ReadOn Review by Sarah:

The Declaration, by Gemma Malley, is about Anna (or just Surplus Anna), a girl who believes she shouldn’t exist and Peter, a boy who believes he has more right to exist than those who have lived too long.

Set in the future 127 years from now, a drug has been created to cure ageing called, ‘Longevity’. However, the drug has a price. Since people are not dying, space on Earth is becoming limited as are resources such as: energy and food. This means that people cannot have children unless they choose to ‘Opt Out’ (stop taking Longevity), basically a life for a life. The child then becomes “legal” according to The Declaration (the agreement to say, if you take Longevity you cannot have children). Then there are people who cheat the system by taking Longevity and having children – illegally. People like Anna’s parents.

Anna despises her parents and thinks of them as heartless criminals, leaving her to pay for their sins in Surplus Hall, a place for illegals or Surpluses like Anna who have to work for the basic resources they use. There, life is tough and cruel where authority rules. Anna is determined to be the best Surplus Mrs Pincent (the lady in charge of Surplus Hall) has ever had – a valuable asset. All is going well for Anna who works her way up to Prefect status (the highest title for a Surplus), that is until Peter comes along. Peter is an inquisitive boy who asks questions and fights for what he believes is right, exactly what is discouraged of Surpluses. Anna is asked to show Peter the way of a Surplus but Peter claims he has no intention of becoming a Surplus and is fine being Peter but actually came to take Anna Convey (not Surplus Anna) to her parents back home where she belongs.

If you like books that are adventurous, suspenseful and courageous, you will enjoy this book.

If you liked ‘How I live Now’ by Meg Rosoff then you might like this book too.

I’d recommend this book to years 7- 9 because the themes and language would best suit a teen range, although in all, it’s a great book that others would also enjoy.

I rate this book 5/5 ReadOn Stars.

ReadOn Review by Mrs Sylaprany:

Only Ever Always by Penni Russon is about two girls, Claire and Clara. They live in two distinct, separate worlds. Claire is facing a family crisis. Her uncle, who is about to become a father for the first time, is in a coma after a serious car accident. The family is in crisis and coming to terms with this situation. During this time, Claire spends a lot of time at home alone (when her parents are at the hospital) and she drifts into what seems like long periods of sleep. Claire has enjoyed a happy and comfortable family life so the prospect of this unexpected family tragedy is a hazy and surreal experience. In contrast to the usually normal, comfortable and happy existence of Claire is Clara’s world. Clara’s world is a harsh world with a mixture of sinister, macabre characters but also characters that Clara cares about and loves dearly. Clara’s world is about day-to-day survival, it is a dusty, dirty world that is almost apocalyptic in setting.

If you like books that take you to unexpected, unusual and intriguing imaginary places with compelling, strong characters then you will like this book.

If you enjoyed Genesis by Bernard Beckett then you might like this book too.

I rate this book 4/5 ReadOn stars.

ReadOn Review by Tessie:

The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness, is about Prentisstown, a town where everyone can hear everyone else’s thoughts in a stream of never-ending Noise. There is no privacy, and definitely no secrets. The story focuses on a 12-year-old boy, Todd Hewitt, who is one month shy of his 13^th birthday; in Prentisstown a boy’s 13^th birthday marks the day he officially becomes a man. One day, he suddenly discovers one spot of complete silence…

If you like books that are suspenseful, exhilarating, disturbing, thought-provoking and that delve into the dangerous choices of growing up, then you will enjoy this book.

If you liked The Hunger Games trilogy or The Divergent trilogy then you might like this book too.

I’d recommend this book to 14+

I rate this book 5/5 ReadOn Stars.