Book reviews

Frankie Foster: Fizzy Pop

"FRANKIE FOSTER is awesome!   I couldn’t put it down.   This has to be one of the best books ever.    It’s full of shocks and surprises and made me laugh." ~ Shannon Daley

"At first I wasn’t quite sure about this cute little pink book – but oh, was I amazed after giving it a respectful chance.   It is simply adorable!" ~ Bookbitz

“I really enjoyed reading Fizzy Pop. After chapter 2, I could not put it down! This book had great characters. Frankie means well but it always goes wrong, Jem fizzing and popping, Angel with her temper and Skye clever and well-behaved. Frankie Foster’s adventures are gripping with lots of twists. This book is addictive! Fizzy Pop is very funny and the series will be brilliant! A well-written book with a fantastic storyline.” ~ Zoe Crook

“Amazing book! The book was full of shocks and surprises at every page! Original, funny and well-written, you just can’t put it down. You could imagine the setting so vividly, also getting to know the characters easily, I thought the book was funny and loved the feel-good story. I loved getting to know the characters through the story especially Frankie, her here-to-help attitude was really hilarious, trying to fix peoples problems got Frankie into trouble and arguments, but she ended up helping a friend fix her problem, even though it didn’t turn out the way Frankie thought it would. The book was a real page-turner, I read it in one night it was that captivating. It was a great book! Write on Jean Ure!” ~ Beth Cohen

“As soon as I opened Frankie Foster: Fizzy Pop I realized this was going to be a fantastic read! The words spoke out to me and I attentively listened. It all started off with a genuinely lovely girl trying to do the right thing … and failing! Although as the book progressed you realised even though Frankie Foster couldn’t help being curious, you always knew she would fix things! From the very first word Frankie spoke I realized she was going to be my friend. Quite simply Frankie Foster steps out the pages of this spell-binding book and comes to life. I felt honoured to be part of her journey and I am sure many other readers feel the same!” ~ Imogen Smith

“Even though Frankie gets blamed for everything, it doesn’t stop her going on a small adventure with her two best friends. Fizzy Pop is so exciting, I couldn’t put it down! I really wanted to know how it ended … ” ~ Emily A-S

Ice Lolly

"ICE LOLLY is a fabulous book along with FORTUNE COOKIE and many more. My all-time favourite author is Jean Ure and this author inspired me to write stories just like her and every morning I wake up and read one or two chapters of ICE LOLLY.   Each story has a special tale to it, all a unique creation" ~ Katie Parslow

We at Bookbag love, love, love Jean Ure. Love her. She writes real-life, kitchen sink dramas that inhabit a child's world with absolute credibility. And she does it with such kindliness and generosity of spirit that it quite steals our hearts away. But it's not all about heartstring tugging; there's always a good dollop of situational humour in every book, so nobody ever puts one of her stories down feeling sad. There's an ease about her writing that makes you feel as though she had an inexhaustible supply of stories in her head, and all she's lacking is the time to write them down. ~ Bookbag

Love and Kisses

This is a great book, it really shows the relationship between the two girls.  It is really well written, like the others of Jean’s books, and I would love to read it again and again and again. ~ Amy Saunders

Is Anybody There?

Ure skilfully turns a well-used formula into a thoughtful, thought-provoking novel. ~ Books for Keeps

Family Fan Club

A moving funny story of four mixed-race resourceful sisters. ~ Oxford Times

Jean Ure’s witty homage to Little Women. ~ The Times

Boys on the Brain

Jean Ure gets under the skin of these characters and the way they think and talk. ~ Carousel

Pumpkin Pie

The heroine I have been waiting for. ~ The Times

Skinny Melon & Me

An inventive and funny book. Cherry is a good diarist. ~ Times Educational Supplement

Fruit and Nutcase

An upbeat yet gritty story about the tenacity of love and the fact that life is never perfect. ~ Scotland on Sunday

Mandy tells her story into a tape recorder – and a very affecting tale it is, too. ~ Daily Telegraph

The Secret Life of Sally Tomato

This is the book that refuses to bore! A must-buy book. ~ Books for Keeps

Shrinking Violet

Expresses very well the fears and concerns of tweenies. ~ Observer

The story is timeless, the descriptions of the girls and their relationship spot on. ~ Books for Keeps

Becky Bananas, This is Your Life

It’s not sentimental, but warm, strong and real. Also very thought provoking. ~ Wendy Cooling, Books to Enjoy

Daisy May

A finely crafted story … I challenge anyone not to be gripped and moved by this tale. ~ Daily Telegraph

Bad Alice

A remarkable story of friendship between two unusual children. ~ Wendy Cooling, The Bookseller

Impossible to read Bad Alice and forget it. ~ School Librarian

Secret Meeting

Hello I would like to send you my review of Secret Meeting which I have just finished. I didn't know how to do a review on your website so I decided to email you personally. So anyway these are words I would describe Secret Meeting as... Thrilling fun bouncy adrenaline rushing! It was amazing how you created your characters so differently but the relationship between these two characters (megan and annie) was incredible! I loved the way you created a moral about being careful on the internet. Please reply to this as I and my friends Megan (weird) and Ellie really enjoy your books! ~ Josephine - aged 11