Itch by Simon Mayo

Hi everyone!

So I mentioned in my last post that I may be doing this post about the book Itch by Simon Mayo, I also wrote that I say him at the Edinburgh Book Festival! I also got a signed copy which I was delighted about! I was going to include a picture in this post but unfortunately I lent it to a friend, if I get it back soon I will add it to this post! It was really good and he spoke really well, I was very doubtful at first because it kinda annoys me how celebrity's  suddenly decide that they are gonna become writers, but I thought he was really interesting, and also he came at it with the angle of science, which was quite clever and new. It is quite a funny yet scary book and I would recommend it for 11 plus right up to adults  to be honest.

So anyway, Itch is about a boy of about fourteen who is very into science and calls himself an 'element collector' because he collects things from the table of elements. Anyway one day he stumbles across a rock which turns out to be a brand new element... as you probably know I am really bad at describing books so I will let the blurb do the rest of the talking!!:

Thrills. Danger. And world domination. Itch is as action-packed and suspenseful as a middle-grade novel can get!

Fourteen-year-old Itchingham Lofte, nicknamed Itch, has an unusual passion: collecting specimens of every element in the periodic table. So what if that means he's had a few ... mishaps? But when he gets his hands on a suspiciously warm rock made of a new, previously unknown element, things really begin to explode. Soon, a malevolent teacher, an evil-doing corporation, and a top-secret government agency are all after Itch. Can his science know-how keep him one step ahead of everyone...and help him stay alive?

Ah! OMG, so anyway  now I am gonna do my review!

Appearance 10/10
Yeah, quite a high rating I know but it has one feature that made me give it this score-  augmented reality animations via a free downloadable Itch app!  It is pretty clever I think... you point your smart phone at it and then it starts to kinda smolder and sparkle... okay that sounds kinda weird but you will know what I'm talking about if you get it??

Blurb 6/10
Harsh, I know. But if you read the book I think that it doesn't make it sound nearly as exciting as it really is! It also makes it sound really childish and young if that makes sense and just doesn't include key info that would make it sound so much more interesting.

Chapter Hooks 8/10
The reason for my score isn't because it had loads or not many, it's just I can't remember there being that many? There must of been but I probably just can't remember? I would include some in here but I don't want to put you at risk of spoilers...!

Overall Value for Money 10/10
To be honest I don't think I'm being to generous, this was a really good book and if you read the reviews (I'll leave a link at the bottom) you'll see that a lot of people seem to think so too! It's a really good book for all the family I would say and it comes from a really interesting angle of science!

34/40 a very good score for a very good book!

 Anyway, I'll write soon, I hope you enjoyed this post! Please read, comment and follow my blog, I really love it when people comment as I need the advice! 

Keep Reading

BookWorm
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15843377-itch      = reviews on itch!!

PS if you want to see what I am talking about with the augmented reality thing check this out!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2LN_Q53mWQ