‘Skulduggery Pleasant’ by Derek Landy

“With his sunglasses gone there was no denying the fact that he had no face. All he had was a skull for a head.”

Skulduggery Pleasant is a fantasy/mystery tale set in the modern day where a half-Millenia old magical war is kept secret from the world. The story focuses on the adventures of Skulduggery Pleasant, a 400 year old undead magician who lives today as a detective, keeping his identity and skeletal body secret, and Stephanie Edgley, a teenage girl who has an absence of friends and believes her normal life is somewhat boring.

The story begins with the death of Gordon Edgley, Stephanie’s uncle, who has made his wealth as an author of best-selling books. At the reading of Gordon’s will, a mysterious man, who would be revealed as Skulduggery, arrives covering all parts of his body showing no signs of abnormality from the rest of the attendees. When Stephanie is left home alone, she encounters a dangerous and threatening man who, after a revolving argument, breaks into the house attempting to harm Stephanie. He is stopped by a fireball cast by Skulduggery. The scene develops into a brawl resulting in the reveal of Skulduggery’s face to Stephanie. After explaining the occurring events, Skulduggery exits the house, only to be stopped by Stephanie who then convinces him into letting her come with him on what will become their greatest adventure yet. The discovery of a villain plotting for world domination and a weapon of immense power will lead the pair on a thrilling and exhilarating quest for the greater good.

I enjoyed the book as I thoroughly enjoy the genre of book that this title portrays and how well the story is written. The way suspense builds through the book to the climax provides an exciting tale of a magical, secret world having a great effect on the world we live in today. I would recommend this book to adolescent people who are lovers of fantasy/mystical novels and who feel as if they can relate to one or more of the characters of the book as the story is also a moral lesson on finding your true self and showing bravery and ambition. I would rate this an 8.5/10

Deacon B., Year 8

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“Skulduggery Pleasant at your service.” This is a quote from the book Skulduggery Pleasant.

The main characters in the book are Skulduggery Pleasant and Stephanie Edgley. Skulduggery Pleasant is an undead immortal man, cursed for an immortal life of pain as a skeleton, however he does have magic to battle the evil in the world. Stephanie Edgley, also known as Valkyrie Cain, is a normal teenager in a normal life. After facing the death of her uncle, her world turns upside down as she is introduced to Skulduggery Pleasant after a man broke into her uncle’s house with her in it.

Skulduggery Pleasant is set in the modern day era, however there are wizards and witches secretly living a normal life. Stephanie Edgley, a normal teenager, claims her uncle’s house after his death, with her uncle’s permission. Whilst her parents were stuck in a storm, Stephanie stayed in her uncle’s house but was later on broken into by a deranged man, threatening to kill Stephanie. Skulduggery busted into the house saving Stephanie life by shooting fire balls and bullets at the man. Skulduggery later on revealed himself as a skeleton with magical powers. Skulduggery revealed that there was a secret war happening in the war with wizards against wizards, witches against witches. The story continues as Stephanie and Skulduggery battle against an evil sorcerer named Nefarian Serpine to stop him from releasing a weapon on the world.

I liked this book because it drives you into the book. It makes you lean into the book. It isn’t boring and it’s full of suspense and action. I would recommend this book to teenagers of ages 13 to 16 who like books with mystery, fantasy and action.

Dominick C., Year 8

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November 19

‘Skulduggery Pleasant’ by Derek Landy

Meet Skulduggery Pleasant, ace detective and walking, talking, fire-throwing skeleton and Valkyrie Cain, strong-willed, intelligent, 12-year-old girl. This novel is set Valkyrie Cain’s hometown of Ireland. This book has three dominant characters displayed throughout. These characters include Skulduggery Pleasant, Valkyrie Cain and Nefarian Serpine. There are also characters such as Tanith Low and China Sorrows. However, both of these characters are not as important.
Skulduggery Pleasant is a walking, talking skeleton who fought against Malevolent under Grand Mage Meritorius during the secret war as one of the leaders of a group called ‘The Dead Men’, but was caught in a deadly trap by Nefarian Serpine. This trap killed Skulduggery’s wife and child in front of him.
Skulduggery’s partner, Valkyrie Cain (also known as Stephanie Edgley), is a 12-year-old girl from a seaside town in Ireland named Haggard. Stephanie accompanies Skulduggery on his adventures. On the way, she starts to develop magic skills. She goes from manipulating air in a climatic battle scene to creating fire by the end of the novel. Valkyrie gets her first name from the Norse warrior women who guard Valhalla, and her last name from the word ‘cain’.
Nefarian Serpine is an evil sorcerer who once served under Malevolent as one of his infamous ‘Three Generals’. In the novel, Nefarian accidentally destroys the ‘Book of Names’ with the ancient sceptre. This prevents the return of the Faceless Ones. Enraged by his mistake, he tries to kill Stephanie but Skulduggery stops him and avenges the death of his loved ones by turning him to dust with the sceptre.
The plot in this novel is quite detailed, however, it starts off with Nefarian Serpine trying to retrieve the Ancient Sceptre from Gordon Edgley’s mansion. However, this does not work out as planned. As Skulduggery and Valkyrie are trying to stop Nefarian, a tailor, librarian and a professional swordswoman help them. These people are known as Ghastly Bespoke, China Sorrows and Tanith Low. In the end, the Book of Names is destroyed; Serpine is killed breaking the Sceptre’s power in the process.
I liked this book for many reasons, however, I especially liked it because of the fantasy. Fantasy books are very interesting, as you never know what is going to happen because it is not realistic. I would recommend this book to teenagers. The ages would mainly be 12-16.
Jack, Year 9

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Skulduggery Pleasant! Have you ever met a dead man? Well Stephanie Edgley has. Skulduggery is a pranking detective that goes out of his way to cause mischief in all situations. He is a brave magician, master of tricks and is always getting himself into trouble. His 12 year old side kick, Stephanie is tired of her regular life. After a man breaks into her house and tries to kill her, she is saved by the skeleton man; Skulduggery. Do you like books with intense action and dramatic adventure? Well then this is a great book for you!

‘Skullduggery Pleasant’ is set in a small seaside town in Ireland called Haggard. This town is where Stephanie and her family live their normal everyday lives. It doesn’t take much, however, for it to change into a wondrous place, achieved by the hands of Skulduggery. If you haven’t figured it out, Skulduggery is a walking, talking skeleton that is a master magician of the elements. This ‘prime detective’, as they call him, is over 400 years old and is one of the wisest men on Earth. His wisely chosen side kick, Stephanie, is a courageous, strong willed 12 year old girl that is just looking for an exciting adventure.

Both Skulduggery and Stephanie are trying to solve the mystery of her uncle’s death which involves many of the evil magicians and wizards. They have to journey far and wide to figure out how it happened and who was responsible. They encounter the baddest of bad and have to fight for their lives in multiple situations. This daring duo are just asking for disaster. At the same time as solving the mystery, they are looking for a mythical yet powerful item called the ‘Septer of the Ancients’ that could cause horrific damage to the entire world.

I personally enjoyed this book because of its magnificent storyline. It has a twisted plot that surprises you on every page. The adventure and mystery that they go on trying to solve the murder intrigued me and made me want to keep reading on. This is a great book for young readers and anyone from the ages of 9 – 15 will definitely love this read.

‘Skulduggery Pleasant’ 4 out of 5 stars. Liam M, Year 9

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November 1

‘A Pocketful of Eyes’ by Lili Wilkinson

‘Just because the world was simple, it didn’t mean there wasn’t any room for the occasional mystery.’ (p.311)

These are teenagers with a mystery to solve and they won’t give up until they get to the bottom of it, even if they have to stay back at the taxidermy lab until midnight looking for clues. Does this sound like the type of book you love to read, the type of book that you can’t put down and you have to keep reading? Then ‘A Pocketful Of Eyes’ by Lili Wilkinson is the book for you!

It all starts when a teenage girl named Bee is working at a taxidermy laboratory in the Melbourne Natural Museum’s Department, ‘but her summer job turns out to be full of surprises’ (back cover), especially on the day her mentor suddenly dies and a mysterious handsome boy named Toby begins to work at the taxidermy lab with Bee. Everyone thought that Bee’s mentor Gus died because he committed suicide but Bee and Toby are on a quest to find out if Gus really committed suicide, or did someone murder him?

I really liked the book, ‘A Pocketful Of Eyes’ because it is a story about a girl and boy who begin to have feelings for each other and they are on a quest to find out who murdered their mentor, Gus, and during the process of getting clues and investigating they have some fights but the story concludes with them making up.

Bee is very quirky yet mysterious in a way. When Bee was young she always liked reading detective books and always liked to be a detective. Bee’s co-worker Toby was a good-looking boy who is in university. He knew a lot about animal history and was always trying to charm Bee with quirky and strange facts.

I particularly enjoyed this book because each page you found out something new, either about the characters or the investigation. I was glued to the book. When I was reading ‘A Pocketful Of Eyes’, each page felt like you were getting closer and closer to finding out how Gus died. I strongly recommend this book to teenagers and young adults from the ages of 13- 18 who are preferably girls who are interested in a good mystery and romance. I rate this book 4 stars out of 5.

~ Kate, Year 9

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Bee is part time working in a taxidermy department at her local museum. School starts up again in a few weeks and she is preparing for her last year of school. Her mother is a complete geek and her so-called boyfriend is nowhere to be seen or heard of.

It was a normal day for Bee when she entered the taxidermy department, until she saw police officers and investigators around the place. The head of the Taxidermy Department, Gus, died that night. The investigators say that he killed himself but Bee thinks differently. Will Bee find out who really killed Gus or is she just imagining her childhood fantasy of becoming a detective?

The main characters are interesting: Bee is a girl working in the Taxidermy Department as a part time job before school; Toby is a boy who randomly appeared one day without a word. He said that he needed extra credit as he failed an exam in university, but the problem was that he is very mysterious but knows many animal mating habits. Gus seemed like a very peaceful man that knew what he was doing, but Bee knew something was different the day he died.

This book is exciting, unique and it puts you on the edge. The story line was interesting as there are many detective books where you can guess the ending but this book was different. As soon as I picked up ‘A Pocketful of Eyes’ I couldn’t put I down, and when I did put it down I could not stop thinking about the book. I would recommend the book to girls between the ages of thirteen and fifteen. This is truly a wonderful book that puts you on edge. 4 out of 5 stars.

Morgan B, Year 9

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‘Just because the world was simple, it didn’t mean there wasn’t any room for the occasional mystery.’ (p. 311)

It was a normal day for Bee; well that’s what she thought, anyway. Bee is a senior high school student working at the Museum of Natural History in the Taxidermy Department for a summer job. This normal day suddenly was filled of surprises, including Bee’s mentor being found dead and a handsome boy showing up. Bee had many questions but was too shocked to say, after working with Gus, her mentor at the Museum, since the beginning of the summer break. Bee found it odd that the police would say that he had committed suicide and from that moment forward, Bee was convinced that he was murdered. Bee has some help from what she calls her sidekick Toby, the handsome boy. Together they try and solve what they believed was murder.

I truly enjoyed the book, “A Pocketful of Eyes” because it is a story about a girl who has grown up enjoying mystery books and thought she would never be involved in one herself, but during her summer her small dream comes true.

The way Lili Wilkinson described the scenes and characters was wonderful; I didn’t want to put the book down. Her descriptive language really made it easier to imagine actually being there. The story had many twists to keep me on my feet and it had my full attention, as I just wanted to keep reading to find out what was going happen next. The ending of the book was very pleasing because all of the small clues had suddenly came together like a jigsaw to revealed the amazing ending to the mystery. After reading “A Pocketful of Eyes” I truly hope that Lili Wilkinson will be writing a second book.

I would recommend this book to teenagers between the age of 13 and 17 who enjoy reading about mystery and romance. This book is a delightful read. I’d rate the book “A Pocketful of Eyes” by Lili Wilkinson 4 out of 5 stars.

Caitlin, Year 9.

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“The world is full of obvious things which nobody by any chance ever observes.”

(Arthur Conan Doyle, The Hound of the Baskervilles)

Bee thought it was just an average day at her summer job in the Taxidermy Department at the Museum of Natural History, but she soon finds out that it wasn’t. Her mentor Gus was found dead in the Red Rotunda. Bee also had made a new friend called Toby, who quite frankly turned out to be very handsome but much older then her.

Bee didn’t believe that Gus committed suicide; she thought that he had been murdered. Bee and Toby go on a quest to try and figure out what happened the night Gus was found dead. They decide to make a list of suspects and start questioning each of them. Not everything goes to plan, whilst questioning the suspects. They then discover more clues that could answer the main question as to whether Gus was murdered or if he committed suicide?

I really enjoyed the book ‘A Pocketful of Eyes’ because it is a story about a girl and a boy who solve a mystery together to come to the conclusion as to whether their mentor was murdered or committed suicide.

I was totally engaged in the book and could not put it down, as I was curious as to what would happen next. The descriptive and captivating language made it simple for me to picture the characters, scenes and also what they might have been thinking. The book was full of surprises and always kept my full attention. I recommend this book to teenagers of the ages of 13-16, who are interested in mystery novels and also a bit of romance. I rate this book 4 stars out of 5.

Georgia S, Year 9

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June 12

‘Down the Rabbit Hole’ by Peter Abrahams

How far should one go to discover the truth about someone’s death?

Ingrid is a normal girl living a normal 13-year-old’s life. In Echo Falls many secrets are kept, and Ingrid is eager to discover a secret that gets quite dangerous the more and more she unravels it. Down the Rabbit Hole has a very clever plot that makes you never want to put the story down!

The story begins when Ingrid is trying to find her way to soccer practice but she somehow finds herself lost, in the house of the town’s crazy lady, Katie. People call her ‘Crazy Katie’. After a bit of a chat with her, Ingrid gets in a taxi and drives away, thinking that that would be the last of any Crazy Katie drama. But, the following day in the newspaper she finds that Crazy Katie has been murdered, and soon Ingrid realizes that she left her red soccer shoes at Crazy Katie’s house the day before. She has to get them back, unnoticed before they find out they’re her shoes. Soon, Ingrid finds herself discovering the mystery of Crazy Katie’s death. Follow Ingrid on her exciting journey as she discovers the truth and on the way finds strong friendships.

Famous author, Stephen King, says that Down the Rabbit Hole was “One walloping good suspense yarn…” He couldn’t put it down!

Ingrid slowly starts putting the pieces together and you will never guess what she finds!

I would definitely recommend this book for 10-15 year olds that love mysteries and suspense. I thought that Down the Rabbit Hole had an exciting plot that has great suspense. The book is full of exciting twists, turns and game changes. Ingrid is a fun, entertaining young girl that loves a bit of a mystery and I definitely recommend it.

Isabelle, Year 8

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Meet Ingrid Levin-hill, an ordinary 13 year old living an ordinary life, until one day she runs into the town crazy lady, known as ‘Crazy Katie’. One day Ingrid finds refuge in Katie’s home, and when Ingrid has to leave, she leaves her soccer boots, which she had with her, behind. A series of unfortunate events happen afterwards when Ingrid’s boots are simply left in the wrong place in the wrong time and getting them back means getting involved in a murder investigation.

This book is a great story full of mystery, surprise and suspense. Follow Ingrid on her journey down the rabbit hole, as things just become curiouser and curiouser and to unlock the mysteries of Echo Falls. I think that the book displays great surprise and suspense. It is a book for the ages from 12-20 in my opinion.

Jeannie, Year 8

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Have you ever read a book that got you so intrigued that you couldn’t put it down and loved reading it? Then here is the book for you. It is an amazing mystery/ crime novel that anyone could love.

Ingrid Levin-Hill is a thirteen-year-old girl who loves her sport and acting. She is brought into a big mystery of Echo-Falls after leaving her red soccer boots at the crime scene. After seeing that the local police are completely off track with the murder investigation, Ingrid decides to conduct her own investigation.

I think that the book ‘Down The Rabbit Hole’ by Peter Abraham is a great read full of excitement and mystery. The book’s author Peter Abraham did an excellent job at keeping people guessing right down to the last second.

I recommend this book for girls aged 12-15 years old who enjoy a good mystery. This book is a good read and I rate it 3½ stars out of 5.

Connor, Year 8

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November 2

‘Down the Rabbit Hole’ by Peter Abrahams

Have you ever read a book and just couldn’t put it down? A mystery book that changes what you will think every page? If you do then the book ‘Down The Rabbit Hole’ by Peter Abrahams would be a perfect book for you.

Ingrid Levin-Hill, a thirteen year old girl who loves soccer and acting, and her football boots just happened to have a bit of bad luck. Getting her football boots back without becoming a suspect for committing murder is a hard task. The police are completely off track on who was the killer so it’s up to Ingrid to solve this case herself.

I really enjoyed the book, ‘Down The Rabbit Hole’ because of the story line of how Ingrid had to find out who killed Crazy Katie all by herself. Peter Abrahams really knows how to write an excellent book that always keeps you guessing on what is going to happen next. He used descriptive language explaining the characters and scenes.

I highly recommend this book for teenage girls between the ages of 13 and 16 who enjoy mystery and crime novels. This book is worth reading and I would rate it 4 out of 5 stars. Steph, Year 9.

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May 4

‘The Billionaire’s Curse’ by Richard Newsome

Once you enter the book, the mystery will begin. The book ‘The Billionaires Curse’ by Richard Newsome is a really good book to read; one that I could not put down!

The only criticism that I would have about this book is that it is a bit predictable and a little obvious what was going to happen in the next page or chapter.

This book was really interesting. Most of this story is set in a museum in London. The main character in the book is Gerald and he is on a trip to London because his great aunt has died. He inherits something that is worth millions of money.

His parents leave him and he is stuck in London. So he goes on an adventure to find the missing crystal! When people start to recognize him, he becomes more endangered and he sometimes needs help. Sam and Ruby help him through his quest!

I liked that there was a mystery and some surprising twists as well. I find that once I started to read this book I lost track of time and I felt like I was actually in the book with the characters. If I read this book in a bad mood it would bring my happiness up to its full potential.

I would recommend the book as more suitable for 10-14 year olds; any younger and they would want pictures and wouldn’t understand the plot, any older and the reader would find it a little boring and lose interest. By Morgan B, Year 8

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I don’t usually like to read because I find it boring, but when I started to read this book I found it very interesting and hard to stop reading.

The Billionaire’s Curse by Richard Newsome, is novel about a thirteen-year-old boy called Gerald who is in London on a holiday but soon realises that he is actually there because his great aunt Geraldine has just died and he has inherited all of her money.

Throughout the book Gerald finds out that his great aunt was actually murdered. Gerald also makes new friends with Sam and Ruby who are twins and help him to find out who stole the diamond and killed his great aunt Geraldine.

I liked this book because it is a mystery and it was very interesting to read.

The Billionaire’s Curse is a book for children aged 10-14. I think this age barrier is suitable because this book is a mystery and when children are younger they like to read short books that are fun and easy. When children get older then fourteen they start to read thriller books or books of the movies they have seen. Georgia, Year 8

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The Billionaire’s Curse is a fun book for a lot of people. It was adventurous, fun and action packed. There was a beast as well, which made it interesting. The book reminds me of the iPhone game Temple Run and the book of Indiana Jones. The book is suitable for ages 8 to 11. It was a fun and adventurous book. It was funny in a few parts. The character of the constable was funny and adventurous but then a bit lazy!

Overall I think this book is pretty good. Although as much as I hate to say this but the book was a bit boring in some parts which is why I would rate it 3 and a half stars. So it is a book for both boys and girls and it would be a bit like the book Indiana Jones. It is a very fun book.

People who are interested in adventure and action will most likely enjoy this book. So summing up, this book for me is a very… and I mean very good book.

Tom, Year 8

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The Billionaires Curse is a book full of adventures. A 14-year-old boy named Gerald has travelled to London to visit his family for his great aunt Geraldine’s funeral. Gerald was named after his great aunt. But what Gerald doesn’t know is that he was named after one of the only billionaires in the world. But a villain named Green has stolen one of his aunt’s 100 million pound crystals. Gerald has met a few friends along the way. But will Gerald, Sam and Ruby catch Green before it is too late?

Earlier in the book, Green tried to snatch Gerald at the airport. But three paparazzis came to Gerald’s rescue. The first day Gerald was in London, he went to the British Museum to investigate about his great aunt’s diamond that got stolen. Paparazzi came to try and get a newspaper article on him but Gerald got away. But while the paparazzi were chasing Gerald, Green got hold of Gerald and kidnapped him. Along the way Gerald meets some new friends. The boy’s name was Sam and the girl’s name was Ruby.

The Billionaire’s Curse is a very interesting and adventurous book. I think it is aimed at about the 10-14 age group, but I would recommended it for all ages. I think this book is a great book for all ages (but mainly 10-14). This should be in every library on the Gold Coast!

Jack C., Year 8

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