Age 12-14 – Page 2 – Bookmonster – Cool video book reviews FOR children BY children

TimeRiders

Posted on 13 January 20228 March 2022 by bookmonster

Reviewed by Bookmonster Cian
Author: Alex Scarrow
Book 1 of 9 in TimeRiders series

Hi everyone!
I’m very excited about this book review – it’s on the first book in Alex Scarrow’s TimeRiders series. After reading this a couple of months ago and absolutely loving it (and going on and on about it!), I got the TimeRiders set for Christmas! So now I’m really looking forward to continuing the adventure!
I can’t recommend this book highly enough. I mean, you only have to read the blurb on the back to know it’s going to be utterly fantastic. Go ahead and read it now – then you’ll know what I ‘m talking about. (So – have you read it? Sounds thrilling, doesn’t it? Like, how can you NOT be intrigued, right?!)
The series follows a group of teens who are plucked from various fatal situations to become a team. They are not ‘rescued’ as such, but recruited by a secret time-travel agency to fix seriously broken historical events. The characters are regular kids from different backgrounds and different times. They are clever and each one has a special skill. You can expect gripping storylines, tonnes of edge-of-seat action, some crazy time-travel twists and turns, and really great writing. I loved the history aspect, too, as you end up learning about various time periods and historical events. Although the time travel can be complex at times, it’s not so confusing that you can’t follow it. Alex Scarrow does a great job making sense of it! It’s a fantastic adventure that suits young teens – boy or girl – and even adults. NO SPOILERS!!

Age 8-10, Age 10-12, Age 12-14

The Storm Keeper’s Island

Posted on 9 December 2021 by bookmonster

Reviewed by Bookmonstress Méabh
Author: Catherine Doyle
Book 1 of 3 in Storm Keeper series

Hi everyone and welcome to my latest book review!
This one is on the first book in Catherine Doyle’s Storm Keeper trilogy, called The Storm Keeper’s Island. It’s a fantastical tale full of adventure, myth and magic. When Fionn and his sister Tara are sent to stay at their grandfather’s home on the island of Arranmore, the otherwise quiet Fionn discovers that there’s a lot more to Arranmore than meets the eye. In fact his very arrival on the island seems to set something in motion. Something deep beneath the surface. As Fionn learns the island’s secrets from his grandfather – the Storm Keeper of Arranmore – the battle for the next Storm Keeper begins. What a breathtaking tale! NO SPOILERS!!

Age 12-14, Age 13+

Graceling

Posted on 1 December 20219 December 2021 by bookmonster

Reviewed by Bookmonster Cian
Author: Kristin Cashore
Book 1 of 4 in Graceling Realm series

Hey Bookmonsters, thanks for stopping by!
My book review today is on the first book in a new series I’ve just started – Graceling by Kristin Cashore. Not a ‘new’ series – but new for me! The series is called Graceling Realm and comprises four books. While Graceling is the first book, it is followed by a prequel – Fire – and then two sequels – Bitterblue and Winterkeep.
So, you’ve got the main character, Katsa, who was born with what is known as a ‘grace’, so a special skill. Some skills are worth having, other less so. But Katsa’s seems the worst of all – killing. And she is forced to use it for her king’s (who is also her uncle) nasty purposes. But all that changes when she meets Prince Po, rescues his kidnapped grandfather and learns the truth behind her grace. It’s a cool read and I’m looking forward to getting the next in the series. Because it has a little romance in it, I’d recommend this book for children aged 13 and up. NO SPOILERS though!!

Age 8-10, Age 10-12, Age 12-14

Méabh’s TOP FIVE favourite book covers

Posted on 5 November 20219 December 2021 by bookmonster

Favourites in 2021

Hi dear Bookmonsters!
Today’s video isn’t a book review; instead I’m doing something different – I’m going to show you my current TOP FIVE favourite book covers (or rather, SIX!). Cian already did a video like this a while back (here) and I’ve been wanting to do one too, so here it is!

And like I say in the video, I’m going to JUDGE A BOOK BY ITS COVER! Because I just can’t help myself! It’s hard not to be drawn in by a really pretty cover, especially when it’s in your favourite colours. But as I explain, it’s not just the colours or the illustrations that attract me, it’s also the font, the spine, the wraparounds to the back cover and, really importantly, the FEEL. I love how a book feels in my hands.

So, like with Cian’s video of his TOP FIVE covers, this review is a thank you to cover artists, illustrators, author-illustrators, designers, typographers for creating such beautiful book covers. And the books are brilliant too!

Here are the books in alphabetical order (by author), so as not to give anything away just yet! (I’ve also included the links to the book reviews I’ve already posted here on Bookmonster.)

THE GIRL WHO SPEAKS BEAR by Sophie Anderson | Cover by Kathrin Honesta
WILLA OF THE WOOD by Robert Beatty | Cover by Millie Liu | Design by Maria Elias
SHARK CALLER by Zillah Bethell | Cover by Saara Katariina Söderlund | Typography by Sarah J. Coleman
SKY SONG by Abi Elphinstone | Cover by Daniela Terrazzini
NEVERTELL by Katherine Orton | Cover by Sandra Dieckmann
NORTH CHILD by Edith Pattou | Cover by Claire Lefevre

Also featured in this video is RUMBLESTAR by Abi Elphinstone.

Age 12-14

SilverFin

Posted on 29 September 20219 December 2021 by bookmonster

Reviewed by Bookmonster Cian
Author: Charlie Higson
Book 1 of 9 in Young Bond series

Hey everyone!
Welcome to my new book review. This review is on another new favourite of mine, called SilverFin by Charlie Higson. If you’ve watched any of my other vidoes, you’ll know I love spy novels. Well, this is basically a James Bond novel … but not as you know it! It’s actually James Bond’s backstory – so from BEFORE he became a secret agent. It’s set in his teenage years, while he’s at school. You can already tell that he likes to get mixed up in crazy adventures and doesn’t mind a bit of danger. No wonder he went on to become the world’s most well-known and best-loved spy! SilverFin is a high-tension, top-speed tale in which young Bond goes in search of a missing boy, only to discover that strange experiments are being conducted in a mysterious castle on Loch Silverfin in Scotland. I could hardly put the book down and can’t wait to get my Monsterfingers on the next book in the series! Watch my video for some more fun details, but don’t worry – there are no spoilers!!