Reader reviews roundup

This week we begin with a superb review by site member Wizwarts2005 of this year's Guardian children's fiction prize winner: The Last Wild by Piers Torday. This book follows 12-year-old Kester who discovers he can speak to animals in a world where nearly all animals are extinct and need his help.

"At first I thought this book was too old for a nine year old boy so my dad read it so we could discuss the plot. The book was really exciting but I thought it would have been more exciting for the story to have ended in this book rather than for there to be a sequel … Without giving too much away, this book was REALLY good. It was not exciting at the start but turned out to be a captivating adventure for my whole family, who listened to the story."

We're journeying to another mystical world in our next pick, as Poppy68 wrote a spectacular review of Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell by Chris Colfer. This fairytale follows 11-year-old Alex and Connor who receive a special book which transports them to the Land of Stories.

"I really enjoyed reading the Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell. I found it so imaginative and descriptive that I felt I was there and the world was so clear in my head. I would recommend it for ages 9 plus."

Continuing the theme of mystical worlds, Ayoyinka of the Flora's Book Group wrote a spookily good review of The Crowfield Curse by Pat Walsh. Set in 1347, the story follows William, a monk's apprentice, who finds himself caught up in a battle between magical light and dark forces.

"The mystery that Will is drawn into is genuinely intriguing. It's so hard to tell how the story is going to turn out. Even when you are positive you think you know what's going to happen it goes all twisted and Walsh adds a new development … Overall, The Crowfield Curse is a fantastic, spellbinding novel, the greatest piece of literature I've ever read and I can't wait to read the sequel, The Crowfield Demon."

Meanwhile, moving on to a dystopian future, one of our group reviewers, Blaydon's Readers of the Universe, wrote a fantastic review of dystopian sensation Delirium by Lauren Oliver. In a future where scientists aim to eradicate love, Lena is about to be converted when she decides to turn her back on society…

To begin, reviewer Bethanay criticised the plotline:

"I didn't understand why eradicating love was really necessary. There was no historical explanation as to why it had to be removed and as most emotions are linked to love it must have made most people who had love removed from the brain pretty boring!"

Matthew agreed:

"The whole idea of removing love from the brain I didn't 'get'!"

Elsewhere, Kirsty praised the characterisation of Alex:

"I was never quite sure whether he was trustworthy or not and this kept the story quite edgy."

From futures to past lives, we move on to an amazing review by Branestawm of The Story of the Treasure Seekers by Edith Nesbit. Set in the 1890s, this book follows Oswald and his younger brother growing up in Victorian Britain.

"This is an excellent book which gives a playful sense of what it was like to be a child in the 1890s. I was interested by the similarities and differences between being a child then and being a child now … I like this book because it was written as if by a child and how the children think that they are quite posh and lucky but they are wrong; they are actually nearly very poor. I recommend this book to all children 9+ (or younger if an adult reads it aloud or you listen to an audiobook.)"

Last (but no means least) we end this week's roundup with a delightful review by Marsbar27 of A Sea of Stars by Kate Maryon. In this book Maya is over-protected by her family while Cat has the freedom to do what she likes. All this changes, however, when Maya's family decide to adopt Cat.

"Once again, Kate Maryon creates a heart-warming tale full of feeling which is a wise, wonderful thing. I would recommend this book to anyone aged 9 and over. A great, well written story which is very original."

This week let's hear a standing ovation for all our site members and their brilliant reviews! If your review has been picked in our roundup, email the Book Elves and we will send you a prize in the post!

Happy reading!

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