Category: Book reviews by kids

Posted in Book reviews by kids

Book review: Fortunately, the Milk

Posted on by Alphabet Soup

Fortunately, the Milk by Neil Gaiman, ill. Chris Riddell, Bloomsbury, ISBN 9781408841792

fortunately, the milk

REVIEWED BY JAKE, 7, VIC

Jake received a review copy of this book from the publisher.

This was a good and funny book. It’s about a dad who needs to get milk because there’s none left in the house, and he goes through a crazy adventure, because when he gets the milk weird things happen. There’s time travel in it, and pirates. There are also dinosaurs.

I liked the characters in it. It wasn’t very suspenseful, but that wasn’t a bad thing. It had excellent pictures, though it’s a chapter book. If you don’t like crazy or funny things you probably wouldn’t enjoy this book.

It’s good for people who are 6 to 9 years old, who like crazy things.

—

Jake is a member of our Top Reads Team, and this is his first book review on Alphabet Soup’s blog. If YOU would like to send us a book review, check out our submission guidelines. Happy reading!

Posted in Book reviews by kids, Book reviews by Matilda

Book review: Nim at Sea

Posted on by Alphabet Soup

Nim at Sea by Wendy Orr, pictures by Kerry Millard, Allen & Unwin, ISBN 9781741148619

Nim at sea

REVIEWED BY MATILDA, 8, WA

Matilda borrowed a copy of this book from her local library.

I’ve watched the movie Nim’s Island and I saw this book in the library, so I borrowed it. Now I’ve read Nim at Sea, I will have to read Nim’s Island.

In this book, Nim tells Alex in a really angry way that it would be better if she was off the island. So Alex goes. Jack still thinks Alex is on the island and Nim is going to get into really big trouble. Then Selkie (a sea lion friend) gets captured by the Troppo Tourists — can Nim get Selkie back? Can they all be together as a group again?

I really like the bits when Fred (the marine iguana) sneezes and everyone says “Yuck, Fred!” and I like feeling inside the story and wanting to encourage Nim.

Kids that like books with lots of adventure should read Nim at Sea. (So should kids who love Nim’s Island.) This book is great for kids aged 8+.

—

Matilda is one of our regular book reviewers. Her most recent review (if you don’t count this one) was of  The Red Wheelbarrow. If YOU would like to send us a book review, check out our submission guidelines. Happy reading!

Posted in Book reviews by kids

Book review: New City

Posted on by Alphabet Soup

New City by Deborah Abela, ISBN 9781742758558,
Random House Australia

New city

REVIEWED BY VERONICA, 11, NSW

A review copy of this book was provided by the publisher.

New City is the sequel to Grimsdon, but you don’t need to read the first book to appreciate New City.

The book is set after the events of Grimsdon, when Isabella, adult friend Jeremiah, and her other friends, who survived together in the first book, are taken from the flooded Grimsdon to the beautiful New City. They are treated like heroes and live in luxury. But is it such a wonderful place, or do darker secrets lie beneath?

The kids have faced sea monsters and evil lords, but now they have new threats to face.

New City shows how the people can make change happen, and how just one person can make a change in the world. I like how Deborah has used real events from our times for her own story, and she has made her characters likeable and believable. They have developed over the course of the story and you can see their friendship with each other.

Deborah’s writing is is simple and sweet. But I do believe that some of Deborah’s ideas are unrealistic.

As this is set in the future, all sorts of new inventions have been invented, like invisible wings called Ornithopters. They have cameras everywhere, and hi-tech technology is a solid part of the people’s lives. Yet, they still use eagles as messenger birds, when technology would’ve normally replaced them.

Deborah has brought out a unique story that will be enjoyable for children of ages 9 and up. If you enjoy adventures in worlds that are both like and unlike our own, then this book is worth a try. In my opinion, this is an improvement on Grimsdon. Deborah has explored new ideas and has presented them well. I rate New City 4 stars out of 5.

—

Do you think you’d enjoy this book? You can read a sample of New City on the publisher’s website.

Veronica is a member of our Top Reads Team, and this is her first book review on Alphabet Soup’s blog. If YOU would like to send us a book review, check out our submission guidelines. Happy reading!

Posted in Book reviews by Celine, Book reviews by kids

Book review: My Life as an Alphabet

Posted on by Alphabet Soup

My Life as an Alphabet by Barry Jonsberg, Allen and Unwin, ISBN 9781743310977

My Life as an Alphabet

REVIEWED BY CELINE, 12, WA

Celine reviewed her own copy of this book. 

Candice Phee has led an extraordinary life, and her family has gone through much sadness: the loss of her younger sister’s life, her mother’s breast cancer, and her father’s fight with his brother. Candice herself has no friends, and many of her classmates think of her as someone who has ‘special needs’, even though she is perfectly normal. She desperately wants her family and herself to become normal, and happy as they used to be. When Douglas Benson, the new kid in class becomes friends with Candice, things start to change. Candice decides that she will make everyone happy, and so, with the help of Uncle Brian and the advice of Earth-Pig-Fish, Candice strives to make her world a better place. Will her plan work?

This book is recommended to girls who love stories about relationships with a twist of science fiction. It was a marvellous story, and although some of it was hard to believe, I would give this book a rating of 10/10.

—

Celine is one of our regular book reviewers. Her most recent review (if you don’t count this one) was of  The Broken Sun. If YOU would like to send us a book review, check out our submission guidelines. Happy reading!

Posted in Book reviews by kids, Book reviews by Matilda

Book review: The Red Wheelbarrow

Posted on by Alphabet Soup

The Red Wheelbarrow by Briony Stewart, UQP, ISBN 9780702249259

The Red Wheelbarrow

REVIEWED BY MATILDA, 8, WA

Matilda reviewed her own copy of this book. 

There are no words in this picture book — the pictures tell the story. There’s a big sister and a little sister and they have a red wheelbarrow to sit in and eat lollies. One has a blanket and one has pigtails. They love each other but there is some fighting because the little sister wants another lolly but the big sister won’t give her another one. There are some chickens watching nearby.

I’d love to have a wheelbarrow I could play in — I could put a pillow in it and drag it into my room and sleep in it. It would be so relaxing to have a bed on wheels.

There’s a photo at the end of the book which shows you that the book is really about when Briony and her sister used to sit in a wheelbarrow when they were kids.

I think little sisters and big sisters will like this book. (It teaches them not to be selfish to the little sister, or not to have a tantrum if the big sister is being selfish.)

The Red Wheelbarrow would be good for 3 to 7 year olds.

—

Matilda is one of our regular book reviewers. Her most recent review (if you don’t count this one) was of  Orpheus and Eurydice. If YOU would like to send us a book review, check out our submission guidelines. Happy reading!

Posted in Book reviews by kids, Book reviews by Matilda

Book review: Orpheus and Eurydice

Posted on by Alphabet Soup

Orpheus and Eurydice, retold by Hugh Lupton & Daniel Morden, ill. Carole Hénaff, Barefoot Books, ISBN 9781846867842

orpheus and eurydice

REVIEWED BY MATILDA, 8, WA

Matilda reviews her own copy of this book. 

This is a Greek myth and it tells the story of how Orpheus and Eurydice got married but then Eurydice died. Orpheus really loved Eurydice so he goes to the Land of Forgetfulness (the Land of the Dead) to ask for Eurydice back. He thinks he can get her back if he plays his lyre for the god Hades and the goddess Persephone. Will life go back to normal for Orpheus and Eurydice?

I already knew this myth from school and this book explains the story really well.

I like the illustrations because they are like paintings from a mural and I like the extra decorations added — like swirls in Eurydice’s hair.

The story does have creepy parts, so BEWARE! In other bits the words are so soothing and they get into your heart and make your heart burn with sadness for Orpheus and Eurydice.

People from ages 8+ will like this book and also people who like Greek myths, folktales and adventures.

–

Matilda is one of our regular book reviewers. Her most recent review (if you don’t count this one) was of  The Lost Girl. If YOU would like to send us a book review, check out our submission guidelines. Happy reading!

Posted in Book reviews by Joseph, Book reviews by kids, Soup Blog Poetry Festival

Book review: The Billy That Died With Its Boots On

Posted on by Alphabet Soup

The Billy That Died With Its Boots On by Stephen Whiteside, ill. Lauren Merrick, ISBN 9781922077431, Walker Books Australia

The Billy that died with its boots on (cover)

REVIEWED BY JOSEPH, 10, WA

Joseph is reviewing his own copy of this book.

This is a book where the poems are all by an Australian poet, written in Australian bush style. But not everything is about Australia — like the poem called ‘The Poles’ (as in the north and south) and there’s a dinosaur section.

Some of the poems remind me of me (especially the poem about cleaning your room). As I do with poem books, I picked out the extra interesting looking ones first and then later I went back and read the others. Some of the ones that looked interesting at first were ‘The Sash’, ‘The Saucing of the Pies’ and ‘The Icecream that Hurt’. They were all very good poems.

My favourite poems in this collection are: ‘The Poles’ and ‘The Comforts of Home’. I like the ideas behind them and the rhythms, and they’re good to say out loud as well as to read to yourself in your head.

There aren’t many pictures in this book. The illustrations are black and white and they stand out well.

Children aged 6 and above will love this book — even adults, because the style of the poems suits children and adults. My number one tip is to read the poems out loud or get someone to read them out loud to you. I’d like to read more poems by Stephen Whiteside. I like these so much I might choose one of these poems for my next school Oracy exam.

This book is best read while eating pies with sauce.

—

Read our earlier interview with the poet, Stephen Whiteside.

Joseph is one of our regular book reviewers. His most recent review (if you don’t count this one) was of The 52-Storey Treehouse. If YOU would like to send us a book review, check out our submission guidelines. Happy reading!

Posted in Book reviews by Celine, Book reviews by kids

Book review: The Broken Sun

Posted on by Alphabet Soup

The Broken Sun by Darrell Pitt (A Jack Mason adventure: Book 3), ………ISBN 9781922182166, Text Publishing.

the broken sun

REVIEWED BY CELINE, 12, WA

A review copy of this book was provided by the publisher.

Jack and his friends witness a ghastly robbery of a priceless item from the museum. This crime is soon followed by yet another, of The Broken Sun, an ancient relic that apparently leads to New Atlantis. Mr Doyle, a detective who is training Jack and his friend Scarlet, is shocked by the news that Phillip his son, who had been thought to be deceased for so long, could still be alive.

When Gloria, Mr Doyle’s receptionist, is pricked by a mysterious thorn that results in an almost fatal coma, Jack and his friends feel that they must find New Atlantis with the help of the Broken Sun to find a cure for her. Will they survive this risky journey, and who is so desperate to find the Broken Sun that they are willing to murder?

The Broken Sun is a thrilling book, with historic and futuristic elements in it. I particularly enjoyed chasing the enemy in Jack’s shoes.

This book is recommended to boys aged 11 and up, who like a twist of mystery and eccentric girls who like to read boyish books. I would give it a rating of 8/10.

Posted in Book reviews by kids, Book reviews by Matilda

Book review: The Lost Girl

Posted on by Alphabet Soup

The Lost Girl by Ambelin Kwaymullina, ill. Leanne Tobin, ISBN 9781921529634, Walker Books Aust

the lost girl

REVIEWED BY MATILDA, 8, WA

A review copy of this book was provided by the publisher.

This is a story about an Aboriginal girl who wandered away from her big family one day. She called and called and then she found she’d lost her way and she needed to find her own way home.

I love the illustrations because they make me feel sad for the girl. I also liked that on every page the pictures show lots of Australian plants and animals in the Australian bush. Even though she is lost, she’s a very clever and sensible girl not to panic. She looks for Mother Nature’s help to find her way back to her family.

I think kids aged 5+ will enjoy this picture book.

–

Matilda is one of our regular book reviewers. Her most recent review (if you don’t count this one) was of  Meet Daisy. If YOU would like to send us a book review, check out our submission guidelines. Happy reading!

Posted in Book reviews by kids, Book reviews by Pippa

Book review: Plenty

Posted on by Alphabet Soup

Plenty by Ananda Braxton-Smith, ISBN 9781742032429, Black Dog Books

Plenty

REVIEWED BY PIPPA, 12, WA

A review copy of this book was provided by the publisher.

10-year-old Maddy has always lived on Jermyn Street, but now her mum and dad are making her move to a town called Plenty. She has to leave behind her best friend Sophie-Rose, her school, and the fairy wall in her house.

At the new school everything is different and she has no friends. The teachers are called by their first names. No-one understands how Maddy feels. Grace Wek (a refugee) seems to be different from everyone else though — could she and Maddy have something in common?

I enjoyed this book because it explored Maddy’s sense of identity and what it means to call a place ‘home’. When I read it, it reminded me of my own experience moving house and schools a few years ago.

I think this book is aimed at a younger audience than me, and 9 to 12 year olds would enjoy reading Plenty. I rate it 4 out of 5 stars.

–

Pippa is one of our regular book reviewers. Her most recent review (if you don’t count this one!) was Crooked Leg Road.  If YOU would like to send us a book review, check out our submission guidelines. Happy reading!