Category: Mater Dei School QLD,

Posted in Book reviews by kids, Mater Dei School QLD,

Book review: Paws

Posted on by Alphabet Soup
Paws by Kate Foster

REVIEWED BY OLIVIA, 12, QLD

Paws by Kate Foster, Walker Books Australia, ISBN 9781760652661

Olivia’s review of this book was longlisted in the 2024 Young Reviewers’ Competition.

What do you do when you’re trying to make cool friends? This is what 11-year-old autistic Alex thought about a lot. Alex knows the signs of emotions, so there is no fooling this young boy. This boy is sensitive to sound so reading this touching book just might make your friendship better. Sometimes we don’t know how people react to different situations, so this book certainly displays different perspectives making it even more intriguing.

This heart-warming story is set in Alex’s neighbourhood. At home Kevin, Alex’s cockapoo, is his best friend, and their bond can not be broken but making a friend with similar styles is his focus, especially with high school next year. He has an older brother Ned, Mum, and Dad and together they live in a quiet street close to school. When Alex is driving home one day from school and spies an advertisement on the coolest dog competition PAWS, he peers back and sees that it is coming to his town. He decides to enter Kevin in the competition and trains him up for days, but on the day with his older brother holding up time he ends up in a twist on what to do, this problem left me on the edge of my seat the whole time.

Discover all kinds of friendship as you dive into the world of kindness and balance in companionship as Alex (and Kevin) also discovers that you can be yourself to make cool friends, cool friends can be defined differently and the best way to find your cool friend is by being your own, unique self.

This story left me with a message – friends come when you least expect, and things happen the way they are meant to. Friends who are meant for you might just need a little finding. This touching storyline might just make rain run rivers into your eyes as you experience what true friendship is. Paws shows that friendship isn’t one universal fit, and you do not have to be the best to make cool friends. This book is packed with detail from  Kate Foster’s own perspective as an autistic author, and it is great to see other situations in another point of view

I read this book for book club, and it is an easy, nice read that can be read by 8-year-olds to any age group as all parents in the book club loved it. Ultimately Paws is not just a read it is an experience, and it leaves a mark of the heart-warming storyline long after the final page is turned. I rate this book 5 stars and I could gladly read it over and over again without getting bored.

If you are looking for a story on real friendship this is the one.

Olivia’s review was longlisted in the Primary category of Alphabet Soup’s 2024 Young Reviewers’ Competition. The competition is now closed, but we publish book reviews by young writers all year round. To send us YOUR book review, read our submission guidelines. Happy reading!

Posted in Book reviews by kids, Mater Dei School QLD,

Book review: The Deadlands: Hunted

Posted on by Alphabet Soup
The cover of a children's novel, Deadlands: Hunted by Skye Melki-Wegner

REVIEWED BY NICK, 11, QLD

The Deadlands: Hunted by Skye Melki-Wegner, Walker Books, ISBN 9781529516241

Nick’s review of this book was longlisted in the 2024 Young Reviewers’ Competition.

The Deadlands: Hunted is an action-packed book about two dinosaur kingdoms at war. The main character, Eleri, a dinosaur, joins a group of exiles after being banished to the Deadlands after an act of treachery to his kingdom. In the Deadlands, Eleri and the other exiles discover something that changes everything, but knowing this secret puts them in grave danger. Will Eleri and the exiles survive or be slaughtered trying?

When I read The Deadlands I was always on the edge of my seat wondering what would happen next. However, at the same time you get to see Eleri and the exiles build up heartfelt relationships that help them overcome challenges and be a stronger herd.

I would recommend this book for readers between 10-year-olds to adults because it is too complex for younger children.

My dad and I loved The Deadlands: Hunted and were disappointed there’s only three in the series.  Five  stars.

Nick’s review was longlisted in the Primary category of Alphabet Soup’s 2024 Young Reviewers’ Competition. The competition is now closed, but we publish book reviews by young writers all year round. To send us YOUR book review, read our submission guidelines. Happy reading!

Posted in Book reviews by kids, Mater Dei School QLD,

Book review: Howl’s Moving Castle

Posted on by Alphabet Soup
Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

REVIEWED BY DEXTER, 11, QLD

Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones, HarperCollins GB, ISBN 9780007299263

Dexter’s review of this book was longlisted in the 2024 Young Reviewers’ Competition.

If you’re a fan of fantasy and suspense, this is the book for you. Howl’s Moving Castle is a 302-page novel about a girl called Sophie who lived a quiet life, when she gets cursed by the witch of the waste. She can’t tell anyone about her curse, so she goes to visit a dangerous man called Howl who is the only person who might be able to break the curse. The problem is Howl lives in a giant walking castle with no signs on how to get in and is known for being a very bad criminal.

The book has trickery, comedy, adventure and loveable characters. The main characters are Howl, a funny wizard who can sometimes turn into a birdlike creature. Then there’s the main character Sophie, who was a hat maker and now her main priority is to break a curse. Sophie also has a lot of character development through the book. Then there’s one more main character – Calcifer, a fire spirit who’s funny, sassy and is Howl’s pet, who powers the castle and is always trying to make bargains.   He also has a very emotional and happy ending. Also, there’s one side character that is quite important, his name is Michael.  He’s Howl’s apprentice wizard, and he appears lots throughout the book.

I would say Howl’s Moving Castle is a mature book for ages 10 and above. It’s beloved by many and is still my favourite book.  I read it all in one day and would rate it 5 out of 5 stars. It has two sequels and even has a fully animated movie produced by the wonderful Studio Ghibli.

Read the first chapter of Howl’s Moving Castle at the publisher’s website.

Dexter’s review was longlisted in the Primary category of Alphabet Soup’s 2024 Young Reviewers’ Competition. The competition is now closed, but we publish book reviews by young writers all year round. To send us YOUR book review, read our submission guidelines. Happy reading!