The Great World of Books

Author: David Walliams Illustrator: Tony Ross Rating: 09/10 Age: 9+ Genre: Fiction, Adventure,Humour Pages: 477 Published in: Nov 2016 Main Characters: Tom,  Porter, Midnight gang members, Sally Synopsis: This story is about a young boy named Tom Charper. Tom woke up confused in the very strange Lord Funt Hospital. He soon realised he’s there because he had been hit on the head with a cricket ball at St Willet’s Boarding School for Boys and, after being assessed by a doctor (not much older than himself), he is moved to the Children’s Ward. It isn’t very pleasant here, as the whole ward his run by a matron who HATES children. Even when Tom thought that these days will be the most boring days in his life, he soon found out that he was wrong. It is here that he discovers the Midnight Gang. The Midnight Gang was a secret gang of children who went on midnight adventures in the hospital. Not just any adventures, ...

  Author: Roald Dahl Illustrator: Quintin Blake Rating: 8/10 Age: 9+ Genre: Fiction, Humour, Family Pages: 232 Published in: 1988 Main Characters: Matilda, Miss Honey, Miss Trunchball, Lavender     Synopsis: This story is about a young girl named Matilda. You might just think of her as an ordinary girl, but in reality, she is an extremely smart girl for her age. She was able to read at the age of 3! Now, you would expect her parents to be very proud of her, wouldn’t you? Unfortunately for Matilda, however, her parents sometimes forget that she was ever alive. Matilda has a brother, Michael, and her parents think very highly of him. Matilda is used to being treated like this, but deep inside all she ever wanted is for someone to love her and praise her for her talents. Harry (Matilda’s father) is a second-hand car salesman, who enjoys swindling his customers. Zinnia (Matilda’s mother) prefers to play bin...

  Author: David Walliams Illustrator: Tony Ross Rating: 8/10 Age: 9+ Genre: Fiction, Humour Pages: 448 Published in: Feb 2015 Main Characters: Alfie, Gabriella, Winnie, Miss Root, Alfie’s dad   Synopsis : This story started with a young boy called Alfie. He was famous for having the most horrid teeth! He hated going to the dentist, and, as a result, the boy’s teeth were almost all yellow.  The ones that weren’t yellow, well, they were brown. The teeth that were neither yellow nor brown simply weren’t there anymore. They had fallen out! Alfie lived with his disabled father as his mother had died after giving birth to him. After a traumatising experience in the dentist’s surgery a few years ago, Alfie had vowed that he would not go to the dentist ever again.  Never. Never ever. Hopefully his Father never found the letters from the dentist at the top of the cupboard… When Alfie had gone back to schoo...

  Author: Jacqueline Wilson Illustrator: Nick Sharratt Rating: 08/10 Age: 9+ Genre: Fiction, Friendship, Family, Humour Pages: 224 Published in: Jan 1995 Main Characters: Elsa, Mum, Mack, Pippa, Hank, Naomi, Famous Five Synopsis:   This story is about a young girl named Elsa, who was 10 years old. She loved to make up jokes and share them with others. But Elsa had a huge problem. She lived with her Mum, her stepdad named Mack (whom she liked to call Mack the Smack), her half-sister Pippa and her half-brother Hank.   She lived in a small flat which was big enough for the family to live in, and Elsa loved living there. One day, Mack got a new job which paid lots of money. Soon, they were all living in a house of their own! But this job didn’t stay for long. They had no other house to live in. Some people suggested they should buy a new flat, but nobody was selling any. All that was left to do ...

  Author: J.K Rowling Illustrator: Mary GrandPre’ Rating: 9/10 Age: 9+ Genre: Fiction, Fantasy, Humour, Magic Pages: 636 Published in: July 2000 Main Characters: Harry, Hermione, Ron, Mad-Eye-Moody, Voldemort, Fudge, Mr Crouch, Dumbledore. Synopsis:   One morning, Uncle Vernon received a letter from the Weasleys that they would like to invite Harry Potter over to watch the Quidditch World Cup, and Harry was delighted to have heard from his friends at last. Uncle Vernon grudgingly agreed to let Harry go. The next day, while they were at the World cup, the saw a small house elf, named Winky, nervously waiting for her master at the top box. After a short show from the respective mascots, the game began and had many nerve-racking moments where Ireland, by keeping the cool head and following planned strategies, claimed the victory.  Although Viktor Krum, the Bulgarian Seeker, managed to catch the Snitch. ...

Author: J.K Rowling Illustrator: Mary GrandPre’ Rating: 10/10 Age: 9+ Genre: Fiction, Fantasy, Humour, Magic Pages: 317 Published in: July 1999 Main Characters: Harry, Hermione, Ron, Lupin, Black, Dementors, Voldemort Synopsis:   It was Harry’s 13th Birthday and he receives owls from his friends that had bought birthday gifts for him. As usual, the Dursleys have forgotten his birthday and continue to ignore him. Aunt Marge has came to stay at the Dursley's house and she abjectly continues to insult Harry’s parents during her visit. Harry gets very angry and consequently inflates Aunt Marge where she flows towards heaven like leaping hot air balloon. He knows that he could not stand it any longer if he continues to live with the Dursley’s, so he goes  out to be collected by the knight bus that is meant for any stranded witch or wizards. While boarding a bus Harry witnesses a glimpse of a rather huge hairy and hideous...

Author: J.K Rowling Illustrator: Mary GrandPre’ Rating: 10/10 Age: 9+ Genre: Fiction, Fantasy, Humour, Magic Pages: 251 Published in: July 1998 Main Characters: Harry, Hermione, Ron, Voldemort, Ginny, Tom Riddle, Malfoy. Synopsis: Harry Potter was spending a miserable summer again with his only family, the Dursleys. One day, the Dursleys were having a dinner party and Harry was told to stay up in his room with the door locked so that he could not cause any trouble while the guests were enjoying their food. Harry reluctantly agreed, and whilst he was miserably trotting up the stairs to go into his room, he witnessed a very peculiar sight. It was an ugly, dirty house elf named Dobby, and he was covered in rags. Dobby explains to Harry that Hogwarts was no longer safe for him, and that he should not go back. Harry disagrees and decides to ignore Dobby. As a result, Dobby uses spells to create havoc in the kitchen, maki...

Author: J.K Rowling Illustrator: Mary GrandPre’ Rating: 10/10 Age: 9+ Genre: Fiction, Fantasy, Humour, Magic Pages: 223 Published in: June 1997 Main Characters: Harry, Hermione, Ron, Voldemort, Hagrid, Snape and Dumbledore. Synopsis : Harry Potter lives with his Aunt Petunia, Uncle Vernon and horrible, overly-spoilt cousin Dudley (The Dursleys) in number 4, Privet Drive. However, Harry is a person that can do many extraordinary things, but he has no idea he can do this. The Dursleys are jealous of his supernatural abilities so they decide to treat Harry as a slave, and give him the smallest room possible: in the cupboard under the stairs. Harry is 11 years old and wears old, broken glasses as Mr and Mrs Dursley don’t pay much attention to their nephew’s clothes and only give Harry the scruffy old clothes of his cousin. Petunia and Vernon convince Harry that his parents died in a car crash, but is that true? One ordinary day, as Dudley...

Author: David Baddiel Illustrator: Jim Field Rating: 9/10 Age: 9+ Genre: Fiction, Humour Pages: 407 Published in: Sept 2017 Main Characters:   Sam and Ruby Green, Grandma Poppy, Grandpa Sam, Grandma Glenda and Grandpa Mike and Mr and Mrs Green Synopsis : It is the 7th of September, and Sam Green was a 10 year old boy who couldn’t wait for his 11th birthday. After a long wait, it finally came the next day! After having a glorious cake, a fabulous party and fantastic costume, Sam wishes it could be every day! That night, on his birthday, he sees a mini shooting star which sizzles over the sky like a bright firework… Sam decides that he would wish on this peculiar shooting star which had magically popped up in the sky. So, on that night, Sam wishes that he could have his birthday every single day for a whole year! On the next morning, his wish became reality! His mum had given him breakfast in bed, and a heap of new ...

Author: Gwyneth Rees Illustrator: Ella Okstad and Lydia Monks Rating: 10/10 Age: 7+ Genre: Fiction, Magic, Humour Pages: 176 Published in: Feb 2013 Main Characters: Emma, Saffie, Mum and Dad, Grandma and the neighbours. Synopsis : Emma is a young girl who lives with her mum, dad and her younger 6-year-old sister Saffie. These two wondrous sisters may look ordinary, but they are not. They have super powers! But it wasn’t as if they could make themselves invisible, or even fly, but what they could do was make non-living objects come to life! It wasn’t only Emma and Saffie who had powers. It was a strange gift that ran through their family; but skipped a generation each time, so neither of Emma’s parents had this magical power, but their grandma did. Emma and Saffie could do all sorts of clever things that their friends in school couldn’t, such as: making dolls talk, asking the hoover to clean up, make pens and pencil...

Author: David Walliams Illustrator: Tony Ross Rating: 10/10 Age: 8+ Genre: Fiction, Humour Pages: 416 Published in: Sept 2014 Main Characters: Stella Saxby, Soot, Alberta Synopsis : Stella is a young 12 year old girl who lives in a huge mansion called Saxby hall. One night, Stella found herself in her bedroom wrapped in ropes! “Ma… Pa? Where are you?” she called, feeling terrified. Suddenly, she heard a loud noise: she could just about make out a dark silhouette of her aunt, called Alberta.   There had been a great mystery about Alberta. She was the eldest of 3 children: herself and her twin brothers Herbert and Chester (Chester is known as Stella’s father in this story). When Alberta was just 12 years old, her baby brother Herbert mysteriously disappeared! Nobody knew why this event had occurred and no one had found a trace of him… After Herbert had vanished, as the oldest male child, Stella’s father agreed to ta...

Author: Davis Walliams Illustrator: Tony Ross Rating: 10/10 Age: 7+ Genre: Humour, Historical Fiction Pages: 496 Published in: Nov 2018 Main Characters: Elsie, Dotty, Professor and the Ice Monster Synopsis : This is the story of a 10 year old girl and a 10,000 year-old Mammoth… Elsie, an Orphan, cannot bear it when she is treated badly down at Wormly Hall, an awful place for poor children. One night, she decides to escape and live the rest of her life on the streets on London. Suddenly, there is news about a rare, 10,000 year-old baby mammoth that has arrived in the Natural History Museum; Elsie wants to find out more. Elsie wishes for hope, love and, most importantly, happiness. When she hears this epic tale about a mammoth, she knew she had to meet it. Once she finds very strange cleaning women (named Dotty), the two pair up to sneak into the museum in the night to capture a tiny glimpse at this prehistoric mon...