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Wadestown School

4,637 pages read and 511 team points

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    The Pied Piper

    3,139 pts
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    Ruru

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    Joyful reading

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The Pied Piper

3,139 pts
(2,968 pages read)

  • Electric Life

    By Rachel Delahaye
    3 stars

    This was an ambitious novel set in a "perfect", futuristic London based in skyscrapers. The main character is a successful but dissatisfied gamer. I found the world-building unconvincing and the characters and plot a bit cliche.

  • The Strange and Unlikely Tale of Montgomery the Mysterious Bird of Mystery

    By Antony Elworthy
    3 stars

    This is a tall tale told by a boy's grandfather. It's OK but all a bit lightweight.

  • After the fire

    By Will Hill
    5 stars

    This is an absorbing page-turner inspired by the Branch Davidian sect led by David Koresh near Waco, Texas which ended in a blazing battle with the FBI and other government agencies in 1993. The story is told by Moonbeam, the eldest survivor, who is processing her trauma at a secure government facility following the conflagration. It alternates between her current situation and flashbacks to the events that led to the crisis. It includes themes of sexual abuse and violence but this is not done in a gratuitous or sensationalist way. A worthwhile read for 15 years+.

  • Orion Lost

    By Alastair Chisholm
    4 stars

    This is a sci-fi novel about a group of kids who are on their way with their families to live on a distant planet. In order to get there they have to do numerous space "jumps" and during these they have to be put into a suspended "sleep" and then woken with their memories restored by the ship's AI. They wake from one jump to discover their ship extensively damaged and the AI informing them that it cannot wake any of the adults and so they are in charge. Also the AI tells them the ship's memory logs are damaged so it cannot tell them how they ended up in this predicament. Can they trust what the AI is telling them? An enjoyable story but perhaps a bit long and complicated to grip my students.

  • The Unexpected Find

    By Tony Ibbotson
    4 stars

    This is a story about a boy who finds a treasure, a girl who loses her father and a journey into the depths of a Scandinavian winter. I loved the authenticity of the characters and the twists and turns of plot which unfolded rather beautifully. I would give it 5 stars myself but it perhaps students would find it a bit long/slowish.

  • Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus

    By Dusti Bowling
    5 stars

    Who knew that a story about a girl born with no arms could be so enjoyable, funny, eye-opening and moving? Aven moves with her (adoptive) parents to a rather run-down Western theme park in Arizona. There she finds some new friends with their own challenges and unravels a mystery that has highly personal implications.

  • 13

    By Jason Robert Brown and Dan Eilish
    4 stars

    This novel is based on a musical with the same name. It's about a boy named Evan whose parents separate and he has to move from New York to small-town Illinois. His mother is determined for him to have a bar mitvah. Will the prospect of "becoming a man" have any impact on his dubious attempts to get in with the cool crowd? An amusing read.

  • The Canyon's Edge

    By Dusti Bowling
    5 stars

    A story mostly told in verse by Nora whose mother was randomly shot dead a year ago. Her over-protective father takes her to explore a desert canyon to distract them from their memories. However disaster strikes and Nora has to overcome her fears if she is to survive. A gripping read as Nora wrestles with the physical and emotional challenges she faces.

  • The Losers Club

    By Andrew Clements
    4 stars

    Alec loves reading but is in trouble for doing so during class lessons. He also begins attending an after school programme at which he has the opportunity to start a reading club. However in order to discourage others joining - who he thinks will only distract him - he calls it The Losers Club. To his surprise lots of other kids join and he also has to deal with a former-friend bully and maybe even a crush. The story is expertly handled by Clements (author of Frindle) with believable characters and plot.

  • The Eyes and the Impossible

    By Dave Eggers
    4 stars

    An quirky story told from the perspective of a dog prone to exaggeration who lives in a large park and loves to run. He is the eyes for the wise bison who he reports to about the goings-on in the park - particularly the activity of the humans. Although it is a Newbery winner and I found it amusing, I'm not sure how may kids it will appeal to.

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