September Reviews

Catch a Falling Star by Meg McKinlay

Reviewed by Samantha M. SCPS

Catch a Falling star is about Frankie, an older sister of her brother Newt who is obsessed with space and Skylab.
One thing I love about this book is that the author Meg McKinlay added true facts and moved the date just for the time line to fit a family members disappearance.
I also find the relationship between the siblings relatable, for example I have an older brother and we have the same attitudes as the characters!
This would be grate for grade 4 and up. It is quite easy to read in my opinion, but there might be some tricky words for people that people might not understand.
I would rate this book an 10/10. I never got bored once while reading this.
I hope people who read Catch a Falling Star and love it just as much as I did!

Macca's Makeover by Matt Cosgrove

Reviewed by Munro J. SAPS

Macca is a friendly, thoughtful, kind, generous alpaca. One day he wants to be cool like all of his friends so he decides to ask his friends for tips on how to be cool. His best pal, Al said it was all about the hair. Hair definitely did not work because Al tried so many styles, but Macca’s hair got tangled. Sunglasses from the yaks playing sax weren't any help at all. It started off stylish but he bumped into a tree.
He even tried working out by lifting, jogging, sprinting and skipping and then he tripped so it was clear the gym wasn’t for him.
Macca thought he would never be cool and started to cry but then all his friends came running in. They said that he is cool just being him and there is no alpaca that is better than Macca the alpaca!
My favorite bit of this book is all of the bright colors and at the end when Macca discovers he is cool.
I would recommend this book for age 3+ because even adults need to know that they are cool just being them.
I would rate this 9/10!

Diary of a Wimpy Kid #6: Cabin Fever by Jeff Kinney

Reviewed by Jack B. BuniPS

I like this book because it’s very dramatic and rowdy, like the rowdy riot that sadly got taken off them, but kids still brought it to school and hid it behind the school.
Also, Greg was really scared because he thought since he had lost his baby Alfredo it would find its way back but it turns out it was in the basement the whole time and Dad was just mad so he hit it.
I recommend this book for people who are looking for a dramatic and silly book to read.
I rate it 8/10.

Brave Maeve by Paige Duggan

Reviewed by Jesse C. MRPS

This book is about a girl that doubts herself, but she still keeps trying her best.
She starts a campaign about peace, and rights for women.
I liked this book because it means everyone can be brave.
I recommend this to people who like books about being passionate.
I rate this book a 9/10

The Little Refugee by Anh Do

Reviewed by Jesse C. MRPS

The Little Refugee by Anh Do is about when he was a kid and he had to travel to Australia.
Anh lived in Vietnam while the Vietnamese war was going.
His father made them move to Australia to get away from the war.
I liked this book because it was in the style of a picture book, but informing about Vietnam while in war times.
I would recommend this book to Anh Do fans. I would also highly suggest this to the 5-12 year olds group.
​I rate this book a 10/10

One Piece East Blue: Volume One by Eiichiro Ola

Reviewed by Elias W. MRPS

The story is the adventures of Monkey D Luffy, on his way to be the best pirate and find the greatest treasure in the world: the One Piece.
It tells us how he got the power to stretch back like rubber and who he meets and defeat on the way.
The story can be a little violent and the pictures are graphic, but are in black and white.
It is unusual as you read the story from right to left from last page to the front of the book.
It would be best suited for 10 years plus and anyone that likes anime.
I enjoyed reading this book and I give it a 10/10. 

Hedgewitch by Skye McKenna

Reviewed by Abby A. MRPS

In this book Cassie has been stuck at a boarding school for 7 years under a promise she made her mother to never leave. All Cassie has is books and a key her mother left her.
Many children at the boarding school go missing. After receiving a message that her mother is dead Cassie decides to escape the school.
When Cassie escapes the school a mysterious talking cat takes her to Hedgely a small town in the witch world. Right next to Hedgely is the Hedge a very dangerous place where monsters loom.
Cassie's aunty is the Hedgewitch who keeps everyone safe from the Hedge and other threats.
Cassie joins the Coven which is like a school for witches. But the question is how will Cassie find her mother?
I really liked the magical aspect of the story and the cliffhangers that kept me guessing.
I recommend this book to ages 8-14 that like magic.
​I give it an 8.5/10

The Fairy Tale Fan Club by Richard Ayoade

Reviewed by Abby A. MRPS

In the book The Fairytale Fan Club, kids write letters to famous fairytale characters like Rapunzel, The Big Bad Wolf, Ariel the Little Mermaid and lots more.
It's such a fun and entertaining book that you will want to read it over and over again.
The fairytale characters reply to questions and they give you their take and feelings on their particular fairytale.
I really liked how the book was written and the selection of fairytale characters it showcased. 'I recommend it to ages 8-14 who love fairytales and have grown up reading them like me.
​I give it a 9/10.

Worst Week Ever #1: Monday by Eva Amores

Reviewed by Abby A. MRPS

In this book Justin Chase has to start at a new school all while dealing with a vampire who just so happens to be his new step dad, a new house and a lost pet kitten.
On his first day he has maths nearly all day, but luckily in between all the maths he has swimming, but that also goes all wrong because he gets stuck at the top of the diving board while his swimmers that his nanna crocheted start to unravel and then he has a code brown.
Everything seems to be going from bad to worse for Justin as he tries to navigate all the changes happening in his life.
When they get back to school Justin and the school bully find out their parents, the Principal and Justin’s father the plumber are dating. How will Justin deal with all the changes?
I really liked the humour in this book.
I recommend it to ages 7-11.
I give it a 7/10.

Juliet, Nearly a Vet #8: Playground Pets by Rebecca Johnson

Reviewed by Bonnie S. MRPS

This book, written by Rebeca Johnson, is about a ten year old girl called Juliet. Juliet's mum is a vet and Juliet loves to help her mum with the animals.
Juliet has a friend called Chelsea. Chelsea and Juliet like to help out in science class.
One day, Mrs Kuss gets a called from her mum. She was calling to tell her that her father’s Been rushed to the hospital. Mrs Kuss doesn’t have enough time to organise a teacher because she has to catch a plane tonight. Juliet offers to help out. The girls make a list of all the jobs that need to be to be done while Mrs Kuss thinks about the lessons.
The next day the teacher walks in with Miss Fine. Miss Fine will be the replacement teacher for the next couple of days. I can tell Miss Fine isn’t to used to the gardening because she is scared of the lizards.
Delilah is due to have her babies next week.
I recommend this book for people 7 and up.
​I rate this book a 8.5/10.

The Very Cranky Bear by Nick Bland

Reviewed by Aiden G. WPS

This story starts in the jungle when four friends named Zebra, Lion, Moose and Sheep wanted to play someplace warm. They found a cave and started playing cards in it. Suddenly a cranky bear came and scared them out. Now they had no warm place to play.
They all started thinking then the Zebra said he would be cranky if he had no stripes. Then the Moose said stripes are boring, the Bear would want antlers like his. Then the Lion said antlers are bore a mane like mine would cheer the bear up.
Then Lion got some hay and glue, the Zebra brought mud and Moose brought 2 long sticks and they all started putting on the hay, mud and sticks on the bear.
Suddenly, the Bear came out yelling and said “I JUST WANT TO SLEEP!" and they all ran out scared.
​Lion, Zebra and Moose started thinking on how to cheer up the bear. Then sheep suddenly thought of a great idea, she would cut off some of her wool and make a pillow for the cranky bear to sleep on. So, Sheep cut off some wool, went into the cave and carefully put the pillow under the cranky bear’s head. Then slowly the cranky bear fell asleep.
Finally they could all play cards peacefully and stay warm.
I would recommend this book because there’s not as much writing like other books from this author, but I think it’s still an amazing book because the author Nick Bland is trying to show whoever is reading the book to not give up and to keep on trying and in my opinion that’s great thing for kids to learn in the future. Some other books from this author also teach kids lessons like this book such as, The Very Brave Bear and The Very Itchy Bear.
I rate this book an 8/10.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid #12: The Getaway by Jeff Kinney

Reviewed by Munro J. SAPS

Greg Heffley is already annoyed that his family is going on Christmas holiday and the commotion the day of the flight was absolutely no help at all.
When they finally arrived at the airport they were really late and the fact it was freezing did not make things better.
They were meant to go to Isla Decoralis but it seemed like they weren’t going to end up on that plane.
Don’t ask me how they ended up getting through security after pushing and shoving. After they used all of their energy getting to the gate on the other side of the airport, they found out the flight had been delayed. So an early flight turned into an overnight one.
When they got to the resort the first thing they found out was they got the wrong suit case. When they got to the pool, Greg’s little brother, Manny went to collect some sea creatures from the beach and when Manny showed him, the bucket tipped into the pool, which meant everyone had to get out. A day later the Hefflys found out they drained the pool and they had to leave the resort.
It probably should be considered a feat that they made it back alive but they were banned from the resort.
I loved how this book stood out with humor and fun.
​I would recommend this for 8-15 yr olds and I rate this 9/10!

Big Nate Goes Bananas! by Lincoln Peirce 

Reviewed by Fletcher P. MRPS

Big Nate Goes Bananas is about a kid that is named Nate.
In one day he finds out that his social studies teacher is coach John and he makes Kim‘s boyfriend jealous.
I liked this book because he was really interesting and kept me reading.
​I rate this book a 7 out of 10 because it made me read for so long and even though I was tired I kept on reading.

Rose Meets Mr. Wintergarten by Bob Graham

Reviewed by Zariah G. WPS

The Summer family just moved into their new house. Faith and Rose put up their posters above their bed while baby Blossom watched in the distance. Rose’s parents Mr. and Mrs. Summer planted daisies all before the sun went down. Every morning the Summers family sat on the roof to watch the sun rise.
One strength in this book is the pictures. They’re very detailed fun, and colourful. I love all the colours.
One weakness in this book is the part were Rose’s friends were spreading rumors about Mr. Wintergarten.
In my opinion, I loved this book it was really well detailed in the pictures. Bob Graham added really cool art work to his book.
My favorite character is Mr. Wintergarten because he was cold at the start but he became loving and cheerful at the end because Rose and Roses Mum helped him be better person and more cheerful.
I loved the part were the Summers family sat on the roof and watched the sun rise it was a beautiful.
I think all ages would enjoy this book very much. 
I rate this book 10/10.

Baby-Sitters Litter Sister #2: Karen's Roller Skates by Ann M. Martin

Reviewed by Harper S. WPS

There is a club called the Baby Sitters Club and this book is about one of the girls sisters, Karen, and in this book she is the main character.
In this book Karen has two houses, her mum's house which is the small house and her dad's house which is the big house.
In the big house Karen has lots of siblings and at her mums house she has one sibling.
She has two of everything, her favourite teddy's and her blanky which she cut in half.
One day Karen decided to play on her roller skates. Then she had an idea to jump over cans, not one, not two, but five. It was a bad idea but she still did it. 1,2,3 and she jumped and fell. She started screaming and crying then her dad ran outside and found Karen on the ground in pain so he rushed her to the hospital. They found out that Karen had broke her arm and had to get a cast.
I think ages 8-12 could read this.
​I rate this book 10/10.

Last Day Blues by Julie Danneberg

Reviewed by Harper S. WPS

Mrs Hartwell was very sad to leave all of her students, so she brought special sugar cookies for all of the kids. 
The kids were sad to leave too, so Mrs Hartwell taught her funny science class one more time with her funny science goggles.
The kids surprised the teachers with a gif
I think the right age to read this book is 8-10 years old.
I rate this book three stars and 7/10.

Pig the Grub by Aaron Blabey

Reviewed by Logan N. WPS

Pig the Pug is the one that gets into mischief.
Pig is bad in the bathroom, and he doesn’t want to have a bath. Unfortunately, Pig is very stinky.
Aaron Blabey uses great describing words like rank, stank, mucky, unspeakable and rotten to help people understand what Pig looks like.
One of my favourite parts is when Pig clogs the pipe with a dog toy and the pipe explodes from too much water built up.
This book makes me feel silly because Pig is stinky.
A good grade for this book is grade 2 upwards.
I rate this book a 9/10. 

Monster Chef by Nick Bland

Reviewed by Logan K. WPS

Marcel was a monster about medium size. He was grumpy and lumpy. The only thing was, he didn’t look that scary. So, he tried to scare a few kids. But all he got was hugs and laughs.
Disappointed he went home feeling all sad and teary. To cheer himself up he made a batch of his favourite earthworm spaghetti and smelly sock soup. He took a bite out of every meal then saved the rest for another night. He snuck out into another house to try and scare another child.
I like how the author rhymed a lot of his words and made the character keep on trying. I like how the author put detail and bright colours into his story. Monster chef can be related to The Very Cranky Bear because the illustrations are similar vibrant colours, cheerful, bright, funny and entertaining.
My favourite thing about Monster Chef was than Marcel never gave up on his passion even if it didn’t go right the first time. 
The author wants to encourage kids to show grit in their lives.
I recommend this book to 5+ because this book teaches a lot of lessons about life and grit.
 rate this book 9/10 cause its not the best book but it’s pretty good.

The Bad Guys #5: Intergalactic Gas by Aaron Blabey

Reviewed by Konah G. WPS

This book is about the Bad Guys trying to stop Dr Marmalade, the evil guy,  from making a “Cute-zilla” ray. The Cute-Zilla ray makes all the animals attack all the people on Earth. So to stop that, the Bad Guys snuck onto a rocket ship and sneakily started the rocket and started flying to space.
As soon as the Bad Guys got on the moon they tried to land the ship, but they made a massive hole in the bottom of the ship. Mr Wolf luckily put on a spacesuit. Mr Wolf tried his best to shut off the Cute-Zilla ray.
For some reason Mr Wolf felt something climbing up his leg, but before he could say anything, his friend Piranha was in his face. They only had about 15% of air left in the tank, so they had to think of something quick. Luckily since Piranha ate at least 30 burritos earlier it made him fart a lot. Mr Wolf had a plan for Piranha farting, Mr Wolf asked Piranha to keep farting so the jetpack would work so they could get to the Cute-Zilla ray.
Dr Marmalade had already tied up the rest of Mr Wolf and Piranha’s crew. That made Mr Wolf and Piranha more confident on what they were both doing.
Once Mr Wolf and Piranha got to the Cute-Zilla ray, they shut it off and went straight to the rest of the crew to help them out.
Once they helped the crew out Mr Wolf went to the face cam and started saying to people on earth ‘I Did IT!!!’.
Sadly Mr Wolf and the crew didn’t know how to go back to Earth. At least the animals went back to normal.
I liked the part when Piranha kept farting in Mr Wolf’s face because Piranha ate too many burritos.
This book could be compared to Diary of a Wimpy Kid because they both have similar writing and they are both silly and funny.
I liked this book because it was very interesting and it was a funny book to me. My favourite part was the silly characters.
I recommend this book for ages 7+ because it might be a little too hard to understand what the characters are doing and some of the words in the book are hard to pronounce.
I rate this book 7.5/10.

Sophie's Masterpiece by Eileen Spinelli

Reviewed by Harper S. WPS

Sophie tried to make stuff for other people but they were rude to her when she tried to because they think she is a disgusting spider, but she was kind and she was a beautiful artist.
She kept trying to make art even when she got older. Then she overheard a girl with a new born baby and she didn’t have a blanket so Sophie knitted her a baby blanket and.
As soon as it was done Sophie was too old to do anything and sadly died.
I recommend this book to ages 9-12.
I rate this book 9/10.

Besties: Set Sail by Kayla Miller

Reviewed by Matilda P. WPS

Beth and Chanda are packed and ready for an amazing getaway on a cruise ship. They want to spend every moment of the 4-day cruise having the best time of their lives, until Beth gets really worried about how her big sister is going with her college bond.
Chanda tries to distract her by filling everyday with an abundance of activities to do but Beth is not paying much attention. Chanda notices it and comes up with a great idea: throwing a party.
Chanda surprises Beth by throwing the party and decorating their room with colourful lights and streamers, now Beth is having so much fun.
When they get back home from their cruise, Beth is very happy to see her family.
This book could be compared to Stuck because in both stories one of the main characters is not having any fun and is worried about something. They are similar because in the end, they figure it out, solve the problem and end up having so much fun. Other books by Kayla Milla include Stuck, Besties Prank War and Camp (these are just some of her books).
Kayla Milla has won 10 total book awards (these are just some of the awards) one for Act, one for Camp, two for Crunch and two for Click.
I recommended the reading age for 10-14 years old because it is easy to read for that age and the main characters in the story are about the same age.
​I rate this story 10/10 because I can relate to how Beth always thinks and cares about her siblings and how Chanda always cares about her friends.

Two Summers by John Heffernan

Reviewed by Zachary Y. WPS

The main characters are Ricky and another kid who is not named.
There are cool animals like horses, dogs, sheep, cows and an eagle.
The setting is at a farm. There are some small problems though the story like Ricky crashing into a wombat hole. The main problem is there is a drought. The strengths are the drawings. The drawings are fantastic.
The story is interesting. There are not any weaknesses. It held my attention. It’s a page turner.
In my opinion the book is good. It made me feel joy and at the end it felt a bit sad because of the drought.
I recommend this book for ages 8 and over.
​I rate it 10/10.

Baby-Sitters Little Sister #1: Karen's Witch by Ann M. Martin

Reviewed by Harper S. WPS

Karen lives at two houses, her mum's and her dad's house.
In this book Karen is at her dad's house and her family went to the shops and when they got back Karen was looking out of her window in the car at her neighbours house.
Karen is pretty sure her neighbour is a witch. She wears all black and has a creepy cat and Karen thinks she puts spells on her dog.
Karen decided to sneak up and spy on the witch so she got a witches hat and was spying. She then turned around and the witch was there and she got in big trouble and will never do it again.
I recommend this to age 8-10.
I rate this book 9/10.

Christmas Wombat by Jackie French

Reviewed by Tyson F. WPS

The Christmas Wombat is about a wombat who wants carrots, so he went in Santa's slay and grabbed a lot of carrots.
I would recommend this book for 3 to 10 years old because this book is funny and good for kids.
​I really loved this book. The author has a great mind.
I give this book a solid 9/10. 

Luna Roo the Kangaroo Baller by Adam Jackson

Reviewed by Scarlett B. WPS

Luna Roo is a kangaroo. The setting is at a soccer field.
Luna had the ball but the Emu stole it so she gets the ball back and scores a goal. Sadly Luna was getting a lot of hate from the crowd watching the game. So she shakes off her doubts and goes to be the leader she is and inspire the animals on her team. Lunas’ team gets the ball and happily scores a goal. The outback team, her team, are so far winning.
Now the animals watching the game start cheering for Luna and she proved the haters wrong.
I think this is a great book because it tells people to never give up and don’t let the haters put you down.
​I rate it a 8/10. That was the right choice because she ended up winning at the end and proved the animals wrong. 

Grandpa and Thomas by Pamela Allen

Reviewed by Zayne D. WPS

Thomas and Grandpa go to the beach. Thomas is carrying the bucket and shovel. Grandpa is carrying his bag and the big picnic rug. Thomas set up the picnic rug and umbrella. Then they build a big sandcastle.
I feel that the book’s weakness is that Pamela Allen has written 'swish swash swoosh sings the sea' on every page and it gets a bit boring and repetitive. This book can be compared to We’re Going on a Bear Hunt, Mr McGee , Who Sank the Boat?, and Mr Archimedes. They are similar because they are repetitive and written by Pamela Allen.
In my opinion it’s not my favorite book.
I recommended the reading age 7 years old or older. My reason is because it still has pictures and bit of hard words like sun screen. 
​I rate it 5/10.

Enemy Pie by Derek Munson

Reviewed by Harper S. WPS

Jeremy had a enemy and he was mean to him, but even worse he lives in his street.
One day Jeremy's dad invited his enemy over and they ended up becoming friends, so Jeremy asked his dad if they could make a pie because they were really hungry.
Jeremy's dad made enemy pie and Jeremy thought it would be yuck but it was actually really good so they weren't enemy's anymore.
I recommend it for ages 8-11.
​I rate this book 9/10.

The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle

Reviewed by Munro J. SAPS

It is autumn and seeds are blowing along with a gentle breeze on the wind. One of the seeds is tiny and not as big as the others. A seed gets burned by the sun, it is not the tiny seed, another drowns, one lands on a snowy mountain, the tiny seed goes on with the others but not as fast. They land on some grass and a seed is eaten by a bird; the tiny seed is not visible.
It is now winter and the snow covers the seeds like a blanket; a seed becomes lunch for a mouse but not the tiny seed.
In spring the seeds get blown to a nice spot where they begin to grow. The children come out too and one of the plants snaps and can’t grow anymore. At last the tiny seed sprouts but it's neighbour has seven leaves and is a flower. Not long after that plant is picked by a boy for his friend.
The tiny seed keeps growing and is now taller than anything. People come from distances to see this flower and everyone was as impressed as ever. Soon autumn came again and the flower lost all its petals and soon its seed pod opened and millions of seeds fell out, all blowing along with the wind, all of them ready to make the journey of a seed.
My favorite thing in this book was the explosion of color in every page. I loved how it was able to bring the story to life in front of my eyes.
I would recommend this book to any person because this is suitable for any person. I would rate this book 10/10, because it gave me everything I was looking for.

Spider-Man: Homecoming by Jim McCann

Reviewed by Tara D. SCPS

I loved every bit of reading this book! It follows 15-year-old Peter Parker, also known as Spider-Man.
After the events of the Avengers’ Civil War (where Peter fought alongside Tony Stark, A.K.A. Iron Man, his mentor), he goes back home to Queens, New York.
Then Peter finds some powerful alien weapons leftover from the battle of New York (2012) in the hands of a villain named the Vulture and his goons. Despite warnings from Iron Man, Peter decides to dig deeper.
Without spoilers, the plot twist in this book is exciting and surprising, leading to a strong, emotional climax.
​I recommend it to 10-12 year old's because some parts have violence.
I would rate this book a 9/10 because of the suspense, tension with a good amount of humor mixed in.