Raven's Gate, by Anthony Horowitz

-Synopsis

Long-since orphan, Matt is being punished for an act he saw, but didn't commit. Instead of being locked up, he is being sent to live in the middle of nowhere to live in a new foster home, as part of a government scheme called The Leaf Project. But Matt's new surroundings provide anything but peace and quiet. Stuck to deal with a crazy new guardian in an even stranger part of the old English countryside, he begins to realise that fate has its hand upon him. He finds evidence that his 'foster mother' is involved in very sinister things....and the whole town seems to be on her side. Everybody who tries to help Matt winds up disappearing...or dead. Matt begins to realise that he must fufill more than ever expected of a fourteen year old before. An ancient prophecy remains to be proven at his hands. It is up to Matt to stop an ancient evil from rising into the world, against all odds.

The first of a five book series, Matt is not alone, four other teenagers are waiting to be discovered.


- Review

"I think this book is awesome! Once you start reading you can't stop, it has a twist at every turn. I recommend this book to anyone interested in the Harry Potter books - it's just so magnificent. Can't wait for the whole series to be finished!"

- Rating

4/5

Website - http://www.powerof5.co.uk/flash.html

Inkheart, by Cornelia Funke

-Synopsis

Meggie is the daughter of a revered bookbinder called Mo whose peaceful existence is one night shattered by the arrival of Dustfinger - a shadowy, scarred man with a mysterious link to Mo's past. Mo and Meggie are soon on the move, running from something that threatens everything they hold dear. But the past inevitably catches up with them and Mo is forced to reveal to his daughter for the first time his terrible secret. He has the ability, or curse, to breathe life into any story he reads and make the characters come alive, this is why he has never read aloud to Meggie since her mothers curious disappearance. Just such a character, the sinister Capricorn, is after Mo to ensure that he stays alive and is never returned to the pages from which he sprung. And, of course, he''ll stop at nothing to guarantee success.




-Review

'Meggie is the sort of girl that younger readers can relate to and the way the other characters are described from the looks to their habits is so inventive and original that you end up feeling like you have met a whole host of new people by the end of the book. The storyline is far fetched but fantastic, being set in modern day, but using characters from another place creates a charasmatic combination! So in short if you are eleven years or plus I recommend you read this book.'

-Rating

3/5

Website - http://www.corneliafunkefans.com/en

Scottish Children's Book Awards

The Scottish Children's Book Awards allows young people across Scotland to vote for their favourite book in a number of categories. The winners will be announced at a special awards ceremony in Edinburgh in February. Within our school, Mrs Gibson's second year class will be taking part, in the older reader category.

The three books that are in the running are as follows;

-Prisoner of the Inquisition, by Theresa Breslin

Zarita, only daughter of the town magistrate, lives a life of wealth and privilege. Indulged by her parent, she is free to spend her days as she pleases, enjoying herself in the company of an eligible young nobleman, horse riding, or leisurely studying the arts. Saulo, son of a family reduced by circumstances to begging, witnesses his father wrongfully arrested and dealt with in the most horrifying way. Hauled off to be a slave at sea and pursued by pirates he encounters the ambitious mariner explorer, Christopher Columbus. Throughout his hardships Saulo is determined to survive - for he has sworn vengeance on the magistrate and his family. As Zarita's life also undergoes harsh changes, the formidable and frightening Inquisition arrives in the area, bringing menacing shadows of suspicion with acts of the court of Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand in the splendid Moorish city of Grenada, betrayal and revenge...

-Wasted, by Nicola Morgan

Jack worships luck and decides his actions by the flip of a coin. No risk is too great if the coin demands it. Luck brings him Jess, a beautiful singer who will change his life. But Jack's luck is running out, and soon the stakes are high. As chance and choice unravel, the risks of Jack's game become terrifyingly clear. An evening of heady recklessness, and suddenly a life hangs in the balance, decided by the toss of a coin. In the end, it is the reader who must choose whether to spin that coin and determine: Life or Death?

-The Blackhope Enigma, by Teresa Flavin

When Sunni Forrest's stepbrother accidentally transports himself into a Renaissance painting, she and her friend Blaise set out to bring him back. They find themselves in a strange world of labyrinths, monsters and pirates. Can the evade their greedy pursuers? And will they ever find their way home?

The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak

-Synopsis

Nine year old Liesel lives with her foster family on Himmel Street during the dark days of the Third Reich, or the Nazi regime. Her Communist parents have been transported to a concentration camp and during the funerals for her brother, she manages to steal a grim book: it is, in fact, a gravediggers' instruction manual. As a foster girl, Liesel scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can't resist - books. With the help of her accordion-playing father, she learns to read and shares her stolen book with her neighbours during bombing raids as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement before he marched to Dachau. Both Liesel and her fellow inhabitants of Himmel Street will find themselves changed by both words on the printed page and the horrendous events happening around them.

It's just a small story really, about among other things: a girl, some words, an accordionist, some fanatical Germans, a Jewish fist-fighter and quite a lot of thievery.

-Review

'Death takes the reader by the hand and leads us through the lives and deaths of people in Liesel's world. This is an astonishing book - the writing is great - with an unusual style - that fits perfectly with the voice of Death - and that of the unforgettable Liesel'

-Rating

5/5

Website - http://www.booksattransworld.co.uk/thebookthief/

Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief, by Rick Riordan

-Synopsis

Percy Jackson is about to be kicked out of boarding school...again. And that's the least of his troubles. Lately, mythological monsters and the gods of Mount Olympus seem to be walking straight out of the pages of Percy's Greek mythology textbook and into his life. Worse still, he's angered a few of them, Zeus's master lightning bolt had been stolen and Percy is the prime suspect.

Now he and his friends have just ten days to find and return Zeus's stolen property and bring peace to a warring Mount Olympus. But to succeed on his quest, Percy will have to do more that catch the true thief: he must come to terms with the father who abandoned him, solve the riddle of the Oracle, (which warns of a betrayal by a friend), and unravel a treachery more powerful than the gods themselves.

-Review

'I loved this book, before reading it I had my doubts about whether this type of story would appeal to me and I found it surprisingly good. Highly recommended for young readers in search of an original and imaginative series. The plot is extremely unique and keeps you fascinated throughout the entire course of the story.'

-Rating

4/5

-Media

A movie has been recently released of this first book, and was popular with families and teenagers.




Website - http://www.percyjackson.co.uk/site/pj_main.php

Death Note, by Tsugumi Ohba/Takeshi Obata

-Synopsis

Light Yagami is an ace student with great prospects - and he's bored out of his mind. But all that changes when he finds the Death Note, a notebook dropped by a rouge Shinigami death God. Any human whose name is written in the notebook dies, and now Light has vowed to use the power of the death note to rid the world of evil, using the name Kira. But when criminals begin dropping dead, the authorities send the legendary detective 'L' to track down the killer.


With L hot on his heels, will Light lose sight of his noble goal....or his life? Light tests the boundaries of the death note's powers as L and the police begin to close in. Luckily his father is the head of the Japanese National Police Agency and leaves vital information about the case lying around the house. With access to his father's files, Light can keep one step ahead of the authorities.


However, L seems to figure each of Kira's plans and quickly suspects Light to be the murderer, how can Light guard against enemies whose name he doesn't know?

-Review

'I seriously recommend this to anyone new to manga looking for a good introduction as well as hardened veterans, or anyone looking for a dark read. It was fantastic, brilliant story, and I would definitely read the whole set of books.'

-Rating

5/5

-Media

Accompanying the manga, is the anime series and the live action movie, using actors instead of animation, as is usually the case. All of which are extremely popular and Death Note now has it's own huge franchise around the world.





Website - http://deathnote.viz.com/