A Seven Letter Word

A Seven Letter Word

Kim Slater,

A Seven Letter Word

Macmillan, 2016

ISBN 9781509801121

11-14 Shortlist 2017

 

On this shortlist:

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out of 5
 

 

 

Who Wrote It?

Kim Slater is a full-time writer and lives with her husband in Nottingham. She holds an MA in Creative Writing from Nottingham Trent University and teaches regular creative writing classes for both adults and children in Nottingham's inner-city schools.

What's It About?

Finlay's mother vanished two years ago. And ever since then his stutter has become almost unbearable. Bullied at school and ignored by his father, the only way to get out the words which are bouncing around in his head is by writing long letters to his ma which he knows she will never read, and by playing Scrabble online. But when Finlay is befriended by an online Scrabble player called Alex, everything changes. Could it be his mother secretly trying to contact him? Or is there something more sinister going on?

Fact File

Kim’s debut novel, Smart, began life as a 3000-word short story for an assignment on her MA module: Writing for Children and Young Adults.

For the last 15 years Kim worked as a self-employed school bursar managing budgets, but now she writes full-time.

To find out more about Kim visit her website http://kimslater.com/ or follow her on Twitter: @Kimslater01

Your Reviews

Kyle from Leeds West Academy:

I enjoyed this book because I wanted to find out more so I read it in 2-3 days to found out that it was an amazing ending

Kyle gave A Seven Letter Word 5 out of 5 and now plans to read Death or Ice Cream? by Gareth P Jones.

charlotte from bruntcliffe academy:

I really enjoyed this book and the way the front cover was layed out draws the reader into the book. I really enjoyed this book because it was very interesting and easy to follow along.

charlotte gave A Seven Letter Word 5 out of 5 and now plans to read Death or Ice Cream? by Gareth P Jones.

Laura from Corpus Christ Catholic College:

If I had to describe this book in one word, the word would be phenomenal. Kim Slater has used an amazing new way of showing how high school can affect someone. I believe that the plot was carried out perfectly and was done so it caught the reader's attention at every moment. I absolutely loved this book. The choice between this and another for my vote has been extremely challenging.

Laura gave A Seven Letter Word 5 out of 5 and now plans to read Remade by Alex Scarrow.

Laura from Corpus Christ Catholic College:

If I had to describe this book in one word, the word would be phenomenal. Kim Slater has used an amazing new way of showing how high school can affect someone. I believe that the plot was carried out perfectly and was done so it caught the reader's attention at every moment. I absolutely loved this book. The choice between this and another for my vote has been extremely challenging.

Laura gave A Seven Letter Word 5 out of 5 and now plans to read Remade by Alex Scarrow.

Ellie from Farsley Springbank Junior School:

This book was amazing!!! I couldn't stop reading it and the author did an amazing job!

Ellie gave A Seven Letter Word 5 out of 5 and now plans to read Death or Ice Cream? by Gareth P Jones.

lizzy from bruntcliffe :

this book is interesting. I really liked it and it was my favourite book. I felt bad for Finaly.

lizzy gave A Seven Letter Word 4 out of 5 and now plans to read Death or Ice Cream? by Gareth P Jones.

piotr from bruntcliffe academy:

was attracted to the cover of this book as it looked a lot like SMART;very bright, colourful and lots to look at. I liked the way his main life quest- to find his mum and answers to why she left-was always in the background of everything he did. There was a lot going on-the stammer, Alex and scrabble-and they were in the foreground, the most obvious plot, but I liked how they all intertwined with the main life quest.

piotr gave A Seven Letter Word 5 out of 5 and now plans to read Death or Ice Cream? by Gareth P Jones.

millie from bruntcliffe academy:

this book is so interesting and really emotional because it is like a real life story my favourite book by far

millie gave A Seven Letter Word 5 out of 5 and now plans to read Death or Ice Cream? by Gareth P Jones.

Max from Bruntcliffe Academy:

It Was A Very Intresting Book And I Really Enjoyed It, It Had An Good Story Line!

Max gave A Seven Letter Word 4 out of 5 and now plans to read Death or Ice Cream? by Gareth P Jones.

Josh from Bruntcliffe Academy:

I gave this book a 4 out of 5 because the way I can affect the other reader that also decided to read this book

Josh gave A Seven Letter Word 4 out of 5 and now plans to read Death or Ice Cream? by Gareth P Jones.

brooklyn from bruntclife acadamy:

the book was very amoshanal

brooklyn gave A Seven Letter Word 5 out of 5 and now plans to read Death or Ice Cream? by Gareth P Jones.

alicia from leeds east academy:

i was fascinated by the front cover which got me even more exited to read it but I was disappointed because it didn't live up to my expectations. I loved the message of the story though

alicia gave A Seven Letter Word 3 out of 5 and now plans to read The Icarus Show by Sally Christie.

Sophie from Leeds East Academy:

This book is an life relatable novel that express the journey to find someone who dosent want to be found. I would recommend this book to anyone.

Sophie gave A Seven Letter Word 5 out of 5 and now plans to read Remade by Alex Scarrow.

Jo from Guiseley School:

I was attracted to the cover of this book as it looked a lot like SMART;very bright, colourful and lots to look at. I liked the way his main life quest- to find his mum and answers to why she left-was always in the background of everything he did. There was a lot going on-the stammer, Alex and scrabble-and they were in the foreground, the most obvious plot, but I liked how they all intertwined with the main life quest. I am giving it a 4 only because there was not a level of excitement about half the time, in my opinion, and caused me to skip a few bits.

Jo gave A Seven Letter Word 4 out of 5 and now plans to read The Girl of Ink and Stars by Kiran Millwood Hargrave.

Ella from Bruntcliffe Academy:

This book is truly magnificent! It is an easy-read, brilliant book, which even made me wonder what the world is like for someone like the main character. I recommend this book to those who like books which are realistic.

Ella gave A Seven Letter Word 5 out of 5 and now plans to read Death or Ice Cream? by Gareth P Jones.

River from Royds:

This was my concluding book, and it definitely made the phrase "Save the best until last," correct. It was an excellent exploration of the psychology of a handicapped person. It effectively explores the themes of: bullying; negligence; overcoming challenges, and combatting physically dominance with intelligence. Finlay, a gifted boy, who has the ability to efficiently play scrabble, has experienced some traumatic things, such as his mother leaving him, without an explanation. He attempts to discover what occurred, and tries to live an ordinary school life, but finds the latter difficult, due to his stutter, which leaves him vulnerable to bullying. I loved this book, due to its exploration of particular themes, and the techniques deployed by the author. I would definitely recommend this book to everyone, especially school students, at it teaches them that we should not expose anyone for their disadvantages, but should encourage their advantages.

River gave A Seven Letter Word 5 out of 5 and now plans to read The Icarus Show by Sally Christie.

Miss Busby from Corpus Christi Catholic College:

What a wonderful book from start to finish!

A huge insight into the world of a boy who struggles with a stutter. You can't help but love Finlay and his little hamster Neville.

The story has many twists and turns and at times is quite emotional.

A great book that I will be recommending to my Year 7 & 8 students.

Miss Busby gave A Seven Letter Word 5 out of 5 and now plans to read Remade by Alex Scarrow.

Teja from The Cooperative Academy of leeds:

This is a very good book because it is gripping and each chapter makes me want to read more . Amazing book !

Teja gave A Seven Letter Word 5 out of 5 and now plans to read Death or Ice Cream? by Gareth P Jones.

louis from bruntcliffe academy:

a seven letter word was a great book but I really felt sorry for finlay and his stammer

louis gave A Seven Letter Word 4 out of 5 and now plans to read Death or Ice Cream? by Gareth P Jones.

piotr from bruntcliffe academy:

Seven Letter Word is one of the best books that I have read throughout the Leeds Book Awards! I love the fact that a stutter doesn't stop Finlay from doing what he loves (scrabble).Although this book is based on a realistic genre, it manages to incorporate unexpected plot twists which are extremely hard to place in a book with such realistic backgrounds.I thought that the way the author explains Finally's stutter was enlightening as it is very well explained and puts you in his shoes.

piotr gave A Seven Letter Word 4 out of 5 and now plans to read Death or Ice Cream? by Gareth P Jones.

Oliwia from Cardinal Heenan High School:

I really enjoyed this book.I felt bad for Finlay, when he was geting bullied and everything.I also felt bad for him because he had that stammer.He couldn't talk proply.:(

Oliwia gave A Seven Letter Word 4 out of 5 and now plans to read Death or Ice Cream? by Gareth P Jones.

Abraham from Corpus Christi Catholic College:

This book Was very interesting as it addreses many things that people struggle with like bullying, racism, having a stammer, parent issues and talking online. This book had a good way of making me connect with the main character and empathise with him. I think the meaning of this book is to speak out when it might not so easy.

Abraham gave A Seven Letter Word 5 out of 5 and now plans to read Instructions for a Second-Hand Heart by Tamsyn Murray.

Darya from Allerton Grange:

A Seven Letter Word is one of the best books that I have read throughout the Leeds Book Awards! I love the fact that a stutter doesn't stop Finlay from doing what he loves (scrabble).Although this book is based on a realistic genre, it manages to incorporate unexpected plot twists which are extremely hard to place in a book with such realistic backgrounds.

Darya gave A Seven Letter Word 5 out of 5 and now plans to read Death or Ice Cream? by Gareth P Jones.

Jake from Royds:

A brilliant bokk that follows Finlay, a boy with an unbearable stammer after his mother left. His only memory of her is scrabble, the only way that Finlay may ever be able to find his mother.

Jake gave A Seven Letter Word 5 out of 5 and now plans to read Instructions for a Second-Hand Heart by Tamsyn Murray.

Aliesha from Royds:

This is a heart warming book about a young boy,Finaly Mclntosh,and how he makes a new friend on online scrabble as well as over coming his stutter. I really enjoyed this book and that is why i gave it 4/5. I would recommend this to 10+.

Aliesha gave A Seven Letter Word 4 out of 5 and now plans to read Death or Ice Cream? by Gareth P Jones.

Lilia from St Margarets:

A seven letter word was a fantastic book about a boy who stuuters and scrabble. It was intersting and possibly one of the best books i have ever read.

Lilia gave A Seven Letter Word 5 out of 5 and now plans to read Instructions for a Second-Hand Heart by Tamsyn Murray.

zahra from allerton grange:

this book was really emotional for me and I love the fact that his stutter didn't really affect his scrabble

zahra gave A Seven Letter Word 4 out of 5 and now plans to read Instructions for a Second-Hand Heart by Tamsyn Murray.

Harrie from King James's school:

I thought that the way the author explains Finally's stutter was enlightening as it is very well explained and puts you in his shoes. This helped me to understand his struggle. It took me a while to get into the book but at the part he got burgled it started to get interesting. And then I wanted to find out what happened to Alex.

Harrie gave A Seven Letter Word 3 out of 5 and now plans to read The Icarus Show by Sally Christie.

Malaika from Allerton Grange School:

This book was one of the best books ever!!!It was nice to see that Finlay was writing to his mum in her diary and then towards the end they reunite. I really loved how Finlay stood up for Maryam against Oliver it was so nice to see he accepted people for who they were and where they came from. I definitely would love to read another book from the author Kim Slater.

Malaika gave A Seven Letter Word 5 out of 5 and now plans to read The Icarus Show by Sally Christie.

Hannah from King James's school:

As someone who used to have a really bad stutter this book resonated with me in a way I found powerful. The way the author described the feeling of not being able to get words out as though they were stuck is almost exactly how I felt. The way she described how people tried to finish your sentences was so accurate that it made me remember the feeling so clearly. The librarian annoyed me although she had good intentions but the girl who played scrabble was amazing. I liked the story a lot and found the characters believable and very real.

Hannah gave A Seven Letter Word 5 out of 5 and now plans to read Instructions for a Second-Hand Heart by Tamsyn Murray.

sinead from corpus christi catholic college :

this is a very heart warming book about a boy who makes an online friend whilst playing scrabble. The boy struggles to speak as he has a stutter. This book is fantastic and I would recommend it to someone that loves abit of a sad story. I would definitely read this again.

sinead gave A Seven Letter Word 4 out of 5 and now plans to read Instructions for a Second-Hand Heart by Tamsyn Murray.

Helly from Royds:

This book was a nice steady- going book. I liked it, because it was realistic and it went through some real life problems people have to face, but at the same time it cave it that fictional side as well. Throughout the book, I could imagine the whole story in my head. When the bullies came, it gave me that feeling that I could just punch them in the face, even though it was just a book. I also quite sorry and irritated for the boy, Finlay, and his stutter.

Helly gave A Seven Letter Word 4 out of 5 and now plans to read Death or Ice Cream? by Gareth P Jones.

amelia from the ruth gorse acadmey :

I did not like it because I did not get the proper message behind the story properly I would improve the book to make it more adventures and more gruesome if you can I would recommend this book at 11 year old

amelia gave A Seven Letter Word 3 out of 5 and now plans to read Death or Ice Cream? by Gareth P Jones.

Misbah from The Co-oprative Acadamy Leeds:

I think this book was good. It started of really boring but as I read on it got really interesting and very emotional.

Misbah gave A Seven Letter Word 3 out of 5 and now plans to read Death or Ice Cream? by Gareth P Jones.

Maddie from Roundhay School:

This book was amazing and was a real edge of your seat kind of book. At moments you sort of felt for the characters. It seemed so real.I was dying to read this but it wasn't as good as I initially thought but overall it was a great book.

Maddie gave A Seven Letter Word 4 out of 5 and now plans to read Instructions for a Second-Hand Heart by Tamsyn Murray.

Martina from The Co-operative Academy of Leeds:

Very emotional and exciting at the same time. I was so addicted to the book because of the cliff hanger.

Martina gave A Seven Letter Word 4 out of 5 and now plans to read Death or Ice Cream? by Gareth P Jones.

Tabbie from King James's School:

A Seven Letter Word was a great book. I really liked the way that the stutter was a big part of Finlay's life and intertwined throughout the story, but the book wasn't completely focused on that, just the way that the stutter had affected him and how he got around it in his daily life.

Mrs Adams, the Librarian, really annoyed me with the way she would interrupt Finlay and never let him finish what he was saying. I just wanted to put my hand over her mouth and make her be quiet.

It also really showed that you really don't know who a person is, or if they are who you think they are, when you talk to them through a screen.

I really loved the way that Finlay used Scrabble as his escape from the rest of the world, just as I use reading. I could really relate to how he felt regarding Scrabble.

Tabbie gave A Seven Letter Word 4 out of 5 and now plans to read Instructions for a Second-Hand Heart by Tamsyn Murray.

ALANIS from THE RUTH GORSE ACCADEMY:

THIS BOOK WAS PROBABLY THE BEST OUT OF THEM ALL AS THE WRITER HAS A WAY TO CONNECT WITH THE READER. I LIKED HOW THE AUTHOR MADE THE STORY ABOUT REAL LIFE EVENTS.

ALANIS gave A Seven Letter Word 5 out of 5 and now plans to read Death or Ice Cream? by Gareth P Jones.

Leah from Ruth Gorse :

This book was extremely long but touching at the same time

Leah gave A Seven Letter Word 4 out of 5 and now plans to read The Icarus Show by Sally Christie.

Maz from Ruthgorse Academy:

this book was a great book with an amazing mixture of exciting, worrying and crazy parts this book is truly amazing

Maz gave A Seven Letter Word 3 out of 5 and now plans to read Remade by Alex Scarrow.

Enoch from The Ruth Gorse Acadamy:

Its a wonderful book that I would advises to all ten year olds

Enoch gave A Seven Letter Word 4 out of 5 and now plans to read Instructions for a Second-Hand Heart by Tamsyn Murray.

Jessica from Benton Park School:

This book was really interesting and told the story of a boy looking for his mum whilst dealing with his stutter. I think it is really nice how he struggles to speak his words but is really clever with words whilst playing scrabble.

Jessica gave A Seven Letter Word 4 out of 5 and now plans to read Death or Ice Cream? by Gareth P Jones.

Hifza from Allerton Grange School:

This book really hooked me into it. It made me feel sorry for Finlay . It was unpredictable and really interesting to read.

Hifza gave A Seven Letter Word 4 out of 5 and now plans to read The Girl of Ink and Stars by Kiran Millwood Hargrave.

SOFIA from THE COOPERTIVE ACADAMY OF LEEDS:

I REALLY ENJOYED THE SEVEN LETTER WORD IT HAD MANY CLIFF HANGERS AND IT WAS VERY UNPRADICTABLE AND AN EXCELLENT READ I WOULD RECOMENED IT TO MY FRIENDS

SOFIA gave A Seven Letter Word 4 out of 5 and now plans to read The Girl of Ink and Stars by Kiran Millwood Hargrave.

Amelie from Cardinal Heenan Catholic High School:

This was a lovely story written really nicely about finding your voice in a scary situation.

Amelie gave A Seven Letter Word 5 out of 5 and now plans to read The Icarus Show by Sally Christie.

Sam from corpus christi:

I really enjoyed reading this book even though the ending was a bit stupid. As I have a stammer myself I can relate to the book and know how Finley feels. Overall I really enjoyed reading the book.

Sam gave A Seven Letter Word 4 out of 5 and now plans to read Death or Ice Cream? by Gareth P Jones.

Marnie from Royds:

I really liked the way and style Kim Slater wrote this book. I thought this book was very good at messing with your emotions and putting you into the characters shoes especially Finalys. I think that the meaning behind this book is very well thought out and very clever. Overall i really enjoyed this book and that is why i give it a 4/5.

Marnie gave A Seven Letter Word 4 out of 5 and now plans to read Death or Ice Cream? by Gareth P Jones.

Dylan from The Morley Academy:

I really like the book because of the tension it builds up. Also it has an unpredictable storyline. I would recommend this to anyone who likes mystery!

Dylan gave A Seven Letter Word 5 out of 5 and now plans to read Remade by Alex Scarrow.

Marinelle from Cardinal Heenan Catholic High School:

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I would recommend this to anyone who loves an unpredictable story line as well as a theme of fulfilling your inner most dreams when given the opportunity to. I really enjoyed this book and would love to read it again.

Marinelle gave A Seven Letter Word 5 out of 5 and now plans to read The Girl of Ink and Stars by Kiran Millwood Hargrave.

Amy from Royds:

I found a seven letter word very interesting and some parts boring,there are some unexpected parts i found at the start i could not really get into it but as i got half way i could not put it down.I would read this again

Amy gave A Seven Letter Word 3 out of 5 and now plans to read Death or Ice Cream? by Gareth P Jones.

AMIR from Roundhay secondary school:

This book is very mysterious and exiting and i couldn't put this book down until it was finished i can't wait to read 928 miles away this author is incredible.

AMIR gave A Seven Letter Word 5 out of 5 and now plans to read Remade by Alex Scarrow.

poppy from roundhay high :

This book is very good. It makes perfect sense and deserves to have been nominated. It is a mystery book that's heart warming and relatable. I highly recommend it.

poppy gave A Seven Letter Word 5 out of 5 and now plans to read Instructions for a Second-Hand Heart by Tamsyn Murray.

Sanjana from Roundhay Highschool:

This book was an interesting book that I would recommend

Sanjana gave A Seven Letter Word 3 out of 5 and now plans to read The Girl of Ink and Stars by Kiran Millwood Hargrave.

Becca from Royds:

This book is very interesting and also has a few unexpected twists.I loves this because some children could relate to this story

Becca gave A Seven Letter Word 4 out of 5 and now plans to read Death or Ice Cream? by Gareth P Jones.

Matthew from The Morley Academy:

I like A Seven Letter Word because Kim Slater has described how the world looks like to Finlay, who has a stutter. The only way he connects his ideas to the reader is in a gripping and fascinating way. As soon as he became friends with Maryam, he was able to improve at Scrabble and his confidence ballooned and he entered the National Scrabble Tournaments. His dad was an odds of sorts businessman and supported Finlay at the end of the story. However, the rest is for you to find out!

Matthew gave A Seven Letter Word 5 out of 5 and now plans to read The Girl of Ink and Stars by Kiran Millwood Hargrave.

Elpida from Corpus Christi Catholic College:

Amazing book!!! Once i started reading it i couldn't put it down because there was something new and interesting in ever single chapter!! At first i felt really bad for Finlay because he was being bullied however once he became friends with Maryam everything started to improve. However the final scrabble match that Finlay played i wasn't so happy with the total score but it proved to have a good moral as it didn't discourage him from playing again. I also loved how much he trusted Maryam and how he told her the truth about everything that was going on. The only part that confused me was whether Alex was good or bad and as to what happened to her but that is a question i can hopefully one day ask the author.

Elpida gave A Seven Letter Word 5 out of 5 and now plans to read Remade by Alex Scarrow.

Adaugo from Cardinal Heenan Catholic High School:

this was the BEST BOOK i have ever read. i felt bad for Finaly he was getting bullied there was thriller in the book i love it. i would like to read more of these book

Adaugo gave A Seven Letter Word 5 out of 5 and now plans to read The Icarus Show by Sally Christie.

Thomas from Royds High School:

I enjoyed this book very much, it was quite emotional and gave a clear view of not being very confident in a school full of pupils who will do what they can to make you feel hurt physically and mentally. It shows how people can be effected by events in there life. It was overall, an inspiring book and it almost said, even when you are an ant in a crowd of people, you can still make it out alright.

Thomas gave A Seven Letter Word 4 out of 5 and now plans to read Instructions for a Second-Hand Heart by Tamsyn Murray.

Anna from Cardinal Hernan :

Amazing book with many puzzles to solve. I Loved all the plot twists and characters. It was my favourite book of all time. Would recommend it to everyone.

Anna gave A Seven Letter Word 5 out of 5 and now plans to read The Girl of Ink and Stars by Kiran Millwood Hargrave.

Eleanor from Royds School:

A Seven Letter Word is a very clever book. I love a lot of the elements that make up the intriguing story/puzzle. There was never a point in the book where I wasn't sat on the edge of my seat with the great tension. This was especially felt when Finlay kept stuttering as I really wanted to help him, which is good because it involved me with the story. I love how each chapter 's introduction/name is a rule of scrabble, which is what a lot of Finlay's "journey" on finding his mother is all about!. The book is about a boy called Finlay whom is looking for his mother who doesn't want to be found. And one of the many mysteries of his mother's disappearance is why? But where did she go, and could scrabble be the answer in finding her? I felt a lot of emotions whilst reading this book, mainly sadness and wanting to help Finlay. I would love a sequel to see how Finley and the other characters are carrying on the 'scrabble craze'. But I still love the cliff-hanger ending! I love how the tension brings you into the pages of this book, which makes it a very interesting and clever book. I would definitely recommend this book to teenagers who like mysteries and tension. I rate it 5/5 stars.

Eleanor gave A Seven Letter Word 5 out of 5 and now plans to read The Icarus Show by Sally Christie.

Maryam from Allerton High School:

I thought this book wasn't my type. I thought it was boring but some of my friends thought it was good. The reason I didn't like it was because it didn't get to the point quickly. although it was boring for me I felt sympathy for Finlay and them bullying him. It helps me understand how stuttering feels like.

Maryam gave A Seven Letter Word 1 out of 5 and now plans to read The Icarus Show by Sally Christie.

Sam from King James's school:

This is the second book I have read by Kim Slater and in my opinion it is equally as good as her first novel "Smart". I really like Finlay's character as he is only a few years older than me and I can relate to him well. I like the way all of Finlay's speech is written in a stutter because it makes you realise, as much as possible, how difficult it must be for him. Also I think this book deals with the bullying and racism subjects very well. I really enjoyed this book and I would recommend it to anyone who likes mystery and reading about the troubles that some people have to deal with in every day life.

Sam gave A Seven Letter Word 4 out of 5 and now plans to read Remade by Alex Scarrow.

Firouza from Leeds City Academy:

This book is one of the best books I have EVER read in my entire life! The storyline/plot is extremely catchy, the writer uses techniques such as: repetition, to cause tension and drama. The fact that the book is about someone who is having problems that are common in real life makes it even better, because it makes the reader understand more and picture themselves in the situation. I would definitely recommend it to others and also it uses simple language so it does not make it hard to understand or read. I also loved reading the book because it was kind of a two in one story where Finlay is writing to his long-lost mum every night in a diary; then there is also the bit where there is the actual story itself. towards the end it is heart-warming because Finlay and his mum reunites again. So yeah, I would recommend it to children who love jam-packed mystery stories like me.

Firouza gave A Seven Letter Word 5 out of 5 and now plans to read Instructions for a Second-Hand Heart by Tamsyn Murray.

cameron from leeds city acedemy :

The book is very bland but it has a strange vibe that means you must turn the page after a while the story picks up and almost forces you to turn the page the book is very nice and calm but there are points that are really tense the lack of action makes it a really calm book that you must turn the page

cameron gave A Seven Letter Word 5 out of 5 and now plans to read Instructions for a Second-Hand Heart by Tamsyn Murray.

teagan from leeds city acadimay :

I think this book is a really good and I think people need to read because it has a lot of laughter and fun words to find out and this and if you are a scrabble fan then read the book

teagan gave A Seven Letter Word 4 out of 5 and now plans to read Remade by Alex Scarrow.

Atena from Leeds City Academy :

This book is one of the best books I have EVER read in my entire life! The storyline/plot is extremely catchy, the writer uses techniques such as: repetition, to cause tension and drama. The fact that the book is about someone who is having problems that are common in real life makes it even better, because it makes the reader understand more and picture themselves in the situation. I would definitely recommend it to others and also it uses simple language so it does not make it hard to understand or read.

Atena gave A Seven Letter Word 5 out of 5 and now plans to read Instructions for a Second-Hand Heart by Tamsyn Murray.

Caitlin from Cardinal Heenan Catholic High School:

I think that this is my favourite book out of all the Leeds book award books ( I've finished them all). I loved the story line and the way that the author sneaked in a moral for the story. i would recommend this book for all ages and for any genre of books you like. This book is definitely my favourite book of the Leeds book awards and i am surely voting for it

Caitlin gave A Seven Letter Word 5 out of 5 and now plans to read Death or Ice Cream? by Gareth P Jones.

Millie from King James's school:

I think this book is a really good book and helps you understand how people's lives are effected by certain things. Also it shows how much Finley misses his mum and how important family really is. I felt so angry at Oliver when he was calling someone out because of the colour of their skin . It was a good book but I didn't like the ending. I think it stopped too soon

Millie gave A Seven Letter Word 4 out of 5 and now plans to read Death or Ice Cream? by Gareth P Jones.

Phoebe from King James's school:

I really liked this book because it was a story of bravery ans standing up for what you believe. My favourite character was Maryam because she was so kind and understanding towards Finlay however I hated mr Haystings and Alex's dad.

Phoebe gave A Seven Letter Word 4 out of 5 and now plans to read Death or Ice Cream? by Gareth P Jones.

Vanessa from Corpus Christi:

I've really liked reading this book, I couldn't put it down. I experienced many emotions whilst reading this book because of all the drama in the book. To me, the moral of the story is to not judge a book by its cover. As Finlay has a stutter, he finds it hard to make friends that will listen to him and for characters like Oliver, I could understand him a lot. The characters personalities shone through and the content in the book makes this a good contender.

Vanessa gave A Seven Letter Word 4 out of 5 and now plans to read Instructions for a Second-Hand Heart by Tamsyn Murray.

Anna from Prince Henry's Grammer School :

I enjoyed this book

Anna gave A Seven Letter Word 4 out of 5 and now plans to read The Girl of Ink and Stars by Kiran Millwood Hargrave.

Elisha from Cardinal Heenan catholic High School:

This book is a very good read. It also Includes scrabble tips that are used as the titles of the chapters. I would recommend this book to people who play scrabble and are interested in having better vocabulary.

Elisha gave A Seven Letter Word 4 out of 5 and now plans to read The Icarus Show by Sally Christie.

daniel from cardinal heenan:

a seven letter word was by far the best book i have ever read in my entire life. So sad yet so happy hope this book is a success for the author.I hope this author brings more books out and after the leeds book awards im going to read smart

daniel gave A Seven Letter Word 5 out of 5 and now plans to read Death or Ice Cream? by Gareth P Jones.

Vanessa from Cardinal Heenan Catholic High School:

I thoroughly enjoyed this book because of how much courage and bravery was shown. Finlay had changed his personality and started realising he needs to try start speaking to get enough information about his mother before he loses his final chance. Maryam turned out to be a very kind and nice person and dealt with the fact that Finlay had a stammer and stood up for him. A real act of true friendhip.

Vanessa gave A Seven Letter Word 2 out of 5 and now plans to read Death or Ice Cream? by Gareth P Jones.

Esme from King James's School:

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! I felt that as Finlay had a stutter, the book was about this but not completely based on this, which I liked as having a stutter should not define your life, which some characters (Oliver) in this book seemed to think. It made me feel angry at how mean the bully was. Throughout the book at certain places I had a feeling of dread as to who Finlay's new friend Alex would turn out to be. The only thing I found was the ending was sometimes predictable but for some people this might be good as there had been enough twists and turns earlier on in the book.

Esme gave A Seven Letter Word 4 out of 5 and now plans to read The Girl of Ink and Stars by Kiran Millwood Hargrave.

Alex from King James's school:

A seven letter word made me feel every emotion imaginable, at times it made me happy, excited, devastated and at times very frustrated, I just wanted him to get the words out of his mouth! I couldn't relate to any of the characters which I don't find very often. However I think I wouldn't have had the seven letter word as stutter as the story is about the journey to get rid of his stutter so I would have made it an eight letter word and had the word be scrabble as that is what helped his stutter. To me the ending was quite sudden and could be expanded more, maybe a sequel is in order? But it would be very difficult to improve on! I read Kim's other book "smart" and loved it so having been anticipating this for a long time. It was worth the wait!

Alex gave A Seven Letter Word 4 out of 5 and now plans to read Instructions for a Second-Hand Heart by Tamsyn Murray.

Jessica from King James's School:

I really enjoyed this book. I felt like it was very realistic. However, I did find it hard to read when Finlay was stuttering, but it did make me realise how difficult it must be for someone who has a stutter. I felt like it dealt with bullying very well. I did however feel a bit uncomfortable with it. I did find that the ending was a bit predictable. I did enjoy this book and would like to read more of Kim Slater' books.

Jessica gave A Seven Letter Word 4 out of 5 and now plans to read Remade by Alex Scarrow.

Tom from King James's school:

I really enjoyed the book and I literally couldn't put the book down. I can really relate to the book and I think it tackles the issues of racism, bullying, speech impediments,friendship and teamwork. I liked the mystery aspect of the book and I think the twist with Alex was very unexpected. The ending was good because instead of being the ending you think it will be, it isn't. Overall I really enjoyed the book.

Tom gave A Seven Letter Word 4 out of 5 and now plans to read The Girl of Ink and Stars by Kiran Millwood Hargrave.

Jake from Corpus Christi:

I really enjoyed the story from beginning to end it was enjoyable,emotional and presented life from a different point of view. It shocked me how much abuse Finley got from Oliver but then it showed how people can change in extraordinary ways. This book is definitely a contender for when I come to vote.

Jake gave A Seven Letter Word 5 out of 5 and now plans to read Instructions for a Second-Hand Heart by Tamsyn Murray.

Miss Burns from Cardinal Heenan:

A great book about the struggle faced by a young man trying to find his place in the world!

Miss Burns gave A Seven Letter Word 4 out of 5 and now plans to read The Icarus Show by Sally Christie.

Meah from Guiseley School:

I liked the perilous quest of which the protagonist-Finlay tried to find his mum. another good thing about this book is that it also relates to the sub quest of him trying to conquer his stutter and find about his online scrabble friend Alex.

Meah gave A Seven Letter Word 4 out of 5 and now plans to read Death or Ice Cream? by Gareth P Jones.