The Phantom Tollbooth

This book is very interestingly written. The plot is about a small boy called Milo comes home from school after another dreary day and finds a toll booth waiting for him, which has been sent to him by someone completely mysterious. He pays the toll and goes into a magical world with two arguing kingdoms: the Kingdom of Words and Letters and the Kingdom of Numbers and Maths.

Milo goes on a quest with two companions - a faithful dog called Tock, who has a clock in his belly, and the reluctant HumBug - to rescue the princesses Rhyme and Reason, to restore peace to the Kingdoms. Along the way lots of strange and wonderful things happen to him and Milo eventually succeeds in his quest.

The magical world was full of edible letters and subtraction stew which makes you feel hungrier every time you eat it and also demons of time wasting and interrupting. It was very imaginative and original but I didn't enter into it as much as some of the books I choose for myself.

It got off to a slow start for an adventure book.

I think this book would work best if it were read out loud to younger children - maybe a chapter a night to 6 or 7 year olds - than it does for someone my age. Because of the brilliant ideas in it, I give it 63 out of 100.

Beano Annual

This is the third book and I'm surprised it's counted as 'a book' because it is actually just 2 magazines stuck together with a hardback cover.

I don't really get the Beano comics generally. I mean that in the sense that I don't buy them or read them. Some of them are quite funny and inventive but there's just no story, it's just a collection of sketches written by some guys.

They weren't that bad but I wouldn't call them good. I have found other Beano comics funny but I can't say I enjoyed this one. I didn't really like it but at least I read it quickly.

The Beano Annual is something to flick through when you are in a waiting room. I give it 17 out of 100

Jay's note - Luke read the Beano Annual 2011. He borrowed from his brother who had received it for his birthday. Z liked it and found it very funny!

Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Hello, this is my second review and I'm doing Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney.

I really liked this book because I thought the combination of writing and cartoons was really good. It expressed Gregory's (the main character) point of view of school and the summer holidays. I thought it was very funny and I like how Gregory thought he will be rich and famous when he's older.

The basic storyline is Gregory is going from the end of vacation to the first few weeks of school and his perspective of things that happen in his family and at school. I find the characters in the story convincing and I have to say that I have compared many of them to people I know in real life!

I think this book is less for 11 year olds, more for 9 year olds but that doesn't stop me from giving it 80 out of 100.