I have read many novels throughout the years including;
- the Harry Potter series (4 books)
- the Deltora Quest Series (8 books)
- Pankration by Dyan Blacklock
- Borrowed Light by Anna Fienberg
- Sparring with Shadows by Archie Fusillo
- Winter by John Marsden
- Shaking by David Chadwick
- Tomorrow, When the War Began by John Marsden
and many others................
The following are reviews I have written about some of these novels.
Winter by John Marsden
A story about a 16 year old girl who returns to the farm where she lived with her parents until she was four. Her parents are both dead and there is a great mystery surrounding how her mother dies. Winter is the lead character and she had been told that her parents dies at the same time in a boating accident but after returning to the property and finding their graves she realises that she was not told the truth. She goes in search of answers and find she has a Great Aunt who may be able to help her. The ending is a little predictable but still entertaining. (She discovers that she actually killed her mother accidentally when she was 4).
7/10
(for year7-8, very easy language to understand)
Borrowed Light by Anna Fienberg
A story about a 16 year old girl named Callisto May. Her family is unusual and a great part of her life is spent exploring the stars like her grandmother, a famous astronomer. Her life is turned upside down when her first love results in her being pregnant. She does not feel she can tell her parents and so arranges to go and have an abortion. On the day of the operation she finds herself having to look after her younger brother, Jeremy, and has to take him to the clinic with her. After the operation she finds that he is missing and apon returning home her secret is revealed to her family. This is an interesting book with many honest insights into the mind of a teenage girl with many typical, and some not so typical, teenage problems. As well as her observations we are also told the story in part by her brother Jeremy and come to see his view of the world as well as reading diary entries from a journal that her mother had kept when she gave birth to a child named ‘Gany’.
8/10
(for year 10-> due to language references)
Return to Del by Emily Rodda
Return to Del is the eighth and final book in the Deltora quest series by Emily Rodda. The series tells the story of a young boy named Leif and his quest to locate the seven lost gems of the belt of Deltora. He is assisted on his quest by a former palace guard named Barda and Jasmine, a wild girl who Leif and Barda met on their first adventure to the Forests of Silence. At this point in the series the threesome have found all seven gems needed to reconstruct the Belt of Deltora and go in search of the heir to the throne of Deltora. The novel has many twists and turns that prevents the reader from discovering the truth about the identity of the heir and other characters until the final pages in the novel.
This is an exciting novel because of the many unusual adventures and interesting characters we meet along the way. The characters have many different personalities and quirky habits that amuse the audience. For example, one character named Doom is a very dark and mysterious character who is always suspicious of those around him. We also learn that he is not who he appears to be and is keeping many secrets from those around him.
The reader experiences many different emotions when reading the novel. We are excited by the possibility that the heir to the throne is found but then are disappointed and frustrated when it seems he has been kidnapped by the forces of evil. We also experience sadness when it appears one of the main characters may die because of his injuries but are then relieved when he miraculously becomes well again. Throughout the novel we are also able to feel the emotions that other characters experience because of the way we are able to relate to them and understand them.
My favourite character was Jasmine because she was an independent young girl who made her own decisions and was very resourceful. She kept her mind focused on the task and was able to take care of herself whenever trouble arose. She is an excellent role model for other young women because of her strength and courage and I admired those qualities in her.
I did enjoy reading Return to Del. My favourite part of the book was the ending because all of the pieces of the puzzle we had been given from the start of the series fell into place and everything made sense. I did not have a least favourite part of the novel because exciting things were happening all the time and each chapter left you dying to find out what would happen in the next one by creating suspenseful situations. The characters in the novel were a significant reason why I enjoyed the book. They all had important roles to play in the way the story unfolded and their observations of what was happening in the book were very detailed and helped to paint the picture for me to see things from many perspectives.
I would recommend this novel to boys and girls aged 9-15. The language in the novel is colloquial and very easy to understand. The adventures that the main characters have would also appeal to a teenage audience because they are exciting. The main characters in the novel are also teenagers so this would allow a teenage audience to relate to them. I would rate this novel 9/10.
Shaking by David Chadwick
The novel tells the story of a teenager named Ian. He lives in New Zealand and he and his friends have a band called High Sheen. The band members are all friends until Marko introduces Rachael to the band. She and Ian hit it off and as the novel progresses things get complicated. Rachael starts singing with the band but also starts to have a relationship with Ian. Marko becomes very jealous and the band members notice the change in his personality. The town where Ian lives has also been experiencing many earthquakes recently and it culminates in a severe quake at the end of the novel which has a disastrous effect on the lives of many characters.
The novel is quite slow and much of the dialogue is very predictable and boring. The relationship between Ian and Rachael is not a very exciting one. The teenage characters experience teenage problems in the novel but ut seemed like Chadwick couldn’t decide whether to write a novel about teenagers and their relationships or about a teenager and his aspirations to be a rock star. The two elements don’t seem to mix very successfully in the novel.
The language is colloquial and easy to understand but it is also very predictable. There are a few interesting moments in the novel such as when a fight breaks out at a party one of the characters is having while his parents are away. It is also interesting when the characters tells us their observations of the destruction the major quake has caused when they drive through their town and find it almost unrecognisable.
I would only recommend the novel to teenagers who have an interest in reading about relationships and the problems that teenagers face. It may also appeal to people who want to read about earthquakes. I would rate this novel 4-5/10.
