Kids Blog

Hi,

We really like getting book reviews from you, and now you’ll notice that they’re getting published right here on the kids’ blog! To see all the reviews written by you guys you can just select the Kids’ Reviews category. If you’re wanting to read older reviews you can go to the Kids Reviews page – it’s got links to reviews, plus some ideas for things to read and more.

Want to tell us what you think of a book you’ve just read? You can fill in the review form.

Riding High at White Cloud Station by Trudy Nicholson

Full of drama and excitmement. It has a great plot, and it is very well written; perfect for pony-mad girls. Suzy, Alexa and Lucy all love ponies. 5 stars.

By Lulu of Wellington

Horrid Henry’s Evil Enemies by Francesca Simon

A good book about bad old Henry up to no good. 4 stars

Estella of Khandallah

The Key to Rondo by Emily Rodda

This is a great book. It entertains you. It is worth every second. 5 stars

Angitha of Ngaio

Have you ever seen a  little monkey and thought how cute it is? Well hold that thought because if you smile at a monkey, it may see your teeth and think that you’d like to hurt him and it will respond violently by biting you! I read this really informative book about animal behaviours and warnings that we should keep an eye out for. The book is called Never Smile at a Monkey by Steve Jenkins with a call number J591.65 JEN. So if you ever get caught out in the wild this book might prove handy.

Bluestar’s Prophecy, by Erin Hunter.

This superedition is about the life of Bluestar.

Bluekit is one of the newest members of ThunderClan. She cannot WAIT to become an apprentice! But her path is hard and lonely. What will she choose: to go with her ambitions and save ThunderClan? Or go with her heart?

I don’t recommend this book if you get very involved or emotional when you are reading. Personally, I found it more than a little depressing. 3 stars.

By Mehrbano of Tawa

In December we asked you to vote for your favourite book of the year, and we got hundreds of votes! Now we can tell you what your favourite books of 2009 were. We’ve divided them up into the 25 Best for Younger Kids and 25 Best for Older Kids – you can see the lists here.

So, what was the most popular for older kids? Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight saga books, of course. Younger kids are crazy about Zac Power, by H I Larry.

Do you agree with our findings? What were your favourites?

Waving in the wind, a flag may not seem like a code. But hidden in the stripes, stars, suns, moon, and colours of the world’s flags are the keys to understanding different countries’ shared histories and cherished ideals. Like the New Zealand flag – the Union Jack  shows us as being  part of the former British colony and the Southern Cross is our most commonly known constellation. So check out Flags of the World and learn how flags can reveal major insights into another country’s background and culture.

Ryan and Sarah are trapped inside the mystery of Skeleton Creek. Nothing in their town is what it first appears to be. And there are forces at work that want to keep old secrets buried . . . at any cost.

Clue by clue, the pieces begin to add up – and they all point to danger. In his journal, Ryan tries to chronicle his discoveries. Meanwhile, Sarah investigates and captures what she sees on video.

As time starts to run out, Ryan and Sarah are forced to make more and more desperate moves to get to the heart of the mystery. Someone – alive or dead – is trying to stop them. And as the stakes get higher, so do the risks.

There are three sides to this story: Ryan’s. Sarah’s. And the deadly truth.

Nothing is safe in Skeleton Creek. Read it. Watch it. Live it.

There are so many small creatures around us but because they are miniature we tend to overlook them. I came across this book and was totally amazed at how all these small creatures were magnified so that we can totally see and understand them. It is filled with incredible pictures and facts about the small animals that it’ll make you stop and stare at a spider,frog or bug and really see them. The book is entitled Animals Up Close by Igor Siwanowicz with the call number J590 SIW.