Over the half-term the students from Year 6 were asked to read and create a book review. They selected their books from a range of authors from a diverse and multi-cultural background. Some of the books that they could choose from gave a broad understanding of life in a different culture. Other books were thought provoking and considered our relationship with the planet and also how people can be judgemental to one another. Some books provided an excellent tale with plot twists, interesting characters and exciting cliff-hangers from authors of varied nationalities.
The reviews that were produced were so beautifully considered that they have been made into a folder within the library, so that children who are unsure what they would like to choose can look at the comments made and wonder if this could be the book for them.
We would like to share some of the extracts from their book reviews made in each of the classes:
- Sophie “Malala: My Story of Standing Up for Girls Rights” –
- Question: Have you learned anything from the book?
- This book gives the lesson that you should never give up no matter what or who stands in your way. It teaches you to stand up for yourself and fight for what’s right like Malala. I learnt so much about life under oppression that I will fight against it in my life.
- Leila ” Malala Yousafzai”
- Final Summary – I really enjoyed reading this book. I have said to myself I should have more courage like her. She is a real inspiration.
- Gemma “Blackberry Blue and Other Fairy Tales”
- Would you recommend this book to a friend?
- I would because it is an incredible book with six different stories, the main one being Blackberry Blue. Each story has a mythical, magical theme with great detail, but most of the stories are about people with different life styles than us and living in different countries. I think this book really deserves 5 stars!
- Oliver T “Warrior Boy”
- Did the story have a moral?
- I think the moral was that even though things hold you back in life you can still overcome them and chase your dreams. I learned that poaching is a serious matter and needs to be stopped.
- Alex “The Boy at the Back of the Class”
- Plot – What happens?
- The story begins with a boy called Ahmet joining the school and sitting in the empty chair at the back of the class. He is 9 but very strange. He never talks or smiles. The truth is, Ahmet is a refugee who’s run away from a war. A real one. I found the plot really interesting.
- Elena “The Girl Who Stole An Elephant”
- Are there any parts you would change to make the story better?
- I really enjoyed the book so much I could read it over and over. Plus, there are so many cliff hangers and twists to the story that really made it an amazing book. At the start of the story, it got straight into action – no messing around which made the book more unique – a must read.
The children found that the diversity of the books that they had available to them allowed them to think about the world and life in all countries in a different light. The book reviews allowed them to reflect upon their thoughts and realise that there were parts of the books that made them laugh and others that were surprising and unexpected.
- Noah – “The Nothing to See Here Hotel”
- Plot – In an ordinary monster hotel Frankie and his mom get an important message that a goblin prince is coming. When he arrives, he is evil and enslaves everyone and claims everything is his. The plot twist is interesting as I was never expecting the story to unfold as it does. I had to read on.
- Rohan – “My Friend Earth”
- Summary – This book is a poem but a story at the same time. It tells you that Mother Earth is a friend who helps wild life and sometimes is destroys the wild life. Interesting because the book also makes you think about recycling and how it helps wild life to become more aware of the world.
- Joseph – “The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind”
- Plot and Summary – The book is an autobiography of a family who live in a country where not everyone has electricity. They live in a country where they believe that magic is the reason for everything. Personally, I think this book is a prime example of a good story and it continues to astound me that this actually happened.
- Ines – “Sam Wu”
- Did you enjoy the book and are there any parts you would change?
- Yes, I definitely enjoyed the book, so much so that I went and got the second book. The amount of excitement is just amazing and the suspense was on the next level! Everything about the book was so intriguing that I would 100,000% be reading this book again.
- Sienna – “The Shark Caller”
- Summary – This story is full of all kinds of adventures, from shark hunting to learning about people from their native countries. This is a special journey of two friends who face danger, and overcome their darkest fears. A rollercoaster of emotions which many can relate to. A very good story in my opinion.
- Louis “Little Badman and the Invasion of the Killer Aunties”
- Were there any parts that made you laugh or be scared?
- I think the whole book is funny with a lot of humour and jokes. Some parts are a bit scary but it all adds to the understanding of the characters and plot. I really liked the story and think it is in my top 5 favourite reads. I normally don’t like half-term homework but I really enjoyed reading this book.
- Kaiser – “Superhero Gran”
- Did the story have a moral?
- I think the story is about spending time with your family and not taking things too seriously. You can have fun with things you have lying around your home, you just need to use your imagination.
We hope that the folder with the Book Reviews displayed will inspire our fellow students to try something different and enjoy the books that we found so diverse, interesting and exciting – try one and see for yourself – we are always delighted to add your comments to our “Reading We Recommend for You” Folder and maybe at the end of the year we can see what were the top 10 best reads at Coopersale Hall School.
