The Hunger Games

 The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Let's start with a book review - of one of my favourite series - The Hunger Games. The Hunger Games was originally written as a trilogy, but a fourth book centering around the antagonist from the trilogy (President Snow) has recently come out. I haven't yet had a chance to read it, but I can't wait!

Set in a futuristic North America known as Panem, the annual Hunger Games are a televised fight to the death of twelve boys and twelve girls, one of each randomly selected from each of twelve districts. When 12 year-old Prim is selected from District 12, her older sister Katniss volunteers to take her place, and along with her fellow tribute Peeta, they fight the odds to survive various obstacles thrown in their paths.

The structure of these novels - across three books - enables you to only read one at a time, however I really recommend reading them in order, so you can learn more about the characters and understand them better - there is a risk that you spoil certain things for yourself if you read these books in the wrong order!

The characters are very detailed, and over the series you eventually feel as if you know them yourselves, which is one of my favourite things about this series. Possibly the only thing I don't like is the violent nature of the books, so just be careful to read with an adult nearby if you are younger. It's hard not to love these dystopian novels, so get reading!

FictionFan1 Rating: 9/10

If you liked this author you might like: J.K Rowling, Rebecca Ross, Simon Mayo

About the author: Suzanne Collins is an American television writer and author. She is best known for her series The  Hunger Games, however her books have collectively sold over 100 million copies worldwide.

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Coming up soon: Stay tuned for more books and bakes!

Perijee and Me by Ross Montgomery

I heartily enjoyed Perijee and me. It is full of surprises and carries a strong theme throughout the book- it is never right to hate. This book is about a girl called Caitlin, 11, who is out for a walk on the beach after a meteor shower and discovers a small ‘shrimp-like’ creature, who has a tendency to grow and to eat. 

Caitlin must find him a home - somewhere where he can’t get away until her father, an expert on aliens, returns home from a tour. On meeting Caitlin’s father, Perijee grows and a monster emerges out of him. Soon enough, he runs away and Caitlin is forced to accept he is gone. But then, on the news a catastrophe occurs.

A monster is terrorising the city and the city is flooded. The country is camped and these camps are guarded heavily. Everyone wants to kill Perijee, and finally Caitlin escapes the camp.

She makes a friend, loses two friends and finds herself on a boat as a sacrifice, before she is saved.

This book is so engaging and emotional as well! I was laughing, crying and angry as I read Perijee and me and it reminded me that we can’t always be right and there is prejudice in the world, and we can’t make a huge change, but every small change helps.

FictionFan1 Rating: 9/10

If you liked this author you might like: Sally Nicholls, Katherine Rundall

About the author: Ross Montgomery tours the country as a children’s author, and writes wacky books for young teens and small children.

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Coming up soon: Stay tuned for my next review of two books that I have received from Harper Collins. Thank you Harper Collins!

 The Double Life of Cassiel Roadnight by Jenny Valentine

What is the Double Life? That was the first thing that went through my head when I picked up this book. This story is about a boy, Chap, who runs away from foster care, ends up in a hostel and sees a missing boy poster of a boy called Cassiel Roadnight. Here’s the catch, Cassiel looks very similar to him. They could be twins.

If Chap says yes, then he will have a comforting family, a warm house. But he runs two risks. First, the real Cassiel could arrive home any minute and secondly, he might not be up to the acting, and might be seen through!

So far I have made this book sound absolutely brilliant, I bet you’re thinking, ‘why didn’t I make it a 10/10?’ Here’s why. The start of the book was action-packed. We find out a bit about Chap’s background but are still very slightly curious.

In my opinion, the middle is  v e r y   s l o w. I gave up a number of times, then persuaded myself to keep reading. But boy, it was worth it! The ending is fast and furious, a thriller and a chiller!

So I recommend this book to patient people, who will give this a go and keep trying and persevering because there’s a mighty surprise at the end!

FictionFan1 Rating: 8/10

If you liked this author you might like: Sally Nicholls, Katherine Rundall

About the author: Jenny Valentine is a British children’s novelist and has over 15 titles to her name.

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Coming up soon: Stay tuned for my next review of ‘Perijee and Me by Ross Montgomery

Just a note: So sorry I haven’t blogged in a while- I’ve been very busy and have struggled to find time!

The 1000 year-old Boy by Ross Welford

Wow. Wow in capital letters. WOW WOW WOW WOW! There is no other way to describe this book. I want to congratulate Ross Welford on this amazing novel. Let me start this review with a bit of information about my connection to Ross Welford.

I was gifted a copy of ‘Time Travelling with a Hamster’ a few years ago and devoured it. About a year later, Ross Welford visited my school, and gave an interesting talk which I clearly remember featuring a write-a-story-in-less-than-5-minutes-without-pen-and-paper. During this visit, my family purchased a copy of his newest and second book ‘What Not to do if you Turn Invisible.’

This book came out today (thank you to my secret friend for the copy!) and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It is the tale of a young boy called Alfie Monk who remembers the last Viking invasion of Britain. He discovers there is more to life than age, and sets about trying to find the last life-pearl, the only way to reverse the Neverdead curse.

Along the way, Alfie learns what friends really are, and encounters somebody he recognises…but when his house in the forest where he lives with his Mam, burns down, he has nowhere left to go, but a children’s home. Mam may have perished in the fire, but Alfie’s spirit did not, and his ever-empowering spiritual journey is a real heart-string puller.

This is an original story full of wit and brains, but also a hint of history, as we learn about Alfie’s Neverdead life. Full of interesting characters, this book is one that certainly exceeded my expectations. The blurb fits the book, and the characters fit the story. Wow, Wow and Wow again!

FictionFan1 Rating: 9.5/10

If you liked this author you might like: Rebbeca Stead, Simon Mayo

About the author: Ross Welford used to be a journalist and television producer, but then became a full-time writer in order to pursue his dream. Ross visits schools and knows many book-themed magic tricks, and in his spare time, like me, he writes a blog!

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Coming up soon: Stay tuned for next review of A Message to the Sea by Alex Shearer

Itch by Simon Mayo

As you may know, sci-fi books are not my thing. After reading the blurb however, I decided to give Itch a try. Itch is about a boy called Itchingham Lofte who is science-obsessed. He gets hold of some items he shouldn’t have, and things soon get messy. Itch, his sister Chloe, and his cousin Jack all experience arsenic poisoning and gain bodyguards - not a normal life for three teenagers!

Itch really struck me when I read it, because it is so moving, action-packed and thrilling that I didn’t want to put it down. I read this book in one sitting. There is sadly one negative to this, once I read it, it went back on the shelf. Life over. I still read this book occasionally but because it is so packed with events, it is an easy book to remember, therefore repeat reading is a challenge.

When I first read Itch, I didn’t expect there to be a sequel but when it was released, I was curious to know what the sequel would be about. You see, after reading Itch, I didn’t feel like there was anything left to cling on to, to make a sequel out of, but it turns out there was something. It was a very small and hidden link, but it was there alright. The sequel is called Itch Rocks.

Now, after reading Itch Rocks, I was pretty certain it would be a duology, but I was wrong again. The third book is called Itch Craft and makes this series a trilogy. Although the third book was unexpected, it has to be my favourite of the trilogy. It seems directly correlated to both the the first and second and I love it so much. One problem though, it doesn’t make sense unless you’ve read the others! So get reading!

FictionFan1 Rating: 8/10

If you liked this author you might like: Steve Backshall, Rebecca Stead

About the author: Simon Mayo is a famous BBC radio presenter, but also writes children’s and adults’ books. At first, Itch was meant to be the only book in the series, but it proved popular and so more were released.

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Coming up soon: Stay tuned for my review of the Geek Girl series by Holly Smale.