Book Reviews

Do you like reading interesting books? We do! Here are some of the books we have enjoyed that we thought you might like. We don't have libraries here, so please let us know what books you have enjoyed so that we can put them on our Kindle list and read them too!

1. “The Knight at Dawn” by Mary Pope Osborne (Reviewed by Louisa Monger)

This book is about a brother and sister called Jack and Annie who go back in time on a Medieval adventure. They were captured in castle by some men. The men put Jack and Annie in the dungeon.  But they escaped out of the dungeon and were rescued by a knight. I like this book because it is funny and a great adventure.  I like Annie because she is always in a hurry and very brave. There are lots of other books in this Magic Tree House series which are also very good.

2. “Arthur and the King’s Sword” by Tony Bradman (reviewed by Louisa Monger)

This book is about the legend of a boy called Arthur becoming king of Britain. Arthur is a squire for his bother Kay. Arthur lost Kay’s sword and so had to find another sword. Arthur found a sword in a stone. He took it out and discovered that “ who draws the sword from the stone is the true- born king of Britain.” So Arthur became king of Britain. I really enjoyed this story. I especially liked the end of the book when Arthur pulled the sword from the stone. It is an exciting legend.

3. “Jungle Doctor’s Fables” by Paul White (Reviewed by Amisadai Monger)

Paul White was an Australian missionary who came to Tanzania. He is very good at teaching the Bible through stories and fables. He knew Raymond and Helen Howes, friends who lived here in Iringa the first year we were here. He has written a series of 29 Jungle Doctor stories and also books of fables.

This book is a collection of fables which are all very entertaining and have an important meaning at the end (the moral of the story). I think it is clever how Paul White uses animals in Tanzania to represent us (people). The same animal characters appear in all the different stories. My favourite character is Boohoo the Hippo. I like him because he is funny and keeps saying things like “um-yes, er, ay”! Of all the amusing Fables in the book, “The Great Wall” is one of my favourites.

I think this is a great book for both boys and girls and also good for people jus starting to learn about the Bible. It is a great way of explaining the Bible! It is probably good for ages six and up.

4. "The Whipping Boy" by Sid Fleischman (reviewed by Amisadai Monger)

The Whipping Boy is a story set in the Tudor period about two boys, a proud prince and a poor but clever whipping boy. In these times it was forbidden to lay hands on a prince. So a poor boy was taken off the street to live in the palace and be whipped for every wrong-doing of the prince. The prince, Horace (or Brat) is a horrible person, mean, proud, arrogant and bossy. The whipping boy,  Jemmy, is clever, sensible, humble and friendly. The prince is naughty and does everything badly because he knows he will never be whipped. Jemmy, the whipping boy takes the blame for every thing. One day the prince wants to run away with Jemmy because he is bored. They run away on a horse, but some cutthroats capture them. The rest of the story is about their time as captives and their attempts at escape.

I like this book because it is interesting, and set in a historical time. The author uses lots of interesting similes like “the moon gazed down like an evil eye” and funny sayings like “it would be easier to educate a boiled cabbage!”  I think Jemmy is like Jesus, in the way that he took the blame for someone else’s wrong doings. Jesus is still kind to us even though we have disobeyed God. Jemmy was still kind to the prince, even though the prince wasn’t kind to him.

This book is good for boys and girls. I think children could start reading it at the age of eight. It is a great book and very interesting, and it is quite easy to read.
 

  5. “The Queen’s Smuggler” by Dave and Neta Jackson (reviewed by Amisadai Monger)
The Queen’s Smuggler is a book set in the time of the reign of King Henry the Eighth. It is about a young girl, Sarah who is taught by William Tyndale, who comes to stay in safety at her mother’s boarding house in Belgium. William Tyndale is translating the Bible into English and writing books on Christian beliefs, which is very dangerous thing to do in those days. The story tells about Sarah who later becomes a maid in waiting for Queen Anne (Boleyn) in England. She risks her life to get the English Bible from William Tyndale to the Queen for King Henry VIII. Tyndale also was risking his life and read the book to find out what happens!

I love the Queen’s Smuggler because it is a very interesting book and because it is set in the time of King Henry VIII. It shows what life in that time was like and encourages us to be brave and stand up for what we believe. It is also funny to see Sarah playing with Anne as a young girl, but three years later Anne is Queen, and Sarah is her lady in waiting!

The book is good for girls because the main character is a girl but I think boys could read it too. I think this book is good for ages nine and older.

6. A New Coat for Anna by Harriet Zielent (reviewed by Louisa Monger)

In this story, set in Europe in the 1940’s, Anna needed a new coat but there was very little money and very little in the shops  because there had been a war. This book tells the story of how Anna and her mother sorted out this problem. Anna’s mother knew where to get the wool and where to get it spun and woven. She knew how to dye the wool and she knew a tailor to make the coat. She was able to trade a watch, a lamp and a necklace and a teapot for all these. The story ended by Anna and her mother celebrating Christmas. Anna wanted to invite all the people that helped her make her coat. All the people that had helped, the farmer,  the spinner, the weaver and the tailor all thought Anna looked beautiful. This book makes me sad for Anna  and her mother because there was a war and was no money and not a lot of food, but I like it because it shows how much the mother cares for Anna.

 

7. The Courage of Sarah Noble by Alice Dalgliesh (reviewed by Louisa Monger)

This story takes place in New Milford, Connecticut, U.S.A. in 1707.The main character is Sarah, a lovely girl who is very brave and kind. The story is about Sarah and her father who travel a long way in the wildness to build a new home for the family. I love the book because Sarah chose to look after her father. I like it when Sarah puts on her cloak or holds it to remember her mother and to keep up her courage. I would recommend this book to my friends.