Eragon: A Review by Joseph Hussey

With aspects from Lord of the Rings and Star Wars, I think that Eragon is a great book. In the first few chapters Eragon, the main character, finds a mysterious blue stone, oblong in shape. After it starts squeaking and rocking in the night Eragon decides to bury it, but before he can it cracks open, revealing a treasure more valuable than all the gold in Alagaisia, Eragon’s homeland. Eragon safeguards the treasure and by doing so, albeit unwittingly, he causes the brutal murder of his uncle. Fleeing Carvahall with the story-teller, Brom, Eragon is thrust into a world of magic, dwarves and dragons.

Overall Eragon is a great read and I would rate it 9.5 out of 10. I think the book is good for ages 8 to 13 due to the way it is written. It is a book you can read again and again, each time noticing some secret hidden in the flow of the story. An example of this is in the name of Palancar valley, where Carvahall is located. If you look on the back of the book, by the barcode, it says “Cover art by john Palencar”. This book is a must read for years 5 to 7 although it would be liked by younger and older readers as well.  

Watership Down

Watership Down is a must read for anyone, anywhere and of any age.  Okay, okay, maybe the King of Spain who loves nothing more than to shoot elephants on his holidays would hesitate to pick it up, but everyone else IN THE WORLD must read this.
It's a traumatising tale of a band of rabbits who flee their home warren in fear of its imminent destruction.  Their journey is somewhat epic and the disparate band slowly form a community of travellers, learning from their travels something of the value of life, freedom and peace,
This isn't just a story for kids about rabbits.  This is about struggle, identity, authority and free will.  Richard Adams created this story out of a desire to entertain his own children, but he has succeeded in entertaining thousands of children and adults.
Richard Adams creates a world parallel to our own where groups of individuals struggle against the oppression of organisation and military regimes; a world where, more often than not, the strong dominate the weak through fear and retribution. But into this world he has hurled those who are willing to stand against oppression and overcome it, where leaders are willing to give their lives for their people: if only our world were a little more like Adams' ideal.
There is a strong Creation mythology that runs through the story and if you ever see the film, the artwork is amazingly beautiful and should feature on the cover design of the 40th Anniversary copy, however the jacket for the most recent publication is atrocious and puts even me off reading it again.  So, if you do buy a copy add my complaint to your purchase please.
Watership Down is a tale that will be enjoyed by all, regardless of age so tuck in and experience a taste of this world, which incidentally is a real location and under threat from developers.  You'll see the irony once you've read the book.

Itch: A review by Josh Naylor

This is a brilliant book. The plot is unusual, yet very creative. The idea about element 126 is very interesting and living in Bude, Cornwall, I can relate to the storyline and locations. The science is very accurate and the characters are believable. I like action and adventure in the book between Itch and the villains as they both fight over posession of the radioactive rocks and the conclusion is great!

I think that this book is a good teen read but I could imagine that it would also appeal to adults as well. Overall I would rate this book as 9/10 and a great read.

Josh Naylor

The Hunger Games

I was recently handed The Hunger Games to read and I would like to shake the lender by the hand. What a thoroughly good read! If you haven't heard about it by now, what planet have you been hiding your sorry little head on. It's great.
Set in a future world where America has become one gigantic global city state supported by 12 Districts, the story follows a young girl called Katniss who takes the place of her sister in something called The Hunger Games.
This future world is very much unlike our own: it is run by a central hub where people enjoy all the luxuries of life, whether it is food, fashion or the games. They are a society that enjoys all the hard labour of the twelve districts whilst the districts themselves struggle to feed their own families and are policed by cruel Peacekeepers who will happily execute you for minor offences, or whip the skin clean from your back.
Every year there is a competition, unlike any competition we know and much more like the barbaric games the Romans used to enjoy in ancient times. Katniss becomes a contender in the Hunger Games where she must survive against her fellow competitors who are all out for blood. There can be only one winner and with two participants from each district, she faces 23 enemies who want nothing more than to see her face down in a ditch, their spear, arrow, knife, dagger firmly planted through her heart.
Suzanne Collins (the author) has created a compelling world that will draw readers in through the first person account of Katniss, our narrator. It has been made into a film recently, but nothing compares to reading about Katniss' world and immersing yourself in the fight for survival that she must undertake.
Classed as 'young adult', this book is suitable for 11 and up, up and up. I'm 34 and didn't want to put it down!

Harry Potter and the Philospher's Stone

You've probably heard of this book already, and if you haven't read it yet I think you'll enjoy it.

This is a story about Harry and his two new friends settling down for their first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry only to discover that they have a part to play in the downfall of the evil Sssh! You-Know-Who. You will like Harry Potter. He's shy and self-doubting and puts up with a lot from his awful aunt Petunia and uncle Vernon and fat cousin Dudley. Poor Harry lost his parents, supposedly in a car crash, when he was a baby and that was when he received the strange lightning-shaped scar across his forehead. Ever since then he has slept in the cupboard under the stairs at the Dursleys' perfectly normal house in Privet Drive and the best thing he has to look forward to is starting at the local secondary school next term - well away from Dudley who will be going to his father's old, expensive school, Smeltings.
But, other people know a lot more about Harry than Harry does himself. That lightning-shaped scar is a matter of enormous interest and Harry is about to discover that he has a lot of friends, and enemies, in a rather different kind of world from the one he was brought up in.
This is a book about magic, but there's plenty of reality. Settling into a new school, making friends, learning who to trust and who not to trust and when to obey school rules and when to overlook them. There's a great deal of humour in the book. You might find the magic funny - visit Diagon Alley to purchase all your Hogwart's kit - but there is strong evil magic too and you won't doubt the courage that Harry has to show in the final chapter.
Written in a strong narrative style with straightforward but not over-simplified language there is enough in this plot to think about whether you are Harry's age or Sssh! You-Know-Who!