Book reviews by kids

Book review: DOG MAN

Posted on January 24, 2019January 24, 2019 by Alphabet Soup

DOG MAN by Dav Pilkey. REVIEWED BY ISRA’EL, SECOND GRADE, MISSOURI, USA

Dog Man by Dav Pilkey, Koala Book Company, ISBN 9781742766027

I think you should read the Dog Man books by Dav Pilkey. They will take you on many adventures. It’s about a dog that is a cop that doesn’t speak at all. Sorry to disappoint you, but he does have a helpful Dog Man. His boss gets mad at him too. Especially when Dog Man jumps on his boss and licks his face. I think you should read the Dog Man series for lots of reasons. He is a hero that saves people from bad guys. He has awesome family and friends.

It is a good book and fun to read. I hope you have fun reading it.

Second grade students at Glenridge Elementary School (Missouri, USA) are guest reviewers at Alphabet Soup this month. Click here if you’d like to read more book reviews by Glenridge Elementary School. To send us YOUR book review, check out our submission guidelines. Happy reading!

Book review: THE BAD GUYS

Posted on January 23, 2019January 24, 2019 by Alphabet Soup

REVIEWED BY BECKETT, SECOND GRADE, MISSOURI, USA

The Bad Guys, written & illustrated by Aaron Blabey, Scholastic Australia, ISBN 9781760150426

If you like talking animals, you will like this series. It is called The Bad Guys by Aaron Blabey, and the characters are Piranha, Mr Shark, Legs, Mr Snake, and Wolfie. They saved 10,000 chickens from a hamster. In book 6 you will find out that the hamster is an alien with 6 butts and 3 mouths, and he turned every cat into a zombie kitten. Then he made a cute-zilla ray and turned every dog, bunny, pony, and dolphin into a zog, zunny, zony, or zolphin.

I rate this book 5 stars out of 5 stars. This book is good for ages 3–10.

Second grade students at Glenridge Elementary School (Missouri, USA) are guest reviewers at Alphabet Soup this month. Click here if you’d like to read more book reviews by Glenridge Elementary School. To send us YOUR book review, check out our submission guidelines. Happy reading!

Book reviews by kids, Book reviews by Matilda

Book review: ROSE RIVERS

Posted on January 21, 2019 by Alphabet Soup

REVIEWED BY MATILDA, 12, WA

Rose Rivers by Jacqueline Wilson, ill. Nick Sharratt, Doubleday Children’s, ISBN 9780857535184

This book is set in the world of Hetty Feather, a previous series by the author. Rose Rivers is 13 years old. She and her twin, Rupert, have always been inseparable but Rose becomes increasingly frustrated once Rupert is sent to school. Rose’s passion for learning is no use as she is kept home with her younger siblings, to learn to become more ladylike. One day she discovers Rupert has a sweetheart from a snobbish family, and Rose is in despair.

I loved this book. The characters were familiar from previous books, but it was a totally different perspective (of the more privileged family). The characters were likeable, but the book was constantly changing your views on them. You are shocked when Rose is shocked, and surprised when she is surprised.

I would recommend this book for ages 10+, and for fans of previous Hetty Feather stories. This is also the book for you if you like historical fiction. I highly recommend it!

Matilda is one of our regular book reviewers. You can read Matilda’s other reviews here. If YOU would like to send us a book review, check out our submission guidelines. Happy reading!

Book reviews by kids, Oxley Christian College

Book review: Koala

Posted on November 8, 2018October 11, 2018 by Alphabet Soup

REVIEWED BY CINDY, 7, VIC
Koala by Claire Saxby,
illustrated by Julie Vivas,
Walker Books,
ISBN 9781925126396

Cindy read a copy of this book in her school library.

A koala mum ignores her own little baby koala and says ‘Climb, little koala, it’s time to find your own way’.

Why can’t Koala jump back into his mother’s pouch now? Will his mother come to save him if he falls off the branches on his way to find his own home?

This book is a story about a young koala and his mother advising him about what he should be able to do as he’s growing up.

The book has the extra features of non-fiction text and a poem on each page.

I recommend this book for kids who love koalas, particularly kids who are 3-7 years old. I give this book a rating of 8 out of 10.

If you’d like to read more book reviews by Oxley Christian College students, you can click on ‘Oxley Christian College’ in the grey categories box in the right column of this blog. To send us YOUR book review, check out our submission guidelines. Happy reading!

Book reviews by kids, Oxley Christian College

Book review: Amazing Australians in their Flying machines

Posted on November 7, 2018October 11, 2018 by Alphabet Soup

REVIEWED BY LUCAS, 9, VIC

Amazing Australians in Their Flying Machines by Prue & Kerry Mason, illustrations by Tom Jellett, Walker Books, ISBN 9781922244635

Lucas reviewed a copy of this book in his school library.

Amazing Australians in Their Flying Machines is a book where you can see how courageous people were when flying was new, including during the world wars. You can learn about how pilots sacrificed their lives for us while testing the planes to their limits.

How did these special men and women make flying machines even better?

The illustrations are drawn with great care and detail and have been well researched.

This information book is suitable for children around 8-10 years old who are interested in history and flying.

Book reviews by kids, Oxley Christian College

Book review: The Great Rabbit Chase

Posted on November 5, 2018October 11, 2018 by Alphabet Soup

The Great Rabbit Chase by Freya Blackwood REVIEWED BY SCOTT, 9, VIC

The Great Rabbit Chase,
by Freya Blackwood, Scholastic,
ISBN 9781743811641

Scott borrowed a copy of this book from his school library.

The Great Rabbit Chase is an exciting narrative about a little girl and a mischievous rabbit called Gumboots who creates a wild chase and you never know where he will go next! What happens to Gumboots? Do they catch him?

This is an amazing story because the story’s action stretches across the story. The funny scenes through the story are very entertaining because they are quite surprising. The book starts with a dramatic beginning and ends with a happy ending.

I recommend this book for children aged 3-6 years because it does not have any confusing or scary parts. I rate it 7 out of 10.

Book reviews by kids, Oxley Christian College

Book review: I just ate my friend

Posted on November 1, 2018October 11, 2018 by Alphabet Soup

REVIEWED BY LEVI, 10, VIC

I Just Ate My Friend by Heidi McKinnon,
Allen and Unwin, ISBN 9871760294232

Levi borrowed this book from the school library

I Just Ate my Friend is about an alien who ate his friend. He tries to find a new friend but they are too big, small or scary. He just can’t find the perfect fit. Is all hope lost or can he find a friend!

The illustrations are great and the colours blend and contrast. The characters in this book are all different and play their own roles in the story. They make the story different and interesting all the way through.

I rate this book as suitable for children 5-8 years old. The will love to read this book because the illustrations are cartoon-like.

Book reviews by kids, Oxley Christian College

Book review: The Wolf, The Duck and the Mouse

Posted on October 29, 2018October 11, 2018 by Alphabet Soup

REVIEWED BY ISABEL, 8, VIC

The Wolf, the Duck & the Mouse by Mac Barnett, illustrated by Jon Klassen, Walker Books, ISBN 9781406377798

Isabel borrowed a copy of this book from her library.

The Wolf, the Duck & the Mouse is about a mouse in the woods unexpectedly swallowed by a wolf.

It is the beginning of the story, but is this the end already? What does the mouse find in the dark tummy of the beast? What is life like on the inside?

This book shows what it feels like for every character in this book.

This book is great for children between 7-10 years old, with remarkable illustrations and some silly nonsense. The illustrations have been created to give watery paint and collage effects. Others like the wolf are textured and maybe you might see some splatter paint on every page. This book also tells you a back story about why the wolf howls at the moon.

What challenges must the animals overcome to save their lives?

I give this humorous book a 5-star rating.

Book reviews by kids, Oxley Christian College

Book review: Do Not Lick This Book

Posted on October 25, 2018October 11, 2018 by Alphabet Soup

REVIEWED BY WEYLEN, 8, VIC

Do not lick this book by Idan Ben-Barak and Julian Frost, Allen& Unwin, ISBN 9781760293055

Weylen borrowed a copy of this book from her school library.

This is an impressive book about different germs and what they do. Find out which germs help us and which germs don’t.

Take Min on an awesome adventure and join her too! Meet all her new friends and find out what she discovers at different places.

My favourite part is when Min finds out what all her microbe friends do.

I recommend this book to children 7-9yrs old who want to become doctors so they know what kind of germs there are.

I give this a 7 out of 10 rating because some pages were easy to understand and others were challenging.

Book reviews by kids, Oxley Christian College

Book review: Mopoke

Posted on October 24, 2018October 11, 2018 by Alphabet Soup

REVIEWED BY CHARLIE, 8, VIC

Mopoke by Philip Bunting, Scholastic Australia, ISBN 9781742991658

Charlie read a copy of this book at his school library.

Mopoke discovers new ways to be an everyday owl. That’s hard for an owl to do when all you do every day is sit on a branch.

Come along on a journey. High in a tree.

The imaginary life of Mopoke, a Southern Boobook, is amazing. Characters include other mopokes, other animals and everyday objects. They try different ways to annoy Mopoke.

The illustrations are amazing as they help the reader really get to know Mopoke and his friends. My favourite character is the ‘fropoke’ because of the clever rhyme with an unusual word. Read this book to find out more about the interesting vocabulary.

I rate this book 5 out of 5 definitely because Philip Bunting has alternated pages with text and pictures in perfect balance.

I recommend this book for children aged 3-9 years old because it’s easy for them to copy and draw their own versions of mopokes.