We hope you enjoy reading these reviews of our favourite books.
If you would like to add a review of the book you are currently reading, please send it to your English teacher, or to Miss Tobenhouse in the library.
River of Ink
by Helen Daniels
River of Ink is an original story with an unusual theme – a mixture of secret government departments and the history of alchemy. Kassia is a teenager who is forcibly homeschooled due to her obsessive mother keeping her on track to become a doctor, however this all gets complicated when a boy climbs out of the River Thames not knowing anything about himself. The boy and Kassia’s paths will soon cross and Kassia and her family will be engulfed by a world of peculiar and clandestine activity. As you delve into the plot you will not believe where the story will take you.
Book Level: 4.5
A.R. Quiz Points: 10
Read and reviewed by Mr Scrivens
The Hunchback of Notre-Dame 
by Victor Hugo
Victor Hugo was said to have been the French Charles Dickens: his name may be recognized from also writing Les Misérables. This tale is unlike the sweetened Disney picture which makes the title familiar to you, this is a dark and tragic account of the Hunchback of Notre-Dame. Hugo’s tale jumps back and forth through 15th century Paris where Les Parisiens of all levels of society like the working class, gypsies, priests and soldiers who navigate the pious pillars of society. The story is written around Quasimodo, the hunchback of Notre-Dame who tolls the bells and lives under the dominion of Claude Frollo. As Hugo’s characters act out their stories, they become enveloped into the web of Quasimodo’s suffering under the tenebrous Frollo.
B.L.: 11.8
A.R. Quiz Points: 38
Read and reviewed by Mr Scrivens
The Boy at the Back of the Class 
by Onjali Q. Rauf
Told with heart and humour, The Boy at the Back of the Class is a child’s perspective on the refugee crisis, highlighting the importance of friendship and kindness in a world that doesn’t always make sense.
With a reading age of 8-11, this is a really accessible book for everyone to enjoy. It feels like a really important book too.
The story is told from the perspective of a 9 ¾ year old girl, who becomes friends with a Syrian refugee who joins her class in school. The book will make you think about the refugee crisis in a different way and through different eyes. It is also reminds me how powerful we can be – and that one person can make a difference, even if you feel quite small in a big world.
One of my favourite parts of book is quite near the end:
I had never thought about how loud a whisper can be is there are lots and lots of them. So, all that day, I whispered ‘Help Ahmet’ out loud too, whenever I could. So did Tom and Michael and Josie. And whenever we did it together, our whispers made us sound like an ocean.
If you enjoyed reading ‘Wonder’ and ‘Once’ and other stories of injustice, I think you’ll really enjoy ‘The Boy at the Back of the Class’.
Read and reviewed by Mrs Sherwood
Summer Term at Malory Towers 
by Enid Blyton
A wonderful engaging and exciting journey through the Summer Term escapades of our favourite characters at Malory Towers. This time it focuses on the wonderful summer term excitements of tennis games, swimming in the school pool and picnics. But there is also a mystery: money has gone missing and then a horse. How will the Malory Towers girls solve this puzzle?
Book Level : 6.3
A.R. Quiz Points: 8.0
Read and reviewed by Mrs Freestone
Orangeboy 
from Patrice Lawrence
From the very start I was hooked as the protagonist – Marlon, is embroiled in a scandal that will turn his world upside down. I struggled to put Orangeboy down as it gripped my unrelenting curiosity of what was going to happen next as each chapter unraveled itself. This story is about street gangs in London dealing with unforgotten beef, a sad reflection on real life situations as we follow Marlon’s plight from his tragic past.
Book Level: 3.9
A.R. Quiz: 13.0
Read and reviewed by Mr Scrivens