April Reviews

Ella and Olivia: Hair Disaster
​by Yvette Poshoglian

Reviewed by Bella A. BGS
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Ella is the bigger sister and she is going to be in a ballet performance. Ella's little sister Olivia tries to help her bigger sister with a new hairstyle. Olivia gets in trouble for doing something to Ella's hair. Mum fixed Ella's hair just in time for the performance.
I liked this book because it was funny and surprising.
I recommend people read this book.
I rate this book 10/10.

George and the Ship of Time by Lucy Hawking

Reviewed by Alex L. BGS

The last book review I did on was on George and the Unbreakable Code and it was one of the best books I've ever read. So when I saw this book I had to read it. Like the previous book, it had five or so pages and some facts about the pages. George gets into a rocket and is sent up into space, away from his best friend Annie by Aliath Merak. When they arrive back, their once known home has turned into this weird desert wasteland. Foxbridge is gone, replaced with this new world. But George knows that while he was in space, he travelled into the future somehow.
I like the storyline and how everyone comes together.
I give this a 9/10 I recommend it to anyone who likes sci-fi or who likes science.

Starting School by Janet Ahlberg

Reviewed by Cooper J. APS

This book is about a lot of kids starting school. All of the kids are scared about starting. The teacher’s name is Miss Quick.
They all started playing with things like Lego and books.
They all made friends and enjoyed their day at school.
This book would be good for kids in Kinder and Prep.
My rating is 8.5/10

Pig the Pug by Aaron Blabey

Reviewed by Bella D. APS

Pig the Pug makes me laugh. Pig the Pug and Trevor are enemies. At the end Trevor and Pig the Pug become friends in a funny way.
I like Pig the Pug because it makes me laugh.
I think it's good for ages 4 and up.
I rate it 10/10.

Big Red Kangaroo by Claire Saxby and Graham Byrne

Reviewed by Grace G. APS

This book tells you facts about Red Kangaroos and it was also a story.
It was about how he looked after his mob and he was the strongest kangaroo. He won every challenge.
I liked this book because it was very informative and a good story.
I would recommend this book for people that like kangaroos and for children aged 8 and up.
It is definitely a 10/10.

Are You Ready to Play Outside? by Mo Willems

Reviewed by Ella R. APS

Gerald the Elephant says "Yes, yes please," so they went outside. When they went outside it started to rain and Piggie was not very happy but Gerald put up his ear and she was happy. When she saw the worm happy in the rain then she loved it.
I like the book is because it is funny and Gerald is a nice friend to Piggie and Piggie is bossy.
I think it is recommended for Grade 2-3.
I rate this book 8/10.

DC Superhero Girls by Shea Fontana

Reviewed by Nikisha R. APS

This book is about superheroes that get kidnapped. When they all get caught, they find out that it is Lex Luther that has kidnapped them.
I liked everything about the book because they picked specific characters.
I recommend this book for all ages.
I rate this book 10/10

The Famous Five: Five on a Treasure Island
by Enid Blyton

Reviewed by Evie M. SCPS
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Three siblings named Julian, Dick and Anne are going to stay with their cousin, Georgina because their parents are off on a holiday to Scotland all by themselves!  The children's mother tells the children that Georgina is 11 so she is a year younger than Julian and she is very truthful but mainly works by herself. But when the children meet her, she is not what they expect.
I recommend this book for ages 10+
I rate this book a 10/10 because it's an adventures book and has lots of hidden secrets in it.

The Not-Much Sleepover Starring Ginger Green
​by Kim Kane and Jon Davis

Reviewed by Elena M. BGS

Ginger Green is a young cat who was going on her first sleepover at her friend's house. But it wasn't a normal sleepover because they were sleeping in a tent in the backyard. Her friend's family went camping all the time but Ginger Green’s family did not go camping at all!!!
This book shows us how camping in the backyard can go from fun to bad in a matter of hours.
This book was very funny and I enjoyed reading it.
I recommend this book for Years 2-5.
I give this book 10/10.

​Billie B Brown: The Deep End by Sally Rippin

Reviewed by Lilia G. SCPS

​I read the book, The Deep End and I really liked it. In this book, Billie is going on an excursion to the swimming centre. Last year they swam in the little pool, but this year her class is swimming in the big pool. Billie is afraid that this year everyone else will be better at swimming than her. She is put in the lowest swimming class called the Swordfish Class. She thinks that she is the only one in the class, but then she sees Lola, a really annoying girl in Billie's class.
Is Lola really as bad as Billie at swimming??? Billie thought that Lola was good at everything.      
I give this book a 9/10 because it was very interesting and I always wanted to know what was going to happen next.
I think that this book is suitable for ages 7-10.  

War Stories for Boys
by Chris Priestley, Jim Eldridge and Bryan Perrett

Reviewed by William K. BGS

This is a book with three different stories that are fiction from World War 2.  The stories are the battle of Britain which I have already done a book review on, Desert Danger and D-Day.  For this book review I am going to zoom in on Desert Danger then D-Day.
Tim Jackson helps his uncle George repair things in the garage.  Then suddenly when Tim is fixing a car in the garage an unexploded bomb went off a couple of streets away.  Uncle George goes to investigate, it killed two children.
When Tim hears about the bomb, he signs up for the army.  His friends have signed up for the army too.  He is a sapper which means he lays land mines so the enemy can't get into their base.
One day some of the troops move to make a trench.  This is for their invasion on the German troops which will happen at night time.  When the sergeant signals to attack Tim goes to take out the German mines so the allies can invade their base.  During the battle Tim is wounded and has to head home.  
This is the D-Day story about the landings on 7th June 1944 in Normandy France. 
DDDRRRIIINNNGGG!!!
An air raid siren goes off in London.  Andrew Gaff is one of the first people in the air raid shelters with his worried Mum.   A couple of minutes later more people arrive in the air raid shelters.
 A few days later Andrew signs up for the army for the D-Day landings. Andrew has to go through hours of training, but becomes sergeant so the training is worth it.
There is one soldier called Grover who Andrew is suspicious of. Finally, the practise comes and Andrew is sent to destroy German defence buildings. The people in the defence buildings aren't German troops, they are people that were involved in the Gallipoli landings in 1915.
The next day is D-Day and the real thing! They don't get to destroy the defence building because a tank destroys it before Andrew and his team do. The soldiers are thanked by the French. Andrew catches Grover sneaking off trying to escape and he tells the colonel.
The next day the German's capture some of their soldiers! Will the allies get their soldiers back or will the Germans imprison them all?                                                                                                              
I liked the book because I like WWII and history.
I would recommend the book for ages 9+ and for people who love history.

Enchanted Pony Academy:  All That Glitters
​by Lisa Ann Scott

Reviewed by Chloe E. BGS

Daisy was born on a farm near an enchanted pony academy. Then when Daisy turned 4 her parents decided to see if was magical so she goes up to the academy to find out. Is she really magical? This is a really good read and a very intense one because of all the details and Magic.
I recommend it for 8-10 year olds.
I give it a 10/10!

Biggles Learns to Fly by Captain W.E Johns

Reviewed by William K. BGS

Biggles is a pilot in the Royal Flying Corps over France in World War 1, which is occupied by Germany and Britain is fighting for France’s freedom. But before I tell you that story, I have to tell you this story. 
Biggles lives in Britain in 1914, when a lot of people were going to fight in the first World War. He signs up and becomes a pilot. Biggles has had less than 15 hours flying experience and goes to fight.
His plane is an F.E, a biplane with a pilot behind a gunner on the nose and the engine is at the back behind the pilot. What a weird plane! Biggle’s gunner is called Mark and they are a good couple. But Biggles has to move squadrons without Mark.
They have other fighters called Bristol’s which are smaller and the pilot gets a machine gun, but it is still a two-seater.
A week later he moves squadrons again! This time the planes are Sopwith pups, which are kind of like a Sopwith camel but smaller and more manoeuvrable.  Bad news arrives about Mark. He is injured and can’t fly anymore.
A Yellow Albatross (a German plane) is responsible and whoever shoots it down gets a week on leave. Will Biggles shoot it down, or will he have to keep putting up with endless problems?
 I liked the book because it is about planes and I love aircraft so mum decided to get it from the library for me and I love it!
I would recommend the book for ages 8+ and for people who love WW1.
I would rate this book… off the scale!

A Summery Saturday Morning by Margaret Mahy

Reviewed by Cooper J. APS

This book is about a family taking their dogs for a walk. They found many animals and were chased by the ducks.
I liked the animals and it had good pictures.
I think people who like animals will like this book.
I score it a 7.5/10

Billie B Brown: The Cutest Pet Ever by Sally Rippin

Reviewed by Lilia G. SCPS

This book was a great read. It’s a story of a girl called Billie B Brown. She wanted to get a pet but wasn't allowed. She visits the pet shop and finds a guinea pig, her mum said she can have it if she helps with her baby brother, Noah. They return after the shopping trip and find the empty cage with no guinea pig. Billie is most upset and wonders if she will ever see the guinea pig again????
I think this book is suitable for ages 7-10 year olds, especially girls.
I rate this book 8/10, because it’s funny and exciting.

Deep Amber by C.J. Busby

Reviewed by Cormac M. SCPS

The book is about a stone that creates a rift between our world and another world. On our side there are two kids living in their great auntie's house and did not realize that one of them was sleeping right on top of the stone. On the other side a girl and boy were going through a magical forest to deliver a message to the castle. None of the children knew that they would soon meet each other.
​I really like this book because it is almost as if it is telling two stories. I also like that the the author connects the stories together in a funny way.
I rate it 8/10 and recommend it to ages 8-13. 

Team Tryouts! (Daring Delly #1)
by Matthew Dellavedova

Reviewed by Cooper J. APS

Delly tries out for the Maryborough Basketball Team and doesn't make it. He starts to train some of the players because they don't know how to play. The coach saw him training Mick and invited him to help with the training sessions. Delly found out that one of the players was moving to America and Delly is invited to play for the team. They are playing Bendigo. In the game, with 20 seconds to go the score is level, Mick is fouled and has 3 free throws, he misses the first and the second but hits the third and they win by 1 point.
I liked the book because I'm a big basketball fan.
Kids who like basketball aged 9-19 would love this book.
I rate it a 9.8 out of 10.

Cyborg by Chris Bradford

Reviewed by Romeo T. BGS

Cyborg is a fiction book about a game a called VK (Virtual Kombat) and an elite gamer named Scott. This is the third book in the series, and it is full of twists and turns and if you want to read the full story read: Gamer and Virus. In this book Scott continues to train in the real world with a master named Sifu. As Vince Power is paralysed, his analysts build him a robotic suit and he turns into a cyborg. As Scott is chased by borgs he jumps into Vince's brothers exo suit that he just finished making and starts fighting back only to find himself falling thirty storeys.
I would recommend this to anyone who likes games and thrills. I give this book a 9/10 because it has great description and kept me hooked to the end.
​I recommend this for ages 8+ because it is scary in some parts.

Planet Weird (WeirDo #15) by Anh Do

Reviewed by Nate C. SCPS

The idea of this book was that it was Weirdo's birthday. On his birthday all he wanted to do was sleep in which I thought was weird as I am always excited to get out of bed on my birthday. When he finally got out of bed his family were acting like it was just a normal day. Then suddenly everyone yelled out 'HAPPY BIRTHDAY WEIR' Weir had no idea what else his family had in store for him for the rest of the day.
My favourite part of the book was the surprise party because they all dressed up as monsters and my favourite character was Weir of course! He was so clueless and super excited because his Mum and Dad got him a bouncy house for his party.
I rate this book 7/10.

The Book of Horses: The Ultimate Guide to Horses Around the World by Mortimer Children's Books 

​Reviewed by Chloe E. BGS

This is a non-fiction book that informs people about caring for and riding different types of horses. This book would be very helpful for people wanting or starting to ride horses.
This is a very fun read and I would recommend it for ages 8-adult because it has some big words.
I give it a 10/10 because I love horses!

George and the Unbreakable Code
​by Lucy and Stephen Hawkins

Reviewed by Alex L. BGS
​
George and the Unbreakable Code is a book about two kids, George and Annie. They live in  Foxville, relatively close to each other and are good friends. They have been on many space adventures thanks to their special supercomputer Cosmos, however strange thing happens in Foxville. George and Annie are here to stop it! They must go far into space, further than they have been! Can they solve the all the problems and mishaps?
I like the amazing storyline and the book had a good topic in my opinion. It’s quite exciting and it can take a twist so you never know what will happen next. This is what I liked the most. It kept me guessing for some time.
I recommend it to anyone who likes science, technology and maths or who anyone who wants to know more about these topics.
I give this a 10/10 and think it is probably the best book I’ve read in years!

The Boy Who Found Opal: The Story of Will Hutchinson by Sue Britt

Reviewed by Oliver W. SCPS

This book is about a boy named Will. The book talks about how Will turned 15 and his dad said that he was old enough to come into the desert with him and look for gold. It took them two months of searching for gold until they left Will to watch over the camp while they went looking for water.  When they came back Will was gone, but eventually he came back with a bag of opal and had found water too. There was born Coober Pedy.                                       
​I rate this book 9/10.
I recommend this book to 6-12 year olds.

Noah Dreary by Aaron Blabey

Reviewed by Cormac M. SCPS

One day Noah complained sooo much that his head fell off (I know, random right?) and as you would imagine, it creates challenges, loads of them. But Noah finds out that he just might be the luckiest boy in the world.
This book has a message but presents it in a funny, silly and hilarious way.
I recommend this book to ages 2+.

Movie Time! (Hot Dog #6) by Anh Do

Reviewed by Nate C. SCPS

The main idea of this book is that Hot Dog and his friends (Liz & Kev) were casually walking in the neighborhood looking around. They came across auditions for a movie and wanted to audition.
I think the book was very good and entertaining. It was entertaining to read all the troubles in their way. I also liked that they always figured out their problems in the end.
My favourite part of the book was when Kev tried to be a Ballerina, it was very funny.
I love Anh Do and all of his books. I rate this book 8/10.

The Thirteenth Fairy by Melissa De La Cruz

Reviewed by Cormac M. SCPS

When a girl is walking home she is followed by the hero from her favourite book series. Eventually she gets taken from our world and enters the world of Never After. There she solves mysteries and turns ogres into goo.
I really like this book because every mystery is part of something bigger and it has so many cliff-hangers I could explode with anticipation. I also like that it does not solve everything straight away, it lets me think about it instead.
I rate this book 9 / 10 and recommend it to 9-14 years olds.   

Pig the Pug by Aaron Blabey

Reviewed by Evie M. SCPS

Pig lived in a flat with his sausage dog friend Trevor. Pig was selfish and greedy and he wouldn’t share. He would yell at Trevor and not even care. Trevor was nice to Pig but Pig would just yell at him for whatever he did. Pig started to gather his stuff into a pile. He climbed up to the top and yelled “ITS MINE !” Then the pile started to wobble and Pig fell straight out of the window. Now Pig shares his toys and they both play together.......
While Pig’s on the mend!!
I rate this book 10/10 because it teaches you to share and play fair!
I would recommend this book for ages 3 and over.