BIRMINGHAMTHEBLUECOATSCHOOL1722

Agent Zaiba Investigates: The Poison Plot by Annabelle Sami

Review by Sophia (3JO)

The new headteacher, Mrs. Goremain, is poisoned during a baking competition at the school fete. Zaiba, with the help of her friends Poppy and Ali, investigates the crime to solve the mystery. The culprit is revealed to be someone who is jealous of Mrs. Goremain’s power and influence.  

I liked how Zaiba didn’t solve the mystery herself and worked with her friend Poppy, and her little brother Ali to make teamwork. 

I would recommend this book to anyone from Year 3 to Year 6 who likes mystery and adventure books.

 

The Explorer by Katherine Rundell

Review by Sophia (4JL)

The book was about a boy called Fred. The adventure starts when Fred is on a plane with three other children but their plane crash lands in the middle of the Amazon rainforest and their stranded with no contacts or food. At first it is commotion and pandemonium. As the children get to know each other they get to know the beauties of the Amazon rainforest too. They also learn the natural creations the world has provided for us. Fred and the three other children who are called, Con, Lila and Max. Then the children discover objects that might lead to someone being in the Amazon rainforest before they landed there. They make daring and life risking decisions. They find a map that tells them a secret location where someone might be hiding they follow the map and get there. Now the only question is, is the person inside here going to roast us for dinner or be nice? Read the book to find out. 

I love the book because it taught me the wonders of planet Earth and about how important friendship and trust is in life and that we are all explorers even if we don’t ever get to crash land in the Amazon rainforest. The book paints amazing and wonderful pictures of the Amazon rainforest in your mind, it’s almost as if you’re standing in the middle of it staring in gasping at all the wonderful animals. 

I would recommend it too anyone who is over five. I have chosen five because some little people might get scared or get a bad idea of the things the children are doing in the rainforest. You must read this book!!! This book is absolutely one of the best ones I’ve ever read!

 

Skandar and the Unicorn Thief by A F Steadman

Review by Alice (5ZS)

This book is about a boy called Skandar who would do anything to be a unicorn rider, where you have to pass an exam and be allowed to hatch a unicorn. Just when Skandar thinks everything is amazing, he realises he is an illegal rider. He will need to find all his courage, faith and strength to face a rumoured enemy and the truth behind it all… 

I like how the author makes old fantasy characters into inspiring stories because it tells a different and familiar story. 

I recommend it if you enjoy fantasy, adventure and magical novels. I also recommend this if you like Harry Potter and Percy Jackson.

 

Wonder by R J Palacio

Review by Aiden (6EF)

A young boy called August was born with a face disorder as rare as rain in the driest place ever and has gone through many face surgeries to fix it. He has been homeschooled his whole life, so when he goes to another school, he dreads it. He knows that people will stare at him or run away. However, that isn’t what happens. Soon, the unexpected occurs and he makes friends with many people. He has been covering his face all his life with an astronaut helmet, so he is a deer in headlights when he hears that he mustn’t wear it. He doesn’t think his life will get better. However, that’s not what happens as some things go uphill with his new friends and the Ancient Egypt project. Soon after, he meets a bully called Julian who hates it and the school because they adapt to a disabled student’s situation. This leads to a war of words and they send weird and evil notes to each other, such as “Get out of our school, orc!”. So who will win? And what will happen to him? Read the book to find out.

I like it because it tells the story from the perspective of other people who have connections to one another. For example, Via is August’s sister, Jack is August’s friends and Justin is Via’s boyfriend. So Jack is August’s friend who is Via’s brother who is Justin’s girlfriend. It all links together. It also shows that when things feel bad, something good can happen even when things feel like the worst. That is why I like it. 

I recommend it to anyone who likes a book about something special because August is the only one in the school with the disorder but in the end, he gets a hearing aid which looks like someone from Star Wars. The book is also special because it has important sayings to live up to such as “Have no friends equal to yourself.” and “Fortune favours the bold.” That is why I would recommend it to those people.