The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas

This book is about a nine-year-old boy called Bruno. His father is a German soldier during World War II. After his father being promoted, Bruno and his family, Mother, Father and sister, Gretel, have to move house to a place called 'Out-With.'
Bruno begins to get homesick, as there is no one to play with, and he hasn't much to do in his new, smaller, house. Therefore, he decides to go on an adventure, although it is forbidden. He comes to a fence, where he meets a Jewish boy, Shmuel, living on the other side. They become good friends, even though they are from different backgrounds. However all is not as it seems and a terrible truth is ultimately uncovered.

This is an excellent book although it is about an upsetting subject. It'll keep you entertained and you'll want to read on and find out what happens to Bruno and Shmuel. We would give this book 9/10

Review by: Sarah McKibben and Katy McComb

Rachael Watson said the book was really interesting but very upsetting.

Emma Dougan said it was really interesting to see the subject of the novel from a child's perspective.

The City of Ember

Many of you may be familiar with this title as it is currently in production in the Titanic Quarter of Belfast where Tom Hanks' film company Playtone have been shooting for 16 weeks before moving on to other locations around the world.

Ember is a self-contained city, with its own power supply and food stores. There is no natural light in the city apart from the street lamps, which are powered by hydro-electricity, but they are beginning to fail. Everyone in the city has gets a job at the age of twelve to ensure the smooth running of the city. Lina and Doon are among those being assigned a job, Lina becomes a messenger and Doon gets assigned to the Pipeworks. It is his mission to find a way out of the city or else they will run out of food. This book follows Lina and Doon's attempts to leave Ember and implications these have for all of Ember.

We thought the book was average and the ending was disappointing. However other members of the group said it was very exciting and whilst a little boring at the start it quickly gets much better. We were all forced to think about what might happen to our world when coal and oil might run out through the content of this novel. We would give this book 6/10

Review by: Katy McComb and Sarah McKibben

Rebekah Baxter said, "I find it hard to get a book that I enjoy, so I was surprised that I liked The City of Ember. I really enjoyed the storyline and I have already read the sequel."