Chicklish

Halloween Mini-Reviews

Today we're posting some Halloween special mini-reviews.

The first is by a 6-year-old Isabella, who chose a Halloween-themed book in the Rainbow Magic series of fairy books.

Trixie the Halloween Fairy by Daisy Meadows

Trixie the Halloween Fairy makes sure that Halloween is fun-filled and exciting for everyone! But when a gang of greedy goblins steal Trixie’s Enchanted Sweets, all Halloween plans are thrown into chaos. Can Kirsty and Rachel help Trixie find the Enchanted Sweets before this special day is ruined for everyone?

This is a book about Halloween sweets that have gone missing and can ruin Halloween if they're found by the wrong person. Rachel and Kirsty with Trixie the Halloween Fairy try to find the sweets in three separate stories. The book comes with a free bookmark shaped like a fluttering fairy.

I enjoyed this story. I like the kitten called Moonlight because she has a secret. I like the way the book ended with a surprise about Jack Frost. The Halloween party house was really spooky.

Review by Isabella, aged 6.

Rainbow Magic website.

Next is Flood and Fang, the first Raven Mysteries book by Marcus Sedgwick, reviewed by 8-year-old Rocco.

Flood and Fang by Marcus Sedgwick

"Meet the wonderfully weird Otherhand family and their faithful guardian, Edgar the raven, and discover the dark secrets of Castle Otherhand. Edgar is alarmed when he sees a nasty looking black tail slinking under the castle walls. But his warnings to the inhabitants of the castle go unheeded. As the lower storeys of the castle begin mysteriously to flood, and kitchen maids continue to go missing, the family come ever closer to the owner of the black tail..."

I thought this book was very scary. It's all described by the raven, and he pieces together the growing danger, especially after they find the only thing left of the missing kitchen maid is her shoes in the rhubarb patch. The words were scary. The family were quite silly, stupid and weird. The monster was terrifying. I can't wait to read the next book.

Review by Rocco, aged 8

Raven Mysteries website

Watch Marcus Sedgwick read an extract below

Lastly, here's my own mini-review. Trick or Treat is the latest in the Fame School series by Cindy Jefferies, set in a school for aspiring performers.

Trick or Treat by Cindy Jefferies

"This time at Fame School they've got the ghost factor..."

The latest instalment of the Fame School series is a Halloween-themed adventure. Danny is worried about an upcoming performance and his friends decide to cheer him up. But when spooky things start happening, the students of Rockley Park need to work out whether someone's playing tricks - or could Fame School really be haunted?

This series is aimed at readers aged 8+ and it focuses on a group of very loving and supportive friends at a performing arts boarding school. I found the story easy to get into, with lots of fast-paced dialogue and some mysterious goings-on. A sweet, entertaining and feel-good story for younger readers.

Review by Luisa, aged well over 8

Read more about Fame School here

REVIEW: Raised by Wolves by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Review by Daria.

At the age of four, Bryn watched a rabid werewolf brutally murder her parents. She was rescued and taken in by the mysterious Callum, the alpha of his pack. Now fifteen, Bryn's been a human among werewolves, adhering to pack rule, for eleven years. But the pack's been keeping a secret, and when Bryn goes exploring against Callum's orders, she finds Chase, a newly turned Were locked in a cage. Bryn needs answers and she needs Chase to get them. Suddenly it's Bryn and Chase against the werewolf world, whatever consequences.

Raised by Wolves is a great new werewolf book. I really love that everything in it is very original and the ending was unexpected, but still great. I really liked that Bryn herself was not a werewolf, but she was raised by them, which makes her a very interesting character. For me, Raised by Wolves was one heck of a page turner! I couldn't put it down!

My favourite character was Bryn because I loved her personality. She was vibrant and wasn't afraid to speak her mind. I also liked Ali because she was the most heroic, doing everything she could for Bryn because she loved her so much. Callum was a very interesting character and I found him alluring and mysterious. We don't learn much about Chase, but I felt sorry for him because being attacked by a rabid Were can't be easy.

Review by Daria, aged 14

NEWS: NaNoWriMo and Young Writers Program

It's nearly November, which means it's nearly time for National Novel Writing Month - or NaNoWriMo, as it's usually known.

NaNoWriMo is a month-long novel-writing challenge that runs throughout the world. The idea is to write a complete novel from scratch, starting on 1st November and ending on 30th November. In 2009, 167,000 adults participated through the main site, and 35,000 young writers participated through the Young Writers Program.

The Young Writers Program is designed for people under the age of 18. This sub-site contains specially tailored resources and a 'dare machine' giving you writing challenges, and a writing goal you set yourself. Find out more here.

I've completed NaNoWriMo three times and thoroughly enjoyed myself, even through the tough times. I've signed up for more this year! I highly recommend it. If you take part, I hope you enjoy it too!

by Luisa

REVIEW: The Longest Whale Song by Jacqueline Wilson

Review by Shakira.

Ella isn't all that happy about her mum and Jake's baby. Not happy at all. But when she goes into a coma after giving birth, the baby seems unimportant. Not the worst matter, but still bad, Sally, her best friend has gone off with Dory! She dislikes her step dad, Jake, and is thrilled when she finds her dad. Her life is a big jumble - will it ever be normal again?

I love this book - it is the best I have ever read. I cried, laughed out loud and felt many emotions while reading this book, because it is so lifelike, and so, so well written. I rate this book 10/10 because it is easy to get into, funny, heart-wrenching, and a very good read.

Review by Shakira, aged 12

REVIEW: The Double-Edged Sword by Sarah Silverwood

Review by Rachel

“Sixteen years ago, Finmere Tingewick Smith was abandoned on the steps of the Old Bailey. Under the guardianship of the austere Judge Harlequin Brown and the elderly gentlemen of Orrey House, Fin has grown up under a strange set of rules. He spends alternate years at two very different schools, and he has two, very different, best friends... and he’s getting very tired of the constant lies to everyone, even his best friends, to hide the insanity of his double life. But on his sixteenth birthday, everything changes. The Judge is killed. Fin is catapulted into an extraordinary adventure. Through the Doorway in Fin’s London, a hole in the boundaries of Existence, lies another London – and both are now in grave danger. The Knights of Nowhere have kidnapped the Storyholder, the keeper of the Five Eternal Stories which weave the worlds together, and because of their actions, a black storm is coming, bringing madness with it. The futures of all the worlds suddenly lie in Fin’s hands.”

The Double-Edged Sword is the first book of The Nowhere Chronicles by talented author Sarah Silverwood and I recommend it to enthusiastic readers ages 12+ who love adventure and mystery.  All of the characters have their individual personalities but my favourite character is Fin. I admire Fin because of his bravery, determination and thoughtfulness throughout the book. 

The only negative point I have about this book is that it does take a few chapters to get into it but overall I give this book 5/5 because I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Review by Rachel

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GIVEAWAY: 3 copies of Infinite Days by Rebecca Maizel, NOW CLOSED

Introducing... Infinite Days by Rebecca Maizel:

For 500 years Lenah Beaudonte has been a vampire. 500 years of seduction, blood and destruction. But she is sickened by her dark powers – and longs to feel the sun on her skin, grass under her bare feet, and share the breath of a human kiss. She wants to be mortal again. But is she really capable of being human, after her long years of darkness? Waking up as a sixteen-year-old girl brings Lenah many things – the life she has missed, taste, touch, love. But a vampire soul is not easily shed. And her coven – the four vampires she led in decadence and thrilling destruction – want their queen back . . .

***This giveaway is now closed and the three winners - Z.B., A.V. and D.C. - have been contacted. Thanks to Macmillan Children's Books for the prizes!***

REVIEW: Half a Sister by Kelly McKain

Review by Shakira.

Hannah misses her best friend Maya, who has gone off with her new friend Sam, so she is thrilled when she finds out she has a half sister called Ellie, and is even more thrilled when she is told Ellie is going to live with them. But when things with Ellie turn sour, what will happen to Hannah?

I love this book, as it is funny, and very lifelike! My only complaint is that it is quite hard to get into, but it is still a great book, and I would recommend it for 11 - 15 year olds. I also like this book because the characters suffer from things not normally present in books aimed at pre-teens. There are certain issues in the book, which I cannot mention as they appear later in the story, that may upset people who have them, or have suffered consequences of them, so be cautious.

Overall, I would rate this book 7.5/10.

Review by Shakira, aged 12

REVIEW: Out for Blood by Alyxandra Harvey

Review by Daria.

Hunter Wild, vampire hunter and start pupil at a top secret slayer academy, has a crush on a guy called Quinn. He's tall, dark and very handsome. He's also a vampire, and one of the infamous Drake brothers at that. As if forbidden love wasn't bad enough, something strange is also happening at the Helios-Ra academy. Vampire attacks are increasing, students are mysteriously falling ill and the teachers seem completely clueless. It's up to Hunter and her friends to put things right... that is, if she can get a certain immortal out of her head long enough to think about anything else.

Out for Blood is an amazing novel about two people fighting for love and against other things. Alyxandra Harvey really made the characters stand out for me and made me rally like them. I have to admit I had a little fictional thing for Quinn. I really liked that the author explained everything and even though I read the other books I would have understood it without reading them. I also liked the plot and the unusual and very unexpected twist at the end.

My favourite character was probably Quinn because he was charismatic, charming and sarcastic. He was also really nice to Hunter. I liked Hunter too because she always fought for what was right and tried to fix everything at the school. Sometimes she went through hard patches because her friends and family weren't there for her, but she still managed to save her school. For that she was one of my favourite characters.

I recommend really strongly that you read this book, but you should probably read the other ones too if you want to get the full picture.

Review by Daria, aged 14

Read an extract of Out for Blood

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REVIEW: Two-Way Street by Lauren Barnholdt

Review by Keris.

I enjoyed Lauren Barnholdt's debut novel, Reality Chick, so I was really looking forward to Two-Way Street. Also partly, I must admit, because of the cool, wraparound cover. 

Jordan has recently broken up with Courtney, after falling for another girl he met on MySpace, but they'd planned to drive to college together and think they can be mature enough to tough it out. Inevitably, the break-up isn't quite what it seems and Courtney isn't quite as over Jordan as she thought she was. And they have a pretty long drive ahead of them...

I really loved this book. I love the characters of Courtney and Jordan. I loved how, in the beginning of their relationship, Courtney's sweetness won Jordan - who'd previously been a bit of a player - over. I really loved their best friends, BJ and Jocelyn. 

I also really enjoyed the structure of the book. Chapters flip between Jordan and Courtney on the road trip and all the details of their relationship prior to the trip. So we see them meet, fall in love and break-up alongside watching them deal with the feelings raised by having to spend so much time together when they're no longer a couple. 

I wasn't entirely convinced by the character of Lloyd - Courtney's best friend who she'd had a crush on for years. I didn't really get a good enough picture of him to know why Courtney would have been interested. And the book finished a little quickly for me - I would have liked to have spent a big longer with the characters. But I really recommend it and can't wait to read Lauren's next book.

Review by Keris

GIVEAWAY: 10 sets of Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly and A Gathering Light by Jennifer Donnelly, NOW CLOSED

***GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED.***

Jennifer Donnelly’s debut novel, A Gathering Light, was widely loved, and described by Carnegie judges as ‘totally emotionally captivating... outstanding in every way’.

Now Jennifer Donnelly's new novel, Revolution, has just been released. Revolution is a heartbreaking story of family and relationships set against a backdrop of modern-day New York and the French Revolution.

"Andi lives in New York and is dealing with the disintegration of her family and the guilt she feels following her younger brother’s death. Alex lives in Paris and is a maid to the royal family as the French Revolution rages. Both girls are struggling with their responsibilities and their place in the world.

When Andi is dragged to Paris by her father, their two stories collide, and Andi finds a way to reconcile herself not only to her past but also to her future."

With huge thanks to Bloomsbury, we have 10 sets of Revolution and A Gathering Light to offer to UK residents.

***GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED. Winners' initials are: A.D., L.N., A.C., F.O., A.H., G.O., S.H., M.E-S., C.F., R.M. Winners have been contacted by email.

Congratulations and thank you for entering!***

Join Jennifer Donnelly's Facebook page

Download an extract of Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly - read the first Chapter