Year 7 Book Review Challenge 2025
The
Boy at the Back of the Class by
Onjali Rauf
‘The Boy at the Back of the Class by Onjali Rauf is a story about Ahmet who travelled from Syria as a refugee to England and is trying to settle in and find his family. In the end he settles in well and finds his family. The best aspect of the story was when he found his family. It tackles the difficulties of migration, refugees and asylum seekers. Meanwhile, Ahmet get amazing support from a Teacher, and this shows the value of friendship and how important it is for people. In conclusion, this book is a fantastic story and ends happily’
Josh
Now or never: a Dunkirk story by Bali Rai
‘This book is called Now or never: a Dunkirk story by Bali Rai. This story is part of a series called the Voices which is a series that aims to tell the often-untold stories of immigrants in British history.
When 15-year-old Fazal Khan enters the British army after lying about his age to follow the patriotic example of his grandfather, he realises the danger and cruelty of war.
This book is set in the freezing winter of 1939 France when Indian soldiers, who are supporting Britain, receive an attack from France. Fazal in a muleteer in company 32 and has the job of caring and feeding the mules, overtime he develops a special bond with a mule, of which he calls “baba”. Then he is forced to put the mule down as the army does not require it anymore and isn’t able to afford the cost of caring for something they see as a ‘burden’.
I find this story particularly interesting because it offers a fresh and authentic perspective on a historical event often told from a white British viewpoint. I would recommend this story to anyone between the ages of 8-12. From this story you can learn important lessons about history, the human experience, and moral choices.’
Renee
‘Harry Potter and the chamber of secrets by J K Rowling.
Book name: Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets
Main characters: Harry, Ron and Hermione.
Who wrote the book: J K Rowling.
The genre is: fiction and fantasy.
Main plot:
It’s Harry second year at Hogwarts but it’s not all normal, someone has opened the Chamber of secrets and released an unknown monster, controlled by the heir of Slytherin that is turning people into stone. Harry and his friends need to figure out how to open the Chamber of Secrets and who the heir of Slytherin is so he can find the monster stop it.
Favourite character:
My favourite character is Tom riddle (Lord Voldemort) because I like the contrast between his good side and his dark side
Relatable character:
I think I can relate to Harry Potter because even though he is not the smartest, he is still kind, caring and loyal to his friends.
What did I enjoy?
I liked this book because of the plot twists. For example, learning that Tom Riddle was also Lord Voldemort and the heir of Slytherin, or how the Defence against the Dark Arts teacher was a fraud all along I also like the interesting monster, and the chronological order of the book. At the start of the book, I had a lot of questions, but at the end all the questions were answered.
What I learned:
I learnt you should not judge a book by its cover. For example, Tom Riddle appeared nice but had malicious intention.’
Aiden
War Horse by Michael Morpugo
‘War Horse is about Albert, a boy and Joey, a horse. They grew up together like brothers on a family farm. The army needed horses during World War 1 and Albert’s dad needed money to feed his family, so he sold Joey to the army. As soon as Albert found out, he enlisted himself to the army to find his horse.
Joey experienced life as an army horse during WWI. He changes owner many times but informs us that he only has one true master, Albert.
I loved the book as it shows how humans should treat animals, with consideration of their feelings. The friendship in the story is a great, it shows both views of the war from Albert and Joey’s perspective.
The book shows the horrors of war. It also highlights the great friendship humans and animals have, and how this love can overcome all challenges.’
Dhilan
A Light in the Mist by Erin
Hunter
Author: Erin Hunter
Series: The Broken Code
Book: A Light in the Mist
When fear reigns supreme, only hope can save the clans.
There is an imposter among Thunderclan…
As young Root’Spring and Bristle’Frost enter the place of no stars to find their friend Shadow’Sight, they find themselves on the brink of death, contemplating between sacrificing themselves for the future of the clan or losing all hope.
I personally love this series and especially this book because it contains drama, action and heart-warming moments. Although this book and the series made me emotional, I found the language Erin Hunter uses effective, and it left me thinking about the book for weeks.
This Book has a special place in my heart. I enjoyed learning about the two enemies from two different clans coming together
Hyori
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
“Winning means fame and fortune. Losing means certain death. The Hunger Games have begun…”
Katniss Everdeen (from district 12) has devastatingly been selected as one of the competitors of the deadliest game of all time, The Hunger Games. As her and her district partner (Peeta) hunt for food, sabotage the lives of other players and dodge the attacks that the game has cleverly arranged, they lead themselves to victory, becoming the second winners for district twelve.
Over the Summer Holidays, I read The Hunger Games written by Suzanne Collins. I really enjoyed reading this book because of the constant challenges the main character must go through to survive and the different solutions that she produces or simply receives from her sponsors. By reading this book, I have learnt to always be grateful for what you have since not everyone will be as fortunate as yourself, try to find solutions from whoever or whatever is around you before asking for help and to never give up, no matter how sorrowful or overwhelming your situation may be.
I would one hundred percent recommend this book for all people above the age of nine, and who enjoy engaging adventure stories which glue your hands to the book!
Ethny
The Lord of the Rings; The Two Towers by Peter Jackson
Frodo and Sam continue their journey to destroy The One Ring, making friends and meeting foes. Many obstacles are in their way, but can they make it through?
This book is the 2nd book of The Lord of the Rings series. Frodo is the main character and is tasked with destroying a powerful ring. He is trying to get to Mount Doom in the land of Mordor. He departs from his companions along the way except for Sam, who sticks along.
I really enjoyed reading this book. It is full of description and action. I suggest reading this book if you enjoy long stories, but I recommend you not to travel with it. It has around 352 pages, with some large print editions reaching over 700 pages, therefore being very heavy.
Overall, I really enjoyed reading it before bed to help me sleep. I would encourage Year 7 and above to read it, even though I started in Year 5.
Logan
The Good Thieves by Katherine Rundell:
This book is about a girl called Vita (the main character) who lives in Florida with her mum. she travels all the way to New York because her grandpa lives there, and she finds out that her grandpa was cheated out of everything he owns. As soon as she hears this, she goes on a mission to set things right. On the way, she meets three talented and smart children. The other main characters in the story are Silas, Arkady and Sam. Silas is incredible at picking locks and Arkady is a good acrobat. Sam can create awesome plans They are the dream team. The evil thief in this story is Mr. Sorrotore. He is a greedy, ruthless man with a bitter, twisted heart. He carelessly takes the most expensive and precious goods that Vita’s grandfather rightfully owned. Vita’s grandfather is scared to stand up to Mr. Sorrotore as he is afraid to hurt someone to get what he wants. When Vita finds out the truth about what cruel, evil and nasty things Mr. Sorrotore has wrongfully done to her grandpa, she is horrified and disgusted about the situation. The minute she hears out about Mr. Sorrotore she knew she needed to stop him, even if it took months!
Why you should read it:
If you like an adventurous thrilling book, then this one is 100% for you. It’s not just about a story about stealing; it is about a group of smart kids who have unique gifts, and they combine their talents to take down a very smart evil mastermind. From lock-picking to acrobatics, they create a daring but smart plan This book shows you how powerful friendship can be when you work hard together as a team and put lots of effort in. I promise you; it is quite hard to put this book down once you have picked it up. Thank you for reading my impression of it!
Viya
Percy Jackson and The Olympians, The Sea of Monsters by
Rick Riordan
After Percy Jackson stopped a soon-to-be monstrously ugly war on Mount Olympus, he finally receives a bit of peace. However, this is soon disrupted. Camp Half Blood is under attack, and the only way Percy can help is if he ventures into the sea of monsters to steal a golden fleece while trying to save his friend Grover from dangerous cyclops. Not too hard for a son of Poseidon, is it?
I truly love the whole series of Percy Jackson, but I believe the sea of monsters has to be the best. This is an incredible book series I have absolutely fallen in love with. If you are interested in reading about Greek gods and adventure, this book is for you. Percy Jackson books are filled with stomach twisting action, extremely funny comedy and interesting story lines. I recommend this book to those aged 9-14. I promise you, once you pick up this book you will never put it back down.
Ella