Nottingham High School Reading Groups Blog

Sam Enthoven Visit

2011-03-07T13:31:00.005Z

Today, we visited the Samworth Academy to hear the Author Sam Enthoven talk about writing and specifically about his latest book, Crawlers. Crawlers is shortlisted for the Nottinghamshire Brilliant Book Awards. He said he was amazed and excited to have been chosen. Ben, Year 7, said he thought he was a bit crazy but that was probably what made his books so good.

An Overview, or Why it is So Hard to Choose.

2011-02-02T14:41:00.002Z

I find it very hard to pick a favourite out of the books. They are all different genre so have different good bits and bad bits.

Desperate Measures by Laura Summers is written very well, but had a bit of an anti-climax.

The Vampire Blog by Peter Johnson is very funny, but has only a small amount of action.

Fightback by Steve Voake has lots of action but strong drug abuse (not necessarily bad).

Now by Morris Gleitzmen had good wartime and bushfire facts but is a bit slow to get to the point.

Joseph Yr 8

The Nottinghamshire Brilliant Book Award

2010-11-19T11:11:00.005Z

The 2010 Shortlist to the BBA has been published and there seems to be a treat for everyone in store.

Crawlers by Sam Enthoven who wrote The Black Tattoo published earlier this year is a Horror/Thriller with his usual dry humour thrown in.

Desperate Measures by Laura Summers, a debut novel which explores family loyalties and friendship with the subtext of the struggle of living with disabilities.

Fightback by Steve Voake who wrote one of last years most popular 'Booked Up' choices is a gory thriller.

Now by Morris Gleitzman, the final chapter in the acclaimed WW2 trilogy which brings the story of Felix and Zelda up to the present day .

The Boy who Fell Down Exit 43 by Harriet Goodwin, a humourous fantasy adventure about parallel worlds and personal hurdles.

The Vampire Blog by Pete Johnson. More humour from one of our most popular funny writers.

Our Favourite Book

2010-10-13T15:04:00.003+01:00

The Recruit is the first book in the Cherub series and is the one which caught my eye the most. The Recruit is an action packed adventure story full of suspense and humour. The Recruit is basically about young agents (under the agent of 17) working for Cherub going on under cover missions. James Adams is one of the new “meats” recruited to become an agent. This would change his whole life if he passes his basic training but as you probably guessed the training is brutal close combat at its hardest. Travel with James Adams on his basic training and find out whether he makes it or not.

Reported by Arjun N. and Ben B. Year 7

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

2010-06-16T14:55:00.002+01:00

This book is about Nobody Owens, a young boy who escapes murder as a baby and then grows up in a graveyard away from the dangers of the city where he gets up to all sorts of trouble. It is a good book but can cause you to go mad with frustration, as it is a hard book to understand! 7/10
Joe Waplington

Fever Crumb by Philip Reeve

2010-05-11T14:27:00.003+01:00

Recommendation by Dominic Stafford
The orphan Fever Crumb grows up the only girl in the order of engineers in a London recently ravaged by riots against the tyrannical mutated humans called The Heritage. Soon Fever Crumb is submerged in weird memories that aren’t hers and pursued by people who have realised her heritage.
A really good book set in the world of Mortal Engines. 9/10

2010 Carnegie Book Award

2010-05-11T10:56:00.002+01:00

The Carnegie Short List has arrived! Having a quick trawl through the titles, Fever Crumb is the first to go. A preliminary assessment gives The Graveyard Book our award for Best Cover and Best First Paragraph. Rowan the Strange, whilst we found the cover frightening, won for Best Blurb.

What We Have Enjoyed in 2009

2009-12-16T15:06:00.004Z

Curry Man says:

Conclave of Shadows Trilogy by Raymond E.Fiest

This is about a boy who survives the onslaught of his people. He now has to gain revenge for his people. In the second book, Talon must now take service with the man who destroyed his people.

Shed says:

The Host by Stephanie Meyer

I really enjoyed this book because it is a more unique idea than Twilight so stays in your mind for longer. Although I wouldn't recommend this to a younger audience.

Orik says:

Redwall by Brian Jacques

is good because there are lots of books and lots of good and mysterious plots and good battles, with good always prevailing over evil.

Jaqanory says

Hetty Feather by Jacqueline Wilson

is my favourite book of the year because it is a wonderful story about an orphan trying to find her true mum.

Mac n' Cheese says:

Dark Fire by Chris d'Lacey

is an awesome book because it is gripping and gory. Part of the book is when a dead woman who was found alive and then haunts an Inn. Also a Dragon War happens and loadsof houses fall because of an earthquake. Also there is a relationship dispute between Zanno and David, and it's funny to watch them argue.

Will says:

The Mystery of the Christmas Pudding by Agatha Christie

because it has Christmas spirit.

Nottingham High School Year of Reading by Y Gunther

2009-12-03T13:32:00.000Z

Nottingham High School Year of Reading by Y Gunther WallWisher

2009 Brilliant Book Awards

2009-11-26T12:29:00.003Z

The Short List for the Nottinghamshire Brilliant Book Awards is out and we want to know your impressions. A really good list for boys, it includes Malice by Chris Wooding - already a popular choice in our library. Lost Riders by Carnegie Prize winner Elizabeth Laird and Torn Pages by Sally Grindley take us to different cultures and look at the realities of children living in Third world countries. Bang Bang. You're Dead and Forbidden Island are thrillers that will keep you guessing until the end. The Pickle King is a crazy adventure story. All available in the Library. This award is given by teenagers so join in, read a book see if it is worth your vote.

The Carnegie Book Award

2009-05-28T12:13:00.006+01:00

Yes! The time has come again when we hurry to read the 7 books on the Carnegie Short List before the Award is made. This year the choices have been particularly excellent for boys and as a couple were on the Guardian Book Award, we've had a head start. Just as well because the main bookshops have been very slow off the mark getting copies in!

Below, are a few quick responses to some books so far.

Airman by Eoin Colfer
This is a very good book. It is set in the 1800s and is about a boy called Connor Brokeheart who seems to have his life laid out for him he has an amazing tutor who will help him to make the first ever flying machine; Connor has a nice family and knows a princess. BUT, the power hungry Hugo Bolivian assassinates the king and his tutor and throws him in prison where he is treated badly and forced to dig diamonds. He cleverly escapes and flies at Bolivian in the first ever plane and the united family kill the tyrant. If you liked Artemis Fowl you should like this but if you didn’t you should try it anyway because it is quite different.
Orik (Yr7)
Frank Cotterell Boyce writes ‘Cosmic’ which is a very funny, lively book and it is aimed at 10-13 year olds. However the book is quite hard to understand at first because there is a tall boy called Liam and a smaller boy called Michael. They venture into space and I am surprised that they survive in the end. I would most certainly recommend it *****.
SCORPIA (Yr7)
I’ve read Cosmic and I think it’s really good. It’s a kid’s book because it’s based on kids, but is hard to read. It’s about 2 boys who want to enter a competition to go to space, but one person needs to be a parent so Liam, the tall boy pretends to be an adult. I gad fun reading this book because the storyline is good and enjoyable. I got stuck on to this book as it gripped me and I couldn’t let go. I would recommend this book for 9-11 year olds.

K.R.B.(Yr7)
Black Rabbit Summer by Kevin Brooks
First things first. The language is fluent and easy to read, but people younger than 12 should try to avoid this.
The storyline is excellent, the mystery about black rabbit, was very good. When Raymond disappeared was a very disturbing part of the book, do not read this after nine o’clock.
To sum it up, Black Rabbit Summer is a very funny and witty book, with twists and turns at every corner

FIRESTAR (Yr7)

Cosmic by Frank Cottrell Boyce

2009-03-12T17:34:00.002Z

COSMIC BY FRANK COTTRELL BOYCE

‘Cosmic’ is about a boy who is too tall to be a boy. Everyone mistakes him for an adult. So, he decides to act like one and has the time of his life …. on a rocket.

In the story, Liam Digby, the tall boy, is the main character. This is my favourite character, because he is humorous and because he changes from child to adult and vice versa smoothly. I also like a girl called Florida, because at one point she pretends to be Liam’s daughter and gives him tips about how to be a true dad.

The parts of the story I enjoyed were when the children and adults trained to be astronauts, because they have lots of fun, and it makes you want to join in. Another part I enjoyed was when the children were in the rocket playing hide and seek and one ‘disappears’.

In the story, the author writes in such a way that the reader understands perfectly what is going on. I like the way he writes because he uses different fonts and sizes to emphasise things and, when writing the speech of a child, it actually sounds like one. He also uses a lot of descriptive techniques.

In conclusion, I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a quality, funny read, and all children

By C-J P.Year 8

2009-01-08T11:04:00.003Z

The Declaration by Gemma Malley

The Declaration is a book guaranteed to have you gripped from the first page. The first line of the book is provoking enough: "My name is Anna and I don't deserve to live. But I do."
The story is about a girl called Anna, who is living in a time when the elixir of life has been invented, and people are not allowed to have children. Anna is an 'illegal' child, so she must live in isolation and learn to become a 'valuable asset to modern society'. But then Peter arrives, with stories from the outside world, and Anna must decide how to feel about these suggestions made about her life. This book is a read that is rather hard to put down, and contains a lot of things. Hate, friendship, disgust, cruelty, hope, evil, despair and difficult situations, all crammed into 200 spellbinding pages. READ IT.

Adam H. Yr 8

The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness

2008-12-16T15:37:00.000Z

My Review on The Knife Of Never Letting Go.

This book, by Patrick Ness, is a gripping novel that is unpredictable in many ways. The main characters are Ben, Viola, Cillian, Manchee and Todd. It is about a boy, Todd, who is the last boy in Prentisstown (they are all men). There are no women, killed by the noise germ that made all the men able to read each other’s thoughts. But one day, when it is only a month until his birthday, he stumbles on a place in Prentisstown where there is no noise. This is impossible though, thinks Todd and he goes and tells Ben. Suddenly Todd, Manchee and Viola, the girl who has silence, plunge into an adventure which is about the choices of adulthood. He also finds why there are women in other places, even though there is the noise germ, why the noise germ is there and about his companion, Viola.

I think that overall this book is a great read with some quite touching parts.

James Yr7

Nottingham Brilliant Book Awards

2008-12-15T12:02:00.000Z

Firstly, I've changed the colours because nobody seemed to like the restful green idea. Hope this design is more to your liking. I'll aim at school colours when I can figure out how....
Secondly, Take a look at the Nottingham Brilliant Book Award website: www.brilliantbookaward.nottinghamshire.gov.uk. We are one of 26 local schools taking part, voting to chose who wins. We can post reviews on the website and read reviews from other schools. There are 6 books to read between now and March. Ask the librarian for username and password.
Thirdly, don't forget to post your reviews on this blog either by e-mailing or handing them to the librarian, or by commenting.

Nottingham High School (Boys) Reading Groups Blog

2008-12-02T11:46:00.000Z

Welcome to the Reading Groups Blog of Nottingham High School for Boys. Below you can post and read reviews of some of our current favourite books.