live in glorious luxury! They decided to use Alfie to help Magnifico carry his picnic baskets, as Magnifico was too fat, greedy and lazy to do it himself! So, together with Alfie’s talking dog, they set off on the 7th day of the 7th month. They didn’t realise that 2 magpies called Kev and Perce were spying on them to take their sparkly, shiny stuff away from them. Halfway through the journey they met a man called J. Jones and bought a horse for some porkpies. In the saddlebag, there were 2 mice called Norman and Penelope. This is where the ADVENTURE BEINGS… Do they really live in glorious luxury forever? Do they live happily ever after? We recommend it to 7+ good, adventurous readers. We…

Title: Flying Fergus – The Best Birthday Bike Author: Chris Hoy This book is about an ordinary boy called Fergus who is 8 years old and who has a small bike. Fergus likes football, fish fingers and chocolate cake, like any boy would! He lives with his mum and grandad. Fergus has an immense imagination. Once, he imaged he was the best cyclist in the world! On his 9th birthday, he got his dad’s rusty, old, second-hand bike but is he happy or disappointed?  Soon after he gets his new bike, he tries to get on a cycling team but what happens? I really liked this book because it was funny, imaginative and a great story to read! I recommend it as a first reader for 7+ girls and boys. I would like to next book in the series. I give it 10/10.

Title: The Great Chocoplot Author:  Chris Callaghan Once there was a girl called Jelly, who was watching the “Seven Show” on TV and it said “In 6 days there will be no more chocolate ever!” This is the worst thing that could EVER happen! Can you imagine a universe with NO chocolate? Her dad loses his job from cutbacks at the Big Choc Lot factory and soon her mum’s shop has to close down their Pick & Mix section because of fighting over chocolate. So, Jelly starts investigating by putting a Blocka Choca Bar into a box to see if it disappears. But what happens? Every day, there is less chocolate, but how? Read the book to find out! I give it 100/100. I recommend it to 7+ imaginative book lovers.