Author: BookNook

All the Money in the World by Sarah Moore Fitzgerald, reviewed by Farrah

The premise of this book immediately appealed to me and I was eager to begin. With an engaging, fast-paced plot that follows the main character Penny as she navigates poverty whilst longing for a better life. Without wishing to give away spoilers, opportunities arise from Penny’s newfound wealth and the author, Sarah Moore Fitzgerald, skilfully discusses topics such as privilege, poverty and money in a way that is accessible and understandable for all ages, including younger readers. I found the characters realistic and their stories immersive, with the message the book provides lingering with you long after you turn the last page. I highly recommend you pick this book up when it is released.  Click here for my BookTok review @readbyfarrah.  Enjoy.  

@readbyfarrah

pause to read. #advancedreadercopy #bookreview #bookrecommendations

♬ love – 🎥
I’ve set myself the challenge of reading seventy five books this year & already I’ve read forty five. I hope this gives you an insight into how much I LOVE LOVE LOVE reading.  I’ve been reading more YA fantasy novels through my @readbyfarrah BookTok & have become obsessed with the series written by Leigh Bardugo, Victoria Aveyard, Sarah J. Maas, Alice Oseman, Cassandra Clare & V.E. Schwab.  As a staunch Gryffindor, my all time favourite Harry Potter book is The Goblet of Fire, oh & The Deathly Hallows…I can’t choose between those two: you can’t have one without the other six!  I credit Harry Potter for igniting my love of fantasy novels, but I love to fall down the rabbit hole of classics & crime fiction.  My Grandpa introduced me to Sherlock Holmes at a young age & I’m a massive fan of who dunnit novels by Agatha Christie, Robin Stevens & Karen M. McManus’ ‘One Of Us Is Lying.’

My current favourite book is ‘The Song of Achilles’. I defy all my reluctant reading friends not to be crushed by Madeline Miller’s masterpiece.   My passion for Greek Mythology started with a beautifully illustrated Usborne children’s guide, which has certainly influenced my choice of GCSE Classics.  Moving forward, I hope to study it at A Level, & fingers crossed at university along with English Lit.  I’ve read Stephen Fry’s fantastic ‘Mythos,’ Natalie Haynes’ ‘A Thousand Ships’ & Mary Beard’s Ancient Rome book entitled ‘SPQR.’ Even though I tend to steer clear of horror stories I do actively seek strong female role models & stories with good representation from the lgbtq plus community & books by authors of colour. 

If you need to reach me, I’ll be in my room ‘manifesting’ the third Six of Crows book!  


About the book

One day you’re broke. The next, you have all the money in the world. What would you do? A gripping, timely story about cold, hard cash and little white lies for fans of Jenny Valentine, Siobhan Dowd and Lara Williamson.

Fifteen-year-old Penny longs for something better. Better than a small, damp flat. Better than her bullying classmates and uninterested teachers.

Better than misery and poverty day in day out. An unlikely friendship and a huge sum of money promise a whole lot of new chances for Penny, and she realises that not only can she change her life, she can change herself. But at what cost?Perfect for readers of 10+.

The Cartoons that Came to Life by Tom Ellen and Phil Corbett, reviewed by Niamh

Hello! My name is Niamh and I’m aged 8. I’m an avid reader and some of my favourite authors and illustrators are Laura Ellen Anderson, Steven Butler, Steven Lenton, Sophy Henn and Sophie Anderson. I want to be an author and illustrator when I’m older and I love to write and draw in my spare time. I like to recommend books to my friends at school and believe you can never have too many books, even though I’m running out of space on my bookshelves! 

About the book

Perfect for fans of Liz Pichon’s Tom Gates series!

Finn loves drawing comic strips featuring his two cartoon heroes, Arley and Tapper. But after being teased at school, he finds he can’t draw them any more – and is shocked to see them climbing out of his sketchbook for real! With the help of his friend Isha, Finn needs to find a way to draw them back to their comic world – and quickly …

A brilliant action-packed comic series for readers aged 8-12, illustrated by Phil Corbett! A big-hearted adventure about celebrating individuality, friendship and true loyalty.

Deals with children’s insecurities, worries and the debilitating effect of anxiety with a lightness of touch. Author Tom Ellen is the co-author of three books for teens, including Lobsters, shortlisted for the YA Book Prize.

Genie and Teeny Make a Wish by Steven Lenton, reviewed by Evie

Title : Genie and Teeny Make a Wish 5/5

If I could wish for the best book in the world it would be this one! The amazing main characters are Grant the Genie and Teeny the dog. The story is about a dog and a genie trying to find a home, well Grant is but Teeny is a missing dog and Lavinia Lavender pretends she’s his owner!

Grant falls out of Genie world all the way to the human world. And when Lavinia Lavender captures them they get taken back home with her and have to find a way to escape! I loved this book because its really exciting and all really interesting. The illustrations in it are mind-blowing – you all will go koo-koo. My favourite part was on (page 51) it told you stuff you had to do to the book like turning the book or shaking it or turning it upside down, its hilarious.

You can also list three wishes and learn how to draw Grant. I give this book 5/5 – you must get it!

Hey I am Evie! I love playing with my friends, dancing, singing and having adventures through the stories that I read. My favourite stories so far are the Magic Ballerina books where some magic ballet shoes take dancers on magical adventures 🩰 . I also love crazy Roald Dahl books – they are so funny 😆 people get stretched, blown up and even disappear and I love snowy stories like Snow Day and also the enchanting Snow Dragon.  Reading is so amazing as every time you turn a page you go into another world and I love that 🥰. 

About the book

Meet Grant the genie, and his best friend – the puppy Teeny… The first in a series of magical adventures from the renowned illustrator, Steven Lenton, winner of Waterstones Picture Book of the Month and the Times Children’s Book of the Week. When Grant the Genie is cast out of Genie World, he lands on Earth with a big, fat bump! Without a lamp to call home, he has to settle for an old cracked teapot instead.

Grant is very lonely until he meets the puppy, Teeny. Then Genie and Teeny are kidnapped by the evil purple-loving Lavinia Lavender, and find themselves on-course for a rollercoaster of an adventure – when all they really want is a place to call home…

The Astonishing Future of Alex Nobody by Kate Gilby Smith, reviewed by Sophie

I’m Sophie and my greatest passion is BOOKS! I love reading, and I’d like to be an author when I’m older. I also like singing and art, and am kind of chatty 🙂

About the book

‘A wonderful time-travelling adventure with more twists and turns than the hands of a clock on a helter-skelter. Alex and Jasper are a fantastic dynamic duo, and the book has genuine friendship and warmth at the heart of a timey-wimey mystery. I loved it.’- L.D. Lapinski, author of The Strangeworlds Travel Agency.

Have you ever thought what it might be like if you were famous in the future? A brilliant middle-grade adventure for fans of Ross Welford – a story about friendship, courage and embracing our talents even when they make us stand out.

On the day Alex was born, crowds surrounded the hospital. On her first day of school, people spied from the gates. And recently, strangers came to watch her perform in her school play … as the llama. But why? Alex has always been a nobody.

Then a mysterious boy named Jasper starts at school and he alone seems to know the answer. But before he can tell Alex, he disappears … into the year 2100.

Can Alex brave traveling into the future to discover what’s happened to him and to unravel the secret of her own astonishing destiny … before time runs out?

One in a Hundred Thousand by Linni Ingemundsen, reviewed by James

One in a Hundred Thousand by Linni Ingemundsen  is a heartwarming book about learning to fit in, even when you are ‘different’. Sander has Silver-Russell syndrome, which means he does not grow as much as any other boys his age, and he is smaller than his younger brother. This makes him worry about lots of things, and when Niklas arrives, his troubles just get worse. Everyone thinks Niklas is amazing; clever, handsome and kind, but Sander doesn’t see him that way. Sander doesn’t like the way he brags about his life; his girlfriend, bike ramp and many injuries he has gotten from it and his ‘amazing’ hair. He is so perfect, and, compared to Sander, you know who everyone would choose. Despite all of this, Sander sees something in Niklas, something buried deep in him mind, and he is scared…This is an amazing book, which teaches you the value of friendship and how (quoting Wonder): ‘You can’t blend in when you were born to standout.’ I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would be very interested in reading some of Linni Ingemundsen’s other books, as, if they are as good as this book, I will be buying them all!

I am 13 years old and I have Type 1 diabetes.  I like reading, experimenting with new things, playing football and I support Arsenal. At school my favourite subject is Drama. 


Boy, Everywhere by A.M. Dassu, reviewed by Aysha

Hello my name is Aysha and I’m 10 years old. I love reading, sports and baking. The book I’m reading is Nevermoor The Trials of Morrigan Crow. I like to read mystery and adventure books. I play two instruments the piano and the tenor horn which I enjoy. In my spare time I like to draw. 

About the book

This debut middle-grade novel chronicles the harrowing journey taken by Sami and his family from privilege to poverty, across countries and continents, from a comfortable life in Damascus, via a smuggler’s den in Turkey, to a prison in Manchester. A story of survival, of family, of bravery … In a world where we are told to see refugees as the ‘other’, this story will remind readers that ‘they’ are also ‘us’.

Julia and the Shark by Kiran Millwood Hargrave, reviewed by Laura-May

Laura-May here, I just finished Julia and the Whale and what can I say I loved it, the story for me was beautiful. It wasn’t high action it wasn’t heart racing it was just beautiful. The type of story you can’t put down for its intriguing tale. It’s one of those metaphorical stories where the side-subject spoken about isn’t a thing at all but an underlying message for something deeper. It’s magical. The shark mentioned represents being limited having others hold you back or holding yourself back. The imagery was truly enchanting. And the characters were entertaining and relatable. 

Big recommend for for 10-14 year olds who enjoy entrancing and descriptive books. 

Thank You for reading my review!

I was born in Worthing but I live in Lancing, I really like it as I love my neighbourhood. Right now I’m in Year 9 and I’ve always loved English and reading in fact in Year 3 I entered the Wicked writing competition and I got down to the final with my story Playdates about a girl making friends with a ghost. And the library ANY library has always been a place I feel calm and happy. So many doorways to adventure I can never pick! In Year 6 I volunteered to help put books away at lunch times. And of course my highlight of the summer the library reading challenge I participated in for about 6 years straight. I try to spread my love for reading too be it by tutoring my neighbour in English or by recommending books to friends I just love it. 

About the book

A captivating, powerful and luminous story from a bestselling, award-winning author about a mother, a daughter and the great Greenland shark. Wrapped up in mesmerising illustrations and presented as a deluxe hardback, this is a perfect gift for the holiday season, for 9+ fans of Philip Pullman, David Almond and Frances Hardinge. ‘Tom de Freston’s stunning illustrations perfectly complement the poetry of Kiran Millwood Hargrave’s story’ Cressida Cowell’A rich, immersive and wondrous journey, through deep darkness to hope and light’ Sophie Anderson, author of The House with Chicken LegsThe shark was beneath my bed, growing large as the room, large as the lighthouse, rising from unfathomable depths until it ripped the whole island from its roots.

The bed was a boat, the shark a tide, and it pulled me so far out to sea I was only a speck, a spot, a mote, a dying star in an unending sky… Julia has followed her mum and dad to live on a remote island for the summer – her dad, for work; her mother, on a determined mission to find the elusive Greenland shark. But when her mother’s obsession threatens to submerge them all, Julia finds herself on an adventure with dark depths and a lighthouse full of hope…

A beautiful, lyrical, uplifting story about a mother, a daughter, and love – with timely themes of the importance of science and the environment.

Twitch By M.G. Leonard, reviewed by Catherine

Warning – some gentle spoilers may lie ahead…

I liked Twitch because even at the beginning Twitch is someone I want to like. I like how even when he gets bullied about loving birds, he never lets that dampen his passion, and it’s interesting to see the change in Jack Cappleman – how he began as an enemy to Twitch but because Twitch saved Jack from Madden and Peaky, Jack realised that birds are actually really cool, and he became Twitch’s friend. I love Twitch’s bed box, and Aves Wood sounds amazing! The twist in the story is almost magical, like something stalking you – you can sense it, but you are reading on and the lion is still behind you, you’re chasing the leopard when the lion is to blame. Or should I say chasing the Leonard?! Twitch’s real name is brilliant – ‘Corvus Featherstone’! – but my favourite thing about him is the teapot tree and his pigeons that live in a wardrobe, though it would also be cool to have swallows nesting in your bedroom! It’s great how he and the rest of his year at school act like birds to overcome the robber and I really like Ava and Tippi. The bird club (The Twitchers) at the end is amazing!

I think this book deserves at least 18 out of 20 stars.

I like animals, playing with my sister, and all types of books. I also love playing football, going on walks and identifying birds. My favourite species of bird is a firecrest because I love the orange stripe on their heads.

Catherine wrote her review whilst listening to the dawn chorus in a tent at 6.30am. A sign that she definitely belongs in the Twitchers! Thank you for a fab review, Catherine.

About the book:

From the internationally bestselling author of Beetle Boy and the Adventures on Trains series, comes the first book in The Twitchers, a brand new mystery adventure series celebrating friendship, bravery and the incredible world of birds, starring a birdwatching detective called Twitch!Can a birdwatcher outwit an escaped convict? Twitch has three pet chickens, four pigeons, swallows nesting in his bedroom and a passion for birdwatching. On the first day of the summer holidays, he arrives at his secret hide to find police everywhere: a convicted robber has broken out of prison and is hiding in Aves Wood. Can Twitch use his talents for birdwatching to hunt for the dangerous prisoner and find the missing loot?

How To Be Brave by Daisy May Johnson reviewed by Sophie

My first impression of this book was that it would be all about ducks and being religious. So, sure, boring. Was I right? No, I was completely wrong! So, as I delved deeper into the pages, I realised that this book opened up a new section of imagination in my head. One of my favourite things about the book was the footnotes. Daisy May Johnson has an amazing sense of humour! Also, I really like the way that the story unfolds, bit by bit, including the back stories of each character, or most of them anyway. I would recommend this book to 8 years and older. It is an interesting read, there are some heart-breaking moments but it is also very funny. I can’t wait until it’s published in July, I will be recommending it to all my friends!

A picture I drew inspired by the book.
It is of young Elizabeth with her dog Aslan. 
My name is Sophie and I am 9. I live in Essex with my family: my younger brother and sister, mum and dad and not forgetting my 10 month old hamster. As well as reading I enjoy lots of other things. Some of my hobbies are reading, writing, drawing, playing the violin, drama, swimming and gymnastics. At school I am in year 4. My favourite lessons are art, music, drama, ICT and English. My not-so-favourite lessons are maths, science, history and geography. 

About the book:

Calla’s mum has never been normal. She’s been known to go out in a lab coat and slippers and often forgets to perform basic tasks because she’s been thinking about ducks. When a job offer arrives to study her beloved birds in the Amazon rainforest, Calla knows her mum has to go.

Nervously, she agrees to go to boarding school. She quickly learns that trouble is afoot in this odd convent school. A mean new headmistress is imposing horrible rules and making everyone eat Brussels sprout cake, and the students are itching to revolt.

As Calla makes new friends and gets drawn into their rebellious plot, she keeps waiting for her mum to call. She will, won’t she?Exuberantly funny and brimming with heart, How to Be Brave is a riotous celebration of the power of resourceful girls, stories and the right biscuit at the right time.

The Hatmakers by Tamzin Merchant, reviewed by Rosa

This book was a joy to read because the author had lovely imaginative ideas that made the book exciting and warming to read before bed or in the day. 

The story is about a girl who works at a hat shop, who needs to stop war breaking out between France and England, by returning some enchanted peace clothes to their makers. 

I love how Tamzin Merchant (the author) created a heroine, not a hero, because it made the book more interesting to read as she wore big skirts, but they didn’t get in the way of her climbing and saving the day. It was cute how the messenger pigeon was hatched in her father’s armpit. The bond between Cordelia and Goose is spellbinding as their families are enemies. I would have loved to have learned how they met.

It didn’t quite have me gripped at the start but by he end it left me hungry for more! The plot is an interesting one but it had two dilemmas which is juicy but also a lot to focus on. Tamzin Merchant handled it brilliantly by making the main character multitask magically and that made it even better. 

Nevermoor and the Sinclair mystery fans would relish as magic and millinery is the perfect combo. 

My name is Rosa and I am nine, I live in Hove with my cat Minty, annoying brother Otto and my parents. I love reading and writing. Writing is not just popping words on a page, to me it’s a step into a new world, everything is amazing and crazy, nothing is boring and grey. Reading is one of my total passions. My favourite books are usually mystery/action and include The Percy Jackson series, Harry Potter and some other smashing books. I have also written two books: Story Le Jenrale; and Paris at its Worst. Currently I am writing another, it is a picture book this time and is called Don’t Zigzag the Zoo.