Charmed Life by Diana Wynne Jone
I chose this book because I thought it would be different but I had something which I had read before but not in the same way.

The book is about a witch and her brother who are taken to live in Chrestomanci Castle, a castle full of wizards, warlocks, witches, enchanters and such like.

The book is special to me because it taught me that people are not always who you want them to be and sometime they cannot change. It was saying not to chase after them but make new friends and find your talents. After I had read the book I decided not always to be the one to try to make friends after I had fallen out with someone which helped me become a stronger person. Whenever I fall out with a lot of friends I read the book which helps me decide, Was I wrong? Was she wrong? Were they wrong? Should I say sorry first? Should she say sorry first? All these questions buzz around in my head and the book helps me decide the answer.

Crummy mummy and me by Anne Fine
I chose this book for a funny read and that is what I got.

This book is about a daughter, baby, punk mother and punk boyfriend who live a very punk, lazy lifestyle.

Why one of my favourite books? Because it is quite an easy book but everything is funny. In most books the plot or characters or lifestyle is funny but in Crummy mummy and me everything is funny - the mum is, the boyfriend is, the baby is, the plot is and even the lifestyle of being stuck to the TV is funny. What I found funniest, though, was the way Minna, the daughter, was so different to her punk mum. It was funny how Minna had to quarrel with her mum to go to bed and the way she would have to say to her mum, 'You can’t come out in that, you'll freeze,'or 'It’s far too hot for that - go and change.' I read it when I am feeling down because it really cheers me up and always leaves me with a smile on my face.

The Story of Tracy Beaker by Jacqueline Wilson
This book caught my eye because of its wild and interesting cover and it is a wild and interesting book.

The Story of Tracy Beaker is about Tracy Beaker who lives in a children's home and dreams of her mum coming to get her, but Tracy is an extremely noisy, wild, loud, 10-year-old girl.

Funny but meaningful is what I have to say about this book because though it is funny there is quite a sad story behind it. Tracy wants her mother back so much she turns rowdy and naughty as well as living in care all her life which turns her tough and stubborn. The book made me realise how lucky I am and how you should not always want other things but take a closer look a the things you already have. After I had read the book I had a good tidy of my room. Then I gave some old toys I knew I would not play with again to charity shops.

Harry and the Wrinklies by Alan Temperley
This book is not what it seems to be at first but it is still the best and funniest book.

It is about some robbers who take from the rich and give to the poor. They are not just any robbers though, they are the over 75 years old robber gang, but things start to go wrong when Harry turns up.

I chose this book because it twists around the message that elderly people are kind and gentle, drinking afternoon tea and going to church fairs which made it very funny to read. That is because one of the elderly robbers' speech might go like this: 'Run, the alarm’s gone off, ooh my back,' or a sentence might go, 'A towering figure in black loomed before them, with black eyes and fluffy white hair.' Little phrases like that really made the book funny for me. Although it was funny, it did teach me that old people can still have fun and that they are not old and boring, you should also be nice to them. I often read this book in bed because it gets me to sleep with a huge grin on my face.

I Fell in Love with a Leather Jacket by Steve Barlow and Steve Skidmore
I bought the book because we had the two authors come into school. I heard an extract from it and thought that it sounded good so I decided to buy one. I am pleased I bought one because it is a sensitive, interesting, funny, weird book.

It is written in a style of letters and is about a teenage girl. The girl is obsessed with nature though and she goes on protests, camps, to organic farms and even tries to buy a piece of the rainforest (which is a mistake).

What makes this book so different from other books about teenage girls is that this teenage girl is humorously different. I found it funny and interesting but there are two main funny moments. The first she spills cow muck on her head then she gets licked on the face by a sheep. Both these moments were built up to and made the sory one of the best. Everything in the book was written as if the girl was writing to a best friend which also added an extra something to the story. The writers like to write funny books and it was a funny book but even if it was a sad letter there would be a funny little PS at the end to make you turn the page smiling. I have recommended this book to my friend because it really is a 'must read'.

Point Blanc by Anthony Horovitz
I chose this book because I like school stories and this book is about a spy going to a special school. However, this book is about a spy but it is really quite different from a school story.

This story is about a boy spy who goes to investigate a school for troublesome rich children. He goes there because two deaths of the two richest men have only one connection, they both have a son at the school.

This book is not a typical spy story which made it much more interesting. It is not a typical spy story because the spy is a boy, the mission is to attend a very rich school on top of a mountain and he gets found out. All those things made it a very nail-biting story and what really helped me get into it was when it said right at the beginning, 'Alex Rider, you're never too young to die.' I was already dying to read more. The book is packed with adventure and excitement with so many things happening it is hard to remember. The one thing that made it one of my favourite books, though, would be the ending because first he died, I thought, then he gets caught again, then he goes back home, then he nearly gets shot and then he almost falls off a building. It was so packed with adventure it made it into my pile of castaway books.

The Illustrated Mum by Jacqueline Wilson
I read the book when I was seven and I have now read it thirty four times. It has sad and happy parts but all the parts are brilliant.

The book is about a mother and her two children but the mother is covered in tattoos and is a little bit bonkers. The two children try to look for their father.

It is a very sad book that really touched my heart. The book is really brilliant and has such an interesting storyline. It is not one of my favourite books for that reason, though; it is my favourite book because it was my first ever Jacqueline Wilson book. Jacqueline Wilson is one of my favourite authors and if I had not read this book I might not have discovered her writing. This book also taught me that you should always meet new people but when you do don’t leave all your old friends behind because they will still like you. I would recommend this book to people who like books about weird families because The Illustrated Mum is about a very strange family indeed.

Witch Week by Diana Wynne Jones
Witch Week was bought for me one Christmas and I speedily started to read it. I put it back down after reading it from cover to cover.

It is about a school but in the country where witches are not allowed, but then one of the teachers finds a note saying 'someone in this class is a witch' and chaos comes from it.

What is special about this book is that everything which happens in a school is taken to an extreme. Children are quite scared of talking to a headteacher but in the story they are frightened when they are told to go and sit next to her at lunch or there are little groups of friends at school but in Witch Week in the groups you never even look at someone from another group. All this makes it funny but quite realistic even if it is so extreme. It is a very interesting book that you cannot put down because there is a constant search for the witch. A witch detective comes and even a ruler of the witches and wizards. It is such a limitless number of adventures. The best book.

Harriet Dammone
Age: 11

Why not take a look at the other winning entries?
Gracie Carter
Peter Grimshaw
Shafk Hanif-Khan
Fiona McCollum
Sorcha Ni Chroinin
Click on their names to see their choices.