Book of the month – October
Key Stage 3 Book
Astrochimp by David Walliams
David Walliams is back, but this time it’s in full colour graphic novel format. Over the decades, countries around the world have blasted animals into space to help determine if it will be safe for humans to do so. There were fruit flies, a gerbil, dog, cat and more.
David Walliams has brought them all together in a funny, sometimes silly, but always entertaining tale of Chump the Chimp and his adventure in space.
Chump was one of the lucky ones, as Earth intended for him to return, but many others had no way home. This has built resentment and revenge in multiple mammals, but others have taken the opposite route – policing the galaxy. This mish-mash of good and bad intentions brings even more laughs among the stars.
A bright, fun, colourful read with an interesting afterword.
Key Stage 4 Book
The Reappearance of Rachel Price by Holly Jackson
Annabel (Bel) Price was two years old when her mother Rachel disappeared sixteen years ago. Bel was the only witness, though she does not remember anything. Bel has grown up in the shadow of her mother’s disappearance and wants nothing more that to just get on with her own life. Bel’s father, Charlie, has agreed to take part in a documentary called “The Disappearance of Rachel Price.” One day after filming a reenactment of the day Rachel disappeared, Bel is walking home and who does she see on the street, but her mother Rachel. Rachel’s reappearance is about to turn everyone’s world upside down. Rachel’s story of where she has been for sixteen years is unbelievable. Bel sure doesn’t believe her story and she is determined to prove that Rachel is lying about what happened to her and where she has been. With the help of the documentary’s camera assistant, Ash, Bel sets out to find out what really happened to her mother, but Bel may not like the answers she finds, and her life is put in jeopardy.
The Reappearance of Rachel Price is one of the YA thrillers of the year. It is a lit fuse that explodes in dramatic fashion, but also always stays focused on the characters at its heart. This is a twisty, ambiguous book that thrives in its entangled relationships, unpicking the secrets hidden within.