REVIEWED BY KALA, YR 4, VIC

The Ice Monster by David Walliams, illustrated by Tony Ross, HarperCollins, ISBN 9780008164690

Kala reviewed her own copy of this book. This review was longlisted in Alphabet Soup’s 2020 Young Book Reviewers’ Competition.

I first read The Ice Monster last year at school as our class novel, and it was so amazing that I wanted to read it again! I got the book for my birthday and I ended up reading it again a few weeks later.

The story starts with Elsie, who is an orphan. She escapes her orphanage called “Wormly Hall”. She goes to the Natural History Museum and finds a woolly mammoth.  Elsie brings it back to life and goes on a brave adventure to return the mammoth to the Arctic.

There are many characters but the main characters are Dotty, Woolly, Elsie and the evil professor.

Elsie is an orphan who lives on the streets for a while. Woolly is a woolly mammoth and Elsie’s friend. Everyone says that Woolly is an Ice Monster but Elsie thinks differently. Dotty is dotty by name and nature. She is a cleaning lady in the Natural History Museum. The professor is an evil person who tries to steel the mammoth.

The story is set in three places: London, the North Pole and the High Seas. The year is 1899.

This is a book full of adventure and humour. I would definitely recommend this book.

These are some of the funniest quotes from the book:

“You can’t name a mammoth Woolly, that’s like naming a dog Doggie.”

“Wow, that’s a good name for a dog, I named mine Caty.”

My favourite part is when Elsie brings Woolly back to life by shooting a lightning bolt in Woolly’s chest to restart her heart.

I like the illustrations but I think Toni Ross should add some colour to them.

I would give this book four and a half stars out of five.

During May and June Alphabet Soup will be posting all the book reviews by those longlisted in our 2020 Book Reviewers’ Competition. 

REVIEWED BY JOSHUA, YR 6, NSW

How to Bee by Bren MacDibble, A&U Children’s, ISBN 9781760294335

Joshua reviewed his own copy of this book. This review was longlisted in Alphabet Soup’s 2020 Young Book Reviewers’ Competition. 

Set thirty years in the future, nine year old Peony wants to live out her dream of being a Bee, which is someone who pollinates fruit flowers with a feather wand because bees have died out from the overuse of pesticides. 

‘I’m real close to being a bee,’ I tell Ma.
‘You know there’s other jobs in the city for strong smart girls like you,’ Ma says like being a bee is nuthin’.

When Ma comes back for the weekend, does she want to ‘disrupt’ Peony’s dream or does Ma have a different mindset for working? Find out the answer in Bren MacDibble’s How to Bee.

I enjoyed this book because it shows two different mindsets in the family tearing them apart. It expresses emotion, feeling and is personal. I rate this book five out of five.

During May and June Alphabet Soup will be posting all the book reviews by those longlisted in our 2020 Book Reviewers’ Competition. 

REVIEWED BY MAHLIE, YR 3, VIC

Sisters by Raina Telgemeier, Scholastic Inc, ISBN 9780545540605

Mahlie reviewed her own copy of this book. This review was longlisted in Alphabet Soup’s 2020 Young Book Reviewers’ Competition.

Raina and her family are going on a camping trip in Colorado and they are struggling to get along. When they were at Colorado they went to see their cousins.

During May and June Alphabet Soup will be posting all the book reviews by those longlisted in our 2020 Book Reviewers’ Competition. 

REVIEWED BY MOLLY, YR 6, NSW

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, illustrated by Sir John Tenniel, MacMillan Children’s Books, ISBN 9781509865727

Molly reviewed her own copy of this book. This review was shortlisted in Alphabet Soup’s 2020 Young Book Reviewers’ Competition. 

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is a fictional novel written by Lewis Carroll in 1865 and illustrated by Sir John Tenniel. It was published by Macmillan Publishers.

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is a story made up of many adventures. It is about a young girl named Alice. Alice follows a white rabbit down a rabbit hole and that is where her weird and wonderful journey begins. Along her journey she meets some interesting characters like the Cheshire cat, Caterpillar, Tweedle-dee and Tweedle-dum, the Mad Hatter and many more.

One of my favourite parts in the book would definitely be the tea party with the Mad Hatter, which I would describe as, in the words of Alice, “curiouser and curiouser!” because the tea party was absolutely crazy.

I would rate this book 5/5 because it is very interesting. My favourite character is Alice because even though she is put in strange and crazy situations she manages to remain calm and reasonable. I found the book fun and exciting never knowing what was going to happen next. This book is a delightful book for any age. I found I grew more curious as to what would happen next with every page I turned. If you love adventures this book is definitely the book for you.

During May and June Alphabet Soup will be posting all the book reviews by those longlisted in our 2020 Book Reviewers’ Competition. 

REVIEWED BY ANYA, 12, ACT

The Land of Stories series by Chris Colfer, Little Brown & Co, ISBN 9780316480840

Anya reviewed her own copies of this book series. This review was shortlisted in Alphabet Soup’s 2020 Young Book Reviewers’ Competition. 

A journey into a different dimension, the truth about the Bailey Twins and their grandmother and dad is finally uncovered, which turns their whole life upside-down. Followed by lots more breathtaking adventures, Alex and Conner have experienced something that no other person in the otherworld or Earth probably has. The twins have always faced many challenges, whether it’s evil enchantresses, queens or wicked witches, they have made it through every time with their great teamwork. They have saved the fairy-tale world from many dangers that arose across time. From one book to the next, the twins’ side by side with their fairy-tale friends have never failed to impress.

I have thoroughly enjoyed reading Chris Colfer’s incredible series up to number 5 at this point and I have noticed he has a really good imagination when it comes to Fantasy. The incredible modern and imaginative style of writing by the author really helps you imagine the book.

Each adventure and characters’ personalities are unique and there is always something waiting to be discovered. Personally, my favourite book of the series was the 3rd, since that was where the bigger problems arose. This book definitely has some positive role models that are brave and fearless.

The way these books have been written I am sure every single person would love it, even adults! We think fairy tales are for babies, but these are not the fairy tales we know, they have been taken to a whole new level! Everything and everyone has a different story, which is what makes this series interesting.

My recommendation to kids aged 6 to 9 is that they would love the first and second book, but the length may be daunting to some. I strongly recommend the whole series to older kids aged 10+. I would recommend this book to anyone who loved fairy tales as a young child or still does. Even if you don’t prefer books in the fantasy genre, I would recommend giving the first book a try.

There are also two other great books available, too, which relate to the main series, called Queen Red’s Guide to Royalty, and Mother Goose Diaries.

Overall, I think this series is a great read and I loved reading it and will make sure to read the 6th book.

During May and June Alphabet Soup will be posting all the book reviews by those longlisted in our 2020 Book Reviewers’ Competition. 

REVIEWED BY KATE, YR 6, VIC

Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend, Hachette Australia, ISBN 9780734418074

Kate reviewed her own copy of this book. This review was shortlisted in Alphabet Soup’s 2020 Young Book Reviewers’ Competition. 

Step boldly…

Morrigan Crow is cursed.

Morrigan Crow is a young girl who is constantly labelled as a cursed child. That is, until she is rescued by a strange and quirky man named Jupiter North, and taken to a mysterious city called Nevermoor. Morrigan finds herself navigating through the unknown, and has to face a series of challenges testing her honesty, courage, bravery and talent.

Nevermoor is an exciting and suspenseful tale, full of puzzling mysteries and entertaining twists and turns. I would recommend this book to children of all ages, especially ones who love adventure! This book should definitely be rated 11/10!

During May and June Alphabet Soup will be posting all the book reviews by those longlisted in our 2020 Book Reviewers’ Competition.