Doncaster Book Award - Read Reviews

Doncaster: Discover the Spirit

The Haunting of Nathaniel Wolfe
by Brian Keaney

So far we have received 32 reviews of The Haunting of Nathaniel Wolfe. You can read them below.

Paige from Year 7, Don Valley School and Performing Arts College:

This is really, really really scary. I love the ending where
the lady vanishes and you just wouldn't know where she has
gone. My favourite character was Lily, she is described really
well. I think she is kind of like me. There was nothing I
disliked about this book, and people who like scary stories
will love it. I would recommend it because it has a scary
story mixed with a mystery.

Marks out of 10: 9

Abie from Year 8, Don Valley School and Performing Arts College:

THe Haunting of Nathaniel Wolfe is a great book that I
absolutely loved. At the begining it has a lot of information,
crucial information about Nathaniel's Dad. His Dad has a show
in which he pretends to talk to the dead. His friend makes
conversations with people cooming into the audience and gets
information about why they are there. She then passes this
information to Cicero(Nathaniels' Dad) and it becomes the show,
it's all fake but only Nathaniel, Cicero and his friend know
this. Cicero pretends to be the person the audience member has
lost. He gives fake advice and the others believe him. He
will get what he deserves eventually. Nathaniel collects the
entrance fees at the start of the shows, he sits on his little
stool staring miserably into the foggy outdoors. Later on in
the book someone dead actually contacts Nathaniel. He soon
realises he has the real talent. His father doesn't know this.
The dead ask Nathaniel to do a job, aka favour....read it to
find out more! I really enjoyed this book and once I got into
it I couldn't stop. I highly recommend it, if you don't read
it you are missing out.

Marks out of 10: 9

Matthew from Year 11, Ridgewood School:

All in all, a fantastic book! This is the first novel i've read
by Brian Keaney and it was an absolute page turner- i couldn't
put it down! The storyline was easy to follow and never seemed
to get tiresome.
My favourite character had to be Lily as she always remained
clam no matter what was happening.
The thread that connected the two characters throughout the
book showed just how strong friendship is, and how ,no matter
your circumstances, you can find someone who will stick by you
no matter what.
The only disappointing thing about the novel was the ending, as
it was a little unrealistic, with the conversation between him
and the Queen being a little far-fetched.

Marks out of 10: 8

Kyle from Year 11, Ridgewood School:

This was a really good book set in the past, especially through
the use of imagery, which make the story seem to evolve around
you as the plot thickens. The book is set in the Victorian
times, based around a boy named Nathaniel Wolfe who is haunted
by a ghost.
It is unique due to the contrasting ideas of the supernatural
genre and the Victorian era. This makes it a one-of-a-kind book
that you can't put down, no matter how hard you try. I would
definitely recommend it to anyone who likes cliff hangers and
ghosts. Definitely 9 out of 10. Simply genius.

Marks out of 10: 9

Kayleigh from Year 8, Rossington All Saints School:

I like the sinse of mystery in this book, but I found the
ending dissapointing. The story seemed to drag on for a long
time. The only other good thing about the book was the the
language used.

Marks out of 10: 6

bonnie from Year 7, Ridgewood School:

i did not like this book i found it hard to get into

Marks out of 10: 4

Stephanie from Year 7, Rossington All Saints School:

This books about Nathaniel and Lily who have seen an apperance
of an unwanted quest(spiritual). Eventually
they found out a dark secret to do with Lilys old mistriss and
Miss Sophie.

Lilys old mistress died a year ago and Miss Sophie is reacting
the same as Lilys old mistress when she died.

Marks out of 10: 9

Abbie from Year 9, Mexborough School:

The way Brian Keaney writes is entirely individual and so is
his book, the Haunting of Nathaniel Wolfe. It transports you to
the eerie Victorian London, makes you feel the way Nathaniel
feels and involves you in the story as much as it entwines the
characters. I adored this book and couldn't put it down until
the end, when I then started searching for the next book
online.
A thoroughly delightful read for anyone who can read. x

Marks out of 10: 9

melissa from Year 6, Sunnyfields Primary School:

this book was quiet good but i didnt enjoy it much because it
wasnt much about the story like it said on the blurb thats why
im givin it a 5 out of 10.

Marks out of 10: 5

Chloe from Year 6, Hatfield Manor Junior School:

I will give The Haunting of Nathaniel Wolfe a mark of 8 because
it wasn`t very haunting like and it didn`t make me
uncomfortable.In the 1st and 2nd chapters it was sort of scary
but apart from that I quite enjoyed it.

Marks out of 10: 8

Emma from Year 5, Owston Primary School:

this book is called the Hauntin Of Nathaniel wolfe. this
interesting story is about a boy who dosent believe in the
dead/ghosts but soon he will realise oh oops am i giving away
the story anyway where am i he has a dad called Cicero
Nathanial is scared of him well not really just when he has a
drink he knows what its like when Cicero loses his temper
Nathanial once got beat up by him and know knows to be aware of
him at all times even when he dose not drink.Nathaniel dosent
see much of his mum because he sort of has a job with Cicero
where everyone one who wants to thank the dead for there kind
hopes and not living the wrong way so they all go up on the
stage and ofcourse thank them and they didnt go home till late
oops again i keep giving it away but its a great story and i
reccomend it to anything good but like i said earlier on
Nathanial dosent believe in the dead he just wont admit it to
Cicero when a ghost person/part of the living dead appears she
trys to get a message through to him but he thinks his eyes are
fooling him but its true id vote this 9/10 because its a bit
difficult to get in to but its a fantastic book if you want one
try this one! my faviourite bit is when the ghost appears so
read it!!

Marks out of 10: 9

Anna-Marie from Year 6, Saltersgate Primary School:

I have finished the haunting of Nathaniel Wolfe book by Brian
Keaney and its about a boy who finds himself in a sticky
situation, with a girl called Lily. They see the same ghost and
want to find out who it is and what it wants. My favourite
character was Nathaniel because i like his determination and i
really like his personality. I would recommend this book to
people who like suspense and mystery. Also it entertained me
for a long time and kerpt me reading.

Marks out of 10: 8

daniel from Year 6, Adwick Park Junior School:

Brilliant book. Really scary. couldn't put it down. Can't wait
for the next book!

Marks out of 10: 10

josh from Year 8, De Warenne Academy:

!!THIS BOOK IS AWSOME !! It is a well writen paranormal book
set in a well described victorian setting !! I hope he writes
more like this !!

Marks out of 10: 10

Jade from Year 6, Hatfield Manor Junior School:

I gave this book a 7 because it was boring at times. I liked
the part where lily found nathaniel and took him to her home. I
think any age should read this book.

Marks out of 10: 7

Beckii from Year 6, Hatfield Manor Junior School:

The Haunting Of Nathaniel Wolfe is a sort of magical story.. I
think it was magical because Nathaniel goes from being a
mediums son- who isn't very rich at all- to living with his
rich grandfather.

Marks out of 10: 8

beth from Year 6, Hatfield Manor Junior School:

The book the haunting of nathaniel wolfe was rubbish, it was
boring at first and it didnt get any better by the end. its
about a young boy in the past who had a father that did shows
about talking to the spirits. i hated it...

Marks out of 10: 1

jamie from Year 6, Hatfield Manor Junior School:

15 pages is all it took to make me bored as hell. Rubbish. You
should always be hooked in the first page. never worked, never
will. I regret wanting to read it now. So far Wierd my
favourite book by far. I totally lost it in the first sentence.
Brian Keaney if you read this certainly, most definatly, redo
the whole book. And I mean it! Easy for a 1 out of 10.

Marks out of 10: 1

jamie from Year 6, Hatfield Manor Junior School:

Marks out of 10: 1

John from Year 6, St Peter's Catholic Primary School:

The book is a mysterious book about a boy(Nathaniel) who tries
to stop a rich man from poisoning his wife for her
money.Nathaniel tries to stop this man with his friend who
works in the sewr.I would reccomend this book to the ages of
9-13.

Marks out of 10: 9

Thomas from Year 8, Ridgewood School:

I thought this book was a quite boring because the chapters
were very long and they were boring and didn't make any
sense!!!

Marks out of 10: 3

Ryan from Year 5, Kingfisher Primary School:

My first impressions of the book were that it was really good,
exciting and interesting! The book made me feel interested and
like I could read it in a flash.

The best part of the book is a chapter called 'Underground.'
This is the best part because it gets you on your feet and gets
you excited! The way the author describes the scenes is what
makes it so good.

My least favourite part of the book is where the characters are
in the theatre and they talk to spirits. It is the worst part
because I lost interest in it and it isn't exciting. It is a
bit disappointing, I hoped something else would happen.

Marks out of 10: 8

Elly from Year 6, Hatfield Manor Junior School:

The Haunting of Nathaniel Wolfe as not my type of book.
To me i did not like the storyline. 'talking to the dead' I
would recomend it to people who like storys about talking to
the dead but not to peole who are not into things about this
topic.

Marks out of 10: 7

Joe from Year 6, Hatfield Manor Junior School:

This book was just absaloutely fantastic! i just could'nt stop
reading it.And I'd give it a scare factor of 100 out of 100!
Though im sure you would'nt want to read it at night.

Marks out of 10: 10

lewis from Year 6, Sunnyfields Primary School:

The book was fab and it was really scary but at the start it
was kinda boring but when i kept on reading on it was freaky!

Marks out of 10: 8

molly from Year 6, Hatfield Manor Junior School:

I didnt think that this book was very good there was some good
parts and bad parts .

Marks out of 10: 6

holly from Year 6, Tranmoor Primary School:

I though the haunting of nathaniel wolfe was a good book, and I
hope it wins because it was my favourite book in the awards. I
thought that some of the words used in it could have been
changed a bit because sometimes the words didnt seem right. Im
giving it an 8 out of 10 because altogether I liked it bust
sometimes I thought the way it was rote could have been better.

Marks out of 10: 8

Holly and Amy from Year 6, Tranmoor Primary School:

This is a very good book. We liked the part where nathaniels
dad Cicero was pretending to talk to ghosts. Altogether we
decided we would give this book a 9/10 because the whole book
was good exept there could have been more of an ending. We hope
this book will win!

Marks out of 10: 9

Holly from Year 5, Tranmoor Primary School:

The haunting of nathaniel wolfe was a cool book.
Here are the characters!
Nathaniel- Nathaniel is a kind character. He has to put up with
lots, and he deals with things he shouldnt have to deal with. I
think hes really strong and is greateful for everything hes
got.
Cicero- Hes a type of character who isnt very thouhtful of
others. I didnt like cicero because he hung nathaniel from the
window.
Jeremiah- I really like him because i think hes nice towards
other characters and thinks of others well.
Lily- I thought lily was ok but to me she seemed a little
impolite at the beginning of the book, but slowly grew kinder
as she got to know nathaniel. Lily was ok.
Mrs Gaunt- I hate people like this person. She pretends shes
being nice to people, when shes actually using them. I hated
this character, she was spoilt.
Maggot harris- I wasnt so keen on Maggot, as he was a criminal.
during the end of the book, the man is found dead in the
sewers.
My favourite part of this book was near the end were Jeremiah
and Nathaniel where chasing mr chesterfeild in the sewers. they
described it really well, and there was also a lot of action in
it. I loved this book in total, and i even asked my granma for
it for christmas and i got it! I read and read and read this
book until i got done off my mum and sister, it was so good! I
dont think the book is so scary, but more interesting!

Marks out of 10: 10

Jasmine from Year 6, Hatchell Wood Primary School:

i didn't really like this book because it was quite confusing
and a bit scary. i only give it 5 marks out of 10

Marks out of 10: 5

Navodya from Year 6, Hexthorpe Primary School:

It was spooky and scary but i got on alright you always want to
know what is going to come next
It was GGGRRRREEEEEAAAAATTTTT!!!!!!!:)

Marks out of 10: 10

Keeley from Year 8, Don Valley School and Performing Arts College:

This book is about a boy whose mother died and his father can
speak to the after life. The boys name is Nathaniel Wolf he
gets beaten when his dad is drunk. I have no favourite
character because I didnt really like this book, it was a bit
spooky for me.

Marks out of 10: 8

Colony
J A Henderson

Doncaster Book Award · www.doncasterbookaward.net · Contact Details · Website redeveloped by Intexta