Children's Books > L Children's Books > by Author Surname (First Letter)

Advantages: Funny, well written and as promised on the cover - you will laugh your knickers off!
Disadvantages: Not long enough.

This is the first in the hilarious series by Louise Rennison. When I first picked up the book, I have to admit the cover was the thing I was most transfixed with. The picture above must be a newer cover, because usually they have cartoon drawings on them and are in eye watering shades that attract attention. I'll post a picture of the better known, more common cover with this review. This particular book in the series has a flourescent orange cover, ...
...heart and a kiss on the front, and a cat on the back alon with the blurb. I thought as soon as I saw the book "This is going to be fun." And guess what. It was! I tells the story of loveable teen Georgia Nicolson, who is convinced the world is conspiring against her. Rennison's writing style is hilarious, and I really think it was a good move to write this book in diary form. It allows her to do things like this.... 10:30 p.m Heard Mutti and Vati ... Read review

Advantages: It's a brilliant book for all ages
Disadvantages: The cover could be better

I really liked this book! It kept you interested in it straight away and all the way through. The story line was very easy to follow and a very, very cleaver story line. My teacher read it to my class a few years ago and I enjoyed it so much I want out to the shops, bought it, and read it myself! I liked the book so much I went into town and bought the DVD starring Shia LaBeouf as Stanley Yelnats. I also really like that film, and also helped me ... Read review

Advantages: Wonderful, enchanting read for all ages.
Disadvantages: Very weird, and a bit dated.

Alice in Wonderland was written by Lewis Carrol, the pseudonym of a maths professor called Charles Lutwidge Dodson. There is a famous story of Queen Victoria, having read Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, ordering her courtiers to bring her everything that Lewis Carroll had written, only to receive a pile of mathematical papers! Suffice it to say that there are a lot of mathematical puzzles hidden in his work, so that beneath the ...
...its references to chess). Alice in Wonderland is that rarity - a children's book that can be read on many levels. It has brilliantly crafted nonsense poetry, of which "the mouse's tale" - a beautiful shape poem in the shape of a mouse's tail, "Jabberwocky" - brilliant verbal fireworks - revelling in the enjoyment of playing with the English language for the sake of it, and the Walrus and the Carpenter (from 'Through the Looking Glass') are probably ... Read review

Advantages: Inspiring and Haunting
Disadvantages: Haunting

This is a book for teenagers that I studied at the age of 14 but I loved it so much I had to buy as an adult. It is a really hard hitting thought provoking book that covers quite a few moral issues and utimately leaves you feeling grateful that you get to enjoy the little things in life, birds tweeting in the morning ,rain on your face etc etc. It is split into three chapters - three generations and begins with the potential end of the world and ...
...First Chapter entitled Sarah begins with the alarm to sound the beginning of nuclear war, Sarah arrives home to settle herself into a room of the house where she is to spend the foreseeable future trapped in with her step mother and very young step sister and brother. This first chapter is quite dark and quite clostrophobic. Louise Lawrence conveys the sights smells and emoutions of living in fear in these conditions so well that you are there and ... Read review

Advantages: Rhythm of the words, great pictures
Disadvantages: You'll have to read it EVERY night!

...the tale of the eponymous Hairy Maclary from Donaldsons Dairy and his doggie pals as they gather together and go for a play in town. The story builds with one dog at a time joining the outing, each one having a special characteristic that makes them a) stand out and b) rhyme! There's our hero Hairy of course, then Hercules Morse (as big as a horse - a Great Dane), Bottomley Potts (covered in spots - a dalmation), Muffin Maclay (like a bundle of hay ...
...bony - a greyhound) and Schnitzel von Krum (with a very low tum - a dachshund). You wouldn't think that the name Schnitzel von Krum could still be funny after the 30th time, but somehow it is. Say it out loud right now, no mater where you are, and you'll see what I mean. The drawings illustrating each new dog are charming and have a good level of detail so you can chat to older children about what number house each dog lives at, for example, and ... Read review