Split by Muhammad Khan

Salma wants to be an actress more than anything more than her communities judgmental eyes and her hard working mother's wishes

Salma has a huge audition to possibly get to play Cinderella only after things go wrong a ripped dress and a non binary fairy godmother in the form of Billie later can she finally get her chance to be her full non split in two self and get closer to her dream?

I really enjoyed this book as Salma is feisty and doesn't give up on her dream despite fearing judgement. She was a fabulous character and the LGBTQIA rep was the best I've read in any book as well as the tone of language I really felt the terror Salma must have felt when the gangster lads were about. The aspect of a modern Cinderella and a Pakistani one was a modern twist and I wish we could really see the play happen, I just wish this was a full length novel it was so good!

Witch In Winter by Kaye Umansky

In this winter story about Elsie and her witch friend Magenta, we see how Magenta's home the tower is left alone after she disappears off seemingly overnight randomly.

As Elsie takes over care of the tower after being summoned to, she and her friends Sylphine and Joe soon realise that trouble is about as Jack Frost is looking to take over the tower for himself, can the friends stop him?

I did feel it was bridging the gap until the next book as it wasn't as drama filled as the last books but it was a great winter themed read especially with Jack frost being in it too causing a lot of mayhem. It was nice to read another take about the friends and to see how they stick together through the tough times.

The Misadventures Of Max Crumbly: Middle School Mayhem by Rachel Renee Russell

We pick up the story of this book, the second in the new Max series where he had just interrupted the burglars, by landing on their pizza orders!

As Max tries to find his dad's precious comic book worth a lot of money whilst trying to escape unscathed from the burglars as they try to steal the school computers still.

Working on the phone with limited time to talk and fulfill their plan, Erin assists Max by using the school camera's to keep an eye on the action going down. Only when Erin get caught online by her parents she leaves Max alone to save himself from the crooks, but can he do so alone?

Another cliffhanger ending to another brilliant instalment in Max's life so far and I can't wait for more. The drawings are great as usual, the plot kept me guessing and the shocks kept coming!

The Misadventures Of Max Crumbly: Locker Hero by Rachel Renee Russell

Max is a new student starting middle school after years of home schooling and is afraid of Doug, or Thug as he nicknames him as Doug is a bully and treats Max terribly. Max gets embarrassed in front of his crush Erin by falling over thanks to Doug as he recalls to us in his book as he's trapped in his locker and Erin rescues him as she walks by only he later ends up trapped once again by Doug just in time for the weekend!

My favourite scene from the book was the dancing janitor while poor Max was trapped inside his locker! Max then proceeds to break out of his locker and stumbles on a burglary taking place in the school!

From pizza obsessed burglars, stealing girls clothes and bum dialling his crush during the burglarly, Max is a force to be reconed with.

Dork Diaries character Brandon appears in the book as he is Max's only friend and they volunteer together at the pet shelter.

Alike Nikki in Dork Diaries, Brandon has a victory dance for good news like Nikki's Snoopy happy dance.

I loved the ironic twist to the book title being Locker Hero as at first hes a zero trapped in his locker then a superhero saving the school hopefully from burglary.

I can't wait for the next book as it ends on a nail biting cliffhanger!

How To Rob A Bank by Tom Mitchell

In this, after burning down his friend Beth's house which had no insurance despite being a mini model of the whites house, Dylan then comes up with a plan.

He later thanks to his dad's love of films comes up with the master plan of robbing a bank inspired by Al Pacino and George Clooney, after all at fifteen and being jobless he has no cash to help his friend.

After his plan goes awry in a really hilarious way, his sister agrees to help him on his next attempt with usb code in a bank's cash machine...

If you love Mark Lowery and his Roman Garstang series you will enjoy this immensely it had me laughing and despairing in parts after his dedication to stealing from his accidental job goes so badly wrong every time he tries. Obviously stealing isn't good but this level of dedication was hilarious and he only wanted to honestly help his friend and was unable to being without enough money!

Check Mates by Stewart Foster

Meet Felix, an ADHD sufferer and normal teen just lively and unable to concentrate on tasks set to him very well for getting distracted.

His friend Jake likes to mess around too but Rebecca his more sensible friend concentrates and works hard and even likes chess, a big part of his granddad's life.

After losing his grandma, his grandad is lonely and shuts the world out while keeping all is wife's possessions close in their place like she's coming back home.

Yet his distraction is Felix and finding ways to get him to learn about things like his German history and how to do house tasks and play chess too!

Yet, Felix decides to do a list back to his granddad to get him to do something Felix enjoys. Only as his grandad sneaks in more chess tactics into tasks, Felix kind of becomes infected by a chess playing bug and joins the school team becoming a great new player even making his grandad proud.

This was such an amazing book, we have so much covered  from death and grief to health problems, finding your perfect hobby, fitting it and feeling let down by family not to forget harbouring huge life changing secrets! It was a fun book looking into the relationship between a grandson and his grandfather and unlike what I've read before in young adult fiction. I may not like chess personally but this book was still fun despite the involvement so don't judge it before you've read it!

Many thanks to the publishers for  allowing me to review this book for them!

Everything All At Once by Steve Camden

A series of poem's set during a week in a school we meet an array of characters.

It perfectly captures all school situations you go to through from lessons and wishing you weren't there, school toilet states with graffiti, finding a crush to fights and friendship groups tight knit like family. Each poem captures a characters voice perfectly as a teenager experiencing things at school, some for the first time and others again and again. Anyone can relate to these poems!

Many thanks to the publishers for allowing me to review this book for them!

We Come Apart by Sarah Crossan and Brian Conaghan

In this book we meet Jess, caught shoplifting when out with her so called friends whom help to really put her in the mess she winds up in. Unhappy at home with her mum and stepdad whom seems a sleazy guy whom commits severe domestic abuse.

We also meet Nicu, escaped to Britain whilst his parents try to find him a wife back home for him who's suitable for which they'd return home eventually for them to marry after earning enough money.

As the pair both partake in an ordered community service charge of cleaning the community they meet, but both hide their secrets from the other until they start to hang out more, coming together before they get brutally ripped apart by a tragic act of self defence but too serious to ignore...

A tragic love story of right blooming out of wrong doing as the pair fall into their very short love story. Told in verse it was quick to read and the action flowed featuring an array of important topics from refugees, immigration, kleptomania, domestic abuse and general life wrong from right.

This book will haunt your memories of books you've read as you'll never find one like it again, I'm sure.

Has Anyone Seen Jessica Jenkins? By Liz Kessler

When Jessica suddenly starts to disappear, Izzy her best friend tells her and together they work to uncover what's happening whilst also having fun with the situation at hand.

A few weeks previous, her mum's friend Nancy gave her a necklace for her birthday, only when she first removes it does the invisibility stop!

They take it upon themselves to a start investigating into what's happening and bring their friend Tom, a geeky boy from their school year along as the usage of crystals causing the powers comes into play as they discover who's behind it and what caused the effects in the few it has given powers to.

Soon a large research history comes to light as well as a kidnapping twist in the plot comes into the book, the secrets revealed to Jess make her realize she may have been quick to judge some of the people involved...

I enjoyed this one and was super happy to have crystals leading to powers happening and changing people. The kids in this were great characters as the plot flowed on super well.

Lies My Girlfriend Told Me by Julie Ann Peters

When Swanee passes away suddenly of a heart attack, Alix her girlfriend finds it a huge thing to deal with. Reliving memories, like how they met on a school ski trip, Swanees's sister, Jewell sticks around Alix to share memories with her and support her.

When she finds messages left on her girlfriend's phone from an LT, she doesn't know what to do. Half written in English and Spanish, she perseveres and finds herself uncovering a whole other relationship Swanee was having with Liana, a girl whom even believed herself to be in an engagement with her!

From a bad situation however, the two girls bond and enjoy a relationship together combined grief and love from the betrayal they've both suffered.

Both Alix and Swanee's parents are supportive of their relationship and that's such a good thing to include in a YA. The plot was very simple but effective as we see cause and after effects of one person's actions on lives of others. I found Joss to be a bit too dramatic a character in this book as a grieving sister I felt she would mellow a little whilst still harbouring some anger but that didn't happen.