Southwark Book Award

Author: Rebecca Westcott

Title: Dandelion Clocks

More Info: See Shortlist 2015 page

You have sent us 14 reviews of this book so far. Keep them coming by letting us know what you think of Dandelion Clocks on the Have your Say page!

 NEW  Is Dandelion Clocks your favourite book on this year's shortlist? You can now vote for it to win! Just go to the voting page!

Fatima from Charter School said:

Liv is a 11-12 year old girl who meets many adversities in life but keeps on fighting even when catastrophe laughs in her face. rnProdigious, Impassioned and moving. Those are just three words to describe Dandelion Clocks. I would be lying if i said i wasn't the slightest bit moved by this spontaneously, heart-breaking story about a family that were so close and loud and were now torn and shattered by an inescapable fear... Death! rnThroughout the enter book i was really touched by Isaac's character and had wished that the author would have included a lot more of him in most chapters. This story is truly engaging and had me wondering what Liv was going to do next because her actions were quite unpredictable. I LOVED EVERY PART OF THIS BOOK! I also would have loved to find-out what was the cause of the death. A big round of applause to Rebecca Westcott. Wed 17th Jun 2015

Marks out of 10: 10

Aisha from Other School said:

Aisha from Bessemer Grange School.rnThis book is fun, intresting and a bit funny as well when Liv's mum starts giving her life skills like cooking and her mum gave her old diarys. i will recomend this book to yong adults and to 10-13 year olds and to people that keep diarys and like taking pictures. Thu 21st May 2015

Marks out of 10: 8

Anna from Other School said:

Anna O'Daly St Saviors & St OlavesrnI really like this book. It made me laugh and it made me cry. It was such a touching story. What I loved about it was the relationship between Olivia and her Mom. It was so nice that they could still have the best time even though the situation was bad. I felt that Olivia's Mom was so strong. My favorite character was Isaac, he was funny and I loved the way Olivia cared for him. This book was really amazing and would rate it 10. Thu 21st May 2015

Marks out of 10: 10

Naomi from Other School said:

Naomi odusanya 7blue St saviours and St olaves rnI read the book Dandelion clocks and I the it was very inspiring interesting and was very hard to down. The author is called Rebicca westcott and was published by puffin.rnThe book is about someone called Olivia and she has a brother that needs rules and instructions to live his life. She would probibly desrcibe her mother as control freak until one day her mother stars being nice to her and giving her liberty.All of a sudden her mother is taking her shopping teaching her to cook bolognese and how to apply make up.To Olivia this is strange and she thinks her parents are getting divorced but can she take the truth. Wed 20th May 2015

Marks out of 10: 9

Naomi from Other School said:

Naomi odusanya 7blue St saviours and St olaves rnI read the book Dandelion clocks and I the it was very inspiring interesting and was very hard to down. The author is called Rebicca westcott and was published by puffin.rnThe book is about someone called Olivia and she has a brother that needs rules and instructions to live his life. She would probibly desrcibe her mother as control freak until one day her mother stars being nice to her and giving her liberty.All of a sudden her mother is taking her shopping teaching her to cook bolognese and how to apply make up.To Olivia this is strange and she thinks her parents are getting divorced but can she take the truth. Wed 20th May 2015

Marks out of 10: 9

Jonah from St Thomas the Apostle School said:

Liv takes us on a journey through her life from "Thirteen Weeks Before" to "Six Months After". We discover a lot of Liv's passion for photography, her secret admirer (not really, they both like each other) her brother's addiction with sticking to the rules, the stupidity of Moronic Louise at school and how the family copes as there Mum's terminal illness takes hold... and someone must die. Guided by her Mum's own childhood diaries, Liv finds a way to live her life. How will she get through the tragic past?rnrnThis book is very emotional, sentimental and heartbreaking. I couldn't help myself crying halfway through the story. I nearly used up 3 boxes of tissues and I was repeatedly questioned by my parents why am I crying? This book is so emotional and passionate that if I wrote this book myself, there would certainly be a few wet pages in the original book. This book is so good, I think it will win the Southwark book award competition and to be honest I wouldn't be surprised. If you like passion, drama and romance then this is the book for you. Tue 19th May 2015

Marks out of 10: 9

Maya from Other School said:

Maya Clemens 7R St Saviour's & st Olaves. i really enjoyed reading this book, it was really sad but also really funny, like at the end when her mum died. I also liked this book because it shows you how hard it is to lose someone you love and that life carries on. this was a new style of book for me and a style i would like to carry on reading. this was a really heartwarming story and hope everybody else finds as emotional as i did. i also think that i should read more of Rebecca Westcott's books because this was one of the best books i've ever read. Tue 19th May 2015

Marks out of 10: 10

Britney from Other School said:

Britney TandohrnSt Saviours & St SavioursrnI really loved this book. It was emotionally heartbreaking. I really delved into this book because it was so engrossing. I literally cried over how much her mum really cared for liv. and believe i dont cry over books. This book is one of the best and no matter how many timesd i read it i still cant get used to it meaning that it is so touching that it will melt your heart. Liv's mum dies and the story is about the run up to her dying and how Liv copes with it also how she deals with all the emotions afterwards. My favourite character is Isaac because he has Asperger's syndrome which makes it hard for him to understand people. but the fact that he really tries to understand others really touches the core point of my heart which isnt easily touched. Also Live was really brave coping with her mums death. I mean i wouldnt be avble to live without my mum. Without her i would feel like dying. This author has dove right into my heart and that is something i will never forget. GREAT JOB! Tue 19th May 2015

Marks out of 10: 10

Yurong from Other School said:

Yurong HernSt Saviours and St Olave'srnI really like the cover of the book because, it draws the reader in. This is because it tells us about the book without reading it, or reading the blurb. However, I did not like the book because the beginning was not appealing. I think the book deserves 5/10 half for the cover. Therefore, I think the book was not as appealing as the cover. The book cover is fantastic and intriguing. Tue 19th May 2015

Marks out of 10: 5

Yurong from Other School said:

Yurong HernSt Saviours and St Olave'srnI really like the cover of the book because, it draws the reader in. This is because it tells us about the book without reading it, or reading the blurb. However, I did not like the book because the beginning was not appealing. I think the book deserves 5/10 half for the cover. Therefore, I think the book was not as appealing as the cover. The book cover is fantastic and intriguing. Tue 19th May 2015

Marks out of 10: 5

Rebecca from Other School said:

Rebecca Olatokun 7YrnSt Saviour's & st Olaves rnrn The big emotions at the heart of this story will grab readers’ attention and guide them through a painful and heart-warming story. i like the way this book brings mixed emotions to the reader for example : it made me question when she got her one ear pierced and it made me sad when i found out her mother was dead. i had never read such a good book with a lot of suspension and i shall read even more of Rebecca Westcott's books!rni rate 10/10 for Rebecca Westcott's Dandelion Clocks!rnrn Mon 18th May 2015

Marks out of 10: 10

Christabel from Other School said:

Christabel Sarfo, Year 7RedrnSt Saviours and St Olaves rnThe reason I like this book is because, usually books that involve people which are sick, have the story being told by the sick person/people. This book is different. In Dandelion Clocks, the story is told by the point of view of Olivia, the daughter of the sick person. I also like this book because it explains that it is not easy losing someone you love and it will be hard to cope but good things may happen after a long time. Even though, Olivia was the main character, my favorite character was Olivia's older brother, Issac. Issac has Asperger's Syndrome so he finds it very hard to understand other people's emotions; the reason he is my favorite character is because he tried very hard to understand other peoples emotions. Mon 18th May 2015

Marks out of 10: 10

Mabbina from Notre Dame R C Secondary School said:

I love this book! It was heartbreaking and emotional. I really delved into this book because I was so engrossed. Liv is brave and gives a real sense of humour. I cried just realising how much her mum cares about her. It was really interesting reading her mum's diary. I thought they'd write soppy things in those days but it was the opposite of my thought. I love Jacqueline Wilson books and this book was just like her books. I think I'm a bit like Liv because I like taking pictures but that's really all we have in common. This extraordinary book relates to real life issues. Liv is a really amazing character to take care of her brother and mum. I think Jacqueline Wilson fans would love this book. Readers would love it! Tue 28th Apr 2015

Marks out of 10: 10

Ella from Notre Dame R C Secondary School said:

In this book, Liv's mum dies and the story is about the run up to her dying and how Liv copes with it and how she deals with all the emotions afterwards!rnMy favourite character is Liv! I really like how she speaks to the reader in the first person because it's like she talking to you personally! rnIt made me feel really upset when Liv's mum died because of all the powerful language! I was in class and I nearly cried!! It made me think how hard it would be if one of my family members were in the condition like Liv's mum!rnI really like how the author has used the title, Dandelion Clocks, in the story. Liv brings her mum some dandelion clocks from the garden and says ' And I am glad that my dandelion clocks were the last thing that she looked at before she went.'rnI would recommend this book to anyone because, even though it's sad, it is still a great story with lots of interesting characters, emotive language and cliff-hangers!!rnrnA story that definitely deserves to be read!rn Fri 24th Apr 2015

Marks out of 10: 10