Category: Book reviews by kids

Posted in Book reviews by Joseph, Book reviews by kids

Book review: The Big Book of Old Tom

Posted on by Alphabet Soup

The Big Book of Old Tom by Leigh Hobbs, ISBN 9781743318447, Allen & Unwin

old tom

REVIEWED BY JOSEPH, 10, WA

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

In this book there are five Old Tom stories:

  1. Old Tom
  2. Old Tom at the Beach
  3. Old Tom Goes to Mars
  4. Old Tom’s Guide to Being Good
  5. A Friend for Old Tom.

I liked how it looks like a novel but inside it’s more of a picture book style so there were lots of pictures. The illustrations are humorous black and white sketches.

Because it’s such a chunky book to hold, it makes you feel satisfied when you finish it. My overall favourite was Old Tom’s Guide to Being Good because it has an unexpected twist.

This book is most suited to ages 6 to 9 because it’s good for kids who aren’t quite ready for big novels but are looking for something longer than a picture book. But I’m 10 and I still really enjoyed it.

–

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

Posted in Book reviews by Kailani, Book reviews by kids

Book review: The Quicksand Pony

Posted on by Alphabet Soup

The Quicksand Pony by Alison Lester, ISBN 9781742378008, Allen & Unwin

the quicksand pony

REVIEWED BY KAILANI, 8, QLD

This book was a gift from Kailani’s Auntie Emma.

Biddy is ten years old and lives on a cattle farm near the headland with her Mum, Dad and Grandpa. Biddy wants to go on the cattle muster this year with her parents.

One day at school Biddy tells her friend, Irene about going on the muster and Irene tells her about the disappearance of her Auntie Joycie and her cousin Joe nine years ago.

Does Biddy get to go on the muster?

What will happen on the muster?

Will Jocyie and Joe be found?

To find out you will need to read this book.

I recommend this book for kids 4–14 (4–7 year olds might need someone to read it to them) and I rate this book 9 ½ out of 10.

—

This is Kailani’s first book review for Alphabet Soup (thanks, Kailani!). 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: Crooked Leg Road

Posted on by Alphabet Soup

Crooked Leg Road by Jennifer Walsh, ISBN 9781743316931, Allen & Unwin

crooked leg road

REVIEWED BY PIPPA, 12, WA

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

Andrea, Kitty, Martin and David are a group of friends but then David disappears. Strange men have been spotted and Andrea, Kitty and Martin all think David has been kidnapped. And there’s a new boy at school and he and his family have been acting suspiciously …

Will Andrea, Kitty and Martin ever find David?

This is the second book about these four friends but you don’t have to read the first book to enjoy this one.

Crooked Leg Road is great for readers who like thrillers and adventure books. I was surprised at the ending and it made me see the story in a different way and want to re-read it.

I recommend it to readers aged 10 to 14.

—

Pippa is one of our regular book reviewers. Her most recent review (if you don’t count this one!) was Verity Sparks, Lost & Found.  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 – Our Australian Girl: Meet Ruby

Posted on by Alphabet Soup

Meet Ruby by Penny Matthews, ill. Lucia Masciullo, Puffin Books, ISBN 9780143307426

meet ruby

REVIEWED BY MATILDA, 8, WA

Matilda borrowed this book from her local library.

Ruby is turning 12 and she lives in Adelaide in 1930. After her party, Ruby’s dad loses his job and they can’t afford to send her to her school anymore. They have to sell their house because they don’t have any money. Ruby is really worried. Her classmate’s family decides to buy Ruby’s house. Ruby doesn’t want Brenda to have her room and her bed. Will it all turn out all right?

I knew the Our Australian Girl series already because I’ve read the first two books in the ‘Grace’ series. Meet Ruby is just after a war so it was a different sort of life from mine. I thought it was interesting and full of action. I am looking forward to reading the next book in the Ruby series.

There was a quiz at the back of the book which helps you decide which Our Australian Girl character you are most like. I was most like Alice from the Alice series and my Mum and brother and sister were most like Rose. I haven’t read the Alice series yet. It’s set it 1918. I also want to read the Lina series set in 1956.

Girls aged 7 to 10 would like these books because they are full of adventure and hopefulness.

–

Matilda is one of our regular book reviewers. Her most recent review (if you don’t count this one) was of The Princess and the Goblin. 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: Cicada Summer

Posted on by Alphabet Soup

Cicada Summer by Kate Constable, Allen & Unwin, ISBN 9781741758283

cicada summer

REVIEWED BY JEMIVIEVE, 11, VIC

Cicada Summer by Kate Constable falls into my ‘Best Book Ever’ category. It is about a girl called Eloise, who never speaks, and her dad, who are both moving to the country, near where Eloise’s grandma lives. Before going to see her grandma, they stop at an old house her dad wants to turn into something else. Eloise walks into the house and suddenly hears a girl a bit younger than her calling, “I’m coming!” Then this little girl runs down the stairs and at the sight of her Eloise runs out of the house. This is where the story really begins.

After staying at her grandma’s for a while, Eloise finally goes back to the creepy old house again on her bike. She notices a summerhouse and walks in with her eyes shut. Some cicadas that were singing suddenly stop, and Eloise opens her eyes in confusion. She’s in another time, in another place.

She soon meets Anna, who looked just like the girl in the creepy house. But when Eloise meets her, she is confused. Two years ago her mother died, and her name was Anna. Because of this, Eloise thinks she has gone back in time.

But when her dad finds his new girlfriend Lorelei Swan, everything that can go wrong does go wrong. Can Eloise fix everything? Will she ever talk again and find out what was really happening with the summerhouse?

I reckon this book is quite amazing and everyone should have a go at reading it. The questions above are what kept me going. I loved the mystery and the intrigue of the book and just couldn’t put it down until I had finished! The language is fairly easy, and I bet you’ll fall in love with it by the first sentence.

—

This is Jemivieve’s first book review for Alphabet Soup (thanks, Jemivieve!). 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

Book Review: The Cay

Posted on by Alphabet Soup

The Cay by Theodore Taylor, ISBN 9780140366204, Puffin Classics

The Cay

 

REVIEWED BY JOSEPH, 10, WA

Joseph’s mum borrowed this book from the library.

In The Cay, a young boy called Phillip lived in Willemstad. Because the war is on, Philip and his mother go on a boat to sail back to their old home in the USA but their ship gets bombed. The next thing Phillip remembers, he was stranded on a raft with a few biscuits, some chocolate, some water, a cat (called Stew Cat), and an old black man called Timothy. The raft lands on a cay where they have to fight for survival, hoping there’ll be a rescue.

I didn’t know this book existed until my mum pulled it out and started reading it to me. I don’t normally read books like this. The start of the book was very slow but once we’d read about three chapters the story started to run along and it was very interesting.

I liked how Timothy used his survival skills to help Phillip learn how to survive on the island. Timothy has a strong accent and it didn’t say he did but the author wrote his speaking parts the way he spoke. I thought that was a good way to imagine how he spoke.

After reading this book I’d learnt a few things like what langosta is (a type of lobster) and that you don’t need a knife to get coconuts off a tree but you do need to be able to climb.

Boys and girls aged 10 to 14 would enjoy this book, especially if they’re into books about survival. Out of 10 I would give it 8.5.

–

Joseph is one of our regular book reviewers. His most recent review (if you don’t count this one) was of the Don’t Look Now! series. 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 Princess and the Goblin

Posted on by Alphabet Soup

The Princess and the Goblin by George MacDonald, ill. Arthur Hughes, ISBN 9780141332482, Puffin Books (Penguin Group)

the princess and the goblin

REVIEWED BY MATILDA, 8, WA

Matilda borrowed this book from her local library.

A princess named Irene has a nurse who doesn’t let her go out after dark because she’s afraid the goblins will get Irene. Irene goes up a mysterious staircase and there is a woman at the top of the stair — her great-great grandma. But only Irene knows she’s there. This is an adventure story and it’s a bit like a fairytale with magic inside.

I loved this book because it got more exciting every night I read a chapter. I liked that Irene was 8 like me. There’s a picture at the start of most chapters and they made me think of the olden days.

It’s a very, very, very, very, very, very old story because it was first published in 1872. I’m looking forward to reading the next book in the series which is The Princess and Curdie.

I think 7 year olds to forever on would enjoy this book.

–

Matilda is one of our regular book reviewers. Her most recent review (if you don’t count this one) was of Annie’s Snails. 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: Shadow Sister

Posted on by Alphabet Soup

Dragonkeeper5: Shadow Sister by Carole Wilkinson, ISBN 978922179579, Black Dog Books

Dragonkeeper 5: Shadow Sister

REVIEWED BY CELINE, 11, WA

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

Young Tao has been roaming the mountains in search of a cure of dragons’ weakness: iron, when he stumbles across his old colleague/enemy Fo Tu Deng, along with a gang of nomads. When Tao and his dragon Kai finally escape these savages, he is stuck in a dark passage with unknown ghosts prodding him and breathing cold breath on him. After they escape these ghosts, Tao and Kai are turned upon a seven-headed snake monster, whose bite is deadly, and fatal.

When Tao returns to his deserted home, at night, when the moon shines, a ghost appears. Who is this mysterious ghost? What does she seek from Tao?

All is not as it seems. When battle arrives, will Tao and his new-sought allies actually survive? Can Tao find his qi to defeat the opposition? Will Tao and Pema survive?

Full of action and adventure, Shadow Sister is impossible to put down. Reading Shadow Sister was an adventure in itself, I felt like I was Tao being pursued, haunted, and questioned. I recommend it to ages 10 upwards, but it is not suitable to sensitive children (I was haunted by the ghost and couldn’t sleep one night).

This is the best book of the series, but since I am quite sensitive, I thought this book was a little on the scary side.

In all, I rate it 99.9999999999999999%.

–

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

Posted in Book reviews by kids, info

Book review: Darcy Moon and the Deep Fried Frogs

Posted on by Alphabet Soup

Darcy Moon and the Deep Fried Frogs by Catherine Carvell, ill. Michael Scott Parkinson, ISBN 9781922089717, Fremantle Press

Darcy Moon (cover)

REVIEWED BY BRIDGET, 10, WA

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

Darcy Moon and the Deep Fried Frogs is about a girl who discovers she’s an Earth guardian. She meets a turtle named Wizen and frog called Jumpy. Darcy must save the swamp from the famous Sid Bellows the owner of Skippety Chips, while keeping her embarrassing parents under control.

Darcy Moon and the Deep Fried Frogs was very enjoyable, and had a great plot. It is a fantastic book for those searching a quick, humorous read, or a beginner looking for a challenge. It would also be quite a good book for teachers to read to their class.

It is a great book, but a little predictable. Overall, I think it is a very enjoyable and exciting read. I’d definitely read it again and recommend it to all my friends.

I give it 4 ½ stars. Apart from the book being a little predictable, it was perfect.

4 1/2 stars–

Guess what? You can read sample chapters of this book on the publisher’s website and you can check out our interview with the author.

Bridget had book reviews published in Alphabet Soup’s print magazine, and this is her first book review for us online. 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: The Dog Who Loved a Queen

Posted on by Alphabet Soup

The Dog Who Loved a Queen by Jackie French, ISBN 9780732285081, HarperCollinsPublishers Australia

The Dog Who Loved a Queen

REVIEWED BY JULIA, 11, QLD

The Dog Who Loved a Queen is a touching story about a little Scottish Terrier — later named Folly, who was about to have the most amazing experience of his life.

When Folly was only a small puppy he was taken to be sent to Queen Mary as her dog. But when Folly arrives he finds himself in a bit of a tight spot. He gradually learns he can’t ‘widdle’ on the floor, which he has to go outside and do his ‘widdle’ there.

The book is written from Folly’s perspective, and it is interesting to read the about the ups and downs of being a dog. It is a heart-warming story about a dog who really loved a queen.

–

Guess what? You can read the first part of this book on the publisher’s site for free! Julia has shared book reviews with us before now — check out her 2012 review of EJ12 Hot & Cold.  (If YOU would like to send us a book review, check out our submission guidelines. Happy reading!)