St John`s Year 4 Book reviews and book covers.

Year 4 have drawn the book covers of their favourite stories and have written the following book reviews.

 

 

 

 

BOOK REVIEWS BY YEAR 4

 

The Magical Peppers.

 

This book is about two kids and an uncle named Potty. All of them are magicians. One day they get asked to show the Queen some magic. They had to make the crystal skull disappear. The kids names are Esme and Monty. I like this book because you never know what`s going to happen next.

 

By Daniel aged 9.

 

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The Magical Peppers.

 

The Magical peppers is a very good book. The characters are Potty, Monty and Esme. Uncle Potty gets asked to perform a magic trick in front of the Queen and Potty is very scared. he started practising for the show and he loses the crystal skull. Potty gets arrested and Monty and Esme finds a tunnel.

 

My favourite character is potty because he is funny.

 

By Jessie aged 8.

 

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My Funny Family Gets Bigger.

 

This book is about a 9 and half year old girl called Mattie who has a little brother called Stan. Stan loves reading because he is very good at it but his sister V is not, so she was very jealous of him and got so annoyed with Stan because of all his boasting. So the next day their Nan goes out with V and buys her some new glasses and a new book for her to read with her new glasses and she was very good. At the end of the story their Mum had a baby boy and they wanted to call him Jesus as he was born on Christmas day but in the end the they called him William.

 

My favourite character was V because she was funny.

 

I really liked this book because it explained how they looked and what they felt like.

 

By Rebecca aged 9

 

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Claude In The Spotlight.

 

This book is about when Claude and Sir Bobbly Sock wake up early one morning and start an adventure by going one morning and start an adventure by going to the theatre and performing with a group he met that day.

 

I like this book because Claude has a friend and its a sock, also he was really funny when he said "I need my beauty spot and I feel my hands coming on".

 

I don`t dislike anything about it because it`s fun when Claude does tap dancing.

 

The characters are Claude(the dog), Sir Bobbly sock( the socks), Mr and Mrs Shiny Shoes(the dogs owners), the children(that Claude met that day) and Miss Highkick Spin(the dance teacher).

 

By Lily aged 8

 

 

 

 

 

Steve Hartley visits Champion Schools and Chatterbooks Groups

Steve Hartley, author of Oliver Fibbs: Attack of the Alien Brain, visited 5 schools and 3 Chatterbooks Groups on a 3-day visit to Surrey - and must have been exhausted by the time he got back to Manchester!

Here is Steve with the biggest pair of frilly pink knickers you have ever seen!

Thanks for a brilliant few days, Steve.

My Funny Family Series by St Bartholomew's Year 3 pupils

These reviews were sent in by Year 3 pupils at St Bartholomew's school. Author Chris Higgins also visited their school and they have shared some interesting facts about her writing too.

The first book we read of the “My Funny Family” series was “My Funny Family Gets Bigger”. The main character in the book is a nine year old girl called Mattie. Mattie worries a lot because she has a big family and they are all very different.

Chris Higgins, the author, came to our school to tell us about her books. She gets her inspiration from her own family. Her grandson gave her the title “My Funny Family”. She was going to call it the Butterfields. I like the title because it is much more catchy than the Butterfields.

(by George, Year 3)

The first book I heard and read was “My Funny Family Gets Bigger”. The main character is a nine year old girl called Mattie. Unfortunately, Mattie worries all the time about anything. Whenever she worries her brain gets tangled up “like spaghetti” she says. She also says she has a “funny family” because it’s so big as there are lots of people all in one house.

Chris Higgins, the author, came to pay a visit! We learnt that all the characters are based on members of her family, that she’s written other books  and … how to publish a book! What you do is to get someone called an agent and the agent’s job is to say whether or not they think the book should be published. If they say yes then they take it round to different possible publishers and, if one of them says yes, it’s published.

(by Lizzie, Year 3)

The first book we read was “My Funny Family Gets Bigger”. The main character is called Mattie, a nine year old girl who always worries a lot as she has a big family who are all very different, as well as having a big gap in ages.

Chris Higgins came to our school to tell us about being an author. She has her own room so she has peace and quiet and nothing gets moved. Most of her character’s names are based on artists.

She is going to write three more books, including “My Funny Family Gets funnier” (from inspiration of her grandson).

(by Hugh, Year 3)

Matty, who is the main character, is a big worrier. She worries so much because there is always a lot going on in her house. Her mum says her brain is like spaghetti and it gets all tangled up.

Chris Higgins, the author, came to our school to tell us about her books. She gets her inspiration from her own family. She is going to write “My Funny Family Saves the Day”, “Moves House” and “Gets Funnier” because her family gives her brilliant ideas that she just has to get down on paper.

(by Lucy, Year 3)

The first book I read in this series was “My Funny Family Gets Bigger”. The main character is Mattie. Mattie is a nine and a half year old girl who has a big family. She worries a lot, probably because of this.

Mattie is the main character because the story is told from her point of view. Chris Higgins chose Mattie because she is the same as Mattie.

Chris Higgins, the author, came to visit our school. She told us that she got her inspiration from her own family. She gets ideas for the names from famous artists. Chris is going to write two more books, three if she includes the one her grandson suggested she might write which is “My Funny Family Gets Funnier”. The series was going to be called the Butterfields but her grandson was keener on “My Funny Family”.

(by Poppy, Year 3)

Voting Day at The Dawnay

Today, the children from Hedgehogs Class cast their votes for their favourite book.

St Bartholomew's Book Reviews

As well as enjoying a visit from Chris Higgins, the children at St Bartholomew's school have also reviewed the books. Here are a few of their reviews. They have also been creating story board cartoon strips of the characters in the books in their own adventures and look forward to displaying them in Woking and at their local library.

The Magical Peppers

                                       By Sian Pattenden

Illustrated by Jess Mikhail

It was ever so tricky to choose my favourite book, but the Magical Peppers I really loved. I loved it because Uncle Potty had an amazing idea that he could perform an act of making the museum disappear and he performed it in front of the Queen of England!

 I think Sian Pattenden is an incredible author and I should get more of her books. She has really made me love that book and I hope it is part of a series of them. Her imagination is outstanding and I can see she loves writing.

(Olivia, Namibia Class yr 4)

My Funny Family

My Funny Family Gets Bigger is a great book because it is a hilarious book, full of illustrations which make me laugh!!! It was fantastic to have the author, Chris Higgins, come into our school because she told us more about the My Funny Family series. She also told us about her home life being an author and how things in her own life relate to her books. I recommend this book for all ages of children.

(Daisy, Year 4)

Oliver Fibbs

I really enjoyed reading Oliver Fibbs   because it is full of action and it is really hilarious .I like the illustrations as well because they’re quite simple and cartoony.  I recommend it to both children and adults. My favourite character is Oliver Fibbs because he is really mischievous, and despite getting into trouble he gets out of trouble easily.

It has been great taking part in the Library Challenge and getting to read all of the amazing books . I would like to take part in next years because I would like to read some more different books by authors I haven’t read.

(Kai, Year 4 Namibia class)

Here is a book review of a great book from the Surrey libraries children’s book award. It has been  a great honour to have been chosen to take part in this challenge.

CLAUDE

Claude was my favourite book because the illustrations showed the story really well. My favourite illustration is Miss Henrietta High-kick Spin. I thought that Sir Bobblysock was very neat and tidy but incredibly cute and funny! I loved the way that Claude was acting like a detective when he realized that the ghost was fake. I definitely recommend this book. Children of all ages will love it and maybe adults too.

(Rhianna, Year 4 Ghana class)

The No.1 Car Spotter and the Car Thieves

I really enjoyed the No.1 Car Spotter because I really liked  No.1s crazy plans and the way it gets you to think about real life problems. My favourite character is Grandpa because he really gets you to think about his sayings. I would recommend it to Yrs 4 and 5 and adults too.

I really enjoyed taking part in the Surrey Libraries Children’s Book Awards. It’s been a honour to take part this year. I really want to take part next year because I think it would be great fun.

(Ben, Yr 4 Ghana class)

My Funny Family Gets Bigger

                                        By Chris Higgins

                              Illustrated By Lee Wildish

It was a bit tricky to choose my favourite book for the Surrey Libraries’ Children’s Book Award but in the end I chose My Funny Family gets bigger. I like this book because, when Chris puts:

WORRY LIST!!!

it tells me that Mattie is worrying. I like the Illustrations by Lee Wildish too.

It was fun when Chris came into our school and she told us how her home life gets into her books.

This book is a humorous book and I can’t wait to read the rest of the series!!

(By Molly)

Author Chis Higgins visits St Bartholomew's School

Some of the shortlisted authors visited school children at the Book Award Champion schools earlier in March.

Here is Chris Higgins, author of My Funny Family Gets Bigger, during her visit to St Bartholomew's primary school. Chris also visited Loseley Fields and St. Matthew's primary schools.

It sounds like everyone enjoyed the visits, as Chris later said:

"Lovely day at Loseley Fields and at St Barts Primaries talking about My Funny Family @SurreyLibraries. Great questions!"

"Fab time at Loseley, St Barts and St Matts."