Gone

Author: Michael Grant

Suddenly, everyone over the age of fifteen has disappeared. Gone. Vanished without a trail. In a world without adults, the children are left to fend for themselves. Trapped inside a huge brick dome with no exit, the children must face hunger, war and the strange powers that they are developing in themselves. Bullies roam the streets and strange creatures are seen prowling the outskirts of the town. When life as you know it ends on your fifteenth birthday, everything changes...

Gone was a compelling novel, full of thrilling twists and turns. Grant drives the story through every possibility and brings it through into a wonderful six part series with millions of unexpected circumstances waiting around every corner. Keep an eye out for the rest of the series review coming up!

Swallows and Amazons

Author: Arthur Ransome

In the summer of 1929,  John, Susan, Roger and Titty Walker receive a telegram from their father giving them permission to sail to the middle of the lake they live by  and camp on the island there. But when they arrive, they find that the island already has inhabitants. Someone else had made a camp and left a kettle dangling on a stick above the remains of a fire place. One day, they see a small boat, just like their boat, Swallow, sailing towards their island with the name Amazon painted on its side. After a small battle the children of the Swallow and the children of the Amazon sign a parley and decide to join forces against the pirate Captain Flint. As well as a great between the Swallows and Amazons, the children discover hidden treasure and many more wonderful adventures
 My favourite character in this book is Titty Walker, Able-Seaman of the Swallow. To me, she is the most adventurous of the lot. My second favourite is Nancy Blackett, captain of the Amazon and a proper pirate.

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie

Author: Alan Bradley

Flavia de Luce is 11 years old, the youngest of the eccentric de Luce family. A natural born chemist with a particular interest in poison, Flavia finds herself in the middle of a strange mystery involving her stamp-obsessed father, his friends, some stamps, and a curious death. Inspector Hewitt has been hired to solve the mystery, but quickly cuts it off before many suspicious incidents begin to happen. It is up to Flavia De Luce to reveal the truth behind the terrible murder.

This book really drew me into it. I love the way the mysterys kept unraveling until they seemed like they would go on forever! Flavia De Luce is such an eccentric character and I love how she uses her own talents as a chemist to solve the crime. However, as the book went along, I found it a bit too predictable.

Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library

Author: Chris Grabenstein

Twelve year old Kyle Keeley is the class clown, lover of any kind of game and one of the most popular kids at school. His hero, Luigi Lemoncello, is helping to build the brand new library.
 On the library's opening night, twelve twelve year old children will be chosen for a fun-filled stay overnight at the library. The children have been garanteed food, fun and games. If there was games, Kyle was going. Just managing to get lucky with his library essay, Kyle's overnight stay is not what he expected. In the morning, the children are still locked in the library. That's when they are told that they will be locked in the library until the next day's afternoon. The children have until then to escape from the library.
With their minds set on the prize of fame and fortune, Kyle and his teammates are led into an amazing world of puzzles, mysteries and challenges in a race to escape.


I really enjoyed reading about the puzzles and problems Kyle and his friends encounter in this book. I love figuring out the puzzles myself, as the reader, whenever I read this book. I was completeley  absorbed in this book and I found myself being drawn into Kyle's world.

When did you see her last ?

Author: Lemony Snicket

In the second book of the series, Lemony Snicket returns with another mystery to solve. He and his chaperone, S. Theodora Markson, have been hired to solve the mystery of the disappearance of Cleo Knight. But is there more to this mystery than a just a runaway child?

I love how there is always more to the mystery than you expect in this series. Lemony Snicket does a great job on elaborating on a simple sentence to make it much more interesting.