Today we hear from Bookbabbler Emily…

Sam in the Spotlight – Anne-Marie Conway

Meet Sam. One big secret. One BIG dreama! Why has Sam’s sister fallen out with their mum? Will Dad ever reveal his secret from the past? How can Sam get her family back on track? And, most importantly, will she hold it all together on the night of Star Makers’ fab new musical? A sun-shiny story about the thrills and spills at the Star Makers Drama Club – a special place where everyone has their moment to shine.

Sam in the Spotlight is the third book of the Star Makers series.

I think that this is the best book Anne-Marie Conway has written in the series. I chose to review this because I had also read Phoebe finds her voice, and Polly plays her part. I liked how characters from the previous books were included in this too. It felt like meeting old friends.

This book was sad and happy, with a good balance between humour and tension. The characters were realistic, and there were real life situations. A funny part that continues through the series is that Ellie,(Sam’s Best Friend) keeps losing things, nearly always her script – and then she finds them in odd places, like the washing machine!

A part that was really tense was when Sam’s mum had to choose to go to a wedding that would change her life for the better, or go to her own daughter’s wedding. Sam sometimes felt that everyone was just ignoring her, even Crystal.

I would recommend this to girls, age 10 -14, if they like realistic books, with lots of drama and laughs. My rating is 9/10. This was great!

Thanks, Emily, and thanks to Usborne Children’s Books for sending us a copy. It’s here to buy now..

Today we hear from Bookbabbler Emily..

Star Makers: Polly Plays Her Part – Anne-Marie Conway

Polly’s dad is busy with his girlfriend, constantly cooing over their new baby, Jake. Polly’s mum is so busy planning her year away in Spain she hardly seems to notice her at all. The only place Polly feels important is at Starmakers Drama Club, where everyone is busy working towards their latest production Crash – a thriller about a girl trapped inside her own computer with only a load of nasty viruses for company. But even though Polly manages to get the starring role, Mum won’t change her mind about Spain, and Polly is dumped at Dad’s. Spending hours playing alone on the computer, Polly discovers a fantasy game and creates a brand new identity for herself – she can pretend life’s great! Diving headlong into her new virtual world, Polly withdraws from her school work, her friends and even her drama classes. Can her friends Phoebe and Monty B persuade her to come back to Starmakers before it’s too late?

Polly plays her part is a stunning book. It is so gripping. For instance, when Polly’s cat Cosmo is involved in a accident I was left wondering If he would live or die. I liked this book because it is realistic, the characters, the consequences of doing the wrong thing, and the plot. My favourite part is when Polly and Monty B are doing their dance on the television with the rest of the club, and Polly’s little brother crawls on the stage and tries to dance with Polly. That was funny. I chose to review this book because Bookbabblers had given me the other star makers book called Phoebe Finds Her Voice. I think that this is a girls book, for ages 8-12. I will rate this 9/10.  On the front of this book it says “you’ll LOVE this book! That’s true!

Thanks Emily and thanks to Usborne Children’s Books for sending us a copy.

Bookbabbler Emily offered to read a book for us, so here’s her first ever review:

Phoebe Finds Her Voice – Anne-Marie Conway

Meet Phoebe. Big heart, big laughs, BIG dramas! Why won t Phoebe s annoying neighbour, Monty B, leave her alone? Can she get her dippy dad and over-worked mum back together again? Will class mean-girl, Polly Carter, just get off her case for once? And most important of all will she overcome her stage fright in time to sing her musical solo? A warm-hearted story about the triumphs and traumas at the Star Makers Drama Club a special place where everyone has their moment to shine!

“Phoebe Finds Her Voice” is a book that I would recommend especially to older girls who like warm-hearted and realistic books.

It is a story about a girl trying to overcome her stagefright, battle against school bullies and reunite her parents.  It is a gentle book about performance, family reunion and courage.

I really enjoyed this book – in fact I will never forget reading this book!  I thought the character of Phoebe was really believable.  The characters are like people in real life: mean people, emotional people, happy, nervous, self-conscious, shy people.  My favourite part was when Phoebe joins a drama club and sings about her friend forgetting all about her.  The book was packed full of drama, emotions and laughs and it made me want to join Star Makers Drama Club!

I am so glad to have read this book and would rate it 9/10 and would definitely read another book by Anne-Marie Conway.

Thanks, Emily – great first review! Thanks to Usborne Children’s books for sending us a copy.