Category: Book reviews by kids

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!

Posted in Book reviews by Joseph, Book reviews by kids

Book review: The 52-Storey Treehouse

Posted on by Alphabet Soup

The 52-Storey Treehouse by Andy Griffiths, ill. Terry Denton, ISBN 9781742614212, Pan Australia

The 52-Storey Treehouse

 

REVIEWED BY JOSEPH, 10, WA

Joseph is reviewing his own copy of this book.

I had to wait a whole year for this book. When it finally came out I read it from cover to cover in one sitting and I’ve read it many more times since.

This is the fourth book in the Treehouse series and once again 13 new storeys have been added, including a watermelon smashing room. But Andy and Terry soon remember something important — Mr Big Nose has forgotten to remind them about the deadline for the new book and he has gone missing. Could it be related to that book Fun with Vegetables by Vegetable Patty? They take off on an advegetable story (an adventure with vegetables) with the help of a little caterpillar with a surprising secret. And what has happened to Jill? Why won’t she wake up when Andy and Terry explode in?

I liked lots of things about this book. Firstly, the unexpected plot. My little sister kept wrongly guessing the next step of the plot. I liked the characters — some minor characters from earlier Treehouse books are back, and there are some new ones as well. My favourite part was the craziness of everything in the book, especially Terry’s ninja snails.

My special tip for reading this book is that you should read the other books in the series (like The 26-Storey Treehouse) first because then the jokes are funnier and they make more sense.

The illustrations in this book are by Terry Denton (like in the earlier books). They are just perfect for the Treehouse series because there are lots and lots of them and they’re the sort that you don’t get bored with. His drawings are like first drafts, it’s like you’re seeing them when he’s just finished drawing them. I like that.

I would recommend this book for 7 to 13 year olds and all adults who like a bit of humour. My special warning: if you’re scared of spiders, skip over Terry’s spider pictures — they are pretty scary. Both boys and girls will enjoy reading this book.

I rate this book 9.5/10 and it’s my favourite book in the series.

–

Joseph is one of our regular book reviewers. His most recent review (if you don’t count this one) was of Our Village in the Sky. 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, poetry

Book review: Our Village in the Sky

Posted on by Alphabet Soup

Our Village in the Sky by Janeen Brian, ill. Anne Spudvilas, ISBN 9781743318140, Allen and Unwin

Our Village in the Sky

 

REVIEWED BY JOSEPH, 10, WA

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

This is a book about kids living in a village in the Himalayan mountains. Our Village in the Sky is a book of poems and each poem talks about what the kids do during the day. They have to do chores like take care of the animals, wash clothes and scrub dishes, carry water from a water pipe, and more.

I found it interesting because I didn’t know much about this sort of life and it’s very different from the lives of Australian kids. The kids in this book don’t have the technology that we have, they spend their days doing chores so their families can live, and they make their own fun outdoors. My favourite pages are the ones about the children washing the dishes in summer and winter. But my favourite poem (as a poem) is the one about playing knucklebones.

The illustrations are realistic, serious pictures and they help you to see what the kids in the village are like. It helps you to understand the emotions in the poems.

The book also has a QR code — it takes you to a website with audio. This is especially good for young kids who can look at the pictures and listen to the poems be read to them.

This book is good for kids aged 6 to 12. I would recommend this book especially for grades 3 and 4 in their classrooms because it teaches you about life in another country while enjoying a good read at the same time. I give it 7.75/10 — it’s not the sort of book I would normally pick up but I was glad that I did read it.

—

Joseph is one of our regular book reviewers. His most recent review (if you don’t count this one) was of Bully on the Bus. 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: Taronga

Posted on by Alphabet Soup

Taronga by Victor Kelleher, ISBN 9780140326314, Puffin Books

Taronga (cover)

REVIEWED BY JULIA, 11, QLD

 Julia is reviewing her own copy of Taronga.

From the first page of the book Taronga, Ben is uncovered as a boy who can communicate with animals. In this futuristic story, Ben is struggling to survive in the ‘new’ unrecognisable city of Sydney. Horrible events happen leaving Ben in a tight position, will he take the chance or give up?

Along the way Ben makes enemies and friends. Elle helps Ben and together they do what they think is right. But is it the right choice?

I didn’t like this chilling story but I felt compelled to finish it, as I wanted to see if Ben and Elle made the right or the wrong choice. I found the story line worrying and distressing. It is a story of a war — a war going on between the people in Taronga Zoo and the people on the outside of the walls surrounding Taronga Zoo.

What will happen to Ben and Elle and all the animals? Will they survive or will the ‘outsiders’ take over Taronga Zoo?

–

Julia is one of our regular book reviewers. Her most recent review (if you don’t count this one) was of  The Dog Who Loved a Queen.   If YOU would like to send us a book review, check out our submission guidelines.

Happy reading!