Man Vs Beast is the sixth and one of the best books so far in the Cherub series. It is about the secret organization Cherub and three of its agents Kyle a gay 16 year old boy, James a confidant 14 year old boy and his sister Lauren a caring 11 year old girl that can get rough if she needs to and their mission to infiltrate and get intelligence on members of a radical anti-animal testing group.

The book follows the group of teenagers through the twists and turns of their tense mission. The trio are faced with some scary and life threatening situations that will test all of there skills. There are parts of the book that make you cringe and want to look away but you just can't and will sit there reading for hours.

The reason that they use Children is that "Adults never suspect that children are spying on them".

I really liked this book. I have read all the other books before this one and would recommend reading them in order. The idea that they're not just highly skilled agents but also children with kid and teen related issues really made me want to keep reading.

Sail by James Patterson

When the luxury yacht the Dunne’s are sailing goes missing Peter Carlyle becomes a very happy and relieved man. The Dunne family is a very wealthy and spoilt American family who are just recovering from the loss of their father and husband. A selfish and greedy lawyer named Peter Carlyle falls in 'love' with Anne Dunne. Peter finds the Dunne’s wealth too tempting and marries Anne in an effort to get his hands on it. Peter is able to gain the Dunne’s trust and love which allows Peter to execute his evil master plan. The next summer Peter waves his new family off on a sailing trip. Little do they know that Peter is using this in an attempt to murder them and keep their wealth. When the Dunne’s realize their lives are at risk they work together to all stay alive and take revenge on whoever brought this on them. "Sail" is a gripping book which is impossible to put down. This book is very clever as it starts from a scene that occurs later in the book and then, from the start works its way towards that scene revealing all the information required to understand everything clearly. This book is a must read for any teen or adult for the reason that it has a great storyline and thrilling secrets which are unveiled throughout the book.

Specky Magee - Felice Arena & Garry Lyon

“Specky Magee” is a book about a twelve year old by the name of Simon Magee, was a very promising footballer. Simon Magee, has a nick name “Specky”. This name was given to him by his fellow team mates, due to the fact that he is able to and likes to take a ‘spec-tacular’ mark.

Specky Magee has a pretty normal life for a twelve year old. Although, there are only two noticeable differences between Specky and his mates, one of them is his ability to play football. The second is his father’s lack of attendance to his football matches, for the Booyong High Lions, on Saturday. This really gets on Specky’s nerves as his father always, without fail, makes up an excuse on why he can’t attend Specky’s footy game. In fact not only does his father not like football, but in fact his whole family hates it. In fact they can’t stand it!

This sends Specky into confusion because he finds a small photo with himself dressed up in football gear. He wondered who could have dressed him up in this gear? As well when he continuously asks his parents who took this photo? Why am I dressed up like this? He never got a straight answer from them, he only got mumbled words back. This sends Specky’s life into flauccinauccinihilipilification because he goes on an adventure to find out some answers about where he came from. Then he starts to inquire further than ever before into some people he loves dearly.

I recommend this book for the type of readers who know a thing or two about football and who are willing to travel in the life of a growing superstars day to day life. As well love to read a book in a series because there are another seven books to follow.

Once by Morris Gleitzman

Morris Gleitzman is a very successful author. He has written many fantastic books. Once was published in 2005, it was the first book of the series. The other two books were called Then and Now. I haven’t read the other two books but if the others books are like the first one I would be very impressed. Once was based in Poland, during the Holocaust which was happened in 1935-1945 and was when Adolf Hitler attempted to destroy and eliminate the Jews. Once was about a fourteen-year-old Jewish boy Felix, his parents owned a bookshop and he always thought that his parents would come back and take him away from the orphanage. Felix one day ran away to search for his parents. Felix then meets a girl named Zelda and this novel is about the early parts of the journey they had together. This book was a sad story however a great one too. This book was a very unique book in the way that every chapter started with the title ‘Once’. This book was a very good book and I recommend that everybody should read it. I am looking forward to reading the rest of this eventful and inspiring journey.

Hunger Games-Suzanne Collins

The book I read is called the Hunger Games. The book tells about the future in North America through the eyes of a poor girl named Katniss Everdeen. The world they live in is divided up into twelve districts and a capitol. District one is the richest and twelve the poorest. Throughout the book there are mentions of the districts uprising against the capitols cruel ruling. The capitol over powered the districts and as a result they set up the ‘Hunger Games’, as a way to show the districts they are powerless to the capitol.

The Hunger Games is a competition held every year, where one male and one female aged 12-18 from each district is selected to fight to the death in a huge arena. The battle often takes a long time and has many evil twists from the capitol game makers. Katniss’s sister Prim was selected to participate in the games. Katniss decided to step in for her younger sister, knowing that it would be a death sentence, but to save her sister.

One of Katniss’s friends from school peeta is selected to participate with her. They embark on a mission to help keep each other alive for as long as possible, and find true love between them. The capitol makes rule changes and allows for a district to win apposed to an individual. The book is part of a trilogy. I really enjoyed reading the book and recommended it to anyone who loves action and violence. The first part of the book is hard to get in to but once you get past that you wont put the book down. This book is for anyone aged 13+.

Twilight-Stephenie Meyer

Twilight is the story of Edward and Bella’s romance. Forget any vampire romance you have read before, Twilight is so unique it is almost like it’s in its own genre. The book is targeted at Young Adult readers but it has the ability to satisfy both teenagers and adults. The story is told from the perspective of Bella, so the reader only ever know what she knows, making Edward and his family a mystery that is slowly unravelled through out the book. Even by the end of the book I was still wanting to know more about the Cullen family - hopefully their characters might be developed further in future books. Bella herself is a well written and realistic character, shy and lacking in confidence, her sarcastic inner voice narrates the story for the reader. Twilight is simply and yet beautifully written. The descriptions of Forks leave you feeling like you can almost smell the damp air and hear the rain falling on the roof. The romance between Edward and Bella is touching. There is a gloomy feel to their impossible love, yet at the same time they both are not willing to give up their relationship. The book reaches its peak of excitement as the romance between Bella and Edward turns into fight. I have heard Twilight described as “a vampire story for people who don’t like vampire stories” and I think I would agree with that. This book has something for everyone. Young adult readers, vampire fans or romance readers will all find Twilight to be an interesting story. Believe me, this is one book that you won’t want to end.

Standing my Ground by Matthew Hayden

"Standing my Ground" is an autobiography written by Australian cricketer Matthew Hayden. Unlike the norm Hayden starts his autobiography by giving a summary of the sledges he dished out when fielding for Australia. In the first chapter of the book the reader learns that Hayden is not the intimidating character that he is made out to be, the reader learns that Hayden is a tough competitor with a never say die attitude. Hayden devotes his autobiography to, his childhood and family, his Religious beliefs and of course his cricket. Hayden talks about living on a farm throughout his childhood and the joy that he experienced living in the countryside away from reality. This leads into Hayden talking about the constant struggle he faced when he was forced to live in big cities. Hayden produces another topic that is not usually written about in a cricketer's autobiography, Religion. We discover that Hayden is a devote Catholic who is a regular at church every Sunday. He shares with us that he 'crossed' the crease every time he went out to bat which shows the effect that Christianity had on his sporting success. When talking about cricket and his love of sport Hayden takes the reader through a behind the scenes tour. Hayden shares the interesting and unique experiences he has had with teammates and also umpires through his cricketing career. Matthew Hayden's autobiography is a must-read for a person of any age. Hayden discusses many other aspects of his life other then cricket so a reader that has never played or watched cricket will still thoroughly enjoy the book. A sporty reader will fall in love with "Standing my Ground" as Hayden takes the reader on a journey through the life of an Australian cricketer. Hayden tells the story of his life in an honest and interesting way but Hayden also mangages to get the message to the reader that he is just a normal Aussie bloke.

Gentlemen by Michael Northrop

The gentlemen of the title are rough boys with difficult home lives. “They call us hard cases , and we are” sums up Micheal the narrator . He is cynical about their dull town, unexceptional school and lacklustre prospects. The writer presents a very credible picture of young men sinking to meet the low expectations that society holds for them.
Most people at school are scared of them, particularly of Tommy, who is prone to violent outbursts, and suddenly disappears. Through a series of painful misunderstandings the boys suspect Mr Haberman, their English teacher, of Tommy’s murder. In the end, long after he really needed to, Micheal appreciated that Mr Haberman tried to draw out the best in his students ”He was showing me some respect, and I just wasn’t used to seeing any”
The narrator addresses the reader in a very engaging and intimate style, taking the reader into his confidence and revealing all his fears and confusion,sometimes with dark humour. This is one of the most enjoyable aspects of the book as the reader is given a deep insight into the thoughts of the main character.
The story reaches a very tense and brutal climax, to which Micheal is mainly an observer; he has ample opportunity to reflect and regret this later.
I highly recommend this to Yr 9-12 readers

Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone

Harry Potter is a gripping book that you cant put down once you have started reading it! This thrilling book is about this boy named Harry Potter who is a famous wizard, although he didn't know about this until he got a letter at the age of 12! He finds out sad things about his family whilst the family that he stays with before departing to Hogwarts isn't so friendly and warm. At Hogwarts Harry finds out many things about his family's history and new things about himself too! Harry learns how to fly broomsticks, do magic and do all sorts of fascinating things! This book isn't only fantasy it also has reality in it, like making friends, being bullied, learning who to trust and obeying rules. Ron met Harry on the train Hogwarts and throughout the book you see the unbelievable friendship they form with each other. Hermione didn't start off well with Harry and Ron, they fought a lot and the boys found her extremely annoying, but when a disaster happens in the school all it does is bring Harry and Ron closer with Hermione. Throughout the book Harry gets stronger and learns how to deal with all the bullying! There are four houses at Hogwarts, Gryffindor (Harry is in this house), Slytherin, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. These houses are like religions, everyone stands up for their houses. I recommend this novel to any ages, it has easy language to read, short, exciting and gripping. Whoever likes a mix of fantasy and reality then this is the book for you.

The Bible by God

“First God made heaven & earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep; and the spirit of God was moving over the face of the waters. And God said, “let there be light”; and there was light.” With possibly one of the strongest opening lines in history, the Holy Bible captivates the reader immediately . Here we are not only introduced to the main character, named God, but the reader is also informed that he is some sort of divine being with super natural powers. The bible contains every type of genre known to man, ranging from romance to bloody wars, the bible has it all. Unlike most novels, the bible is the type of book that one can choose a random page and immediately be hooked. One can read this book every week for the rest ones life and still hang onto each word. Due to the book’s disjointed plot, the reader has the ability to interpret the book in any way. The famous French medieval rabbi, Rashi, spent his life devoted to understanding the bible by making extremely detailed commentaries. I would not regard this as God’s best work, mainly because of its preachy tone. The book took a while to really gain popularity, nearly 3000 years. This is mainly due to the main character not putting in an appearance until half way through. It certainly heats up once Jesus Christ is on the scene. Not often does a reviewer get the privilege to read such a masterpiece. The Bible is more than a book, it is an instruction manual to life, without it there would be no religions, no wars, nor would there be something to believe in. Despite this I rate this a 5 out of 5, in other words an instant classic, however, it is only suitable for children over the age 15 as there is countless examples of gruesome deaths, rapes, unbelievable miracles and more.

Harry potter and the deathly hallows by J.K Rowling

The deathly hallows is the last of the Harry Potter series. It is about Harry potter on a quest to kill his arch enemy, Lord Voldemort. Lord Voldemort have been enemies ever since Harry was only a baby when Voldemort killed his parents, but not that thats the only reason with many other loose ends which are finally understood.

Voldemort making it impossible for Harry to live a life without constantly being under threat by Voldemort and his evil disciples, the death eaters.

throughout the story you experience many magical phenomenon's. whilst on a death defying adventure Harry is forced to overcome many obstacles and demonstrates great courage and wisdom. Readers will enjoy the mystical events and the shenanigans in Harrys private life. Harry makes many new friends as well as losing some as well. his two best friends Ron who is 'the funny one' and Hermoine ' smart one' are with Harry almost all the way. it is an absolute thrill to see there friendship grow.

This was book is one that no matter what your age you can read from cover to cover. it is 600 pages of pure genius and will let your imagination run wild. you will come across a few giggles as well as some jaw dropping events and some tears might be shed. All in all this book is a must read no matter who you are.

Marching Powder By Rusty Young

This true story records the life of a clever drug dealer named Thomas McFadden. He is in fact a kind person with a good heart but unfortunately gets carried away by his risky personality. Through the journey of his time in jail he changes almost entirely. He starts to take the time to think about the risks in his life and what he has become, and after his six years in jail, he changes from a law offender into a solid, moral person.

Follow Thomas’s adventure from the beginning when he puts his trust into the wrong person’s hands and gets sent to the strangest jail in the world, located in Bolivia. He arrives in the prisons and finds himself in big debt because he has to pay to enter the jail and buy his own cell! To overcome his debt he slowly starts a tour group, allowing backpackers from all over the world into the prison and even stay overnight. The main attraction of his tour is the finest cocaine in the world which is produced in the prison!

This story tells us about friendship, corruption and cocaine but the main moral of it, is that it is never too late to change your ways. There is always time to go back to the innocent little person you first are when you are born. He couldn’t have done this without his friends, all of who supported him through his horrific times in the San Pedro jail and looked up to him for leadership. They are the people who changed Thomas into what he ended up being.

I highly recommend this book to all the mature readers out there. It hooks you after the first page and after that there is no way out but to finish it.

Mission Telemark by Amanda Mitchison

Four teenagers and one deadly mission. The odds of them coming back, almost impossible. A story of courage and intelligence in the face of adversity as British Secret Services come up with a plan that could possibly end World War II. They decide to train Åse, Frederick, Jakob and Lars, four 13 year old adolescents, from occupied Norway. Their mission, to blow up heavy water stores at Vemork and prevent the Nazis from making an atomic bomb. You follow the characters journey through the snowy mountains and rivers and read on as they struggle to survive.

This is a great read for anyone around the ages of 14 or 15. I felt that I could relate well with the four main characters because we are all around the same age and their thoughts and feelings would be similar to mine in the same situation. Over the course of the mission the characters got closer and closer to each other and gained each other’s trust. When Amanda Mitchison wrote the description of Vemork, it was extremely easy to paint a picture in my head of the rocky cliffs and the flowing streams that surrounded the plant.

It kept me wanting to turn the next page because I had to know what would happen to the characters next and if anything would happen to them. I felt I was part of the expeditions that the group went on. There was also a great message about teamwork and how individuals can work together to get an objective done and i think that's important because it is something that we can learn to do today.

Eagle Strike - Anthony Horowitz

Eagle Strike is the fourth book in the Alex Rider series ,which is written by Anthony Horowitz. This falls under the action genre, as a teenage spy story. This series follows the adventures of Alex Rider, just your typical 14 year-old british schoolboy, whose life is turned upsidedown when his parents are killed and discovers his uncle worked as an agent for M16. He is then tracked down by M16 to follow in his unlces' footsteps and work as a teenage spy. Each book involves a new, exciting story in which Alex is forced to save the world.

Eagle Strike begins when Alex is on holiday with a friend of his in France, minding his own business when he sees the murderer of his unlce, assasin Yassen Gregorovich. Not long after his friend's holiday house is blown up with her father severly injured and he expects Yassen has something to do with it. After searching France for answers to the explosion he seems to think millionare environmentilist pop star Damien Cray is behind it. But when reporting to M16 they tell him to drop the case. Nevertheless, he continues his investigation running into many obstacles and thrills along the way. He finds out that Cray is planning to "save the world" but kill millions on the way. Does Alex feel the need to put an end to this or just ignore it and continue his normal schoolboy life?And if he does attempt to put an end to this, does he succeed?

Eagle Strike is a book with non-stop thrills a minute coming from every angle. It is an amazing read and a book you can never put down once you begin. If you are into to action and spy books like Cherub, then this is the book for you. Every new book in the series just seems to get better from the last. After reading this I cannot wait to begin the fifth book in the series, Scorpia, and hope it just keeps getting better.

Escape From Genopolis by T.E Berry Hart

'Escape From Genopolis' is the first book of a trilogy, written by T.E Berry-Hart.

With a young-adult futuristic-fiction genre, the story is set in the year 2064 - a time after an Apocalyptic event.

The story begins with Arlo, a ten-year old orphan, living in the hands of professors at a University. Up till now, Arlo has no idea of where he was born, who his parents are, or how he ended up there. All he knows about himself is the fact that he is an upper-class Citizen, and he has been living at the university since he was a new-born baby. But one evening, when his mentor, Doctor Ignatius sits Arlo down for a talk, he finds out the terrifying truth about himself and the world around him.

Meanwhile, Usha, an eleven-year-old Gemini, lives with and serves her ninety-nine year-old Citizen mistress - who she calls Auntie. Usha has always known that Auntie accepts her as family. Thus, she has always obeyed her mistress with positivity. But one day, when Usha wakes up on an operating table opposite Auntie, she suddenly becomes aware of the Citizen’s intention of having her as her servant. In panic, Usha escapes the hospital, leaving Auntie to die, but with nowhere to run to.

Usha and Arlo’s lives come to a halt when they both discover the truth. They have no choice but to escape their lives, and run away from everything they knew. The two children make allies and enemies along the way, before Usha and Arlo’s tracks meet, when they quickly decide to join forces to escape from Genopolis.

‘Escape from Genopolis’ is a gripping adventure and a visionary piece. In this novel, Berry-Hart tackles issues that are relevant to us presently, and always will be. This achievement truly marks the book as a classic. The characters are easily likeable, and the story has many different twists, which could be comparable to a roller coaster. I have read the second book of the trilogy, Fearless. I am glad to say that Berry-Hart takes the initial ideas from the first book and further complicates the story with more exciting twists in the next book! Since I began reading, I was immediately immersed in the plot. It was a successful page-turner for me! I’m sure this trilogy would capture the imagination of children and adults alike.

CHERUB: Man vs Beast

CHERUB Man vsBeast is the sixth of a twelve book series. the series is about a special spy school for kids who go out and uncover dangerous and exiting missions. The main characters in Man vs Beast contains, Kyle a homosexual 16 year old, James Adams a confidant 14 year old and his little 11 year old sister, Lauren Adams.

Man vs Beast is an exciting, action book that is suitble for ages 13 and older because it does contain a little bit of swearing and sexual refrences. during the book James, Kyle and Lauren have to get involved in a vegan protest group to stop animal experiments. This means that the whole CHERUB group have to stop eating meat for a few months.

this is my book report and I am Daniel Spungin

The Youngest Templar (Book 1 in series) by Michael P. Spradlin

The Youngest Templar is set in Medieval England and the Holyland. While the plot is set many centuries ago in history, the questions that trouble the main character Tristan are still being asked today. Is war really a glorious pursuit? What ideals are really worth dying for?
Tristan is an orphan, knowing nothing of his parents or origins. He has been brought up by the kindly, hard-working monks at St. Albans abbey. As he nears the age to leave the protection of the monks, Sir Thomas Leuw takes a keen interest in him and hires Tristan to be his squire on a Crusade to recapture the Holyland from the Muslim Saracens. The title refers to the Templar knights, who were the fighting units of the Crusades.
What follows is a thrilling, often violent, story of adventure and narrow escapes. The story ends with more questions than it began about Tristan and the precious treasure that has been entrusted to him.

Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard

Alison and her friends lead privileged lives in a small town in Philadelphia. When Ali, the unquestioned leader of their group, disappears , her friends are distraught. But they also feel tiny twinges of relief that all the secrets they had shared with Ali are now safe. Soon, however, their seemingly perfect world seems about to unravel as mysterious text messages are received that could only have come from someone who knew what Ali knew. The author maintains a high level of tension throughout the story, which remains unresolved at the end of this first book in the series. The characters are not well differentiated at the beginning of the story, but gradually develop as the story progresses , revealing each to be quite unpleasant in her own way. The story alternates between individual characters’ stories, before bringing the group together at the end. The reader is very tempted to read on as the plot finishes with one chilling question

Chasers by James Phelan (first of Alone series)

The story opens with a catastrophic event. It could be a bomb, chemical warfare , even an alien invasion and this confusion heightens the tension in the story. The main character Jesse and three friends miraculously survive, climb out of the subway and find themselves in a New York in complete chaos. They manage to barricade themselves in a building that provides them with shelter and food while they plan a course of action . Most other survivors are infected with a horrible virus that gives them a raging thirst for any liquid, including human blood.
Through necessity , the characters quickly develop the maturity to start planning for their own survival, though there are leadership tensions between Jesse and Dave. The characters discover toughness and courage in themselves as they negotiate the snowy streets and fend off attacks from infected survivors.
The New York setting works well as the tall buildings, the river and Central park have particular parts to play in the story.
The author maintains a high level of tension and ends the story with a surprising twist.

The Loblolly Boy by James Norcliffe

“The Great House was a place for abandoned kids to be dumped. Some kids were orphaned; others were rejects. I’m not sure what I was . Probably a reject. “
Michael is bullied by the other boys at the Great House and mistreated by the Keepers... until the day he meets the Loblolly Boy and from one moment to the next, becomes invisible and learns to fly. His simple choice to become a Loblolly Boy , however, has very complicated consequences
In this magical , often sad story, Michael learns that getting what we want most doesn’t always make us happy.

Double Crossing by Eve Tal

Raizel and her father leave their poverty-stricken life and their beloved family in Russia to make a new life in America. But although they are leaving behind their fear of pogroms, other fears grip them as they head into an uncertain future.
Papa’s illness on board ship is an immediate problem to be faced, as new immigrants must pass health checks at Ellis Island before they are allowed into the country. Raizel’s scholarly father must also battle the temptations to abandon some of his religious practices in order to acclimatise to life in America. The usual meaning of ” double crossing” , that someone has been cheated or betrayed, can be applied to Raizel’s father who never imagined how the Jewish life that was so precious to him would present so many difficulties after he left his little home village.
Timid Raizel develops into a tough and feisty character, as responsibilities and decision-making fall to her while her father is ill.
The author explores the issue of retaining one’s culture in a new land and while she writes about a Jewish family at the turn of the last century, Raizel’s experiences have much in common with immigrants in other places and times.
The author continues the story of Raizel and her family in “Cursing Columbus”.