*Shortlisted

Review by Lucy, age 11, Charlton Kings Junior School, Cheltenham
Birdie is a heart-warming book about trust and friendship. Birdie is a girl who never knew her mother and goes to live with her aunt. Here, she meets a pit pony, and they become best friends. It is set in 1950 just after WW2 and I learnt that pit ponies helped in mines. The historical setting was interesting, and I would like to read more books set in this time. I found Birdie interesting because she is a person of colour and was bullied for it. Overall, I loved it because of its warm, loving plot and friendship. I would recommend this book for ages 9-12 because of the loving story. I also think people who like ponies would like the story. I have never read another book by J.P. Rose but I will certainly look out for more now.

Review by Jerry, 10, Orchard Fields Community School
I liked this book because it was interesting, and it has a good plot twist. My favourite character was Birdie because she was the main character, and she was smart and caring. When Birdie found out about the pony the story changed which keep me interested. The book was set in the past after the second world war and the author used old words such as thee and thou which I liked. I would recommend this book to someone who likes to read about the past.

Review by Daisy, age 10, Charlton Kings Junior School, Cheltenham
This is an interesting book because Birdie is about a mixed-race girl with the name Birdie who is sent to her great aunt’s house by a lady called Mrs Darling. It is set in 1950s Yorkshire. My favourite part of the story was when Birdie answered a question in class but they didn’t believe her, so she stood up for herself. It was interesting reading a story about racism in this way. The words helped me to understand the story, but it would have been better if there were some pictures in it too.