Eldest reviews

Eldest, nearly twelve, shares his thoughts on books recently read:

Fat Boy Swim – Catherine Forde tells the story of a clinically obese boy called Jimmy Kelly. He is bullied because he’s fat, but really he knows loads of stuff about films, books and sport. Jimmy has a secret that will change him forever.

This book is good because of how different it is to other books. For example the chapters were split into parts of a meal like Starter and Main Meal which blends with the theme of the story. I also like how Jimmy starts obese and becomes skinny because as well as him changing size he also becomes more confident.

Weirdo’s War – Michael Coleman is about a boy called Daniel who everyone thinks is a weirdo because he likes homework and being on his own and a boy called Tosh who likes hanging out with friends and is bullying Daniel. When they find that they have to share rooms on a school trip they are not happy. Then, suddenly Daniel and Tosh end up trapped underground and they have to work together if they want to survive.

This book has a strange plot and story idea. I sometimes found this book quite difficult to keep up with and found myself stopping to go over what had just happened. I did read it all though and I like the title of the book which suggests bullying is like a war and it is almost like a battle to overcome it.

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[Comment from me: Eldest read both of these books with ease and quickly. It's refreshing to find books that engage his age group and reading level.  I'd welcome book recommendations that may fit alongide these 2 books]