The Youngest Girl in The Fifth by Angela Brazil

If you like Malory Towers, Chalet School or any of those sorts of books then you'll like this. Full of pranks, punishments and grades, this shows both Gwen's home and school life, which is something that neither Malory Towers or Chalet School dwells on.

I remember one of the first times I was talking to someone who had been to boarding school. Of course, having read Malory Towers, Chalet School and The Youngest Girl in The Fifth, I thought I knew all about it. Midnight feasts, picnics, swimming by the sea, lessons outdoors, head girls and of course plenty of real-life mysteries just outside the door. But in reality, boarding school is no where near as 'perfect' as in the novels. I must admit I have had no personal experience but from what I have heard midnight feasts certainly don't take place as regularly as one might think.

Despite the slight differences between truth and fiction, I cannot help but enjoy these novels about growing up. The Youngest Girl in The Fifth particularly focuses on themes and issues that can be relevant in 'normal' life. For example, Gwen struggles with feeling left out because she is pushed into the year above. This means that her friends from the year below become jealous and stop speaking to her, and no one in the year above wants to befriend her either because they feel she is too stuck up. This leaves Gwen feeling isolated and alone, especially since her only friend seems to be her worst enemy.

The other interesting aspect of this book is that Gwen doesn't board at school, instead returning home at the end of every school day. This adds another dimension to the story as we get to see Gwen's interaction with her family and friends outside, as well as inside, school. We get to see how Gwen is encouraged to persevere no matter how hard things may seem, and how her family are always there for her to turn to in times of difficulty.

Angela Brazil manages to create a unique book that, although similar to Malory Towers and Chalet school still manages to hold its own and adds a different colour to the classic school story genre. Even though I wouldn't read this book again or necessarily advise reading it, I would say that if you enjoy this type of book it is well worth reading.

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne

The truths behind this book are tragic, the meaning horrific, the story line gripping. Throughout the whole book you know what is going to happen, you wait for it, expecting it but still dreading the conclusion, it isn't a surprise but it is terrible.

Bruno is extremely easy to sympathise with because of his childish character but I also tended to get annoyed with him because he was so unaware of what was going on. Even when he meets Shmuel and sees the horrible way he is treated and how he lives Bruno still doesn't realise what is going on and neither does Shmuel. The innocence and complete unawareness of the two children is what creates the tension and emotions of the book and the injustice of war the concentration camp is shown through their confusion and mistakes.

When I read this I was gripped by how real John Boyne makes his book. Every moment of betrayal and cruelty is brought home by the innocence of the two children and their misunderstanding. The ultimate trust they have in each other is amazing and John Boyne captures Bruno's unwavering trust in his father, a man so horrible and yet of whom he is proud. This book is well worth reading and I sincerely recommend the film when you finish.

The film follows the book almost perfectly, nothing is changed, because nothing needs to be, John Boyne's book is so complete that to change anything new would be to loose some of the innocence or the emotion that he has managed to create. The film does add to the readers understanding and show you clues to what is coming but more or less it is exactly the same as the book.

Malory Towers by Enid Blyton

Enid Blyton books are easy to understand and have nice simple vocabulary so if you find reading difficult then these are great to get you started. There are a lot of other books similar to Malory towers for example: Chalet School by Elinor M. Brent- Dyer and St. Claire's also by Enid Blyton. All of these novels are easy reads and are great to read in between reading harder books.  Another reason these are so good to have around is because they can be read in any order which means you don't have to wait until you have all of them to read them, you could pick them up in a charity shop or the library.

Out of all of these Chalet School is probably my favourite because a lot more happens. Unlike any of the other schools the Chalet School is a boarding school up on a mountain and instead of other 'normal' subjects they do things like skiing, ice skating and long walks in the snow. Of course all the schools have their accidents, quarrels and pranks but I think overall Chalet school is the more interesting story.

Enid Blyton has written a lot of mystery, fantasy and action books but she is just as good at writing about a nice settled school. Malory towers has its thieves, bullies and invalideds but this doesn't stop the girls from having fun. Jokes are extremely popular and Alicia, the clown, is always playing new pranks. Midnight feasts occur regularly and a midnight swim seems a good idea, until it ends in complete disaster. St Claire's is very  similar to Malory towers so I don't think I need to say much about it except, watch out for the twins!

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

'There was no possibility of taking a walk that day...'This starts the classic tale of Jane Eyre. I find this is a moving book mainly because Jane's character can be easily sympathised with, she is a poor orphan whose life is not easy but who still strives to learn and become better even through various mistakes.

Jane's parents both died when she was a baby and so her uncle adopted her. However her aunt hated her and after the death of her husband (Jane's uncle) she decided to get rid of Jane and send her too a orphanage for girls where Jane stayed for 8 years before moving to be a governess at Thornfield.

Although I am only on chapter 14 Charlotte Bronte has already crammed mysteries, tragedies and trials just around the corner ready to jump out and scare you. This book is very emotional and in that way it can feel very real.  It's not full of happy endings and no surprise there are real pains that normal people face it brings you face to face with brutal facts and I find that quite engaging.

Everyone can sympathise with Jane more or less at various points in the story for example younger children can sympathise more with her early childhood and compare it to their own this can be followed right up into adult hood so this book can always be a favourite to read again and again.

NB: Jane Eyre can be read as an adult book so you may want to wait until you have read the millions of other children's books before you read this classic tale.      

Arabian Nights translated by Sir Richard F. Burton

I think this book should definitely be read but I understand that it is really tough. A good way to get around this is to have it read aloud. This means that you do not have the strain of reading the tough words (although whoevers reading will) and it gives your brain time to let things sink in.

Arabian Nights has an on going story through out but that one thread can be easy to loose as sometimes there is a story in a story in which there is another story and this can make things very confusing and sometimes you can forget what story you are in.

The Arabian Nights is amazing for learning about ancient civilisations and superstitions. The books included jinni's, princesses, Persians, sailors, thieves and unfaithful friends. Each story is different and tells you about another character so it is an easy book to pick up whenever.

This book is very anti- Christian for example they believe all Christians are cruel and that each of them should be struck down by Allah.

Some fascinating stories are found in the Arabian nights that are often referenced to in other books. You will know many of the stories as they are very famous. Some have morals, some love and often death or tragic partings which are all interwoven into the fascinating tales of The Arabian Nights.

Because of its difficulty Arabian Nights might be better read in chunks, don't be fooled this book is nothing like Disney's tales of Aladdin.

(Just a note of warning Sir Richard F. Burtons translation of Arabian Nights is more adult in nature and includes some tough vocabulary so as a read aloud or for a younger child it might be better to use Edmund Dulacs illustrated translation instead).