Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy

" With his sunglasses gone there was no denying the fact that he had no face. All he had was a skull for a head."


Stephanie's uncle wrote horror fiction - at least that what she thought until he died and left her his estate. Ten she discovered that though his books may have been horror, they weren't exactly...fiction.


Plunged into a terrifying world of vampires and Hollow Men, Stephanie finds help from the remarkable Skulduggery Pleasant: wise-cracking detective, powerful magician, sworn enemy of evil. Oh yes. And dead.


It's been a while since I've discovered a good fantasy series. I've been bored reading the same Harry Potter and Darren Shan series over and over, and I was delighted to discover the fantastic, witty Skulduggery Pleasant.


The characters were the best quality of the book. Each was as funny as the next, especially Skulduggery and Stephanie. Skulduggery was just like Stephanie, and that's probably why they didn't get on so well! Stephanie was really sarcastic, and it did get a little annoying at times how negative she was, but I still liked her. It was Skulduggery though that really stole the show. Instead of being comforting when something bad was happening, he would tell it how it was, normally in the most amusing way possible. All the time!


The beginning and end were brilliant and gripping, but parts in the middle were really boring, and I actually stopped reading it for a while and began a different book. And when I started again, I skipped a bit of it, just to get it over with. But in the end it all payed off!


I would give this book....4/5. I was originally planning in giving it 3/5, while I was reading the middle part, but the it got better. I loved how the book was set in Ireland (the awesomest country! LOL!). I think you should definitely read it if you like fantasy, but you love funny books too. Skulduggery Pleasant is brilliant, and I have the next two books right now (yay!) and I can't wait to start them!


Age Group: 10+
Publisher: Harper Collins Publishers
Official Publication Date: 02 April 2007
Author Website:www.skulduggerypleasant.co.uk

Eva's Journey by Judi Curtin

Rich, spoilt, high-maintenance Eva Gordon likes fancy, sophisticated things so when her parents sell their sell their holiday home and their expensive car Eva can't understand why. But when Eva's dad loses his job and she has to move house and change schools, she realises life has changed for good. She's determined to hate her new life, until a chance visit to a fortune teller gives her the idea that doing good may help her to get her old life back. Eva (with the help of her friend Victoria) starts to help all around her, whether they want it or not! This is the story of "Eva's Journey" from spoilt princess to pretty cool girl.

Judi Curtin is one of my FAVOURITE authors ever. I loved her Alice and Megan series, and was eager to read Eva's Journey. And it didn't disappoint! I think this is one of Judi's best book yet!

I haven't actually read a book about the recession before, even though I probably should have, because it's been going on for almost two years now. It was a great storyline and very relevant, because thousands of children in Ireland are going through the exact same thing as Eva and, or worse, and can really relate. I think this would really help them to see that you really can be happy without loads of money. Although, apparently this wasn't the moral of this story, it was 'you shouldn't kick stone walls when your wearing flip-flops'!

I thought Eva was a complete brat at the beginning, and she really irritated me with her 'I'm so much better than you' ways. And then she thought that by doing a few good deeds, she would be rich and 'happy' again. But (predictably), she did improve as the story went on.

My favourite character was Ruby, the shy unsociable girl that Eva was kind of friends with. I felt really sorry for her, having to manage a busy stall all on her own, and she was only twelve. There was a great plot twist involving h Ruby, that I so wasn't expecting!

Overall I thought the book was fantastic, 5/5. I finished it in under a day, it was so good! I know it was aimed at a slightly younger audience than me, but I still enjoyed it. Fabulous book, everyone should read it. It would be a great quick read, but it makes you think a little. Fabulous book, Judi and I hope you write more soon!

P.S.Hey guys, sorry for asking yet another question, but does anyone know how I can stop double spacing? This is the first time it's happened an it's really annoying. Oh, and thanks to Rachel for your comment in the last post. It helped!

Age Group: 9+

Publisher: O' Brien Press Ltd.

Official Publication Date: 20 September 2010

Author Website: www.judicurtin.com