Chicklish

GIVEAWAY: WAGS' World, Knowing the Score

Promising "bling, boys and (Gucci) bagfuls of glamour", WAGS' World is a British teen series about the sixteen-year-old girlfriend of a teenage footballer.

The second book, Knowing the Score, is released this week.

"Amy Thornton is sixteen and planning a perfect summer in London with her lush footballer boyfriend, Damien. But things turn nasty when a fellow WAG threatens to blackmail Amy. Scared of ruining things with Damien, Amy accepts the demands and gets caught up in a whirlwind of celebrities and scandal. As Amy starts meddling in other people's lives while hiding her own secrets, she realizes that dealing with gossip is about more than scoring points."

The book is out on 2nd July 2009, published by Penguin. You can read reviews of the first book, Playing the Game, on Spinebreakers, here on Chicklish and on Another Book Blog-Whore.

We have two copies of Knowing the Score to give away to readers chosen at random - UK entrants only. For a chance to win, email us with WAGS in the subject line.

***This competition is now closed and the winners have been contacted. Congratulations to S.K. and C. C., the two winners.***

NEWS: Moss Green Children's Books

If you're looking for advice on books with stories that help increase awareness of the natural world, Moss Green Children's Books is the place to go. It's an online bookshop and book review site focusing on "green" books, where a percentage of profits are donated to children's charities.

A couple of Chicklish reviews have been featured there, together with a 'green rating' which every book reviewed on the site is given. Check out Alexandra's review of Saci Lloyd's Carbon Diaries 2015.

REVIEW: Scarlett by Cathy Cassidy

Review by Amber.

"You promised!" I say. "You said I'd never have to see him again, not after what he did to us! He left us, Mum, he walked away. You said he was scum! You said we were well shot of him, that we'd make out like he never existed!"

Scarlett spells trouble with a capital T. People never see the positive side of her. It's not her fault that she always manages to be in the teachers' bad books at school, but no one seems to understand that. And Mum's had enough. Scarlett is sent to stay with her Dad and his new girlfriend Clare to stay for the summer in Ireland. Scarlett doesn't really like it there and wants to go back to London. But when Scarlett runs away, she meets mysterious a boy called Kian. "I've been looking for you," he says. Kian is great, but there is something about him - something mysterious...

If you don't believe in wishes, will they still come true?

This book is a must-read! Cathy Cassidy is a really, really good author. She wrote this story very well and made it really magical. I love the character of Scarlett and the way she doesn't care what other people think. There is never a dull moment in this book, it's so exciting, and the ending is really great too.

I think this book should be for girls 10+ and rate this book 5/5. It was a brilliant book and I never wanted it to end!

Review by Amber.

REVIEW: Genesis by Bernard Beckett

Review by Nicola.

2041 - First global dust storms, 2050 - First shot in The Last War fired, 2051 - The Great Sea Fence completed; the Republic founded, 2052 - First plague released, and 2077 - The Great War begins.

Fourteen-year-old Anax thinks she knows her history. She'd better. She's sat facing three Examiners and her gruelling five-hour examination has just begun. If she passes, she'll be admitted into The Academy - the elite institution that runs her utopian society. But Anax is about to discover that for all her learning, the history she's been taught isn't the whole story. And that The Academy isn't what she believes it to be. The reader is about to discover a provocative novel of dazzling ingenuity. Anax's examination leads us into a future where ancient - eternal - philosophical questions have dramatically collided with the march of technology, where just what it means to be human is up for debate, and where the concealed stain of an Original Sin threatens the very existence of her Brave New World. (From Amazon.co.uk)

I don’t think the story starts very well as you are thrown straight into the book not knowing who any of the characters are or where they live, but soon I could see that the name Genesis was a very suitable name for this book, which is set more than 80 years in the future.

The book gets more and more unusual as it goes along. It is quite a thick book and took me quite a while to read. The plot is futuristic and has a surprise ending, and the author managed to keep me guessing until the last page with all the hidden information.

I think the book would be suited to people who like futuristic, unusual books.

Review by Nicola, aged 13

With special thanks to Newton Abbot College

For another opinion, see the review on Wondrous Reads.

REVIEW: Bang, Bang, You're Dead! by Narinder Dhami

Review by Carly Bennett.

I’m going to be honest, I started reading Bang, Bang, You’re Dead! feeling very unsure as to whether I would enjoy it or not. The blurb on the back made the story sound more suitable for young teens and I really didn’t think it was going to be my cup of tea.

However, as usual, I was wrong - this novel deals with intense adult issues and emotions and is excellently written. School shootings are a sensitive issue and are rarely written about, particularly in the UK, so it was nice to read about something I hadn’t before.

While the book might start off relatively simplistic, it is anything but and the twist at the end is something I never saw coming. In fact, it was so shocking that I reread the book as soon as I’d finished. That’s another good thing about Bang, Bang, You’re Dead! It’s complex enough that it can be reread again and again and you’ll discover new things each time. That’s something I love in a book.

Dhami presents us with extremely well-developed characters in this novel; Mia, Jamie and their mother. Mia is the shy and retiring sister who feels as though she lives in Jamie’s shadow and we get a great insight into her personality as the book is written from her point of view. This was a particularly clever move from Dhami, especially as the story draws to a close and the twist is revealed.

The rumour of a gunman in the school is a huge event in the novel and is obviously terrifying to read about but there is so much more to the story. In fact, I found the gunman story taking a backseat to Jamie and Mia’s flashbacks about their home life, which were much more intriguing.

Bang, Bang, You’re Dead! is a little shorter than a lot of Young Adult novels and, to be honest, it felt that way when I was reading it. I finished the book in one sitting and the ending did feel a bit rushed. The twist is such a shocking revelation that I think more than one chapter was needed to explore it.

On the back of the book it states that Bang, Bang, You’re Dead! fits into the general ‘teen’ category but I do think it’s more suited to younger teens. Yes, the subject matter is serious and quite adult but the length and language of the book lean more towards younger readers. But then again, I’m an adult and I enjoyed it so there you go.

Dhami is a smart writer. She knows her characters inside out and has obviously done her research for this novel. I hadn’t read anything else by her before Bang, Bang, You’re Dead! but I’ll definitely keep an eye out for her other books now.

Thanks for the publishers for sending me this book to review.

Review by Carly Bennett

REVIEW: High Jinx by Sara Lawrence

Review by Luisa.

Jinx Slater is happy to be in the lower sixth at Stagmount, England's most exclusive school for girls. Her ground floor window makes it easy to access Brighton's nightlife, and that's just what she intends to do, together with her friends. But her best friend Liberty has a very strict father, and all the girls band together to protect her and stop her getting removed from the school. All except Stella Fox, glamorous new girl, who arrives and whisks Liberty away from Jinx and into trouble.

High Jinx is like a 15-rated, raunchy version of an old-fashioned British boarding school story - the main character even admits she's a fan of Enid Blyton's Malory Towers. It's full of swearing and alcohol consumption and references to sex and drugs, but the girls are mostly concerned with friendships, rivalry and making life hell for the nastier authority figures in their lives. There are also plenty of comedy moments, and I liked the way the girls couldn't understand the negative reactions they were getting from the outside world. The book contains a mix of interesting characters and Jinx in particular is a great character - feisty, spirited and sweet-natured. I wasn't too keen on the slapstick comedy about certain cartoonish teachers and supervisors, but the tone is always entertaining and light-hearted and I'm sure other readers will enjoy all the antics.

This is a fun, escapist story with great teen girl characters, an intriguing setting and lots of twists and turns in the plot.

Review by Luisa

REVIEW: Bindi Babes by Narinder Dhami

Review by Amber

 "Auntie's  coming over from India to live with us," Dad said. "She's going to look after us. Won't that be nice?" He stared intently at his plate.

Amber, Geena and Jazz are three sisters. Their Mum has died, so their Dad looks after them. They all get what they want, as they know how to get around him - until Auntie arrives from India! They decide that the best way to stop Auntie interfering in their lives is to arrange a marriage for her, possibly to one of their teachers.

This book is the best out of the Babes series, I highly recommend it to anyone who absolutely loves Narinder Dhami books!

I give this book 5/5! It had all the things a brilliant book needs. Happy parts, sad parts, funny parts and parts that are especially girly! My favourite part in the book was the ending, but I won't say anything about the ending for those of you that haven't read it yet!

Review by Amber, aged 10

(Thanks a lot, Amber, from the Chicklish team!)

Check out Narinder Dhami's great site

REVIEW: Leaving Poppy by Kate Cann

Review by Kiran.

Amber wants to escape.

She is just like any other 18 year old - she can’t wait to leave home and head off to university for three blissful years away from family responsibilities. But after she is forced to cancel a girl’s trip abroad to please her younger sister, Amber future is thrown into disarray.

After sacrificing her social life yet again under the orders of her needy mother, Amber is forced to take care of her emotionally fragile sister, Poppy. Spurred on by this on going lifelong chain of events, Amber begins to conduct a plan that will only end in heartbreak, tears, and most importantly, freedom.
Exhilarated by her new life in the not so distant town of Cornwall, Amber slowly  begins to step out from the shadows of her younger sister Poppy but after a string of strange events, Amber realises that she may never be able to escape from her. Twisted tales from the past begin to emerge and soon there is a lot more at stake than Amber’s freedom.

What follows is a strangely intriguing tale that will have you hooked AND spooked. Leaving Poppy is one of those books that slowly draws you in, and before you know it, you’re racing to get to the last few pages. I had often wrongly dismissed this book as yet another long tale of sibling rivalry, but this particular book goes a lot deeper than that!

4.5/5

Review by Kiran

(Thanks a lot, Kiran, from the Chicklish team!)

NEWS: Giveaway of Big Woo! by Susie Day on Books, Books and More Books

Books, Books and More Books is giving away a copy of Susie Day's brilliant first teen novel, Big Woo!

Click here to find out more.

Read our review of Big Woo! here.

REVIEW: Finding Cassie Crazy by Jaclyn Moriarty

Review by Sasha.

Emily, Lydia and Cassie are all best friends at private school Ashbury High and have been since they were tiny. They all enjoy cutting class to go to the movies, especially when they have double maths. They never thought they'd mix with the Brookfield or 'Brooker' kids but Mr Botherit's (their English teacher) 'Joy of the Envelope' project is about to change that. Everyone is against the idea of writing to these psychopathic trouble makers. Against the odds, they all find themselves exchanging letters with three male Brooker kids and are more than surprised when they receive half-decent replies, except for one. Cassie's pen pal keeps threatening to harm her if she writes to him again but her therapist tells her to talk to this boy and tell him all about herself. It's not long before they are befriending these boys and arranging to meet up with them for dating advice and games of pool.

On the night Cassie arranges to meet up with her pen pal, things take an unexpected turn and will it be long before Cassie turns crazy?

This is an amazing book from a writer who is new to me. I really wasn't sure what to expect, as I bought this book on a whim. The minute I opened the page I was surprised at the layout of the book because it is either written in letter or diary form as well as a few other different typefaces which also gives the book more variety. The book was also full of humour especially from Lydia's point of view and introduced you to the characters straight away. I couldn't pick a favourite character out of the three of them because you love them all at the end of the book; you really get underneath their skin and find out what their emotions are. The characters from the other books also appear in this book which I think is a really good, original idea and it is also set in the same school. I just really loved reading this book and I would definitely recommend it to older readers (it does have some adult content).

Review by Sasha, aged 12

Luisa's Note: This book is called The Year of Secret Assignments in the US. (And in Australia too? I can't remember!)