A Million Shades of Gray - Cynthia Kadohata

This book was quite difficult to get into. When I started reading it, the story started from quite a random part and that made it quite difficult to get a grasp of. It was only at chapter four that I really started getting into it, that is why it has taken me so long to review it.

Y'tin and his family live in Vietnam, there is a war going on and Y'tin knew little about it. He didn't really care to know anything about it for he loved, more than anything in the world, to spend his time with elephants. His elephant, Lady, was the one he loved best and Y'tin spent most of his time with her. But when the war actually comes to his village, he is forced to let Lady go on her own into the jungle. Y'tin is captured by the North Vietnamese soldiers and is held hostage. After seeing many of his best friends killed, right in front of his eyes he makes a narrow escape into the jungle. There, he meets up with the other Elephants, and one of the elephant handlers, Tomas. The third elephant handler had been killed. Day after day they go through the jungle searching for their lost relatives. When one of his friends goes missing and he is put in charge of the search, a lot of the villagers are counting on him.

I think this an ok book. I wouldn't pick it from a shop and I think it's rather sad about all the deaths and everything and there are quite a few upsetting parts, but otherwise it's interesting and tells us about the Vietnam war, but from a young boy's point of view. I don’t think this would be for younger children because of the upsetting bits and they mightn’t understand some of it, I think this book if for girls and boys, aged 13+.

Pompom.

Artemis Fowl Book 1 by Eoin Colfer

This book is the first in a best-seller series by Eoin Colfer. It features two different settings and two different characters; Artemis and Holly.

Artemis is only twelve years of age but is already an academic prodigy, producing, using and developing ideas and technology to manipulate ways in the business world to restore his family's fortune which had been lost by his father who went missing on a trip to the artic circle.

Artemis' first idea is to uncover an ancient and secret civilisation known commonly as sprites or fairies, his body guard; Butler is doubtful at this initially and comes to realise there is a civilisation that runs bellow Earth hidden from man-kind for centuries.

Meanwhile, in the spirte civilisation, Holly is the only female officer of the sprite's police, the LEPrecons; hence where the name leprecon started. She is having trouble fitting in with all the male officers of the force yet is keen on her assignments. Holly is the forces best pilot, but on a trip to stonehenge to replenish her magic she is kidnapped by Artemis who has a few theorys of taking advantage of Holly to gain gold.

Together, the two come to realise that they are not so different from one another.

A great childrens fantasy book with a modern twist. Eoin Colfer is a genius, I give it 4 out of 5 stars. This is currently in a series of six.

The Ashleys, Lipgloss Jungle - Melissa De La Cruz

Lipgloss Jungle is not the first in the series. I have never read the first book but I still understood the story.

It is about the three Ashleys, Ashley Spencer (known as Ashley), Ashley Alioto (A.A.) and Ashley Li (Lili). They are the queen bees of the school and all wear the same style of clothes, have bags by the same designer and wear the same shade of pink lipgloss.

I gathered that in the previous book, Lauren Page, whose family had recently gained a lot of money, hatched a plan to join the Ashleys and break them up from the inside.

Everyday, the Ashleys (and Lauren successfully continuing her quest) go to Starbucks and have a Soy Latte each (Ashley’s favourite drink) and then they sit on the bench outside their school and “help the fashionably challenged” (make mean comments about the other girls’ clothes).

Trouble stirs when the mysterious S. Society sit on the bench and the war begins. Ashley is horrified and orders the attack. But maybe A.A. and Lili don’t want to be the same anymore?

Each chapter focuses on a different girl and I liked it because I could see what each of them were thinking and if they were planning anything that they haven't told the others. It also gives all four sides of the story so you can decide who was in the right.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book because it was fun to read and it was exciting finding out what they were going to plot next. I wish I could read the rest of the series. I would recommend it to girls between the ages of nine and fifteen.

By Zobdy
Age 12

Mister Monday by Garth Nix

One of Garth Nix's most well known series, The Keys to the Kingdom. I am on two sides with this book. As much as I think it is a great book, it is very different I suppose you could say.

It is about a boy named Arthur Penhaligon who goes to a new school and is very asthamtic. During a school run, he has a terrible asthama attack, two other class members go to fetch a teacher, in the mean time two very strange characters show up expecting him to die. He is given a key, presumably one character; Mister Monday is supposed to take the key back when he dies, but Arthur lives. The key is now his and he unlocks a whole new world behind it all. An inventive idea in my opinion.

Many more strange people come to collect the key and they don't care how many people die doing it. A disease comes up from these people and soon enough most of the town has the disease known as "The Sleepy Plague", they can't wake up. The town is put in quarantine and Arthur is the only hope of finding a cure.

It's an interesting book and it is an easy read but I'd say it's suitable for children from age 11 up to adults even.
Rating: 3.5 Stars
I look forward to reading the rest of this series in the future.

By Pizza,
Age 14

Pig City - Louis Sachar

Pig City
By Louis Sachar

I didn't want to read this book at first because the blurb on the back made it sound boring. Then I found out it was by the author who wrote 'Holes' so I thought it was worth trying. I thought the title looked cool because the letters were all buildings.

It's about a girl called Laura Sibbie who starts a club with her friends, called Pig City, when children aren't allowed to make clubs because of her school rules. Laura asks someone to join her club but they don't want to. So he makes a new club called Monkey Town. What makes this book interesting is the relationship between the two club leaders.

I usually like to read action stories but I still really liked this book. I would give it 10 out of 10!!!!!!!! This story is about people, secrets and friendships. It kept me glued to the story so much that I finished it in 2 nights!!!!!!!!!!!

By MJ
aged 10