Category: Realistic Fiction

By Elizabeth Laird
214 pages

Palestine is occupied by Israeli forces, meaning that tanks and soldiers are controlling the land, and curfews are always coming and going. This is bad news for all, including Karim, a young boy who loves football, and the outdoors. One day, a boy who introduces himself as Hopper, takes Karim to a place covered in rubble, which they slowly turn into a football pitch, called Hoppers ground. All is going well, and things are looking good, until the Israeli forces return with their tanks and soldiers, and introduce a sudden curfew. Karim is left trapped in an old car under a pile of rubble, with some kittens as company. Will he escape, or will he suffer the same fate as so many before him have?

I liked this book, it was very good, and I give it a 9/10. I recommend it to those who are mature enough to handle a war setting.

By Morris Gleitzman
192 pages

Grace is a book about a Christian girl named Grace, who had a father who her churches’ elders called disobedient and rebellious, but was actually curious, and wanted to have a mind of his own. All through Graces upbringing, he encouraged her to ask questions, to be independent and to do what she thought was right. One day, her father was taken away. He had been in another argument with the church elders, and they expelled him from the church, preventing him from seeing his family. Grace was upset they had done this, and did everything in her power to get her father back.

I really enjoyed this book, it made me feel angry, upset, excited, and happy. I was always hooked in, desperate to know what would happen next. Even in that terrible time, Grace never gave up on her father, and never lost faith in God. The book made me feel outraged at the horrible things the church elders did, and the lies they told, to keep Grace’s father away from his father, yet it also made me feel amazed at Grace’s resilience, and her will to find her father. I give this book an 11 out of 10, and recommend it to anyone over 10.