The Hidden Agenda of Sigrid Sugden - Jill Maclean.

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Emma's Rating: 4/5
Ashvini's Rating: 5/5
Emma:
I thought that The Hidden Agenda of Sigrid Sugden was a very good book. First of all it was from the perspective of a bully who from the very start never wanted to be one. It was quite an interesting read. Now the first thing that I want to talk about (or more realistically write or type about)
is the cover. Most people say that the cover looks boring, and yes I did think that too, but have you ever heard the phrase "never judge a book by it's cover?" Normally it means that "it is not what is on the outside that counts but it's what is on the inside". So basically to sum things up, don't ever judge a person, and the same thing goes for books... or anything for example (and this is coming from the environmentalist inside me) we are taking plants for granted! Maybe they can't talk or walk but they are still living things! Animals too if you searched up endangered species right now their would be a long list of them. And (relating back to the topic) people judge animals as well as humans think of
Sharks, Tigers and especially lions they all tend to have a bad rep for being carnivores. What about the hairless cats or mosquitoes barely any one wants them but they were put on this planet for a reason not their looks. Anyways now that were back on track I can't stress enough how much I loved this book and I definitely don't regret it! All that I am saying is that It is such a good book despite the cover and I totally recommend it. So...um...take it away Ashvini :) And remember never ever in a million years should you judge a book by its cover;)

Ashvini:

The Hidden Agenda of Sigrid Sugden was definitely an unexpectedly inspiring novel. I remember seeing it on the list of Silver Birch Nominees and thinking, “Well that’s one novel I’m definitely not going to read!” Likewise, I was wrong. After some convincing from a local librarian, I gave in and went into the book thinking “How good can this book really be?”  I learned a very important lesson that day… Never judge a book by its cover.

This is obviously a realistic fiction book. Emphasize on the realistic. Nothing in this book felt out of place, like everything fit together so well. The way that the environment of Sigrid’s small town was created just seemed so perfect. Most people knew each other, but not in a way that everyone was like best friends and waved to each other and always smiled. This book was realistic in the sense that it didn’t bother to hide the unfortunate, harsh realities of life. It was done in such a way that it didn’t make you cringe and stray away from the book, it made you stop and think. It showed that everyone in Sigrid’s community was fighting their own battle inside: Seal, Travis, Prinny, Hud, Doyle, even Tate and Mel, and of course Sigrid herself. Even though they weren’t best friends they came together as a team and took a stand against what was left of the shrikes. This book showed that it takes a community to make a difference.

The writing style of this book at some points reminded me a lot of We Were Liars by E. Lockhart. The way that Sigrid ended the paragraph or idea made you have to read in between the lines. The way that it was written, wasn’t non-descriptive,  it was written very intelligently with many idioms and metaphors and so I enjoyed revisiting that narration style.

Overall, I don’t know what to say about this book! I’m just bewildered at how wicked and awesome this book. I just don’t have words… I would recommend it to anyone and everyone.
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Can you guess what our next review will be on?
 HINTS: The book is Majestic and includes fairy tales. The publisher is
Little Brown Books for Young Readers, It's a New York Times Bestseller!

More reviews coming to a computer near you soon!

Yours Truly,
Emma and Ashvini