Doctor Who - Shroud of Sorrow by Tommy Donbavand.

Doctor Who - Shroud of Sorrow by Tommy Donbavand. 

Reviewed by Tilly 12yrs old.

Doctor Who - Shroud of Sorrow. This book is a very good read, especially if you watch BBC's television show 'Doctor Who'. But there's something for fans of the old series too, it includes flash backs from the classic series. The central characters in this story are the Eleventh Doctor and his companion, Clara Oswald. 

The novel is about grief and how we deal with it. In the story the Doctor and Clara come from another   planet to Earth. They can travel through time and space by T.A.R.D.I.S (time and relative dimensions in space, if you don't watch the show). When they get to Earth they find that a race called the Shroud are taking over the world using grief as a weapon. The Shroud can transform their face to take on the  appearance of a dead, loved one. For example, one of the victims of the Shroud was called Mae and she saw her dead grandmother. The Shroud (disguised as Mae's grandmother) accused Mae for killing her grandmother. 

The Shroud can become things, for example a stain or a burn could be in the shape of the Shrouds form. The Shroud then transformed themselves into people but now they only looked like the disguise to the victim, the Shroud would now (because they were in human form) hold hands with their victim. All the victims would go through the 5 stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and finally acceptance but once they get to acceptance they would never go back to their normal selves. 

The Doctor, Clara and a couple of others who are not victims of the Shroud have to go through a wormhole to the planet the Shroud last attacked in order to find the key to saving Earth.

The thing I like most about the book is the characters Clara and the Doctor because the author got the them exactly as they are in the television show. When the Doctor uses his hands for form puppets of them Clara asks which one is him, he holds up a hand and she says, "The chin's too small." I loved these witty interactions they shared.

I also liked how this book used actual events from the Doctor's previous regenerations, for example, people the Doctor used to know.

I rate this book out of five Daleks:

I rate the book 4.5/5 because sometimes I would get confused about what was happening, but overall, I really enjoyed the read.

Today's papercraft is of a T.A.R.D.I.S:

Of Mice and Men

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
Reviewed by Milly (14)

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck is a  tragic book about the life of a pair of migrant workers and their dreams.

You see the pair of men first on their way to work. The bus driver dropped them off 14 miles from the barn so they spent the rest of the day walking when they finally rest at the side of a water bed. In the book the place they stopped is described in the book with very descriptive and almost poetically by Steinbeck. Here is an example of his style of writing: 'On one side of the river the golden foothill slops curve up to the strong and rocky Gabilan mountains, but on the valley side the water is lined with trees-willows fresh and green with every spring, carrying in their lower leaf junctures the debris of the winter's flooding; and sycamores with mottled, white, recumbent limbs and branches that arch over the pool.'

 After the text above it introduces Lennie and George as opposites but, they still manage to have a bond as tight as brothers. George, a realist, is smaller and weaker than Lennie, but he is the smarter one. Lennie, on the other hand, is a huge guy with a brain as big as a peanut and the strength of a lion. Lennie is a dreamer.

Lennie forgot everything he was ever told but always remembered the story about the rabbits. The story is dream that the pair shared to rise there hopes. It starts off by George saying that men like themselves are lonely as hell cause they got no one and have no home to go to. But not them cause, as Lennie said excitedly, "I've got you and you got me an were gonna get a house together with chickens and a cow and rabbits and I can tend to them and grow alfalfa for them!".

The book Of Mice and Men has the theme of belonging and people's rights. It shows this mainly through the characters Cooks, a dark-skinned man, and  Curly's Wife, who likes talking to the other workers.The time this book was based there were little to no rights for women and black people. For example, Cooks was to sleep in the stables cause he was black and he was so lonely because no one would talk to him. Curly's wife is also lonely because she is not allowed to talk to anyone other than her husband (who is not a nice guy). That is all because of how they look and their gender. They also show how unwelcome Curly's wife is--through the whole book no one mentions  her name because it didn't matter, all they needed to know was she's Curly's wife.

This book made me cry and cry (I still cry if anyone mentions the end) but it was worth it. Steinbeck is an amazing writer and  makes you create a bond with each character. When Mum told me I should read it I said ok, but I was not expecting this piece of art. If you haven't read this book yet then you NEED to read it.

I rate this book out of 5 paper dolls: 

I LOVE THIS BOOK! but I don't think I could read it again, too sad.

Phyllis Wong and the forgotten secrets of Mr Okyto

Phyllis Wong and the Forgotten Secrets of Mr Okyto by Geoffrey McSkimming
Reviewed by Tilly

This book is AMAZING! I am usually very fussy about what I like to read because I get bored easily, but the whole way through this book was brilliant and I can't wait for the second book to come out.

The Characters in this book are...

 * Phyllis Wong  {the main character, Phyllis loves magic she is very good at being a magician because her grandfather was one too}

* Clement {Phyllis's best  friend, Clement loves gadgets and his family own an appliance store}

*Daisy {Phyllis's dog and she would do anything for Phyllis]

*Chief Inspector  Barry Inglis {he is an officer and also one of Phyllis's friends}

*Harvey {Phyllis's dad}

*Minette {one of Phyllis's friends and Minette is a belly dancer}

*Mrs Lowerblast {owns the shop of the first stolen item and is one of Phyllis's friends}

All the characters are great in my opinon. Phyllis is the best character, but I love all of the characters because each character is unique. They all have their own traits and are quite funny. Phyllis is a very likable character, she has lots of friends!

This story is set in a big city. Phyllis lives in a huge apartment with it's own personal theatre, where she performs her magic tricks.

Phyllis is a good magician, but is there someone better? Someone using their skills to steal? A theif acomplishing the impossible, like making the famous Van Rockechild necklace just disapear or switching somthing right in front of sombody's eyes without them noticing. Phyllis decides to solve the mystery because the first crime happens in Mrs Lowerblast's antique store and she is another friend of Phyllis. The genre of this book is mystery--a crime, but also the mystery of magic.

I rate this book out of 5...

Phyllis Wong and the forgotten secrets of Mr Okyto is a great read and personally it is my favorite book.

The paper doll I chose today is x-mas themed a Santa paper doll:

M~Malice

Malice by Chris Wooding

Reviewed by Milly, 12yrs. old - Teen Book Reviewer and Sometimes Baker

Here is an old favourite i decided to re-blog!

Malice by Chris Wooding, is a horrifying book about a world that exsits inside a scary comic book. To get there you have to do the ritual and call on 'Tall Jake'. Two kids called Kady and Seth do not believe these rumours about this strange land until their friend goes missing.

This is the scariest book I have ever read, especially the first chapter when a boy performs the ritual, the lights go out and you just know 'Tall Jake' is coming. Even though I had nightmares about it, my friends are still fighting over who will read it next.

What I like most about this book is it is a great book for kids that don't like to read much and for the classroom. Even though it looks like a thick book it is half comic/half novel and both boys and girls will enjoy it.

The other really cool thing about this book is it has a 3D front cover. It looks like Tall Jake is coming out of the book to get you!

You'd think I wouldn't want to read any other scary books after having nightmares after readingMalice, but no, I can't wait to read another scary book!

I rate this book out of five:

iI am putting this recipe back up for those who loved it and for those who haven't seen them before I call them 'Uglies':

For this recipe you just use your favourite chocolate cupcake recipe (or you can use a packet mix) and add pink and white mini-marshmellows and white chocolate chips. Top with chocolate icing. They don't look very pretty, but boy do they taste good!

Kasper Prince of Cats

Kasper Prince of Cats written by Michael Morpugo

Reviewed by Tilly 9yrs. old - Tween Book Reviewer and Sometimes Writer

I reposted this review, because I had no other book for K!

I got Kaspar Prince of Cats from Santa for Christmas. It's about a boy called Johnny Trott. Johnny meets Countess Kanasky and her Cat Kaspar. The Countess treats Johnny like his dream Mother. But one day the Countess dies and the Stanton's came to collect the Countess' stuff. That's when Johnny meets Lizziebeth fromAmerica and saves her life, then they become friends. The Stantons and Johnny go to America on the Titanic, the fastest and the biggest ship in the world. The story covers Johnny's friendship with Kaspar from the first time he met the cat to the trip on the Titanic. I liked Kaspar Prince of Cats a little. I liked Kaspar the character, but I found the story a bit slow. I rate this Book out of 5...

Today I have a cat Paper Doll.Hope you enjoy!

J~Jasper Jones

Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey

Reviewed by Milly 14 yrs. old - Book Reviewer and Sometimes Baker

Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey is about a Charlie who is startled in the middle of the night by rebel, Jasper Jones.

Charlie is a smart boy, but he doesn't have many friends, so when Jasper comes to his house he is surprised that he knows Charlie's name, let alone where he lives. Jasper takes him out of town and he starts to worry this is a bad idea. It's too late to leave now, Charlie doesn't know his way back. They go through a clearing and Charlie is horrified to see a girl from his class hanging from a rope, cold dead! He is even more shocked to see it is... Ha! You really think i'd tell who the girl is? I guess you will just have to read the book. It takes Jasper to point out the surroundings for him to realise it isn't a suicide. It was Murder!

This scary murder mystery is a brilliant story but it is a little bit to crude for my taste. If you can overlook the constant bad language and rude bits, you'd enjoy it.

I rate it out of 5 paper dolls:

L~Looking Glass Wars

The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor

Reviewed by Milly 13 yrs. old - Book Reviewer and Sometimes Baker

I have decided to go back in time and ether remind you or show you for the first time an exiting read. Enjoy!

The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor is a book about a girl named Alice, who lives in Wonderland (Oh! I almost forgot, she isn't any ordinary girl, she's a princess!). But on her 7th birthday her aunt, Red, attacked the Queendom! In all the massacre, Red killed Alice's mum & dad and tried to kill Alice!

Luckily the Hatter got her safely to the pool of tears. She had been wishing for an adventure for her birthday, she certainly got what she wished for as she jumped into the pool of tears and came out to a whole new place called London. Meanwhile the Hatter was in a place called Paris. Not knowing were Alice was he searched the whole country for her and would search the hole world for her if he had to so she can fulfil her destiny and kill Red!

There are more problems - Alice is adopted and is told that what she says about Wonderland is nonsense, she finally believed her new family and forgot all about her aunt & Wonderland. Now she is 20 and going tho marry a prince! Will she remember who she is in time to go back and save Wonderland?

Sound slightly familiar? This story is like a reversal of Alice in Wonderland. But there are many differences - it's much darker. This excellent book is a book that was chosen by the book club I go to so I do have to thank them because otherwise I would have never read it!

This is a wonderful book and I give it out of 5 paper dolls :

This is a great book but a warning to my followers that are a bit squeamish this book has a lot of gore and is NOT a little kids book.

I~Imaginary Boys

Imaginary Boys by Carlos Lopez Bermudez

Reviewed by Milly 14 yrs. old - Book Reviewer and Sometimes Baker

Imaginary Boys by Carlos Lopez Bermudez is actually a comic that I bought of comiXology (an app for iPad or iPhone).

When you die, you go to a weird place called the Crossroads where you will find a guy who has been sentenced to write the directions to heaven and hell in his own blood.

When 9 year old Elise Dawn dies, she finds herself in another world. She is told she has a choice between Heaven and Hell, but, she decides to take a long dangerous road to another place all together. This is a hard road to take because it is full of demons who want to take her soul.

This is an awesome horror and i give it out of 5 paper dolls:

H~Hamlet

Reviewed by Tilly 10 yrs. old book reviewer.

 Hamlet written by Shakespeare and put into a graphic novel by Nicki Greenberg.

We all know the famous play writer William Shakespeare and the plays he wrote a long time ago like... Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, A Midsummers Night Dream, Julius Caesar and also Hamlet. Today I'm going to review Nicki Greenberg's graphic novel of Hamlet. 

Hamlet's done in pictures (as you know, graphic novels are like that) but these pictures are done differently than you would expect like the creatures in here aren't human and are some little black things {I have no way of explaining them - but I like them}. If you don't read much Shakespeare {like myself, I have only seen the movie of Romeo and Juliet} and want to read a graphic novel or just one Shakespeare play {or book}, this is a pretty easy read. It is a big book, but mostly pictures. Plus this is a long play, so you expect it to be big.

I recommend Hamlet because it's a quick read but a tiny bit hard because every Shakespeare book or play has different words like 'thou' and lots more other words not in our vocabulary. Also WARNING I DO NOT RECOMMEND FOR CHILDREN YOUNGER THAN MY AGE unless they don't mind death. It is a little gruesome. I loved it so much I watched the movie afterwards. That was good too. I also got my family to act out my favourite scene - the last one.

I rate this out of 5 paper dolls...

Todays Paper Doll is of Hamlet and colour it in yourself...