Book reviews by kids

Book reviews by Duncraig Primary: Day 1 (part 2)

Posted on December 16, 2010January 6, 2015 by Alphabet Soup

Duncraig Primary School (in WA) has sent us some year 5 students’ book reviews.* We’ll be posting two reviews a day for the next 5 days so stay tuned!

Totally Lucy: Fantasy Fashion, by Kelly McKain, ill. by Vici Leyhane. ISBN: 9780746066904, Usborne Publishing.

Reviewed by Ebonee, age 11, Duncraig Primary.

Wow, this book was awesome. It has everything you need to feel like you are experiencing life in the shoes of Lucy the drama queen.

Lucy’s life can be very challenging sometimes, alongside her friends Julies and Matilda who help Lucy through her good times and her bad. Throughout the book they have their trying times. Will they get through them? In this marvellous book you will discover many different things that a girl can actually experience, like having a secret pooch plan to attract a gorgeous boy. Will Lucy’s plan succeed?

The author, Kelly McKain, lives in a small flat in Chiswick, West London, with a fridge full of chocolate. Kelly McKain would love to go on a flying trapeze. She loves to write and I think she has done a wonderful job with this gobsmacking, totally awesome book. I think Kelly McKain has used her own life experiences to write this story suitable for 10 to 15 year olds. She is a clever author and she should keep writing these wonderful books. Kelly McKain has also written other books in the series, such as Makeover Magic, Style School, Planet Fashion and plenty more.

Also to thank: Vici Leyhane for her great black-and-white illustrations. I think she has done a wonderful job drawing everyone. It nearly looks like they are real.

I hope that you read this marvellous book and you enjoy it as much as I did.

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*Duncraig Primary is a member of our Undercover Readers Club. Books reviewed here are the students’ own. "undercover readers club logo"

Book reviews by kids, Duncraig Primary School, teachers' resources

Book reviews by Duncraig Primary students: Day 1

Posted on December 16, 2010January 6, 2015 by Alphabet Soup

Duncraig Primary School (in WA) has sent us some year 5 students’ book reviews.* We’ll be posting two reviews a day for the next 5 days so stay tuned!

Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief, by Rick Riordan. ISBN: 9780141329994, Puffin (Penguin UK) .

Reviewed by Zac, age 10, Duncraig Primary.

Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief is the first of this Greek Gods series. Rick Riordan writes a gripping action-packed fantasy about everyday normal 12-year-old Percy Jackson. Percy hates the academy he goes to, but on a school field trip, he battles his maths teacher, who has turned into a bat-like Fury. Percy, with friensd Grover and Annabeth, must find Zeus’s Master Bolt or a war of the Gods will begin.

Rick Riordan delivers a great start to the Percy Jackson series. Christian McGrath has also done an astonighingly realistic cover illustration.

[Unfortunately, we were unable to source an image for that particular cover. Another version is shown with this review. – Ed.]

The 375 pages glue you to the book, never can you put it down. This is recommended for ages 8 to 12.

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*Duncraig Primary is a member of our Undercover Readers Club. Books reviewed here are the students’ own.

Book reviews by kids, poetry, teachers' resources, Winthrop Primary School

Winthrop Primary students review ‘There’s a Goat in My Coat’

Posted on September 9, 2010January 6, 2015 by Alphabet Soup

There’s a Goat in My Coat, by Rosemary Milne, illustrated by Andrew McLean

Reviewed by students at Winthrop Primary School, WA. Teacher: Mrs Therese Cianfrini.

Suitable for Ages: 0 – 7 years

Our Favourite Poems: Lazy Little Lizard, Piglet in Puddles, Wriggle and Giggle, Penguins, and The Hopping Song.

We loved the cover of the book, it was colourful and inviting, the illustrations made us want to open the cover and discover the exciting poems inside.

Each poem in the book was cleverly created with rhyme and rhythm that made the poetry fast and cheerful, with a good beat to encourage children to get involved with saying the poems. The author really used her imagination to create some hilarious and entertaining poetry that will encourage young children to learn as they sing along with these poems. They will learn to walk, count numbers and say new words.

Our little brothers and sisters would love this book of poems, they are silly and full of nonsense that would really make them laugh. The bright colourful illustrations would also involve them in the book. Rosemary Milne has created some awesome poems that will make small children want to hear and say them over and over again. The book keeps the reader interested, as you never know what the next page will have on it.

This exciting and entertaining book will even have the adults enjoying the time they spend reading to their young children. The book has a nice ending and would be a great bedtime reading book. We recommend that you get this fun book for your children, we know they will love it.

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These Winthrop Primary students are members of our Undercover Readers Club, a book reviewers club for kids. (The book was provided by publisher, Allen & Unwin.) If you or your class would like to join the club, you can download an information pack (PDF) from the magazine’s website. Membership is free!