Diary Of An Ice Princess

Author: Christina Soontornvat

By Hajara Mirash

The story, The Diary of an Ice Princess Diary is told by the main character, Lina, who is a princess and who loves science and lives in a palace in the clouds. Her mother is a Windtamer, who can control the wind and weather, her dad is a human and her mum rescued him during a rainstorm, and her granddad was the North Wind, who really wants his granddaughter to learn to control her powers quickly. Lina just wants to be a regular kid and be with her best friend, Claudia, who is a human, just like her dad. Lina convinces her parents to let her go to school together with Claudia, promising that she will do everything herself and keep her powers a secret. Her parents agreed for her to go to a regular school, but she had to keep her promise as a princess a secret. When the school day came, she packed her things she'd need for class, got dressed and off she went to school. Lina decided to use her powers; icicles grew on the ceiling, then she froze the water fountain and turned the boys bathroom into a ice-skating rink, and froze her classmates shoes. Back at her granddads palace she did the test her granddad has been expecting her to do: lift the wind dragon statue back up to where it was, and her granddad and mum found out that she wasn't a Windtamer, she was a Windterhart, who can control ice and snow. When the day of the talent show came, everything went perfect and they finally did the fizzy drink explosion and Lina made fizz flakes. 

This book is so amazing and gives you enjoyment whilst reading even though bad things do happen, it will be happy at the end. 

Boy Giant

Author: Michael Morpurgo

By: Saaliha Shibly

A joyful boy by the age of ten is living in Afghanistan. The boy’s name is Omar. He finds himself helpless when his village is under attack by some groups and is forced to flee with his mother to England, having his father killed while under the remains and his sister missing. They travel for a year looking for the sea to travel to Mevagissey. Sadly, when they reach the sea, his mother does not have enough money for both of them to get on board, so Omar goes by himself. He finds himself stuck on the boat while it is sinking weeks later and almost drowns. When he wakes up, he is on an island, surrounded by tiny people by the name of Lilliputian’s that had lived there for many years. He resides there and lives there until he is sixteen. After that he realises that he misses his mother and knows that she must be waiting for him in Mevagissey. He sets off to find her and when he arrives in England he is reunited with his family once more.

The book is heartwarming and also heartbreaking at the same time. It highlights the struggles people in poor and controlled countries have to go through, unsure of whether they will survive. It also shows the kindness of welcoming someone into their home and making them feel comfortable. It also shows that Omar stayed hopeful and ended up finding his mother and sister, showing that he did the right thing.

Twelve Minutes to Midnight

Author: Christopher Edge

By: Maryam Aseef

This truly enchanting tale pulls you in and drags you deep into the world of realistic- fiction novels as the story unravels its layers of mystery. This book is one of the many fantastic tales written by the famous author: Christopher Edge. Read on to find out if this is the type of book for you!

About the author:

Christopher Edge is an award-winning children’s author whose books have been translated into more than 20 different languages across the globe. He grew up in Manchester and spent a large part of his childhood thinking about what to include in his next story at his local library. Ever since he was a young child, he always had a particular interest in literature, and other forms of writing. He now lives peacefully in Gloucester, where he continues to ponder about what to write in his next thrilling tale.

Suitable age range for this book:

In my opinion this story is for all people who really enjoy reading gothic novels, with twists and a handful of mystery. If you decide to read this book to the very end, it’s sure to keep you on the tip of your toes. This spine-chilling tale will add a grain of fear into anyone who reads it with intent. However, this book is aimed at children from KS2 to the beginning of KS3! So, enjoy.

What happens:

Lastly, we move onto the part you’ve all been waiting for… the review! So, keep your reading eyes peeled, and let’s find out if this is the kind of book for you! Set in the Victorian era, this book has just the right mix of horror, suspense, and mystery all in one. It’s bound to hook all those young, eager readers who show a liking for this specific genre. It starts off with Penelope Treadwell, a thirteen year old female writer who disguises her true identity behind the name ‘Montgomery Flinch’. She has to pretend to be a man so her writing is taken seriously in this period and even pays an actor to represent Montgomery Filch in public! However, will her paid actor succeed in his role of playing a famous author all the time? Penelope’s new adventure begins when she starts investigating some strange occurrences at the Bedlam hospital (Hospital for the mentally ill). The hospital has been experiencing some troubling and quite disturbing issues to do with the patients’ dreams. Nightmares followed by patients scribbling desperately on any surface, even with their own blood or even poison. Will Penelope be able to put an end to these terrible dreams as her 13-year-old self without the support of her cowardly paid actor?

Why do the patients of Bedlam wake up at 12 minutes to midnight to scribble out their dreams frantically. What’s making them do this…. or who? Who is the Spider Lady? Read this thrilling tale to find out more about Penelope Tredwell’s amazing adventures at Bedlam Lunatic Asylum.

My opinion:

I think the book has a great combination of mystery and drama. This book is full of action, there’s never a dull moment. I particularly liked the Victorian setting as it adds to the sense of doom and gloom. As far as the characters are concerned, Penelope is really smart and I was cheering her on throughout the book. The villains are all pretty interesting too, not like cartoon villains, but solid characters.