A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

Over the Christmas Holidays, I read A Christmas Carol"by Charles Dickens. A Christmas Carol is the tale of a mean-spirited, miserly old man called Ebenezer Scrooge, who undergoes an amazing transformation after a series of ghostly visits.

Set in London in the mid 19th century, the story begins on Christmas Eve, when Scrooge is visited by the ghost of his former business partner, Jacob Marley. Marley's ghost warns Scrooge that if he does not change his hard-hearted, miserly ways he will be doomed in the after-life. Marley tells Scrooge that he will be haunted by 3 spirits. Each spirit takes Scrooge to various places, in the hope of reforming him.

A Christmas Carol is really easy to read. It has a simple structure. It is written in 5 chapters or staves. Staves 1 and 5 act as a prologue and epilogue, while staves 2,3 and 4 show us how and why Scrooge changes.

A Christmas Carol is a story that's got it all, Ghostly apparitions, coldness, darkness, death and despair, but in the end it is the images of joy, warmth, light and love which stay with us. Read it! You'll feel better for it.

By Ian Keir

This book is about Matthew (Moose) and his family who live on a prison island in America called Alcatraz. His dad is high up and he takes him to see the biggest most meanest prisoners there on the island. His name is Seven Fingerss and his dad doesn't know it but they have sent letters to each other through the laundry and that is how they communicate. BUT someone is not happy with this and 3 days later Dad is caught drunk up on the lighthouse where he and his colleague work. It isn't him but he is sure will he get fired and will Moose have to leave the island and start all over again? Read on and find out?

Melissa McNeal

'Al Capone Does my Shirts' By Gennifer Choldenko

It is about a boy called Moose and his family who have moved to Alcatraz because his father has a job as a guard. He attends school on the island but is a misfit. Instead of playing basketball with the prisoners, Moose has to watch his sister Natalie. She has autism and Moose is the best at taking care of her. They find other friends on the island such as Theresa and Piper. At the end, the children try to find the best place for Natalie and they get help from Al Capone.

Reece Watson

'Stormbreaker' by Anthony Horrowitz

It is about a teenage boy called Alex Rider who is woken up in the morning by the police. They tell him that his uncle, Ian Rider, had been killed in a car accident. Alex sees at the scrapyard that his uncle's car is there and covered in bullet holes. The agency that his uncle worked for told him that he was on a job when he got killed. So Alex is sent up to where his uncle's last Job was. He tries to figure out why his uncle had to be killed. Will Alex make it out or will he go the same way as his uncle?

Reece Watson

'The Return Journey' by Maeve Binchy

The Return Journey by Maeve Binchy is one of travel. The book is composed of many short stories about people and couples traveling and making new friends on their journeys. Whether it is traveling for a business meeting or going abroad for a holiday with some friends this book is a book that contains many great adventures, with ones that end in happiness and joy and ones that unfortunately end in sadness. This book really brings alive the characters and their emotions and the relationships that they are in.

The Return Journey is a book for people who like fulfilled stories that really capture the best moment as well as being fun and humorous. I thought this book was one that was very enjoyable and relaxing to read. I thought the short stories were very interesting and were not too long. I also thought this book was one that I had to keep reading as there was always something around the next corner that was very unexpected. This is what makes this book one that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

This book is an easy read and is for anyone of any age: young or old. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in traveling and who likes romance in their reads.

Ailie MacDougall

'Leviathan' by Scott Westerfeld

Two massive empires are preparing for war. The "mechanikal" might of the Austro Hungarian Empire against the amazing power of the British Empire. The Clankers, who put their faith into machines against the Darwinists, who use genetically modified animals as tools.

This is World War One with a twist. It is set in an alternate reality where in 1914 Franz Ferdinand is murdered by the Germans causing the biggest conflict the world has ever known, leaving his son Aleksander to flee across the country in a heavily armoured walker, a tank on legs. But in the other half of the world, Dyren Sharp - a girl posing as a boy to join the airforce - boards a living airship destined to fall out of the sky in enemy territory. Dyren and Aleksander's lives are about to collide.

I greatly enjoyed "Leviathon". It was incredibly fascinating to look at World War One from a different angle and amazingly illustrated. With close shaves with the enemy around one corner and falling out of the sky round the other, this is a truly brilliant read. Forget what you learned in history- you are about to relearn World War One. 20/10

Iain Parker

'Sleepovers' by Jacqueline Wilson

It is about 5 girls called Amy, Bella, Chloe, Daisy and Emily who form a club called "The Alphabet Club." Daisy is the main character in the book and she is the newest member to the Alphabet Club. All the girls have a sleepover and it goes well but now it is her turn she has a disabled sister and she doesn't know what to do. Will her friends think she is weird or normal? What will happen???

Melissa McNeal