by Susan Barnes | 24 Jul 2023 | Book Reviews
Three months after his father’s death, Jack is still very angry. Everything in his life reminds him of his Dad which triggers his anger. Jack craves the unfamiliar and begins skipping school. He spends time with a gang of delinquents who are vandals and minor thieves....
by Susan Barnes | 26 May 2023 | Book Reviews
Where the river takes us is the story of four friends who go on a camping trip to find a big cat who is supposedly living in the nearby mountains. A reward of £100 is being offered for a clear photo. For Jason, it’s the opportunity he’s been looking for to help his...
by Susan Barnes | 21 Apr 2023 | Book Reviews
Breaking Down the Wall is set in 1989 and is a sequel to The Boy Behind the Wall which was set in 1967. While it’s not necessary to have read the earlier book to follow the plot, the story does tie up some loose ends from the previous book. Breaking Down the Wall is...
by Susan Barnes | 17 Mar 2023 | Book Reviews
Dust Makers is a collection of 13 stories for young adults that focus on the impact we have on our planet. The narratives consider the themes of sustainability, the environment and the legacy we leave for others. About two-thirds of the stories occur in the future and...
by Susan Barnes | 24 Feb 2023 | Book Reviews
Anthony McGowan’s main focus in Dogs of the Deadlands is to tell the story of two dogs, Zoya and her son Misha and their lives, following the Chernobyl disaster. The human involvement around Natasha Taranova is woven in but comprises a relatively small part of...
by Susan Barnes | 17 Feb 2023 | Book Reviews
I enjoyed the storyline of Finding Joy. It started well and had a good foundation, but it became long and drawn out. The story begins on Joy’s last day of high school and continues over the school holidays. On the first page, we discover that Joy is worried about her...
by Susan Barnes | 27 Jan 2023 | Book Reviews
Eleven-year-old Rosie grew up living in an Indian palace, but for the last three months, she has been living miserably in the English countryside, which is supposedly safer for her than in India. Rosie finds this hard to understand when Hitler is regularly dropping...
by Susan Barnes | 20 Jan 2023 | Book Reviews
Scarlett Love has a great opening with an interesting premise. The reader quickly discovers that eighteen-year-old Scarlett is wealthy, tech-savvy and on her way to Australia for a one-month stay. Scarlett’s family and friends believe she is going as an exchange...
