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Trouble at Riverside Academy
It is Rachel’s final term at Riverside Academy and she’s enjoying every second of it. The fun lessons, strolling amongst the flowerbeds, and, best of all, being with Benjamin.
Yes, she thinks, life at Riverside is the best.
Until a man visits her school. A man she’s never met. Or so she thinks. For this man knows her very, very well…
And so starts a wild adventure full of bank robbers and hidden gold. Suddenly nobody is who they seem; and Rachel must decide who, if anybody, to trust.
Yes, she thinks, life at Riverside is the best.
Until a man visits her school. A man she’s never met. Or so she thinks. For this man knows her very, very well…
And so starts a wild adventure full of bank robbers and hidden gold. Suddenly nobody is who they seem; and Rachel must decide who, if anybody, to trust.
66 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 13, 2017
2 people are currently reading
159 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
January 26, 2018
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from a Goodreads giveaway.
To be completely honest, I don't find much to like about this book. I realize that due to its length and setting it is probably aimed at younger readers, but I imagine most younger readers would have issues with it as I did. It is also clearly self-published; however, I still expect some standards from authors.
The most egregious issue is the lack of decent writing. Poor English abounds. It seems like there was no editor. On the first page alone there were several errors. There are incomplete sentences, random commas, singular/plural disagreements, and errors such as "baited breath" or "strawberry source" on ice cream.
Beyond that, there is no attempt at character development. All of the characters are completely one-dimensional and only one has any attempt at all made to explain his behavior.
Again, although this is aimed at younger readers, there are several glaring...well, I hesitate to call them plot holes, but things that just don't make sense. A theft is described as "one of the biggest robberies in the country" when it took place in 2000 and yet only £1,000,000 was stolen? After the thieves were in jail for 15 years, when they came back to get the loot, how did they know where the security cameras were and how to turn them off? Why, when the students have explained what happened to the headmistress, does she wait A WEEK until they go missing and get kidnapped to call the police? Surely you'd call them immediately! Why do the robbers ALSO wait a week to try to escape with their recovered "loot"? It boggles the mind.
In short, no, I would not recommend this to anyone, even children.
To be completely honest, I don't find much to like about this book. I realize that due to its length and setting it is probably aimed at younger readers, but I imagine most younger readers would have issues with it as I did. It is also clearly self-published; however, I still expect some standards from authors.
The most egregious issue is the lack of decent writing. Poor English abounds. It seems like there was no editor. On the first page alone there were several errors. There are incomplete sentences, random commas, singular/plural disagreements, and errors such as "baited breath" or "strawberry source" on ice cream.
Beyond that, there is no attempt at character development. All of the characters are completely one-dimensional and only one has any attempt at all made to explain his behavior.
Again, although this is aimed at younger readers, there are several glaring...well, I hesitate to call them plot holes, but things that just don't make sense. A theft is described as "one of the biggest robberies in the country" when it took place in 2000 and yet only £1,000,000 was stolen? After the thieves were in jail for 15 years, when they came back to get the loot, how did they know where the security cameras were and how to turn them off? Why, when the students have explained what happened to the headmistress, does she wait A WEEK until they go missing and get kidnapped to call the police? Surely you'd call them immediately! Why do the robbers ALSO wait a week to try to escape with their recovered "loot"? It boggles the mind.
In short, no, I would not recommend this to anyone, even children.
November 23, 2017
I enjoyed this quick read. What would you do when your father shows up from out of the blue? I liked this book and I had a great time getting to know Rachel and Ben. This book was quite an adventure in a short story. *This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.*
October 21, 2017
I received this book for free via Goodreads First Reads.
I have already read one book by this author and I found it hard to find positives in that book. This is slightly better.
It just feels off when it comes to dialogue. I feel the author does not give his audience credit despite this being aimed at younger readers. It is an improvement over the other book I read by the author and I feel he can do even better!
I have already read one book by this author and I found it hard to find positives in that book. This is slightly better.
It just feels off when it comes to dialogue. I feel the author does not give his audience credit despite this being aimed at younger readers. It is an improvement over the other book I read by the author and I feel he can do even better!
February 10, 2018
I won this in a Goodreads giveaway and was wondering what to expect when I saw it had such a mixed batch of reviews. Unfortunately I was unable to give it a very high ranking because I found too many issues with it.
First impressions - Although not shown in the Goodreads picture my copy arrived with 2 logos on the front. One was a 5 star readers favourite logo and the other a 5 star book review award. I found it odd these appeared printed on the cover in random positions when the book was self-published although I did authenticate them with some research (https://readersfavorite.com/book-revi...) The cover is otherwise quite bright and attractive/cheerful and would appeal to its young (target) audience.
Unfortunately I cannot agree with some of the glowing comments in other reviews because, although it is fast paced and quite action packed, in places the writing is a bit too basic and does not read well (e.g. page 7 when Rachel's 'sadness etched into her sad smile' and the picture of the first students at the school is said to have 'took pride and place instead of pride of place). I also noticed several mistakes/typos (pg. 36 "Benjamin seemed to deflate late a flat tyre' instead of 'like' a flat tyre and Rachel eats an ice-cream that has strawberry 'source' as opposed to 'sauce'!).
There were also missed words in sentences which meant that they weren't finished off properly (p.10 'let hope for a nice, quiet term to finish your school year off' - it should either be 'let's or 'let us'). Missing letters and punctuation marks occur frequently and sometimes full stops appear in the middle of sentences where they shouldn't be! I'm assuming it was only edited to ensure it fitted the correct format for an Amazon book publication because it certainly wasn't proof-read very efficiently.
There were also lots of random tangents to the plot that never get explored/explained any further - the abandoned house that Mr. Stallion and Ian hole up in in town is said to have been haunted by a child who died of the plague for centuries but then no more mentions of this ghost are ever made...
'Loot' is used frequently but I think for young readers today this would be an out of date term and does not really fit with the time-period in which the book is set. I also felt that if Rachel's mother was so keen to keep her father out of her life then why would she have bothered to send the pictures of her to him because it gave him a means of identifying her - the story suggests he recognised her from her bracelet but if he had such recent pictures of her he knew what she looked like anyway. It also seems rather immature, and uncharacteristic of a supposedly high profile bank robber to throw a threatening note at his 15 year old daughters head.
I also felt that given the impression of the school being so upstanding and also a boarding school because Rachel has a room there that it would not be so blasé about security that Rachel would know that the back door was always likely to be unlocked at night - what about all those trophies and posh paintings on the wall? And more importantly what about the duty of care to the students? Should they be making it that easy for a teenage student to slip out at night and allow others to sneak into the grounds to dig up gold?
I just felt that there was a lack of thought and continuity checking done in certain areas that let the book down and make it seem too unrealistic. Why did it take 2 weeks for Benjamin to get a reply to his letter to Rachel's Mum and why did she just end it by wishing them good luck in the exams rather than phoning Lady Simpson and warning her of the security breach and potential threat to her daughter and other students (i.e. Benjamin). I did like the love interest between Rachel and Benjamin however, and these areas were the more believable parts of the book. In a way I think the book would have benefitted from being longer because although it is meant to be fast-paced and a quick read for children the amount of things packed into the story meant it also felt rushed and erratic. Essentially there was too much crammed in with not enough time taken to flesh the events and characters out properly. That's why Mr. Stallion's (Rachel's Dad's) actions seem almost schizophrenic in some areas because his moods/attitudes towards her change so quickly.
The plot had merit to it and Liam Moiser shows a lot of potential but it just needed to be more thought out and double checked and then it would have deserved a much higher ranking. The story itself I liked and would have been happier to have read more of. Unfortunately I felt I could only give it 2 stars because I think errors like those mentioned above are not excusable in a children's book (even with it being self-published) - something that is designed to encourage children to read and help them to learn should make doubly sure that it has no errors in it that may get inadvertently taught and passed on to young readers. It wouldn't get a 5 star book review award from me until these errors were corrected.
First impressions - Although not shown in the Goodreads picture my copy arrived with 2 logos on the front. One was a 5 star readers favourite logo and the other a 5 star book review award. I found it odd these appeared printed on the cover in random positions when the book was self-published although I did authenticate them with some research (https://readersfavorite.com/book-revi...) The cover is otherwise quite bright and attractive/cheerful and would appeal to its young (target) audience.
Unfortunately I cannot agree with some of the glowing comments in other reviews because, although it is fast paced and quite action packed, in places the writing is a bit too basic and does not read well (e.g. page 7 when Rachel's 'sadness etched into her sad smile' and the picture of the first students at the school is said to have 'took pride and place instead of pride of place). I also noticed several mistakes/typos (pg. 36 "Benjamin seemed to deflate late a flat tyre' instead of 'like' a flat tyre and Rachel eats an ice-cream that has strawberry 'source' as opposed to 'sauce'!).
There were also missed words in sentences which meant that they weren't finished off properly (p.10 'let hope for a nice, quiet term to finish your school year off' - it should either be 'let's or 'let us'). Missing letters and punctuation marks occur frequently and sometimes full stops appear in the middle of sentences where they shouldn't be! I'm assuming it was only edited to ensure it fitted the correct format for an Amazon book publication because it certainly wasn't proof-read very efficiently.
There were also lots of random tangents to the plot that never get explored/explained any further - the abandoned house that Mr. Stallion and Ian hole up in in town is said to have been haunted by a child who died of the plague for centuries but then no more mentions of this ghost are ever made...
'Loot' is used frequently but I think for young readers today this would be an out of date term and does not really fit with the time-period in which the book is set. I also felt that if Rachel's mother was so keen to keep her father out of her life then why would she have bothered to send the pictures of her to him because it gave him a means of identifying her - the story suggests he recognised her from her bracelet but if he had such recent pictures of her he knew what she looked like anyway. It also seems rather immature, and uncharacteristic of a supposedly high profile bank robber to throw a threatening note at his 15 year old daughters head.
I also felt that given the impression of the school being so upstanding and also a boarding school because Rachel has a room there that it would not be so blasé about security that Rachel would know that the back door was always likely to be unlocked at night - what about all those trophies and posh paintings on the wall? And more importantly what about the duty of care to the students? Should they be making it that easy for a teenage student to slip out at night and allow others to sneak into the grounds to dig up gold?
I just felt that there was a lack of thought and continuity checking done in certain areas that let the book down and make it seem too unrealistic. Why did it take 2 weeks for Benjamin to get a reply to his letter to Rachel's Mum and why did she just end it by wishing them good luck in the exams rather than phoning Lady Simpson and warning her of the security breach and potential threat to her daughter and other students (i.e. Benjamin). I did like the love interest between Rachel and Benjamin however, and these areas were the more believable parts of the book. In a way I think the book would have benefitted from being longer because although it is meant to be fast-paced and a quick read for children the amount of things packed into the story meant it also felt rushed and erratic. Essentially there was too much crammed in with not enough time taken to flesh the events and characters out properly. That's why Mr. Stallion's (Rachel's Dad's) actions seem almost schizophrenic in some areas because his moods/attitudes towards her change so quickly.
The plot had merit to it and Liam Moiser shows a lot of potential but it just needed to be more thought out and double checked and then it would have deserved a much higher ranking. The story itself I liked and would have been happier to have read more of. Unfortunately I felt I could only give it 2 stars because I think errors like those mentioned above are not excusable in a children's book (even with it being self-published) - something that is designed to encourage children to read and help them to learn should make doubly sure that it has no errors in it that may get inadvertently taught and passed on to young readers. It wouldn't get a 5 star book review award from me until these errors were corrected.
September 25, 2018
This is a very short self-published novella sent to me by Goodreads for review about a 16-year-old student, Rachel, the Head Girl, at a boarding school, Riverside Academy. All seems idyllic until a rather odd man pays a vist to the school and then Rachel becomes embroiled in an unhappy discovery relating to her past, a bank robbery and hidden gold. The book is badly written e.g. “Benjamin sat there in stunned silent” (sic); “to weakly nod” (sic); “She spoke only when she was spoken too …” (sic); eating an icecream with “strawberry source” (sic) on it; punctuation used incorrectly; and with dreadful descriptions e.g. “sadness etched into her sad smile”. Poor characterisation and unrealistic situations fill this slim book, for example, the boarding school setting lacks credibility, (especially with regard to the lack of security with a door routinely left unlocked at night) as do the various relationships depicted in the book. The timing is off with, for example, the author stating that it had taken “ages” to bury “the loot” (an old-fashioned term no longer in popular usage and this seems to be money at the start of the book but then consists of gold bars later on which we all know to be heavy) but then it is dug up by two men and loaded into a van extremely quickly, despite one of them “sauntering” to get a ladder. However, given that the hole is described as being sufficiently big to warrant the use of a ladder, it would have taken them considerably longer than half an hour or so as in the book both to dig this and to load up the van with the heavy bars. The author seems not to understand how 16-year-olds communicate for the Head Boy writes a letter whereas most would text, email or use social media to communicate. In addition, I doubt very much indeed that Rachel’s mother would tell her daughter’s young boyfriend about her daughter’s family history before first communicating this to her own daughter herself. I do not recommend this book whatsoeveras I find it deeply irritating when authors write for children and are lackasdaiscal about their writing. I consider that authors should take great pains to ensure that their writing is as free from errors as possible in order to set a good example to their target audience.
November 3, 2017
My blog - https://lfbooks.blog/
This is a 60 page novelette, self-published by the author. Just wasn’t the book for me. I can’t stand stupid main characters, drives me mad. Well turns me into a crazy person, as I start yelling at the book for the character not to do stuff. The concept was good but I found I just had issues with it. 5 small issues that I have sent off to the author. Missing ” and that kind of thing.
Who says loot? 4 different people describe the 1 million pounds as loot. That doesn’t sit right with me, multiple people say different things. Loot is a term used by pirates or olden day style books. Oh and the 1 million pounds turned into gold bars half way through the book. Letters? Who uses letters to communicate in this day and age. Both of these things could have been explained if the book was based in say the previous century, early on. But no mention of this at all.
(Spoke to the Author, seems letters are still a thing at some private schools. Weirdos.)
The main character was just strange, you got the complete feel of her after 2 pages. Then she just turns into a completely different person, multiple times. I know stress and pressure can change a person. But to change someone that fast and to make them into a completely different person? Just didn’t feel real to me.
(Spoilers)
Another thing that bugged me. So her mom finds out that her ex-husband, a criminal, is hanging around near her daughter. Her daughter who was never told the truth about her dad. So her mom takes the time to write a detailed letter, which ends with hope your exams go okay. (Something along them lines) Are you kidding me? I don’t know a mother who wouldn’t be in their car racing towards the school with that kind of information.
You just got the 1 million bars of gold from where you’ve hidden it for years. So you of course stay for 2 weeks, sitting around with that gold. Right where you hide it, and not far from where you originally stole it from. Stupid much?
This is a 60 page novelette, self-published by the author. Just wasn’t the book for me. I can’t stand stupid main characters, drives me mad. Well turns me into a crazy person, as I start yelling at the book for the character not to do stuff. The concept was good but I found I just had issues with it. 5 small issues that I have sent off to the author. Missing ” and that kind of thing.
Who says loot? 4 different people describe the 1 million pounds as loot. That doesn’t sit right with me, multiple people say different things. Loot is a term used by pirates or olden day style books. Oh and the 1 million pounds turned into gold bars half way through the book. Letters? Who uses letters to communicate in this day and age. Both of these things could have been explained if the book was based in say the previous century, early on. But no mention of this at all.
(Spoke to the Author, seems letters are still a thing at some private schools. Weirdos.)
The main character was just strange, you got the complete feel of her after 2 pages. Then she just turns into a completely different person, multiple times. I know stress and pressure can change a person. But to change someone that fast and to make them into a completely different person? Just didn’t feel real to me.
(Spoilers)
Another thing that bugged me. So her mom finds out that her ex-husband, a criminal, is hanging around near her daughter. Her daughter who was never told the truth about her dad. So her mom takes the time to write a detailed letter, which ends with hope your exams go okay. (Something along them lines) Are you kidding me? I don’t know a mother who wouldn’t be in their car racing towards the school with that kind of information.
You just got the 1 million bars of gold from where you’ve hidden it for years. So you of course stay for 2 weeks, sitting around with that gold. Right where you hide it, and not far from where you originally stole it from. Stupid much?
October 27, 2017
Trouble at Riverside Academy is a self-published novella by Liam Moiser of around 60 pages. The protagonists, 16 year old Rachel and her boyfriend Benjamin, are in their final year of school. Riverside Academy is a boarding school run by Lady Simpson, whose ancestor had started the school during WWII. The young couple are Head Girl and Boy and, as such, are responsible for setting an example to the rest of the school.
The book is set in modern day - a newspaper headline in the book confirms this - but it feels like it is set in a different era at times. Although it is often the case that children's and young adult novels are aimed at young people roughly the same age as the protagonists, this novella feels as though it is aimed somewhat younger.
The storyline itself is interesting; a stranger arrives at the school saying that he may send his child there. This is later shown to be false and Rachel is dragged into a difficult situation, leading to a deterioration in her behaviour at school. Benjamin suspects he may know the truth and sets about proving it in order to help his girlfriend. Whether things all come out in the wash is something you'll have to find out for yourself.
If I could offer one tip it would be to get an editor involved in future projects, in order to improve the overall narrative and to ensure that spelling and grammar are perfect. At times there are mistakes which interrupt the flow of the story, which is unfortunate.
The book is set in modern day - a newspaper headline in the book confirms this - but it feels like it is set in a different era at times. Although it is often the case that children's and young adult novels are aimed at young people roughly the same age as the protagonists, this novella feels as though it is aimed somewhat younger.
The storyline itself is interesting; a stranger arrives at the school saying that he may send his child there. This is later shown to be false and Rachel is dragged into a difficult situation, leading to a deterioration in her behaviour at school. Benjamin suspects he may know the truth and sets about proving it in order to help his girlfriend. Whether things all come out in the wash is something you'll have to find out for yourself.
If I could offer one tip it would be to get an editor involved in future projects, in order to improve the overall narrative and to ensure that spelling and grammar are perfect. At times there are mistakes which interrupt the flow of the story, which is unfortunate.
August 8, 2018
This book was entered in The Wishing Shelf Book Awards. This is what our readers thought:
Title: Trouble at Riverside Academy
Author: Liam Moiser
Star Rating: 3 Stars
Number of Readers: 16
Stats
Editing: 8/10
Writing Style: 6/10
Content: 6/10
Cover: 9/10
Of the 16 readers:
11 would read another book by this author.
14 thought the cover was good or excellent.
15 felt it was easy to follow.
11 would recommend this story to another reader to try.
12 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘plotting a story’.
4 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘developing the characters’.
12 felt the pacing was good or excellent.
11 thought the author understood the readership and what they wanted.
Readers’ Comments
‘Reminded me a bit of Malory Towers by Enid Blyton. It was a good story. I loved the cover.’ Boy, aged 13
‘The girl was stronger than the boy I felt. I liked the mystery of who the men were. I thought the girls’ dad was odd and acted strangely. I didn’t like him very much.’ Girl aged 13
‘It was slow to start with all the romance between the girl and boy but then it got better when the man arrived at the school. I thought the headteacher was an interesting character. She was kind and caring. The ending was the best part.’ Girl, aged 14
‘Cool adventure with an amazing cover.’ Boy, age 14
I liked the story but it was too slow at the beginning.’ Girl, aged 12
To Sum It Up:
‘A fun school adventure in keeping with Enid Blyton.’ The Wishing Shelf Book Awards
Title: Trouble at Riverside Academy
Author: Liam Moiser
Star Rating: 3 Stars
Number of Readers: 16
Stats
Editing: 8/10
Writing Style: 6/10
Content: 6/10
Cover: 9/10
Of the 16 readers:
11 would read another book by this author.
14 thought the cover was good or excellent.
15 felt it was easy to follow.
11 would recommend this story to another reader to try.
12 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘plotting a story’.
4 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘developing the characters’.
12 felt the pacing was good or excellent.
11 thought the author understood the readership and what they wanted.
Readers’ Comments
‘Reminded me a bit of Malory Towers by Enid Blyton. It was a good story. I loved the cover.’ Boy, aged 13
‘The girl was stronger than the boy I felt. I liked the mystery of who the men were. I thought the girls’ dad was odd and acted strangely. I didn’t like him very much.’ Girl aged 13
‘It was slow to start with all the romance between the girl and boy but then it got better when the man arrived at the school. I thought the headteacher was an interesting character. She was kind and caring. The ending was the best part.’ Girl, aged 14
‘Cool adventure with an amazing cover.’ Boy, age 14
I liked the story but it was too slow at the beginning.’ Girl, aged 12
To Sum It Up:
‘A fun school adventure in keeping with Enid Blyton.’ The Wishing Shelf Book Awards
July 31, 2017
Rachel's pretty happy at Riverside Academy. Her and her boyfriend, Benjamin, are prefects, they're about to graduate...life couldn't be better. That all changed when one man walked onto campus with sinister intent.
Very well-rounded for a short story. Plot felt full and complete, with a good cast of characters. I loved the relationship between Rachel and Ben. It was a healthy, normal relationship. They had their differences, but they were solved in a mature way. A good idea to convey for readers of all ages. It managed to send powerful messages about lying and bad behavior, which made me think that this is geared for a younger audience.
The only thing I really had a problem with was the antagonists abrupt personality changes. I understand why it was done, but the execution and explanation felt a little flimsy. Almost as an afterthought.
Life's not always easy, even when things are going your way. This book served as a good reminder for that, as well as reminding readers that they're not alone. An easy, quick read that's still satisfying.
Very well-rounded for a short story. Plot felt full and complete, with a good cast of characters. I loved the relationship between Rachel and Ben. It was a healthy, normal relationship. They had their differences, but they were solved in a mature way. A good idea to convey for readers of all ages. It managed to send powerful messages about lying and bad behavior, which made me think that this is geared for a younger audience.
The only thing I really had a problem with was the antagonists abrupt personality changes. I understand why it was done, but the execution and explanation felt a little flimsy. Almost as an afterthought.
Life's not always easy, even when things are going your way. This book served as a good reminder for that, as well as reminding readers that they're not alone. An easy, quick read that's still satisfying.
February 9, 2018
I received this book free from Good Reads.
Where do I begin?? To me this book was a waste of paper.
I presume it was written with younger readers in mind, but it was not worth the paper it was written on. I know that sounds a bit harsh, but it is what I think.
There was the most ridiculous story line of Rachel a 16yr old pupil at a private school, suddenly being found by her father.
All the characters were very poorly described.
The spelling & grammar mistakes were unbelievable. So many to mention – but who has ever seen a 99 ice cream cornet with 5 flakes in it & strawberry SORCE??
The two main characters Rachel (head girl) & Benjamin (head boy), both 16yr olds, are so naive it is unbelievable. Rachel agrees to meet a man she has just met, on her own, in the middle of the night!! They both go to the house where they think the men are hiding, without telling anyone & get tied up & beaten.
I could go on, but it only takes a short while to read, which was good, because I would not have liked to read anymore.
I would certainly not recommend this book to anyone.
Where do I begin?? To me this book was a waste of paper.
I presume it was written with younger readers in mind, but it was not worth the paper it was written on. I know that sounds a bit harsh, but it is what I think.
There was the most ridiculous story line of Rachel a 16yr old pupil at a private school, suddenly being found by her father.
All the characters were very poorly described.
The spelling & grammar mistakes were unbelievable. So many to mention – but who has ever seen a 99 ice cream cornet with 5 flakes in it & strawberry SORCE??
The two main characters Rachel (head girl) & Benjamin (head boy), both 16yr olds, are so naive it is unbelievable. Rachel agrees to meet a man she has just met, on her own, in the middle of the night!! They both go to the house where they think the men are hiding, without telling anyone & get tied up & beaten.
I could go on, but it only takes a short while to read, which was good, because I would not have liked to read anymore.
I would certainly not recommend this book to anyone.
September 5, 2017
Thank you Goodreads for sending me this book. This is a short book of 60 pages and the story centres around an academy which was set up during the second world war. The main characters, Ben and Rachel, are believable; they are in their final year at the academy. A strange man turns up there, pretending he is looking at the school under the pretext of sending his child there. Although a short story, it was quite enjoyable and did not seem rushed.
February 17, 2018
I received this book for an honest review and I’m not really sure what to say. I gave it a 3 stars because I’m a bit between hating it and loving it. The story itself has amazing potential but I just not sure about how it was written (not that it was necessary bad) it just didn’t give me the thrill that I would of expected from this type of plot. But I feel like it would be a good book to read maybe with kids.
March 21, 2018
This book is for children and although I thought the story was ok and my son also read it and enjoyed it, the biggest problem with it was all of the spelling mistakes and grammatical errors. I feel that if a book is for a younger reader it is even more important to make sure that there aren't these kind of mistakes in it, I appreciate that it is self published but perhaps the author should employ a proof reader.
I won this book in a goodreads giveaway
I won this book in a goodreads giveaway
October 21, 2019
I'm afraid I really didn't enjoy this, I found the plot weak and the characters depthless.
What really got my hackles up was the fact that it was riddled with spelling, punctuation and grammar mistakes, which I found extremely annoying. There were 8 such errors on page 15 alone! Obviously no proofreading whatsoever had been done before this was published, and I was so irritated by this that the story itself seemed a secondary matter!
What really got my hackles up was the fact that it was riddled with spelling, punctuation and grammar mistakes, which I found extremely annoying. There were 8 such errors on page 15 alone! Obviously no proofreading whatsoever had been done before this was published, and I was so irritated by this that the story itself seemed a secondary matter!
June 8, 2017
Trouble at Riverside Academy was a fun read. It set up its world of a British boarding school quite well, then injected elements of mystery as the story went along. The stakes were constantly raised as a mysterious and dangerous character came to play an important role in the main character's life. I'd recommend the book to anyone who likes an exciting middle grade chapter book mystery!
October 17, 2017
Won from goodreads
This is a nice quick novel whick centres around an academy started during the second world war. We have main characters Ben and Rachel who are in their final year at the academy. When a weird man arrives whose suspicious pretending that he is looking at the school for his daughter.
Story is enjoyable for most ages keeps you interested till end .
This is a nice quick novel whick centres around an academy started during the second world war. We have main characters Ben and Rachel who are in their final year at the academy. When a weird man arrives whose suspicious pretending that he is looking at the school for his daughter.
Story is enjoyable for most ages keeps you interested till end .
February 10, 2018
The presentation of this book was appalling with spelling and grammatical errors throughout. The headings were off centre and the print different sizes.
The story was like something I would have written when I was around ten years of age with children out of school in the early hours of the morning and being hit by adults. What more can I say!
The story was like something I would have written when I was around ten years of age with children out of school in the early hours of the morning and being hit by adults. What more can I say!
September 10, 2017
Enjoyable short read. There were a few spelling errors which affected the flow of the story at times.
September 13, 2017
I was pleased to have won this book in a Goodreads First Reads giveaway.
This was an enjoyable story and shall be passing it on to my granddaughter. A thin book which doesn't take too long to read.
This was an enjoyable story and shall be passing it on to my granddaughter. A thin book which doesn't take too long to read.
September 28, 2017
received this book as a Goodreads giveaway - good children's/teen book
February 19, 2018
I received this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. I will attempt to do that. My review may seem harsh, but it is not intended as brutal.
First, I know nothing of the author nor do I know what the "Five Star Readers' Favorites" stamps on the cover are supposed to mean. I approach every book as a new experience and look forward to being entertained.
All that said, this book was not for me.
I heartily applaud the author for keeping his material down to 64 pages. Self-contained stories can be told in an economical fashion and they do not need to be padded to 600-700-1000 page lengths to impress the reader that he is reading something of "quality" or "importance." I hope the author will continue with this spirit of brevity in all his work.
The story itself is good enough for what it sets out to do. A young girl finds her father is a criminal. Things proceed from there. It wraps up tidy enough.
My chief problem was the writing itself. The author frequently stretches metaphors to where they are rendered absurd. Some sentences repeat themselves. Also he terribly over-uses words like "THAT", "REALLY", "VERY", and so on. He needs to consult some instruction books as to writing and grammar mistakes to avoid. The script could be improved with a greater eye toward precision. In Chapter 1 alone I note 43 instances where the text could be improved. It proved repeatedly frustrating and what should have been a story to breeze through took way more time than was warranted.
Liam Moiser shows much potential. With practice and editing he could be good. It is all up to him if he wants to apply himself.
First, I know nothing of the author nor do I know what the "Five Star Readers' Favorites" stamps on the cover are supposed to mean. I approach every book as a new experience and look forward to being entertained.
All that said, this book was not for me.
I heartily applaud the author for keeping his material down to 64 pages. Self-contained stories can be told in an economical fashion and they do not need to be padded to 600-700-1000 page lengths to impress the reader that he is reading something of "quality" or "importance." I hope the author will continue with this spirit of brevity in all his work.
The story itself is good enough for what it sets out to do. A young girl finds her father is a criminal. Things proceed from there. It wraps up tidy enough.
My chief problem was the writing itself. The author frequently stretches metaphors to where they are rendered absurd. Some sentences repeat themselves. Also he terribly over-uses words like "THAT", "REALLY", "VERY", and so on. He needs to consult some instruction books as to writing and grammar mistakes to avoid. The script could be improved with a greater eye toward precision. In Chapter 1 alone I note 43 instances where the text could be improved. It proved repeatedly frustrating and what should have been a story to breeze through took way more time than was warranted.
Liam Moiser shows much potential. With practice and editing he could be good. It is all up to him if he wants to apply himself.
Want to read
October 20, 2017A book of a earlier time which I think will be popular with younger readers.
December 27, 2017
This book had a few spelling mistakes, but other than that it was quite good. I didn't really like the main character, Rachel, as she went from being the Head Girl to bullying other students and then back to being the Head Girl. The Headmistress was even tempted to expel her. Rachel's dad was a criminal and she thought that affected who she was as a person.
Even though this wasn't a long book, the pages were quite tall and there were no pictures inside. Overall, despite there being some things I didn't like, I would still recommend this book to a friend.
I received a copy of this book via the Goodreads Giveaways in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for my book!
Even though this wasn't a long book, the pages were quite tall and there were no pictures inside. Overall, despite there being some things I didn't like, I would still recommend this book to a friend.
I received a copy of this book via the Goodreads Giveaways in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for my book!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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