Top reviews from our Summer Reading Adventurers
We received so many fantastic book reviews from tamariki as part of the Summer Reading Adventure, so we're highlighting some of our favourite reviews here!
Over the 2024/2025 Summer Reading Adventure, the tamariki of Wellington wrote 7,167 reviews and we think that's a very impressive effort - that's not even counting the reviews written by our teen and adult adventurers!
If you didn't take part in the Summer Reading Adventure you may have missed out on reading these fantastic reviews, so we've picked out some of our favourites. In the image galleries below you'll find a selection of books from all parts of our collection, each reviewed by a local Wellington adventurer giving their reading recommendations and reasons why they liked these books.
Will you find your next book to read from one of these reviews?
Picture books
Ocean meets sky by Terry and Eric Fan
This book is so cool. The pictures are amazing. And i love seeing all the boats in the sky. I know a whale is the biggest animal in the whole world. It should take up the whole page and it doesn't yet.
Orion
Need a house? Call Ms Mouse by George Mendoza
If you need a house you can call Ms Mouse. I liked how Ms Mouse makes everyone's houses into a cool creation. It also gives you ideas for art, my cousin made one of the pictures from the book out of cardboard.
Eli, age 5
Out and about with Maisy by Lucy Cousins
Out and about with Maisy is a collection of four Maisy books, including Maisy's bus.
Out and about with Maisie is a very good book for younger kids because it is easy to read and it has pictures. The book was very well illustrated. I like this book because it remind me of when I was little. Lucy cousins writes very good books for younger kids.
Elowen, age 10
The Christmas caravan by Jenny Beck
The Christmas Caravan was a really sweet book I think it’s one of my favourite picture books. This book is for young children but can still be enjoyed by older kids. I really hope that this review will inspire you to read it. This is a really good Christmas book that tells you that even if you don’t have heaps of decorations you can make your own by recycling and reusing any household items.
Skyla, age 11
The book family Robinson by Jonathan Emmett
This book is a silly one .
This family loves books. They decide to go on a trip they take a boat. there’s a storm the family washes up on a desert Island. All they have is each other and a couple of their books one of them digs a hole they find treasure one of them, build a treehouse for them to live in pirates come for their treasure they find that they have dug it up They tell them they have to walk the plank. The pirate asks if they have any last words the baby asked him to read the book. The book makes the pirate happy and from now on they share the books with the Pirates . if you like silly, this is the book for you. My favorite part of this book was when the Pirates realized that they loved books. I think the book family Robinson is a great book ❤️
Kira, age 9
Cover image used with permission from Mark Sommerset.
Bedtime blast-off by Mark Sommerset
This book was a very funny book because it was about two friends who tried to trick each other . my favourite character is quirky turkey because he tries to trick his friends with hot 🔥 chocolate that was actually 💩. They are both so funny and interesting word's are in the book it was so funny and interesting too.
Ruby W, age 7
I think the book Superworm is a very good book because in the book, Superworm helps others cheer up then , when she gets captured by the EVIL Lizard and Crow, her friends helped her and then they gave the EVIL Lizard a consequence.
I think this might help other people to be kind to others and if they don't they will get consequences too.
Also its a book that rhymes so if you like books that rhyme you may like the book Superworm!
An, age 9
The book with no pictures by B. J. Novak
'The book with no pictures' is a great book for your parents to read to you. It is a fun filled book for kids from around 4 all the way to about 8 years old. If you're an older kid it can be fun to read to a younger sibling or pet.
Felicity, age 10
This book is good for someone who wants to try a new thing but hasn't done it yet. You can learn that practice makes progress. It was a good book, I liked the ramps in the pictures.
Lorcan
Non-fiction books
Matariki by Kirsten Parkinson and Kitty Brown
This book explains each star of Matariki with a picture as well as words at the back. This book is great for all ages especially those wanting to learn about Matariki. Plus I just think the pictures are so amazing.
Felicity, age 10
Fantastic origami flying creatures : 24 amazing paper models by Hisao Fukui
This book explored various types of origami crafts. It was fantastic! It contained 24 amazing paper models. It guides you through every single step in vivid description no matter what difficulty the creation is. Some creations are pretty difficult but I recommend this book to any origami enthusiast.👌👍
Suhas, age 11
How to spot a mum by Donna Amey Bhatt
How to Spot a Mum is a humourous fun and silly book about different mums with different lifestyles and little fact files about the types of mums, How to Spot a Mum includes things like, Things to say thank you to your mums for, What type of mum is yours, How much do you love your mum.
A very nice and lovely book.💗
Lizzie
It's interesting to read about the old stories how people thought the earth was shaped. Although I sometimes don't like to imagine that some mountains are supposed to be sleeping animals
Anna, age 7
Chapter books
Cover image used with permission from Denika Mead.
The last kingdom by Denika Mead
I liked this book it was very action packed and I would recommend this book. My favourite character was Mookie because she was the only pixie which wasn't under her spell. I also liked how Mookie ended up saving all the pixies including her Mum and Dad.
Grace
Logan likes Mary Anne by Ann M. Martin
I think this book is interesting because it's about Mary Ann and she's going to a beach and she's kind of scared of talking to new people. But then she learns if you want to talk to a boy you can talk to them the same way you talk to a girl. I recommend this book to someone because it teaches you that if you're kind to someone they'll be kind to you back, and then you can start to understand each other and become friends.
Maia, age 7
Mac cracks the code by Mac Barnett
eAudiobook edition, eBook edition
This book was amazing! It was interesting reading Mac's adventures from London, to France, and even to Japan. I had a lot of fun trying to crack this code: etem em ni kooty udyeats. The letters are all scrambled so lets see, can you solve this puzzle? This lovely mystery book involves codes, video games, and spy business. I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to all junior readers..
Misha, age 9
The twins at St Clare's by Enid Blyton
Audiobook edition, eAudiobook edition
I love this book because it is full of laughs, mysteries and pranks. Can shy Isabel follow her twin sister into becoming somebodies and not nobodies? Can Miss Kennedy control the girls and face their tricks? Can they pull of their midnight fun or not? This is a great adventurous book and I recommend it to children who love a great mystery. This book makes you feel involved in all the fun and excitement.
Olympia, age 9
The war that saved my life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
eAudiobook edition, eBook edition
This book had me gripped on every word and I cannot wait to read the second book. It was so interesting and perfectly captured the life of a small girl in the war. Her clubfoot makes the book even more exciting as she perseveres and my emotions flare up and down with hers!😁
Isla
Charlie and the chocolate factory by Roald Dahl
eAudiobook edition, eBook edition
A very whimsical read, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a great read. It is about a boy called Charlie who had the luck to receive one out of 5 golden tickets. This gave him a trip to the famous chocolate factory where the world’s greatest treats are made. However, the other kids are all absolutely despicable. But don’t worry. They’ll get what they deserve…
2/5 Stars
An anonymous adventurer
Collision course by R. A Spratt
This was a really good book, enough plot twists that it was a good story, but not to many so that you lose track of the story. I would recommend for people 9-12. You don't have to read the other books in the series first but you probably should because it helps you understand the story more. Overall, it was really good but it ends on a bit of a cliffhanger.
Isla, age 11
The first unwanted book tells you about Quill the place where high priest Justine is like a mayor but a bit different. She is the ruler of Quill. You are either a Wanted, Necessary or an Unwanted. If you are wanted or necessary you stay in Quill. If you are unwanted you go to a place to get killed. You get killed in a boiling lake of oil. Or at least, that's what high priest Justine and everyone who's never been there think. :
It is a great book and you should definitely try it. Two things that two people have said about it is "Imagination runs wild in this creative adventure" and "reading the Unwanteds was like discovering a brilliant lost children's classic except it's never going to be lost because the readers will never forget the magic they experienced in its pages”.
If you don't try it you won't know what you're missing.
Kate, age 10
Paris takes over the world by Kyla May
This book is about a girl called Paris who goes to New York.
She makes a friend there.
A cheeky squirrel takes her friends purse which has her tickets to a show inside.
Luckily they find the purse in the Statue of Liberty! They went on the steps to the nose where they got it from the baby squirrels.
I read that there are 9,000 benches in Central Park! And that there are 162 steps up to the crown in the Statue of Liberty.
I loved the cheeky squirrel in the book. It felt a little bit funny!
I liked learning about New York, but Central Park mostly.
I would like to read more of these books.
Annie, age 6
Great take on the myths of medusa and other monsters and points out the gender based myths and how unfairly treated the women were in the stories and speaks about how just because they were seen ad evil it doesn't mean that they are evil and certainly doesn't make the children of monsters evil.
Gabby, age 12
The Magic Misfits: The Minor Third by Neil Patrick Harris
I really liked reading The Magic Misfits because there are so many mysteries and codes for you to solve. It ends in a cliffhanger so I am really excited to read the forth book. The way that Alec Azam draws is so cool too. I recommend this book to readers 8+ and I give this book a 10/10.
Isadora, age 10
Comics and graphic novels
Swim Team by Johnnie Christmas
This book is about a girl who discovers that she can actually swim. She struggled with a girl who bullied her because she couldn't swim. I enjoyed this book because it's about overcoming your fears and being brave.
April
Bats: Learning to fly by Falynn Koch
Bats - Learning to Fly is one of the Science Comics Books. There are a bunch of them! It teaches all you need to know about bats, like did you know that there are different types of bats? Fruit-eating bats, bats that hunt insects and small mammals, and nectar bats are some examples. There's lot more.
There's a story too, about a cute little brown bat that gets smacked out of the sky by human hands and gets his wing fractured. :( He gets brought in for rehabilitation and talks to other bats like Old Gray, who got beat up by a cat and can no longer be set free. We learn a lot from the conversations that Little Brown has with other bats, because the main point of this book I would say is to teach people about bats and how we can help them.
Bobbie
I really like this book because it shows personality. I would rate this book a ¹⁰/¹⁰ because its mysterious. My favourite character is Iris, she is very brave and kind. If i had written this book, i would NOT change it one bit. It is amazing just the way it is. It also tells you that you can do anything
Sorcha, age 8
eBook Borrowbox and eBook Libby
I recommend this book to someone who is fine with angry moments and heart-breaks. To someone who enjoys camping and likes to read about how people go through the emotions of making new friends.
Ava, age 8