Easter Holiday: Reading & Book Reviews

Harry Potter & The Philosophers Stone by J K Rowling Illustrated by Jim Kay

I finished reading this book in the holidays.  It was fantastic!  The main character is Harry Potter, and his friends Ron and Hermione.  His enemy is Malfoy and enemy teacher is Professor Snape.  The story is about The Philosophers Stone which is locked away safely behind deadly chambers.  In the Chambers are Fluffy (Hagrids 3 headed dog), killer plants, a giant chess set, flying keys, the mountain Troll and potions and the Mirror of Erst.

My favourite character is Harry because he in smart, clever, brave and he faced ‘He who must not be named’ twice.  I loved the bit when Hermione and Harry play with the giant chess set against Ron.  It was really exciting and I was wondering who was going to win and go to the next Chamber – and what were they going to find.  At the end of the story, Harry is in the hospital wing in a bed next to a table covered in Sweets because he had saved the school!

I really loved the illustrations in this book – my favourite one is of the back of Flitwicks head as it shows a freaky eye peering out of the back of his head.

I would encourage my friends to read this book because it is interesting, fun and the pictures are amazing.

The Slightly Annoying Elephant by David Walliams

I read this book to my little brother Sebastian.  This short story is about boy called Sam who adopts an Elephant from Africa.  He returns home but a week later, the Elephant appears on his door step when his mum is at work.  The Elephant ate all of the food in the house and a bit later in the day, his Elephant friends arrived at the house – all the way from AFRICA!  Sam was puzzled but the Elephant said that when he was adopted, Sam had not read the small print at the bottom of the form which said it would let the Elephant invite all of his friends to come over.

My favourite character is the Elephant because he is funny, rude and destroys Sams Bike!  I would recommend this short story to my friends because it is funny and the pictures are good.

Aliens Love Panta Claus – by Claire Freedman & Ben Cort

I read this book to Sebastian.  This book is really funny and the Aliens help Santa Claus deliver all of the presents because his Reindeer have run away.  The Aliens call Santa Claus – Panta Claus and in the pictures, all of the aliens wear brightly coloured Pants!  In the end, the Aliens delivered some of the presents and decorate the Christmas Tree with Pants as well.  Santa Claus also gets to ride in the Aliens space ship as his sleigh breaks down.

I would recommend this book to all readers because it is funny, and a quick read.

Usborne Discovery – Sharks by Jonathan Sheikh-Miller

I bought this book last year when I slept at the Plymouth Aquarium on a Shark Sleepover!  I love this book because it tells you all about different types of Sharks and the pictures are really helpful.  I like to flick through the pages until something interests me.  My favourite page is ‘Going to Kill’ because it has really good pictures and it tells you about how the Great White Shark attacks it Prey.  The opposite page shows you how the Sharks can hunt in groups.

I was lucky enough to Snorkel with Sharks in Dubai this Easter.  In the tank were Reef Sharks, Blacktips and also a few Guitar Sharks which brushed against my foot!!!

Did you know that Rays are related to Sharks…….

I would recommend this book to anyone interested in fish and sharks even if they find the writing a bit tricky as you can learn lots from the pictures too.

Nuts in Space by Elys Dolan

This book is written like a Comic so it’s really cool to read.  The pictures are good and I really like the guide at the back of the book which shows you around the space ship.

The story is about the Lost Nuts of Legend and the animals which have set out to find them.  Once they have found them, the animals have to visit different planets to try and work out how to get home again. My favourite part of the book is when they enter the Death Banana where they find Monkey Troopers and Darth Monkey.  It was really funny – “I’ll put the kettle on. Peppermint for Me”.  It also reminds me of Star Wars.

I would recommend this book because it’s funny and the ending made me laugh a lot – but I won’t spoil it….

The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe by C S Lewis

I stared reading this book when I was in Dubai and got into it really quickly.  It is about four children and they discover a huge wardrobe when they are playing hide-and-seek.  The children climb into the wardrobe and out of the back into a magical world of snow and ice called Narnia.  They go on an adventure and meet Mr & Mrs Beaver, Mr Tuns and Aslan the great Lion.

My favourite character is Aslan because he is brave, friendly and a good warrior.  I also like the descriptions of Narnia and how pretty it is.  My favourite part of the story is the battle between the White Witch and Aslan.  Peter is injured in the battle, but he is given a special potion and he gets better.  In the end, Aslan wins the battle.

I would really recommend this book because although it is sad, the children have a great adventure and you feel like you are there with them.