Category: Book Recommendations

Reviewed by Chloe, Year 7, Cerdon College Merrylands

The Summer I Turned Pretty is my top favourite book and TV series, written and created by Jenny Han. I really love this show and I recommend it to anyone who wants a good show to watch that gives off young adult vibes. I have read the series three times and am going to read it again, because it is just so intriguing, you can never get bored of it. The TV series is even better in my opinion. The intense drama, the strong convey of emotion, really brings it to life and it makes me love it so much. 

The Summer I Turned Pretty season one, based on Jenny Han’s novel, centres around Isabel “Belly” Conklin’s coming-of-age story during her annual summer trip to Cousins Beach. The story explores Belly’s evolving relationships with the Fisher brothers, Conrad and Jeremiah, particularly her long-standing crush on Conrad. Season one culminates in a debutante ball, a volleyball tournament, and the revelation of Susannah’s cancer, adding emotional depth to the summer. The Summer I Turned Pretty is about Isabel “Belly” Conklin, who is nearly sixteen. She and her family visit Susannah Fisher (Belly’s mother’s best friend) and her two sons, Jeremiah and Conrad (the latter of whom Belly has had a crush on since she was ten) for another summer. Events from previous summers have impacted Conrad and Jeremiah Fisher’s connection with Belly as she navigates the difficulties of growing up and her first love. She discovers the importance of taking chances and that change is inevitable. Every summer Belly and her family stay at her mother’s best friend’s home in Cousins Beach, Massachusetts. As a child, she felt left out because, of the four children, she was the youngest and the only girl. However, this summer, Conrad and Jeremiah have noticed how much she has changed over the last year. Belly gets the impression that there will be an unforgettable summer because of their interest in her, thus the title.

The Summer I Turned Pretty is such a strong, emotional book, and the characters go through many ups and downs. However, it is only season one, and there are still two more seasons. I loved the books and the TV series. It is definitely recommended for high school students aged 12 years and over,  as there are some inappropriate scenes for younger kids. 

Rating: 5 out of 5 (Way too good to resist)

Reviewed by Chloe T., Year 7, Cerdon College Merrylands

This book, How To Hang A Witch, is so captivating. I could not put it down, it was just so good. The author of this book is Adriana Mather, who has family history that goes way back to the first Thanksgiving, the Salem Witch Trials. 

The trials of high school started to feel like a modern day witch hunt for Samantha Mather, who feels lost, especially with Salem’s past history. Sam, short for Samantha, is not welcomed in Salem, which is strange as she is basically one of them. However, the past builds her reputation and everyone she passes hates her except for her neighbour, Jason, who stands up for Samantha when things get bad. She is a target of the Descendants, a mysterious group of girls, whose ancestors were persecuted in the Witch trials. 

Reading this book kind of gives me a sense of Mean Girls, but in the past. This book is also very heartwarming in the way that Samantha lost her dad, but in the end of the book, her stepmother told her that her father has awoken, which might sound supernatural. It is so sweet to see them finally meet together after a long time of separation. This book is a rollercoaster of emotions, but it is so good that I would definitely recommend it to all of you.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars. 

Reviewed by Chloe T., Year 7, Cerdon College Merrylands

This book, Mao’s last Dancer, is so meaningful and has so many wise quotes. This book tells the story of a young boy called Li Cunxin, who when young was a poor, unfortunate boy in a poor city in China becoming a world-famous ballet dancer in America. During the process, he had to go through many hard and difficult things, but he worked harder and harder and now he is at the top. 

Li was a young boy and went to a very unfortunate school with his brothers, while his parents were peasants and worked so hard just to earn 50 dollars a year. One day, these important people from Beijing came to see if any of the students were capable of trying out for an opportunity to go to a better school in Beijing, Li was selected and went for the tryouts and passed. However, once he went to Beijing to start his journey on becoming a professional ballet dancer, things did not go as expected. The teachers never liked him and picked on Li because they thought that he was very weak. However Teacher Chan believed in him and now here he is, dancing for Houston Texas, but before this, teacher Chan had to leave the school in Beijing, which made Li upset, but he worked harder than ever.

This book is so meaningful and when I watched the movie, it was even better. This book is also a movie, and it is a must. So you must get your hands on the book and the movie, because, OMG, your mind will be blown away. It is definitely a must read for me.

Rating: 5 out of 5 (extremely good) 

Reviewed by Chloe T., Year 7, Cerdon College Merrylands

This book, You Must Be Layla, is an incredible book. Written by Yassmin Abdel-Magied, a Sudanese-born Australian, it touches on the migrant experience, exploring thought-provoking themes relevant to all teens and reveals a powerful new voice. Layla, the main character, has an incredibly weird personality. She is Sudanese and is loud, weird, random and funny.

When she came to Australia, it was new, and unfamiliar. She started at ISB with her twin brothers and her older brother. Layla always hung out with her best friend Dina, after school, during school and even at mosque. However, once Layla got older, she wanted to move on, she had big dreams to travel the world, and become an adventurer. She tried for a scholarship to a totally different school than ISB, as it had more privileges for Layla in order to make her dream come true. When she got it and was accepted, she had to leave ISB and Dina, her best friend, but Dina always had her back and never lost contact with her.

Layla thought that to make her first impression good, was to be herself, but that did not turn out well. Even though she made friends, she still had her ups and down, like getting kicked out of class, bullied and even suspended. This did not look good for her, but she had to find a way to redeem herself. She noticed that there is a competition for building stuff and Layla thought that this was her chance. She kept thinking, but she never could think of anything even after asking her tech teacher, Mr Gilvary, a very eccentric and fun teacher, who is also in charge of the competition. 

She suddenly had a spark of an idea after eating and almost dying from a gummy worm. She was going to make an edible actuator (An actuator is a device that converts energy, like electrical, pneumatic, or hydraulic, into motion or force, enabling the movement of parts in a system). She somehow made it work and now her creation for the competition is Huggy Bears. It sounded kind of lame especially when she saw her biggest competitor, Peter Cox, the person who got Layla suspended. Then the bad news arose, Layla forgot to submit her paperwork and the only way she would be able to compete was to join Peter Cox’s group. Oh oh… She knew that this would turn out bad, but after some negotiation, she was allowed in the group and they won and made it to nationals. Peter then confronts his dad about his mistake and tells him that Layla is super smart and that’s how they won, because of her. 

This book is such a great story and you should definitely read it. It is great and I rate it a 5 out of 5, absolutely incredible.

Reviewed by Chloe T. (Year 7), Cerdon College Merrylands

This book, The 1000-year-old boy by Ross Welford, is such an intriguing book. From just the title, I was captivated and needed to read it. Once I finished the first page, I was hooked and was so into it. The book is about a young boy, about 11 or 12, named Alfie Monk, who was born during the Stone Age. He is now more than 1000 years old and can even remember the last Viking invasion of England. You may be wondering how he became 1000 years old. Well, he uses a life pearl.

One of my absolute favourite things is when he explains his life in the present and talks about his encounter with an extremely small being named Roxy. Roxy is an inventive girl and always is on the hunt to find useful junk and literally makes a home with all the junk. Her imagination and creativity blows my mind away. 

The adventure that Alfie goes through as he is 1000 years old is quite a story and is super interesting. I recommend this for everyone, but for the people who enjoy fantasy fiction and about stories of fictional people, you MUST get your hands on this book.

Rating: 5 out of 5 (extremely good) 

Reviewed by Chloe T, Year 7, Cerdon College Merrylands

The book, The Bone Sparrow, is such a captivating book to read. I got so intrigued by the way that Subhi describes his unforgettable journey and life of living in a refugee camp. Subhi is a young boy, who has to live in a refugee camp with his sister, mum and his best friend, Eli. He is kind, compassionate and sees the world through a magical lens to help cope with the dreadful circumstances.

One of my favourite things about the book is the way that they describe the life of a young child living in a refugee camp, particularly the harsh conditions of the detention centre, in a sad, but interesting way. While reading further into it, you feel that temptation to take action for what is right and try to make the world a better place for everyone. 

The most captivating part of the story is when Jimmie, a girl, who has all the necessities that Subhi does not, meets Subhi and they instantly click. From then on, Jimmie has been coming to him everyday bringing his stuff that he would need to survive. However, one day Jimmie does not come. The next thing is so emotional and risky. Subhi escapes without any plans. If you love books that have many emotional twists and tragic complications, this is a must read for you.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars (So Good)

Reviewed by Yashita, Year 8, Cerdon College Merrylands

I absolutely loved A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder! From the very first page, I was hooked by Pippa Fitz-Amobi’s determination to uncover the truth. She’s not your typical high school student —she’s smart, fearless, and relentless in her search for justice. The way she pieces together clues, interviews suspects, and takes risks made me feel like I was solving the mystery alongside her.

One of my favourite things about this book was its unique format. The mix of interviews, text messages, and Pippa’s case notes made the story feel real, almost like I was reading an actual investigation. And the twists? They were mind-blowing! Just when I thought I had everything figured out, Holly Jackson threw in another surprise that left me speechless.

The suspense kept me on edge, and the small-town secrets made the story even more gripping. I couldn’t put it down, and when I finally reached the ending, I was completely satisfied (and a little shocked). If you love mysteries, thrillers, or anything with a true crime vibe, this book is a must-read.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars!

Reviewed by Yashica, Year 11, Cerdon College Merrylands

Kate Emery’s hilarious and captivating murder mystery, My Family and Other Suspects, involves a murder mystery right under the family’s nose. Book enthusiast, Ruth, resolves to solve a real-life crime that occurs right in her own family. She uses her investigative abilities to find the murderer because of the unexpected death of her ancient GG (great grandmother). Ruth fears finding for a second body whilst harbouring suspicions against every relative. Even though the family member’s murder is a severe crime, Emery manages to inject some humour through her use of casual language. With realistic scenarios like Ruth’s crush with her so-called cousin, I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys murder mysteries with a clash of teenage reality. However, it is a slow read with Ruth’s suspicions steadily falling into place. As Ruth is overwhelmed with the stress and fear of the return of the killer, her intuitive thinking as a murder mystery fan helps solve the murder of her GG. Accidents happen more frequently; coincidences raise more questions. The family is left even more perplexed when additional details come to light, and the unexpected reality is revealed. This book reveals a deeper side of family dynamics and how inheritance can lead to conflict amongst relatives. As a reader, I did find the book enjoyable as I adore murder mysteries, however the investigation is the primary subject of this book rather than fast-paced action. 

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Age: 14+

Reviewed by Deeya, Year 11, Cerdon College, Merrylands

• Recommendation: 14+ 
• Rating 5 out of 5 
• Recommended to those who like crime fiction with a hint of romance. 

The reappearance of Rachel Price is full of twists and turns that will leave the reader wanting to know more. Bel, the protagonist, is living a normal life with her father, Charlie Price. She is in the midst of filming a documentary about her mother’s disappearance, Rachel Price, when Bel was only about two months old. Suddenly, Rachel reappears, the same Rachel who was missing for sixteen years. People thought she had been either kidnapped, ran away or was murdered. Bel was flabbergasted at the reappearance of her mother. Truthfully, Bel did not like Rachel suddenly appearing in their lives like a storm. Bel wanted to know the truth behind Rachel’s disappearance; she did not truly believe Rachel’s story of her disappearance. Will she find the truth? Will Bel actually know what happened to Rachel? This novel is about familial relationship, a bond between a mother and a daughter where it left me questioning if their relationship will ever rebuild again. I loved reading ‘The reappearance of Rachel Price’, it captivated my mind from the first page and left me wanting to know more. It is full of twists and turns where every character becomes a suspect towards Rachel’s disappearance and Bel has made up her mind to seek the truth. Furthermore, the novel depicts justice and inspires many to seek and fight for the truth. The novel is recommended to those who enjoy reading crime-fiction with a hint or romance. Holly Jackson has created this masterpiece that is a different and unique crime-fiction narrative that many would enjoy to read. I would rate this novel a 5 out of 5 because it was truly a delight to read and discover Rachel’s story and her motherly bond with Bel.