The Cloudchasers Part , By David Richardson

The Cloudchasers is written by David Richardson and beautifully illustrated by Steven Hunt. The main character is Alice, who lives in the bland world of Bankertown.  Alice, while out one night,  meets Spinner, a poor street boy who gives her a ticket to the fair. All this awfulness in Bankertown is because of the Banker, a horrible man. At the fair Spinner, Alice and her goody two shoes brother Thomas, set off in a hot air balloon to try and get imagination and happiness back to Bankertown. My favourite part is when they get a cloud map, to tell them where they are going. It could of been better by having more characters that stay in the story. This book would be good for about 11 year old children and up. 4 out of 5 stars. Available in the school library in 2011.
By Isaac

Skulduggery Pleasant Books

Skulduggery Pleasant Dark Days

What a shock when I discovered there was a fourth book in this series.  I thought Derek Landy’s ‘Skulduggery Pleasant The Faceless Ones,’ was the last installment.  If you haven’t yet read book three I’ll try not to give too much away.  

Throughout the first third of the book Derek Landy interweaves the rescue of Skulduggery Pleasant while also introducing us to a group of villains calling themselves the ‘Revengers Club.‘  Most of these members we’ve met in previous Skulduggery books, like Dusk and Sanguine.  

These characters drive the action, some of the twists and turns and plot in book four.  Put into the mix is Scarab, who has escaped from prison and wants revenge for a crime he didn’t commit.  It’s no surprise the group have individual motives for seeking revenge upon young Valkyrie Cain.

A Soul Catcher goes missing from the Necromancer temple.  It’s as horrid as it sounds.  The idea of the remnant is simply ghastly, and then there’s the Midnight Museum Zombie fight!

Reading book four is like devouring a bowl of spaghetti at a hectic pace.  Although, each spaghetti strand you untangle leads you closer to the twists and turns that await!  I am eagerly awaiting book five.

Skulduggery Pleasant, Book 1, by Derek Landy

I always picked this book up when I saw it at the Warehouse…. however never read it until it was sold to at the Reading at the Beach programme, National Library 2008/2009. Well, what can I say about Skulduggery…personally he’s the ideal guy! Charming, reliable, dependable and he drives a five cylinder, 4.5 litre 1954 Bentley. The only problem being he’s skinless! Now, on a more serious front. I read the first three chapters to my Year 5/6 class. Talk about having them on the edge of their seats. There’s a scene where Stephanie is in the house she’s inherited from her uncle Gordon, she gets a phone call from this mysterious man. Stephanie eventually hangs up on him and before you know if he’s pounding at the door. He actually smashes the window and breaks in. If you really get into reading this story make sure you add a sly, spooky voice here. I think my children actually stopped blinking! Of course Skulduggery saves the day! This is a story with a nice twist of magic, action, adventure, and humour good and evil. It’s a race to see who can get their hands on the Scepter. I’ll say no more…. read it. Suitable for Year 5/6 boys and girls. Elizabeth


http://www.skulduggerypleasant.com