2025 Winners!
Thank you to everyone who participated in this year’s Bucks Book Award This includes anyone who voted, entered the writing competitions, took part in shadowing the awards or attended the winners announcement
A big thank you also goes to all the Librarians who support the BBA by promoting the awards in their schools with book displays, reading groups and encouraging their students to get involved
A special thanks Sue Wallman for giving such an inspiring talk to students and for taking part in our Q&A and to Carl from Real Magic Books in Wendover for providing all the books for sale at the event.
The bba on display!
Amersham School
Aylesbury Grammar School
Beaconsfield High School
Bba news!
the bba gets a makeover
As you can see, the Bucks Book Award has been given a completely new theme, which I hope you all like! The website has gone live with the new design and all our downloads are now available in the new colour scheme.
All students whose work is published willreceiveaBBAbuttonbadgeandone ofournewvinylstickers! WearelookingforstudentcontributionsforBookcast
Herearesomeideas:
Book reviews!
Focus on your book/library group - what are you all currently reading? Book displays - can be on any theme , not just the BBA! Report on author visits to your school Spotlight on authors you like Top 5 Lists - authors, books, genres etc
EmailyoursubmissionsforBookcast to:agslibrary@agsbucksschuk
Nominations are now open for next year’s awards! To be eligible for nomination, books should be published for the first time between July 2024 and June 2025 You can nominate as many books as you like, why not take a look at our BBA Booklist for some suggestions of books that are eligible
the awards ceremony
On Wednesday 12th March, we held our awards ceremony which was attended by students from Amersham School, Aylesbury Grammar School, Beaconsfield High School, The John Colet School, Royal Grammar School and SirHenryFloydGrammarSchool
The morning started with a talk from the author, SueWallman,whotalkedaboutherjourneyasan author and gave us some interesting insights on theworldofpublishing
Afterthetalk,weannouncedthewinnersofboth of this year’s writing competitions You can read allthewinningentrieson page7-11.
Finally, it was time to find out who won the 2025 Bucks Book Award It came as no surprise that BBA favourite Holly Jackson, won the Sue Harris YA Prize with her book ‘The Reappearance of Rachel Price’ and the Children’s Book Prize was wonbyBenjaminDeanforhisbook’TheBoyWho FellFromtheSky’
John Colet School
Royal Grammar School
Beaconsfield High School
After a short breal for refreshments and a book signing, it was time gor the quiz! There were22teamsbattlingitouttobenameBBA Quiz Champions But after five rounds of questions the winners were Team Jurassic Parkwhoscored50/50!Therunners-upwere Team Discworld who were just pipped at the postwithascoreof49/50
Itwasagreatwaytoendthe 2025BucksBookAward!
BBA Quiz Teams
John Colet School
Chesham Grammar School
Writing Competition Winners
JohnColetSchool
Aylesbury Grammar School
Sir Henry Floyd Grammar School
Bad writing competition
The Bad Writing competition was new for 2025 and for the first time the entries for the second competition exceeded those for the 500 Words! I have to say the entries for this were fantastic, they were so funny making it incredibly hard to narrow the list to five finalists
Years 7 and 8 category
WINNER
RUNNERS-UP
Sheroon,Year8
Evie, Year 7
Sir Henry Floyd Grammar School
“The grape sat stubbornly on the table, yellow, oval-shaped and sour, looking surly and suspiciously like a lemon "
AylesburyGrammarSchool
“Atnight-time-Wellitwasfiveo'clockinthemorning,soitwasbasicallynighttime –someonewasasleep”
Rudra,Year7
CheshamGrammarSchool
"Tiffany'stoenailfunguspulsedwithanuglyglow,signalingthestartofsomething bigandatrocious"
Year 9+ category
WINNER
RUNNERS-UP
Lucille,Year10
Megan, Year 9
Chesham Grammar School
“A long, long time ago, but not too long ago about 3 weeks, there was a town so boring even the grass refused to grow ”
SirHenryFloydGrammarSchool
“Theprotagonist’snamewasAutumn,Lara,Millie,orsomethinglikethat.MaybeGerald?Ohwait,that'smy name Ohwell Itdoesn’tmatter”
Chiara,Year12
CheshamGrammarSchool
"IhadgottenmyselfintosuchapicklethatIcouldalmostsmellthevinegar."
500 words competition
Years 7 and 8 category
DESERT WISHES
by Ovie, Year 7
The Beaconsfield School WINNER
CHAPTER1
Thisismystory Whenyoufinishreading,please,sendhelp
CHAPTER2
It all began with a school trip to Dubai I know, private school! But it was a big deal, and we were staying in a small village,sotherewasnointernet Itwould'vebeenabsolutetorture,butweweren'tallowedtobringourphones,so everyonewassocialising,thankfully Me,HannahandSummer(mytwobestfriends)decidedtogoexploringinour free time, as everyone was watching the most boring movie in existence, and we hadn't gotten a chance to exploreyet.So,weexcitedlycollectedourAirTagsandheadedoverthedunes.
CHAPTER3
Afterwehadwalkedaboutakilometreawayfromthecamp,wesatdowntorest Itwasaround5intheafternoon, as we opened our cereal bars and water bottles We scrambled over dunes for a while, having races up the taller ones,whenaterrifyinggustofwindblewusoffasmallduneandsandwenteverywhere;inoureyes,hair,clothes, you get my point It suddenly became freezing and we were all lifted into the air, but as I struggled to open my eyes,Ithoughtthatthewindwasshapedinasphere,onlyaffectingHannah,Summerandme,thrustingusaround likepuppets Ourscreamsrippedtheair,astheworlddisappearedandwentblack
CHAPTER4
I groaned as I sat up, feeling my friend's presence near me, watching them as they opened their eyes For a moment,Iwascalm,thinkingthatIhadjustfallenasleepwhenwestoppedtorest,andthatthiswasonlyadream, butthenIrealisedthatweweren'tinthedesert Weweresittinginacircle,inthecentreofadim,mustycave,with no exit!!! The strangest thing was that there was a small silver ring in the centre of our circle In a flash, Hannah criedout,fallingback ThenSummer Then,theworldwentblackagain,andtheystoppedscreamingasabooming voicescreeched:'Thisringwillgrantyouthreewishes Buttherearesomerules:youcannotwishformaterialistic things,likehousesorcars;youcannotwishforsomethingthatwillchangetheworld,likebecomingamonarch,or stoppingwars;andyoucannotwishtoescapethiscave Youhaveonehourtodecideonyourthreewishes'
CHAPTER5
Wecouldn'tdecideonourthreewishes Ithasbeen5years
Wearestillinthecave
500 words runner-up
RUNNER-UP
ViktorDemchenko
UNCOMMON COMMONALITIES
by Caleb, Year 8
Aylesbury Grammar School
The sirens are bellowing and screaming. Again. Russian troops causing trouble as usual, I was trying to sleep, peacefully Now I have to ‘hide’ in the bunker, with only the company of my chaotic younger brother, Vlad and my Mum Her only motivation to get out of bed every day is to nag at me, for my low-test scores She probably couldn’tdoanybetterthanme,evenatheroldage,butdon’ttellherIsaidthat VladandMumaresomehowherealready,mybrotherhasprobablypreparedanentirespeechtoannoyme “Viktor! I’m the greatest predictor, you're gonna get more low-test scores which always pricks her, who is Mum, but don’t worry mister Viktor, to you, I’m just a silly trickster!” Vlad says, overly excited, he probably took a month tocreatethatrhyme,he’snobrighterthanme “Tome,you’reanabsolute-”
“Sweetheart, that’s what he is, a sweetheart,” Mum jumps in as usual, I don’t think she has anything to do sometimes so she sides with my younger brother because she thinks maybe he won’t have as ‘disappointing grades’asme
“IsthisreallywhatIhavetoputupwithuntilthesirenstopsringing?”Iangrilywhisperundermybreath “OfcourseitisViktor!”Vladsayssarcastically
Thiswasjustanormal‘morninginthelifeofViktorDemchenko’ ‘Thingswillgobacktonormal’,myMumsays,but when I’m older none of this nonsense will happen, my bunker will be golden and comfy and a place that I want to goto
Mywishistoescapethiswar,thisconflict;it’sjuststupid It’slikeneighboursfightingoverparking
BillyWalters
Notschoolagain Anythingbutschool IgetbulliedbecauseIeatfreely,it’sdumb Ilovemybedthough,it’swhere my life goes on, doing homework, playing video games and eating salt and vinegar crisps. Perfection. I owe too muchtowhoevercreatedthebed It’smyrefuge,mygetawayfromschool,fromWilliamAndersonandhisfriends anddon’tforgetabouttheteachers They'reallmenaces
Iwishtonevergotoschoolagainandstayinmybedforever
Waluya-Walu
In Sudan, only important people use surnames - I guess I’m not important Indoors is my 'safezone', nobody can shootyouwhileyou’remindingyourbusiness Ican’tthinkaboutdying,notat11 PlayingfootballisallIdo Ittakes meandsendsmetoaworldwithnofearandwhenthatfinalwhistleblows,Igobackto‘scaredlittleWalu’. Footballismypassionandseparatesmefromconflict IwishIcouldplayfootballallday
Weallseekrefugeandwishforanswerstoourproblems,inourown,uniqueways
500 words competition
Year 9+ category WINNER
TO CLAP, AND JUMP, AND SING
by Holly, Year 10
Sir Henry Floyd Grammar School
She clutched her belly tight, her jumper bulging over her lap, the babies kicking, a reminder of the life she was hoping to bring into this world Hoping to hold, hoping to rock, hoping to teach,hoping that they would simply breathe Justlongenoughtolive Wishing
The baby clutched Clutched its own hands just long enough long enough so that he could maybe hold his mothers Or she long enough to own that word He, or she, long enough to meet the brother, or sister, that lay nearby,alsoclutching He,orshe,wished
The baby curled Curled his fingers and his toes, praying that he could leap and jump and turn and spin and clap andsqueezeandhumandhope Hopethatthebrotherorsisterwholaynearbyclutchingtheirownhandscould leapandjumpandturnandspinandclapandsqueezeandhumandwish Aconstantwishthatmadehimclutch Aconstantwishthatmadehimcurl
She clutched her belly tight, hoping that inside her swollen womb they were also clutching, curling, squeezing, and wishing. Wishing that they could open their bleary eyes, that they could blink, and cry, and yawn, and sneeze,wishingthattheycouldbethebrotherorsisterorfatherormotherthatshesowantedthemtobe
All three wished Her arms wrapped tight around her belly, his hands clenched weakly, her body curled tightly both still wishing Hoping the lady that wound her arms up tight would hold and rock and sing, and teach and hug and kiss and lull to sleep Their wishes wrapping round like the arms round her belly, clutching them tight like his hands in his fists, and curling right up into a little ball inside each of their chests The mother rocked, for evenifheandshewouldnevergetcradledinherarms,chestsrisingandfalling,sighingandheaving,theywould still feel her loving embrace, seeping right into their weak hearts that fluttered and sighed How could such frail hearts be placed so near to her pounding one? How could such cruelness be thrust upon some helpless babes thathadnotyetglimpsedtheirmothersface?
She hoped her weeping went unheard by her innocents. Her tears falling down her cheeks and dripping, rusting the medal she bore of how she carried two people that trusted her so much to be their mother They could not yet think with their swollen heads that had not even yet gained a smile and flushed cheeks But they could feel Feel the pounding of their mothers heart, a reminder to keep on fluttering no matter how weak, feel the pulse around them, feel the kin that lay nearby and feel the most important thing of all, the embrace of wishes and mothersarmsthatkeptthemwarmwhencoldandsafeatnight.
Theirwishesthatcould’vebeenlife.
500 words runner-up
WISHES OF POWER
by Elika H Year 10 Sir Henry Floyd Grammar School
It sat perfectly on the pedestal, glimmering and gleaming in the light A flawless crystal with a smoothed top and bottom On top of the artefact was a heart-shaped dent Standing in front of trhe artefact, gazing at its beauty was Lady Shade, a powerful dark sorceress intending to take it for herself Just a few steps behind her was her bodyguard Emilio He was having second thoughts about coming here, but not daring to voice them As Lady Shade reached out for the artefact, she heard a noise behind her. A third person entered the chamber - armour shimmeringandpostureperfect “LadyShade,Ican’tletyoudothis”
”ClariceDawnbreaker,”LadyShadereplied “Doyouhavetointerrupt?” “Whyyes,yesIdo”Claricesaid “YouareheretostealtheCordisofDesire,itwasputhereforareason Thatreason was to not be stolen by anyone!” She drew her sword, and charged at Lady Shade Lady Shade grabbed the artefactandpushedintheheartdentinthetop.
“I wish, I wish, I wish for power!” Power swirled around her, pulsing and twisting A surge of energy flew out from her in all directions, knocking both Clarice and Emilio to the ground Clarice leaped back up, and drew her sword She fought with Lady Shade, but couldn’t pierce her magical protection Then she eyed a glimmer on the ground Claricedovefortheartifact,andpushedinthedent.
“I wish, I wish, I wish for power!” Instantly the same sort of power surrounding her nemesis began to pulse round her, and a look of reinvigorated confidence took hold She smiled, and clashed with Lady Shade Magic contended with magic Power surged through the air, sparking and humming with no order or consistency The artefact was tossed aside, and lay unseen on the floor Emilio shook himself off, and looked upon the madness He knew what he had to do He ran up to the artefact and grabbed it, neither of the two noticing in their struggle Emilio took a second to figure out what to say. Power for himself? He could split apart the fighting with that. He could… no, he knew that would be worse After a thought, he pushed in the dent, and cwished The artefact shimmered in his hands, going cold and colourless The power surrounding Lady Shade and Clarice faded, and they dropped to the floor ClaricelookedupatEmilio,pantingheavily
“What…whatdidyoudo?”
“Simple,”hereplied.“Igotridofthelastwishandstoppedyourchaosintheprocess.Solvingtwoproblemsatonce, I do like to multi-task ” Emilio carefully placed the artefact back on the pedestal, and looked back at them He smiled,andwalkedoutofthechamber,leavingthemtosortouttheirdifferences “Allinaday'swork”Hethoughttohimself “Anunconventionalday,butawishfuldayatthat”
Q&a with sue wallman
Canyougiveourreadersalittleinformationaboutyourself?
I’ve always loved reading and writing After university, I became a magazine journalist I also worked for an American newspaper in Paris for a couple of years as a features assistant Later on, I became a secondary school librarian AyearandahalfagoIdecidedtowriteanddoschoolvisitsfull-timewhichwasabigleapoffaith
Youhavehadquiteavariedworkbackground,but(surprise,surprise!)Iamreallyinterestedinyourtimeworking asaschoollibrarian.Howdidthiscomeaboutandwhatwasyourfavouritepartoftherole?
After having three children, I was working part-time as a letters page editor and teaching children to type while trying to get published I finally got a book deal but because it came at a period of my life where I needed more financial stability, I decided to find a job as a secondary school librarian and write before and after work I love booksandnotonlydoIliketeenagers,they’realsothetargetaudienceformybookssowhatcouldbemoreideal?
The favourite part of the role was telling a new, keen Year 7 that no, they didn’t have to pay anything to take a bookoutofthelibrary.Ialsolovedthetrulymagicalmomentofseeingsomeoneconnectwithabook.
WasyourtimeasaLibrarianthecatalystinyourdecisiontowriteorwastherealwaysanauthorinyouwithstories thatneededtobetold?
WhenIbecamealibrarianmysecondbookwasabouttobepublished I’vealwayswrittenstories AsIgrewolder,I reallyreallywantedtobeapublishedauthor.Itwasalongoldstruggletopublication.TherewasamomentwhenI thought, “Right, I’m going to do everything I can to get published” It took eight years and four failed books from thatmomenttogetadeal
Whatsurprisedyoumostwhenyouenteredtheworldofbeingapublishedauthor?
ThatIwouldhaveverylittlecontrolovermycovers
Ifyoucouldgobacktobeforeyouhadyourfirstbookpublished,whatpieceofadvicewouldyougiveyourself?
I’d had such a lot of rejection before my first book was published, I’d learned that all I could do was work hard and domybest Andhope!
Yourbooksarefulloftwistsandturns.Whatkindofresearchdoyoudo,andhowlongdoyouspendresearching beforebeginningabook?
SometimesbeforeIstart,I’llreadaccounts(inbooksoronline)ofpeoplewhohavegonethroughwhatI’mwriting about, such as Rachel DeLoache’s book about her friendship with fraudster Anna Sorokin before I wrote Such A GoodLiar OnthewholeItendtodoresearchatthepointIneedtowriteaboutit,otherwiseIcanwastetoomuch time I know a couple of police officers who (off the record) will help me with questions For Every Word A Lie, I downloadedSnapchattoseehowitworkedasIwaswritingaboutcatfishing IlikesocialmediabutInevergotinto Snapchat and deleted it after I’d finished the book For Dead Popular, I rang my electrician to ask if it was possible toelectrocutesomeoneviaalightswitch!
Q&a with sue wallman
Canyougiveourreadersaclueastowhatyournextbookwillbe?
Icantellyouaboutthebookthat’sfreshofftheprintingpress,WatchYourBack Kara’sbestfriendEdenhasanew boyfriend and has ghosted her. As a result, Kara finds herself drawn into an uneasy friendship with Romilly, a girl who exists on the sidelines The trouble is, the more Kara hangs around with Romilly, the more unsettling, creepy thingsstarttohappen Thebookisessentiallyexploringfriendshipandtrust
The book I’m now working on now isn’t a thriller I’m really enjoying learning about a different genre I hope I can makeitwork
Q:Doyouhaveafavouritenovelthatyoufeelisunder-appreciated?
Good question Silence is Also a Lie by Tracey Mathias It was published first as Night of the Party then re-titled andjacketedjustintimeforCovidtoimpactsales It’sabeautifulYAlovestoryanddystopianpoliticalthriller
Q:Whowouldbeinyourdreamreadinggroup(deadoralive!)andwhichbookwouldyouchoosetoread?
ELockhart(authorofWeWereLiars)
AnneTyler(anotherwriterIadmirehugely)
Sophie,my22-year-olddaughter,whoalwayshasaninterestingtakeonbooks MichelleObama
ReeceWitherspoon
GrahamNorton
We’d have wine and crisps and discuss the latest book by Anne Tyler – with the author there herself! We’d have a seriousdiscussionbuthopefullythere’dbesomelaughtertoo
Q: Would you rather have written your favourite book, or to be your favourite book character? (Please name the bookorcharacter/book)
IwouldhavelovedtohavewrittenWeWereLiars Thevoice,thesparseprose,theplottwist WhenIreaditforthe firsttime,itfeltperfect.
Q:Describewho/whatyouwouldbeifyouwerea:
Animal:I’dbeoneofthosedogsthatliedowninprotestatbeingdraggedoutintothecoldandrainforawalk
Song:Beautiful Life by Ace of Base. Everyone has difficulties and set-backs in their lives including me but I’ve also beenluckyandI’mgratefultobedoingwhatI’vealwayswantedtodo
Chocolate:Cadbury’sFruitandNut Nothingfancybutwithaninterestinginnerlife!
Colour: Pink is my favourite colour Pink can be under-estimated I’m quietly confident I often think about the phraseslowandsteadywinstherace
Q:Whichbookisyourguiltypleasure?
Idon’tliketothinkofbooksasguiltypleasures.Readingisreading.Ifpushedtogiveananswer,I’dsayIsometimes like to dip into autobiographies/biographies of people who I find fascinatingly repellent for clues of why they turnedoutthewaytheydid
book reviews
Watchyourback bysuewallman
Best friends are forever, at least it was for Kara and Eden until one day out of theblue,Edenhasanewboyfriendaswellas anewfriendshipgroup,onewhere thereisnoroomforKara
In walks Romilly, who is seen as awkward and strange by her classmates. Before longKaraandRomillyarehangingoutasfriends,butwhatdoyoudowhenyour new friend is so supportive and sweet, and everyone in your life seems to love her, but you feel that something about her Just Does Not Feel Right Do you listen to your gut, or, do you tell yourself you're overreacting? What do you do when your ‘friend’ seems to be taking over your life? When does bad luck and coincidencebecomesomethingelse?
Kara’s lifequicklyspiralsoutofcontrol,she’sconvincedthatpeoplearoundherarenotwhotheyseem Youcan feel her frustration when everyone dismisses what she’s going through as harmless pranks or silly behaviour. This leaves her feeling vulnerable, paranoid and alone Is there a reasonable explanation for everything that’s happening,ordoesshereallyhaveastalker?Eachchaptergetsmoreandmoretenseasherlifestartstounravel andshe’sleftwonderingexactlywhocanshetrusttowatchherback
This is one of those read in one session books which you cannot put down until you find out exactly what is goingonandtheendingdoesnotdisappoint!
Devourer’sattack
bykatie
&kevinTsang
Reviewedby:Rishik,Year8 AylesburyGrammarSchool
It's Lance Lo's and his sister Zoe's dream to be part of the elite dragon force They justgotadmittedtoCampDragonwhereeachofthemhasheartbondedwiththeir dragons. However, disaster strikes when there is an invasion of Camp Dragon by a mysteriousandpotentforce LegendcallsittheDevourer
CanLanceandhisfriendsfighttheDevourer,orbehisnextvictim?
Ilikedthe2ndbookintheseries,Devourer'sAttack,sinceitalwayshadcliffhangers andtwistsandturnseverywhere
Also,Ilikehowthereisanunfinishedending,wherethestorywillcontinue
book reviews
findmeafterbya.connors
ReviewedbyElena, Year8 CheshamGrammarSchool
Find me After is a book based around the idea of a parallel universe, where Kyle, after suffering an epilepsy attack, finds himself in a different world. This otherworldlooksalmostidenticaltotherealworld,butitisemptyofthebusy bustle of people and cars Here he meets Farah, a childhood sweetheart and Chui,anotherboyknownbybothoftheteenagers Knownas"TheStillness",it is an alternative reality populated by people trapped in the world between life anddeath.
IlovedhowtherelationshipbetweenFarahandKylewasnotlikeacouple,but like a pair of old friends - as close as boyfriend and girlfriend yet sometimes justlikeapairofplayfulchildren MyfavouritepartofthebookwaswhenKyle wassittingonthebenchneartheendofthebookandsuddenlyhenoticedan old lady next to him, almost covered in moss and ivy She smiles at him and tellshimtomakethemostofthetimehehasleftandtolookafterFarah.
I would recommend this book for someone who is interested in fantasy worlds and young adult books I rate this book a 4 5 out of 5
TheBoneSparrow byZANAfraillon
Reviewedby:Vienna,Year8
TheBeaconsfieldSchool
TheBoneSparrowisoneofthemosthorrificallydepressive,yetbeautifullywritten booksIhaveeverread.Atfirstthebookfocusesontheinnocenceofachildlivingin a dark place It then zooms into the inhumane conditions of an immigration detention centre, with none of the usual resources we are used to, the uncomfortable weather and meals But then the story puts all of these into a different perspective, one of someone who doesn’t know anything apart from theseconditions.
The book constantly switches from light-hearted friendships and people, but then switches to dark pasts and devastating mistreatment This could possibly represent making the best of the worst places, or, maybe it could represent general life; how at times we will experience terrible things, but also moments that are beautiful and how we must focus on the good things
In my opinion, this story is amazing and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who wants to read bitter-sweet books on current world problems.
book reviews
EragonbychristopherPaolini
ReviewedbyAaditri, Year7 BeaconsfieldHighSchool
Eragon is an epic fantasy adventure that I couldn’t put down The story follows Eragon, a farm boy who discovers a dragon egg and is thrust into a dangerous quest to overthrow a tyrannical king The bond between Eragon and his dragon, Saphira,isheartwarmingandoneofthebook'shighlights.
Paolini’s world-building is impressive, full of magic, danger, and rich history. While some parts feel a bit slow and the writing can be overly detailed, the action and emotionaldepthmakeupforit
Ifyoulovedragonsandepicquests,Eragonisafantasticread
SevenGhostsbyChrispriestley
Reviewedby:Millie,Year7
TheBeaconsfieldSchool
This book is quite unusual as s at the stately Grimstone Hall Ten children w petition have a tour of the house and are told ent ghosts that livethere Aseachghoststoryis sseeselements of the ghosts such as water on the end of the bookthereisatwistwhensome emoriesofbeing at Grimstone Hall many year Mrs Fox It was unexpectedandsurprising Ove stars!
Ohmayagods!Bymazevans
Reviewedby:Rabeeh,Year7 AylesburyGrammarSchool
The book ‘Oh Maya Gods!’ is a hilarious comedy God-Squad based on the myths of the ancient Gods The main characters are young football captain Vesper Hooper, her book-hogging cousin Aster Hooper and their parents, the squabbling siblings themselves, Elliot and Virgo Hooper. When Vesper frees the evil souls in the Diablon, the kids are thrown into a world of chaos Kizin, the Maya god of death, is intent on sacrificing every human – unless the cousins beat his team at Pok-a-Tok, the Maya gamethat'sabitlikefootball Butyoucan'tuseyourfeet OnlyVesperandAster
can stop Kizin and save the world before it falls before the might of evil. Overall, I would rate this book 3 out of 5 stars!
book reviews
infinity’ssecret bykatie&kevintsang
Reviewedby: Izzy,Year8 CheshamGrammarSchool
Infinity's secret is based in a world where humans and dragons coincide. On an earth where the one thing every human wants is to be bondedtoadragon,LanceLoandhislittlesisterZoereceiveinvitations and go to Camp Claw Things quickly escalate after one of their own betrays the camp's secret location to a dangerous outsider This fast paced fantasy kept me turning the pages Although some scenes in thisbookarequitesad,therearealsomanyheartfeltonestoo
Ifoundthisbookveryengagingthroughoutalthoughmyfavouritepartofthebookwasthemysteriousscenesas they kept me guessing and captivated me I would recommend this book to people who have read all the other booksbytheauthors;KatieandKevinTsang
Kingofnothingbynatelessore
ReviewedbyPrithvi,Year9
AylesburyGrammarSchool
I really enjoyed reading this book as I was hooked in after the first couple of chapters Themainthemeofthestoryisfriendshipandthatanyonecanchange It isquiterelatableasthemaincharacterisaroundmyage Thebookisaboutarebel called Anton, he is known as the ‘King Of the School’ as he values his reputation overeveryoneandeverythingelse.
However,oneday,tohelphismotherwithafundraiser,hegoesonacampingtrip with Matthew,thebiggestloserinhisclass However,whenMatthewsaveshislife his perspective on life changes and he wants to make up for all what he has done wrong
He gets together with his new girlfriend Rochelle to stop the old 'gang' that Anton was in Amidst this Anton's grandmother sadly passes away, this makes him question everything he first thought was important The best partaboutthebookwastheshortmomentsofcomedyofMatthew'ssillybehaviourandoutofpocketjokes
Thekeyideaofthisstoryisveryseriouseventhoughitiswritteninanenjoyableandcomedicway Icouldnotstop laughingbecausethejokesinthisbookwerehilarious Ithinkthisbookissuitedforyoungteenagersasitcarriesa veryinspiringmessageinalight-hearted,humorousway.
book list
Evenfall: The Golden Linnet by Alexander Armstrong
Damien Ike and the Fallen House of Draven by Dee Benson
Reek by Alastair Chisholm
Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins
The Vulpine by Polly Crosby
Don't Let the Forest In by C G Drews
The Secret of Golden Island by Natasha Farrant
The Boy in the Suit by James Fox
Mondays Are Murder by Ravena Guron
The Diet Soda Club by Larry Hayden
The Nightmares of Finnegan Quick by Larry Hayes
Greta by Manon Steffan Ros
Birdie by J. P. Rose
The Forbidden Atlas by Sam Sedgman
Raz Beri by Matt Stephens
Loki: A Bad God's Guide to Making Enemies by Louie Stowell
The Boy to Beat the Gods by Ashley Thorpe
Midnight Treasure by Piers Torday
Nowhere Island by Tania Unsworth
Watch Your Back by Sue Wallman
The Murder Hypothesis by Sarah Wishart
Let’s Split Up by Bill Wood
The Twelve by Liz Hyder
Last Seen Online by Lauren James
People Like Stars by Patrice Lawrence
Hunt for the Golden Scarab by M G Leonard
Storm of Lies by Sophie McKenzie
Such Charming Liars by Karen M McManus
Once There Was by Kiyash Monsef
The Zombie Project by Alice Nuttall
Fallout by Leslie Parr
Where the Dark Stands Still by A B Poranek
Thunder City by Philip Reeve
competition
canyouguessthesebookcharacters?
Below are six brainteasers to solve Each one represents a different book character
Email your answers to agslibrary@agsbucksschuk, with a subject of Guess the Title Competition. Please remember to include your full name and school as all prizeswillbemailedtoyouviayourschoolLibrarian
Thewinner*willreceiveasignedcopyof‘WatchYourBack’bySueWallmanandtworunners-upwillreceiveaBBA buttonbadgeandsticker
*Allcorrectanswerswillbeputinadrawandawinnerandtworunners-upwillbeselectedatrandom
Please send the BBA any contributions that you would like published in Bookcast It can be book reviews, competition ideas or anything that you would like to see featured in future editions Email your ideas, comments or work to: agslibrary@ags.bucks.sch.uk with a subject of Bookcast.
