Southwark Book Award

Author: Alan Shea

Title: The Amazing Mind of Alice Makin

More Info: See Shortlist 2008 page

You have sent us 60 reviews of this book so far. Keep them coming by letting us know what you think of The Amazing Mind of Alice Makin on the Have your Say page!

James from Charter School said:

A o.k book not really my kind of book but you do start to relate to the characters. Mon 29th Jun 2009

Marks out of 10: 5

Sam from Peter Hills Primary School said:

The Amazing mind of Alice Making: By Alan Shea The Amazing mind of Alice Makin is an interesting book but it is also a confusing book... To be honest, this book really lost me. The story is boring and confusing. I found that at times, the story was so boring that I literally forgot what the chapter or page was about. The plot is not very well polished and feels as if the writer couldn't think of what to write. The fact that the story is set in post war London is admittedly a nice idea and the fact that the family in the story is poor and mysterious is also quite realistic because if you think about it, lots of families would actually be quite poor and sad and a lot of people would have been parentless/relative less. Later in the story you find out that Alice's real parents were actually lost. This built the up the suspense and was over all a nice touch to the plot. I think that saying Reggie was actually Alice's biological twin brother was a mistake. I think that Alice and Reggie being close, drawn together friends is fine and enough but saying that they are related at the last minute just really, really, really confused me. If the book had more length or this part in the story had been shifted to an earlier time I would probably have been okay about it but it just came as a shock. Another thing that annoyed me was the fact that Alice and Reggie’s REAL dad just popped up on literally the last paragraph of the last page. It does not say where on earth he came from, where he went or why he left. This bugged me... Over all I think that this book is a marmite book that is not for everyone. You either love it or hate it! Just look at the other reviews on this book. The reviews were either all the way up at 9 or 10 or all the way down at 1 or 2. I recommend this book to girls and particularly imaginative boys with a taste for very confusing books that lack depth. The cover is impressive and the blurb matches the plot considerably. With a colourful, interesting and sparkling cover but a considerably boring plot, this book is a shining example of why you can’t always judge a book by its cover… Thu 25th Jun 2009

Marks out of 10: 2

Alexandra from Charter School said:

This book was fun to read and werent many drone on bits and very cool. A girl like her should deserve to have a power like this. When I read this I thought about turning my bed into a ice-cream or make the headteacher give us ice-cream or world peace would be cool. This is a great book if you just want to get away into a magical world. Its great for girls and boys and 9+ so if you want a magical experience just read this one! Wed 24th Jun 2009

Marks out of 10: 10

Dayo from Eveline Lowe Primary School said:

This book makes me happy because it is about a girl called Alice. She gets abused by her dad because she's made a new friend. I like this book :) Wed 24th Jun 2009

Marks out of 10: 9

Tanzia from Tower Bridge Primary School said:

There were 256 pages and I couldn't read them all but I did enjoy it. I got up to page 100!!! Wed 24th Jun 2009

Marks out of 10: 8

Nelita from Southwark Park Primary School said:

There are 2 main characters, Alice Makin and Reggie. Reggie is the new boy in Alice's school. Alice seems oddly drawn to him, and whenever they are together, her imaginations always seem to come true.

The Story:
When Reggie (the new boy in Alice's school) starts school, Alice decides to make friends with him. But it is very strange when whatever she imagines start to come real. Reggie says that she has the power of Mind-Touching (to make her imaginations become real). But her mum's boyfriend, Albert, stops here from seeing her friend Reggie. What Alice doesn't know is that Reggie is her twin-brother. Everyone around Alice doesn't believe that she has got a special power apart from Reggie. But her trusty 'Sherlock Holmes' is always by her side.

My favourite part:
My favourite part of the book is when they have bonfire night and at the end when Reggie, Alice and their Dad are hugging each other off-stage, the production that Alice wrote.

Recommendations:
I recommend it to people who like reading about magic. 6+ Wed 24th Jun 2009

Marks out of 10: 9

Caroline from Tower Bridge Primary School said:

I think its ok but its not for me !!!! Because its interesting and its mostly for year7 (older children). Wed 24th Jun 2009

Marks out of 10: 5

Jennifer from Tower Bridge Primary School said:

I've only read a little bit of this book. It is weird how Alice thinks of imaginary stuff then they come true. I think I might finish the book some day again when I get the chance to. It's a persuasive book. ITS COOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL !! Wed 24th Jun 2009

Marks out of 10: 1

Fahima from Tower Bridge Primary School said:

Well the front cover looked fantastic, but the actual story and plot was a bit dull and boring.
This book is more for older readers as it is set in the past. Children are into more modern stories. Wed 24th Jun 2009

Marks out of 10: 2

Arij from Tower Bridge Primary School said:

I think this book is great because whatever she dreams of comes true. Wed 24th Jun 2009

Marks out of 10: 6

Iman from Tower Bridge Primary School said:

Alan shea is a really fantastic writer. He writes lots of persuasive books that people love reading. Alan shea is the best writer!!! and I love reading this booooook!? Wed 24th Jun 2009

Marks out of 10: 10

Charlotte from Eveline Lowe Primary School said:

it is fantastic and so brilliant and interesting
Tue 23rd Jun 2009

Marks out of 10: 10

kirstie from Charter School said:

i loved this book all the way through untill the ending spoiled it. Mon 22nd Jun 2009

Marks out of 10: 8

Jose from St Thomas the Apostle College said:

This book was very descripive and interesting, but it was not my type of book!
because sometimes it explained too much and made me boredd! Mon 22nd Jun 2009

Marks out of 10: 6

Tosin from Redriff Primary School said:

The Amazing Mind of Alice Makin was my favourite book out of the six books because I really enjoyed reading the book. It was really interesting to read because it's about two kids called Alice and Reggie and they find out that they are twins. The plot is well written and explained. The only criticism I have is that there are no pictures in this book, so we have to create a picture of what we think is going on, an image in our heads. Overall I really enjoyed reading this book because it's imaginative. Thu 18th Jun 2009

Marks out of 10: 10

CHLOE from Kingsdale School said:

I think this was a great and imaginative book. It has many gripping moments and has a very satisfying ending I highly recommend this book, to both girls AND boys! Wed 17th Jun 2009

Marks out of 10: 10

Chante from Peter Hills Primary School said:

The Amazing Mind of Alice Makin was amazing as the cover says. I liked how Reggie and Alice are good friends and found out that they were twins! I felt so happy when Alice was reunited with her real dad. The plots were at school and around the city home were Alice won a box of chocolates for her mum, how sweet? I would recommend this amazing book because it’s a good family book. I will also give it a 10 out of 10 because it was the best book I’ve ever read. Wed 17th Jun 2009

Marks out of 10: 10

Shannon from Southwark Park Primary School said:

The Amazing Mind of Alice Makin is a great book. I recomend that you should never stop reading it. I couldn't stop taking my eyes of it because it was so good. After I would give it to someone else they would think its brilliant. At first I thought it was going to be boring but as I was reading the pages it got fantastic. Its about a girl called Alice Makin I would say her age is 11years old. There is a boy called Reggie in the book he is about 11yaers old to.Through out the story it gets more intresting. In one of the chapters its Alice's birthday and she invites Reggie round. He bought her a present and it had her Dad in it. A little while later they find out that they are twins brother and sister. At the end it is sad. I would recomend you should read it. Wed 17th Jun 2009

Marks out of 10: 8

George from Southwark Park Primary School said:

I think that the amazing mind of alice makin is a brillant book ! Its about a girl called Alice and a boy called Reggie.At the beginning
Alice meets Reggie and Reggie is being bullied .At tout that he end Alice finds out that Reggie is her twin brother and she finds her
real dad.She can touched minds.When she wished someting to happen it came real.It could have been improved by making it a bit funny.
Overall it was very very good book.I liked the bit when she wished tha the bubble gum machine to spill and it did!My rate for this book is 10/10.
Wed 17th Jun 2009

Marks out of 10: 9

Ryan from Bacon's College said:

Out of all the books I have read this is the worst book ever, you do not under stand what is happening half the time. Fri 12th Jun 2009

Marks out of 10: 2

Rowan from Kingsdale School said:

I really liked this book even though it was slightly boring at the beginning. With this book, what the character was trying to work out was revealed much earlier on than they worked it out which I thought was not necessary. Thu 11th Jun 2009

Marks out of 10: 8

Geme from St Thomas the Apostle College said:

it was ok but it did not keep me hooked .


Tue 9th Jun 2009

Marks out of 10: 3

Sarina from Peter Hills Primary School said:

Alice Makin was a magical book about a girl who lives in post war london. I really liked the bit when Alice and Reggie were more then friends. The book was so magical I had the picture in head. THE BOOK WAS GREAT. Wed 3rd Jun 2009

Marks out of 10: 10

Maisie from Peter Hills Primary School said:

The Amazing Mind of Alice Makin Alan Shea Alice Mmakin is a really great book. I have never read a book so magical in my life. The story can get a bit sad at times . The book is about a girl called Alice and a boy called Reggie she helps him to take care of the bullies .She is a very imaginative girl the way she wishes and it really happens. She is amazing and an impression. I would definitely recommend this book and the girl it is a very good row model to young kids. Story10/10 Cover: 10/10 Charters: 10/10 Wed 3rd Jun 2009

Marks out of 10: 10

Anas from Alma Primary School said:

The amazing mind of Alice Makin is a fabulous book I really like the way the book is set out and how it expresses its imagination. This is a very good book because it has a good storyline and the book is well laid out. I think children aged 9-12 will like this book very much.

I will recommend this book 8/10
.
Wed 3rd Jun 2009

Marks out of 10: 8

Tina from Alma Primary School said:

This book is about a girl called Alice Makin she’s growing up in the London, she meets a new boy at her school called Reggie. Whenever she is with him her imagination takes over and becomes reality. Her life starts to crumble when she finds out about being adopted, and then her (foster) mum tells her she’s having a baby. Then she finds out that she’s related to Reggie, and then at the end of the story they find out who their real dad is.


I think this book is very sad, but it’s very imaginative and creative. I like the ending; I give this book a 7/10.
Wed 3rd Jun 2009

Marks out of 10: 10

viatney from Alma Primary School said:

The Amazing mind Of Alice Makin.
The Amazing mind Of Alice Makin is a fantastic book and I recommend that you read this. I also like the plot and the fact that everything that she imagines becomes real when she hangs out with Reggie. My favourite bit of the story is when she finds out that she is related to Reggie its actually quite funny when you think about it. I think this book is quite sad sometimes but really creative too!
Wed 3rd Jun 2009

Marks out of 10: 10

Youcef from Alma Primary School said:

The Amazing Mind of Alice Makin


The Amazing mind of Alice Makin is a well structured and brilliantly laid out book. Although it’s well laid out it is also boring and I recommend this to girls. The author Alan Shea is a good author but this book wasn’t that good. I rate this book a 3 out of 10 because it is too girlish.
Wed 3rd Jun 2009

Marks out of 10: 3

Hp from Bacon's College said:

This book was definately my favourite out of all of the books. It was about a girl named Alice Makin and a boy named Reggie. Reggie has a special power and he discovers that Alice has it to. This is a briliant book with lots of little twists and I would recommend it to any one who likes magical books. Tue 2nd Jun 2009

Marks out of 10: 10

hassan from St Thomas the Apostle College said:

i really like this book it's funny when you act it out. and maybe change a few scence Tue 2nd Jun 2009

Marks out of 10: 8

amine from City of London Academy said:

I think it is a very good book because she can do amazing stuff with her mind when she thout of her lollie being number 27 and if she won the prize and then it happened also it keeps you reading it. Sun 31st May 2009

Marks out of 10: 10

Khalia from Harris Academy, Bermondsey said:

I thought the begining was really boring but the end was really good. Sat 23rd May 2009

Marks out of 10: 6

alice from City of London Academy said:

i think the amazing mind of alice makin is a really good book to read because alice can do all sorts of stuff with her mind like when her and reggie were in the lake and the tidle wave came and they had to swim ashore but no-one else say it.also,when alice brought her mum a box of chocolates and the next morning they weren't there. i would definately recomend it to a friend. Fri 22nd May 2009

Marks out of 10: 10

Shannon and Janessa from St Joseph's RC Primary School, George Row said:

I have read 12 chapters so far and i think this book is brilliant! This book so far is about a girl called Alice Makin who has a best friend called Reggie.Alice has her own imagination which is special. We have figured out when she thinks of something she wants to happen, it comes true we have used the information in the book to find out all of this.

The main characters are Alice and Reggie. I would describe Alice as a smart intelligant girl who has a brilliant imigination . I would describe Reggie as a quite, sensible boy. The character who i do not like is Denis because he is mean to Reggie who has not done anything to denis. Thu 21st May 2009

Marks out of 10: 9

George from St Joseph's RC Primary School, George Row said:

I read the first 12 chapters ,it is quite confusing because there are so many chacters at the begging but briliant! Lets meet the chacters,Alice',R-reggie',Norman,Denis,his brother Gary.

Alice is a strange girl because most of the things she thinks of comes true.for exemple she said she never wins anything but when they bye an ice lollie and she wins so she gets to pick anything in the shop,also she said gary and denis never get cought but when a lorry drives past the next thing Alice can see is loads of buuble gum machin is pouring out gum and they get cought. Thu 21st May 2009

Marks out of 10: 9

Jose from St Thomas the Apostle College said:

This book was also very good, because the beggining was so action packed and very described in lots of good detail.
Soo this book was also very interesting:)
But the book was not the best book out there.But I did enjoy it Tue 19th May 2009

Marks out of 10: 7

Nathaniel from St Thomas the Apostle College said:

I found this book unintresting it was not really grabbing me to read it because it was very strange and the storyline really lost me. Tue 19th May 2009

Marks out of 10: 3

joseph from St Thomas the Apostle College said:

this book was great nothing short from a brilliant epic. a young girl discovers she can make peolple see what she thinks a execellent book although i am a bit dissapointed in the ending all in all a great book Tue 19th May 2009

Marks out of 10: 8

Raymond from Bacon's College said:

Amazing book! Tue 19th May 2009

Marks out of 10: 10

Amy from St John's RC Primary School, St Elmos Rd said:

I think that this book is fantastic because you will think that it was real life. How she can only find her dad near the end of the book? Fri 15th May 2009

Marks out of 10: 10

Saskia from St Michael's RC School said:

This book was EXTREMELY BORING. I never wan't to read it again. Thu 14th May 2009

Marks out of 10: 3

Billy from Bacon's College said:

It is about a girl, she grows up in a war in London, a grey war of bomb sites. It is about a girl called Alice her escape is from her imagination, which always brightens her day. But when a new boy starts school her mind begins playing tricks on her. She’s oddly drawn to him, and whenever they are together the world becomes a more exciting place. A place where the things she imagines appear to become real. I like it because she has all different kinds of imaginations like she escapes. Thu 14th May 2009

Marks out of 10: 8

Taffari from Alma Primary School said:

It is about a girl called Alice and she has to escape from her imagination, which always brightens her day .but when a new boy starts school, her mind begins
playing tricks on her.


What I like about the book is where she has all different kinds of imaginations like when she escapes from the war.
Thu 14th May 2009

Marks out of 10: 8

Frank from Kingsdale School said:

I liked this book because it was a bit scary and it kept you reading.It was a bit confusing when the main character (Alice) was getting chased by shadows... Thu 14th May 2009

Marks out of 10: 8

Billy from Alma Primary School said:

The amazing mind of Alice makim

The amazing mind of Alice makim is a great book because it is about an adventurous girl who turns everything into fun.10/10
The amazing mind of Alice makim


Thu 14th May 2009

Marks out of 10: 10

Abdul from Alma Primary School said:

I don’t like this book because it is confusing in the beginning so I don’t understand what the book is about. I will recommend this book to no one because it will confuse your mind and it will make you go nuts. This book is one of they most worst and boring book I’ve ever read in all time. This book is so boring you will just be wasting your time reading you.

I will rate this book 1 out of 10
Thu 14th May 2009

Marks out of 10: 1

Eniola from Alma Primary School said:

I don’t like this book because it doesn’t make any sense and the storyline doesn’t flow. It is so boring it will make you sleep. I won’t recommend this book to anyone because it will confuse your mind. This book is one of the worst and boring book of all time.I don’t like this book because it doesn’t make any sense and the storyline doesn’t flow. It is so boring it will make you sleep. I won’t recommend this book to anyone because it will confuse your mind. This book is one of the worst and boring book of all time. Thu 14th May 2009

Marks out of 10: 1

Maisie from Redriff Primary School said:

The Amazing Mind of Alice Makin by Alan Shea Alice Makin is a really great book. I have never read a book so magical in my life! The story can get a bit sad at times, because Reggie gets bullied and also when they describe Alice’s house. Alice is a very imaginative girl, when she wishes it really happens. She is amazing and an inspiration. I will definatly recommend this book because it is a great read. Maisie Story10/10 Cover: 5/10 Characters 10/10 Wed 13th May 2009

Marks out of 10: 10

Sophia from Peter Hills Primary School said:

Wow Alice Makin was fantastic! It was a magical story about a young girl who lived during the war with her horrid step dad and her really nice step mum. She met a boy named Reggie who was her brother but she didn’t know it yet. Reggie and Alice go through everyday together until one day Reggie figures out that they are brother and sister. He and his grandpa set out to find his real dad. Then when he shows up at the end of Alice’s play she is so astonished she starts to cry. It was a very moving story. This story sent my emotions on a roller coaster! It sends a sparkle into my mind!! This book is amazing! I would definitely recommend you to read this book! Wed 13th May 2009

Marks out of 10: 10

Chelsea from Charter School said:

I thought this book was very interesting and amusing. The description was very imaginative and the characters were powerful. I thought the ending was strange; because the stepdad disappeared which I thought was a bit out-of-the-blue in a way. Alan Shea done very well making this book enjoyable to read but it was a too over the top to be honest. I actually thought that in the end it would end up being all dream. I also thought it was very sad when the stepdad used the mind touching to kill Flash (the dog)

Overall I enjoyed this book thoroughly but it could be better. Thu 7th May 2009

Marks out of 10: 8

Nikki from Bacon's College said:

I did not like this book because it's very confusing at the beginning. It was ok, then in the middle it got confusing, then at the end I did not understand it. I read all of it in the Easter holiday by Nikki McCann Thu 7th May 2009

Marks out of 10: 2

Zhané from Eveline Lowe Primary School said:

This book is great! It's of a story of a girl who gets told she can mind touch others with her imagination. It's like a real life story, she gets abused by her stepdad and her mum is having a baby.
I'm not going to say no more because it will spoil it so read the book! Tue 5th May 2009

Marks out of 10: 10

Kamilla from Eveline Lowe Primary School said:

Very interesting! The author really uses powerful words to catch tghe readers attention!
Tue 5th May 2009

Marks out of 10: 8

Charlotte from Charter School said:

This book although, shall we say, INTERESTING, was not at all my style. It went on and on about nothing, and never seemed to come to any logical conclusions. It was so unrealistic, it wasn't even funny. Although some would say that it was a good insight into a child's mind, I don't think that any child is this... warped. It didn't seem to be able to make it's mind up about what was going to happen, and what it would mean. On the other hand, most of the characters were quite strong, and the description was nice, if different. I think that the same book, written more logically and with a clearer end in sight, could actually have been bearable. But it was all over the place, and didn't seem to make much sense. Alice herself had no idea what was going on, which made the book hard to understand. Also, mainly I don't like books written in first person, and this book is a perfect example of why. It sounds childish, and doesn't hook you. Try another book. Fri 1st May 2009

Marks out of 10: 4

Afolarin from St Mary Magdalene CofE Primary School said:

I thought that Alan Shea is a good author who knows how to use great punctuation. Alice makin is about a girl who lives with her evil stepdad. She soon meets a new boy in school who always makes her imagination come to life when she is with him. Her mum is having a new baby, and the new boy has just discovered that him and Alice are twins. Alice has alot on her mind, including finding her real father, who she goes out to find, even though he could be anywhere on this planet. Wed 29th Apr 2009

Marks out of 10: 8

sabi from Alma Primary School said:

This book the Amazing Mind of Alice Makin is great because it is very imaginative book and it is about a girl named Alice who’s life is all boring until she meets the new boy (Reggie) and her imagination starts to play tricks on her. She is strangely drawn to him, and whenever they are together the world becomes more exciting to them both. I like this book because it is very imaginative and interesting if you were in the middle of this book and you have to pack up you would want to carry on because it is one good book. Mon 27th Apr 2009

Marks out of 10: 9

Mahir from Alma Primary School said:

I like this book because its genre is Mystic and these types of books make me think about what happens next. It makes me read on and whenever I do, something odd happens like…
A young boy was new to school and a girl’s mind was playing tricks on her. Even though the girl was glued to him he still wanted to know what was so attractive about him, and the girl imagined odd things and it actually came true.
Mon 27th Apr 2009

Marks out of 10: 2

Aaron from St Mary Magdalene CofE Primary School said:

A great storyline with great punctuation!I highly reccomend this book to anyone that appreciates magical adventures, danger and action or even just likes having a laugh. For 7+ only. Thu 23rd Apr 2009

Marks out of 10: 9

Willa from Goodrich Primary School said:

This book was the first book to catch my eye when i was introduced to The Southwark book award. So when i started reading it, it was full of suprises and fun. I love books were children just run around the streets a day free. This book should be aged around 9-11. I enjoyed this book very much & I think Alan Shea is a great writer & is able to hook the reader in on first paragraph. The characters are full imagination and you stuck into the book and you start to feel like you're really there! The amazing mind of Alice Makin is the book I enjoyed the most. And i hope you will too. Thu 23rd Apr 2009

Marks out of 10: 9

Harry from Bacon's College said:

This book is a fantastic book for Alice's imagination CHARACTERS: Alice, Ms Druce, Reggie, Denis, Stuttering Stanley and Gary Spicer. STORY: She escapes into her very own imagination. Bad news is that Reggie (the new kid) keeps on telling Alice tips about schoollife, and tries to calm her down. But Alice's brain explodes with fun ideas and she can't be patient. Please vote for Alice because it's actually funny. Wed 22nd Apr 2009

Marks out of 10: 9