Our Blog

Zombies

Wed, 27 Nov 2013 12:06:32 +0000

This book is about a boy who went everywhere with his granddad but then his granddad died. He went to his grave every day. He met a girl when he was at the graveyard and a zombie began chasing them. The zombie was not as terrible as they both thought at first.

The book would be suitable to those aged between 12 and 13. It is okay.

Luke O’ Brien

Megan 2 by Mary Hooper

Wed, 27 Nov 2013 12:02:56 +0000

This book is about a fifteen year old who had a baby and her ex-boyfriend comes to see her in the hospital and he tells her that they are all going to be a happy family. If you want to see what happens next just read the book!

I would recommend this book because it has a very interesting storyline.

Megan Redmond

Holes by Louis Sachar

Wed, 27 Nov 2013 11:48:17 +0000

This book is about a boy named Stanley who ‘stole’ a pair of shoes and is being sent to Camp Green Lake. While there, he has to dig a hole in the ground each day. Also, while there, he makes great friends with some boys as they try to escape from the camp.

I would recommend this book as it’s a really interesting book and a great read.

Abby Whelan.

A Clean Break by Jacqueline Wilson

Wed, 27 Nov 2013 11:44:02 +0000

This book is about a girl who wakes up on Christmas and overhears her dad speaking on the phone to another woman. She hears him say, “I’m leaving them tomorrow.” When her dad leaves things start to go downhill. Read the book to find out more.

I would recommend this book as I don’t like reading but I was able to finish this book.

Claire Whelan

Second Chance by Patricia Scanlon

Wed, 27 Nov 2013 10:40:31 +0000

This book is about four main people. Tony O’Neill, who is the husband of Jean and father of Angela, Dave Cummins, he’s on drugs and mugged three elderly women to get money.

This book changes characters a lot and sometimes at random times. It’s a challenge to read but would be suitable for 12+.

Louise Redmond

Arthur Quinn and the World Serpent by Alan Early.

Wed, 27 Nov 2013 10:34:35 +0000

This book is about and boy and his father who just moved up to Dublin from Kerry. In the story the boy makes some new friends. He later on finds out he has special powers and he has to defeat Loki, the evil brother of Thor.

I would recommend this book because it was one of my favourite books and it has great descriptions so it really helped me to imagine Arthur, his friends and the vikings.

Mark Lawlor

Tunnel Vision by A.V.I. Warshawski

Wed, 27 Nov 2013 10:30:37 +0000

This book is about a man named Pat. Pat is a muscular 30 year old who runs a group called ‘The Fellowship’. Most people think Pat takes drugs. He has two collection of guns. Pat also runs a football team who win their matches most of the time.

This book would be suitable for 13 year olds if they’re good readers as some of the language is difficult.

Andrew kelly

How I survive Bullies, Broccoli and Snake Hill by James Patterson

Wed, 27 Nov 2013 10:26:00 +0000

The book is about a kid called Rafe who goes to Camp Wannamorra. He doesn’t like the camp at the start but after he meets some friends he doesn’t think it’s too bad. After he eats some bad food, things begin to change.

I would recommend this book to people who are interested in comedy and who also like nicknames and snakes.

Martin Clayton

My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult

Wed, 27 Nov 2013 10:21:27 +0000

This book is about Anna Fitzgerald’s right to her body. She no longer wants to donate blood/marrow and now a kidney to her sister Kate who suffers from a form of cancer called APL. Sara, Anna’s mother, is shocked when she finds out Anna is taking legal action against her parents. Does Anna go through with the case or sacrifice herself to save Kate?

I would recommend this book to people because it is a very gripping story with heartbreaking moments and moments filled with suspense. It will leave you hanging on every word.

Kerri-Ann Jones

The illustrated mum by Jacqueline Wilson

Wed, 27 Nov 2013 10:14:47 +0000

This book is about a girl named Dolphin. She lives with her mother Marigold who is covered in what Dolphin thinks are amazing, colourful tattoos but Star, Dolphin’s sister isn’t so keen on them. I would definitely recommend this book because I think it’s one of Wilson’s best books because she really brings the characters to life as she does in all her books. It’s very interesting to see how Dolphin copes with life and an illustrated mum.

Róisín Gallagher

Enna Burning by Shannon Hale

Sat, 26 Nov 2011 12:30:00 +0000

Enna Burning is an amazing read. This book is a true page turner. The book is about a young girl called Enna. Her brother Leifer brings home a vellum he found. The vellum teaches him fire speaking but he is unable to control his fire or his temper from firing up. Enna travels to the city of Bayern and hoped to talk to her best friend Isi. Isi is able to speak animal and wind but she is unable to manage her own abilities. A neighbouring country decides to invade Bayern. Enna and her friend Finn travel to the city with Leifer. To find out what happens to Leifer and Enna you’ll have to read the book.

I’d give this book 10 out of 10. The characters and the settings are described well. I would recommend this to people from the age of 12 up due to the small amount of violence in the book.

Trish Nicole Lima

Through My Eyes by Cheryl Cole

Sat, 26 Nov 2011 12:21:06 +0000

I found this book really interesting and exciting in ways. This book was all about Cheryl Cole going through a lot in her life. She put this book together really well because she put a lot of pictures of some good times that she has had.

At the start of this book she is just introducing herself and she tells us that she wrote this book because she wants us to know what she went through and how she felt at the time. Cheryl mentioned a lot of familiar people like Ashley Cole, Derek Hough, Will.I.Am and of course, Girls Aloud.

She didn’t say too much about each of them, but said that she was honoured to work with Will. I. Am and was starstruck when meeting him. She also mentioned that she loves and misses the girls from Girls Aloud and they all stay in contact and help each other out when they need it.

She made it clear to us that The X-Factor was a big part of her life. To find out more you’ll need to read this book. I would recommend this to a friend and I would give it 9 out of 10 stars because I thought that she was very brave to open up and express herself with pictures and information of both the good and the bad times in her life.

Laura Byrne

Everything To Live For by Stewart Ross

Sun, 20 Nov 2011 17:38:06 +0000

This book is about a thirteen year old girl, Lizie, living in Belfast and she is a protestant. The catholics are always calling her names and bullying her.

One day when Lizie was walking back from the swimming pool with her little sister Vicky two kids start teasing her. Her dad collected her but something terrible was to happen in the following days. If you want to read more you’ll have to read the rest of the book.

I would give this book eight out of ten stars. If you like mystery novels then this might be the book for you.

Jessica Viegas

Book Review: Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney

Sun, 20 Nov 2011 17:24:21 +0000

This book is humorous. The story takes place in America during the months September to November. The main characters are Greg, Rodrick, Manny, Rowley and Greg’s mam and dad. It’s about a young boy who gets his summer ruined by his big brother and his embarrassing friend. He’s in his first year in High school. I liked the characters but mostly Greg because he is the one who’s always getting in trouble. Does everything turn out for Greg? You’ll have to read it and see.

I found this book interesting because of all the funny things that happy. I’d give this book seven out of ten because I found it a bit predictable. At times the dialogue was not very believable, it had the ‘cheese factor’ but I think it would be suitable for all ages because it’s an easy read.

Dean Murtagh

Book review: A Book of a Thousand days by Shannon Hale

Sun, 20 Nov 2011 17:14:16 +0000

This book is a mix of love, hate and grief. It starts off when the Lord picks a man out for his daughter to marry. His daughter, who is known as ‘Her Lady’ refuses. The king is so furious that he locks her up in a tower with her maid. The maid eventually gets the feeling that there’s something Her Lady is not telling.

All the grief is locked up inside her. Inside and outside the tower the word gets around. If you want to find out more then you have to read it!

I give this book five stars out of five because when Her Lady is locked in the tower you could feel the emotions she was feeling. I would recommend this book to people my age, around 12 and up but there is some difficult language in the book. I will most likely read this book again!

Lauryn Nelson

Book Review: Eragon by Christopher Paolini

Sun, 20 Nov 2011 17:02:07 +0000

The book is a story about a lowly farmer boy. His name is Eragon. His was adopted by his uncle. His uncle’s name is Garrow and he also lives with his cousin Roran. They live in the land of Alagaesia. Alagaesia is ruled by the evil king Galbatorix.

Brom is a storyteller and he tells of Dragon riders. Eragon finds a blue stone in the Spire while he is hunting. Suddenly Eragon’s life is pulled into turmoil, he becomes the new Dragon Rider and is faced with the daunting tasks of bringing together the Elf, Dwarf and Dragons together to overthrow Galbotorix.

I can give a lot of praise to Christopher Paolini for writing this novel. It has imagination, grief, death, sorrow and maturity.

My favourite character in this novel is the mysterious Elf who hides a lot more then she tells.

I think this book is a very good example of great fantasy writing. I would give this book five out of five stars. There are a series of books & I would recommended anyone who read Eragon to continue on and read ‘Eldest’ and ‘Brisingr’.

Jack Hynes

Book Review: The Catcher In The Rye By J. D. Salinger

Sun, 14 Mar 2010 11:54:00 +0000

The book that I read is called ‘The Catcher in the Rye’. The book is a comedy that takes place in New York. The book is about a boy called Holden who goes to school with his friends and shares a room with his friend called Stradlater. On one of the days before his holidays his friend Stradlater asked him to do his homework. Stradlater asked him to write a descriptive paragraph. He wrote a paragraph about his brother's baseball glove with poems on it. Stradlater was fighting with him because he asked him to write it about a house. Stradlater hit him and his nose was bleeding. They had a falling out and he went to New York on his own and his journey begins....

The main characters are Holden, Ackley and Stradlater. The strengths are the humour in the story because Holden is funny at some parts of the book. The story is sad when Holden said that his brother Allie died of leukemia when he was young. Holden said that there were poems on his brother's baseball glove and he said that he was smart. The relationships were believable. The book was interesting and there were some elements of suspense. The language was friendly and the descriptions were believable because they could form pictures for some people that helped you to understand the story.

I would give the book to teenager because it is funny and some teenagers can relate to some of the characters because they are in the same age group with some life experiences.
Megan Douglas

Book Review: The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy By Douglas Adams

Sun, 14 Mar 2010 11:45:02 +0000

The ‘Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams’. This book is a science-fiction book. The book follows Arthur Dent and his friend Ford Prefect as they wander the galaxy. But this is not as simple as it seems because one they are drifting through space.
The story begins with Arthur Dent’s house being destroyed to make room for a bypass. Arthur is then saved from the destruction of Earth by his friend Ford Prefect. They are then thrown from the ship that rescued them. Throughout the book there are entries from the book the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. This book talks about ordinary Earth objects as being important such as a towel. Of course the two characters are saved by a ship piloted by Ford’s cousin. They then set out to find the planet Magrathea.
This book is full of crazy and hilarious scenes such as Arthur’s house is destroyed for plans that were made fifty years ago and then the Earth is destroyed for plans that were also made fifty years ago. This book has an interesting ending and leaves people wanting to read the rest of the series. The book kept my interest the whole way through and there was good suspense throughout the book. The characters are interesting and hilarious such as a robot called Marvin who is clinically depressed.
The dialogue in the book is realistic seeing as it is a science-fiction/comedy. The relations in the book between the characters are believable. The main strengths of the book are the comedy and madness. The main weakness is that some things have to be read a couple of times.
My favourite scene is when two mice offer Arthur money to buy his brain so Arthur of course disagrees and they start fighting. I love this scene because I find it crazy that two mice want to buy a brain from someone who is alive, this would mean killing the person. This scene always strikes me as being one of the craziest scenes in the book.
I would recommend this book to everyone between the ages of three to three hundred. It is suitable for everyone as there is nothing difficult in the book. This book is good for people who enjoy science-fiction and comedy. People who do enjoy science-fiction and comedy will not enjoy this book.
Sandy Corcoran

The book that I have read is the hitchhiker’s guider to the galaxy by Douglas Adams. The book is a 180 page read, it has sold over 15 million copies worldwide. It was originally a radio show on BBC2 but was later rewritten as a book and is the first of five books. It is a sci-fi comedy. The book is about Arthur Dent who thinks things are going bad for him because his house was knocked down. The Earth suffers the same faith shortly afterwards to make way for a new hyperspace bypass and his best friend Ford Perfect has just announced that he’s an alien. At this moment they’re hurtling through space with nothing but their towels and an innocent looking book inscribed with big, friendly words:
DON’T PANIC
I would give this book a 9/10 as it was a good read and very funny. It even includes the meaning of life and has a suicidal robot called Marvin. I would recommend this book for people ages 10-15 but everyone would enjoy it.  
By Shane Duggan

Book Review: The Breadwinner By Deborah Ellis.

Sun, 14 Mar 2010 11:40:18 +0000

The Breadwinner
The Breadwinner is written by Deborah Ellis.
The book takes place in Afghanistan and tells the story of Parvana a 12 year old girl living under Taliban rule. When Parvana’s father is arrested by the Taliban, Parvana’s family become prisoners in their own home. Under Taliban law, women and girls are not allowed to leave the house on their own. They have no one to go out to buy food, they are desperate and now face starvation. They come up with a plan, where by Parvana must pretend to be a boy, so she can out and save her family. It is a dangerous plan but has to be done.
She goes out dressed up and faces the many horrors including beatings from the Taliban and having to dig up bones in a graveyard in order to make money.  
I would give this book a 9/10 as it was a good read. The story was interesting with exciting moments.The characters and scene are easy to picture from the descriptions in the book.  
By Shane Duggan

Book Review: Bad Girls By Jacqueline Wilson

Sun, 14 Mar 2010 11:34:08 +0000

My book report is on ‘Bad Girls’ by Jacqueline Wilson.
Settings\Themes
In the book different themes are explored, including growing up, family life, friends and bullying.
Characters\Plot
The main character in the book is Mandy, her Parents, Tanya her new friend, Kim, Melanie and Sarah who bullies Mandy .
The story is told from Mandy’s point of view. Mandy is an 11 year old girl. She is a very bright girl and doesn’t have many friends. Mandy gets bullied by Kim, Melanie and Sarah. Melanie used to be friends with Mandy and always said that she would never become friends with Kim but now she is. Mandy was walking home from school one day and saw Kim, Melanie and Sarah. She tries to ignore them but they start jeering her so she ran. As she ran she went running across the road. She stopped and fell to the ground because she saw a bus right on front of her. She doesn’t get hit by the bus although everybody thought she had but she dropped in fright. When Mandy’s at home from school for a few days after the incident she met this older girl called Tanya.
She’s a foster child across at the Williams. When the summer arrives Mandy stays at the William’s home because her mam is at work. Mandy and Tanya go shopping one day and let’s just say they got in big trouble. The next thing that happened was……………find out for yourself.
Style of writing
The style of writing features dialogue and narrative which Mandy is always included in. The story is told through Mandy’s eyes.
My View
I would highly recommend this book for the ages of 10-14. It is a very good book that any girl would understand.
The End
By Caroline Kenny