Me and my fellow reader Daphne sorting through the books at Mind. She's a lot more ruthless when it comes to rejecting and decoding books than I am, but that's not always a bad thing as sometimes I get a whole bunch for free!
Books that don't sell or are creased and slightly damaged are collected and sent to developing countries.
Admittedly, sometimes I laugh and wonder how the people there feel about the random selection that are sent. I picture some African boy making the most of a Doctor Who Annual from 2008 whilst their parents puzzle over "The Sunday Philosophy Club." Not that we should underestimate them though! It's great to know that through our shared love of books with our donors and customers, we're either raising money for a charity that helps people with mental health problems - an issue close to many people's hearts at the moment - or contributing to people's education around the world.#

I'll miss my time at Mind, but I feel the experience I've gained and the people I've met will stay with me and influence my outlook on life.

With thanks to my manager Fabiola and all the other lovely volunteers.

My window display of cool books at the Mind shop, Cowick Street Exeter - hoping to attract some more teenage customers!

Top 10 Disappointments of 2016 so far

The year has had its ups and downs and for this list, it's the downs. Not all of these books were terrible, but none of them lived up to their hype. I know full well that writing a book isn't easy and I kind of feel like I'm betraying fellow writers, so if I get my book published, you're all very welcome to SLAM it if you don't like it. My opinion, obviously, if you enjoyed any of these, great, let's just get this over with.

10: Numbers by Rachel Ward

I feel bad about putting this one on the list because a friend of mine and my stepsisters recommended it to me. Then again, they gave Twilight five stars. About a girl who sees a person's date of death the moment she meets them, this book was hardly going to be a bundle of laughs, but did it need to be as depressing and pessimistic as it was? Although it has some pretty good characters, I didn't feel for the romance and the book was fairly predictable.

9: Doctor Who: Engines of War by George Mann

I was very excited for this book as it's the first story that focuses solely on the War Doctor, played by John Hurt. His character is well-done and he has some chemistry with his one-off companion, but the action just wasn't that intense. The story moves fairly quickly and there were some creative dalek designs, but the alien planets are all mundane and the same.

8: Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins

Yeah, I know quite a few people like this series. It's not bad, a decent middle grade book with relatable characters and a few laughs, but whilst Percy Jackson and Harry Potter very cleverly built up to the magical worlds, this book quite literally dives right in. The world-building could have been a bit more impressive. Suzanne Collins just makes vermin a lot bigger, give them a bit of a culture and... that's about it. I guess this book just wasn't for me.

7: Stormbreaker by Anthony Horowitz

Probably gonna get a lot of hate for this, but Horowitz's teen spy novel rather lacks fun for a middle grade book and Alex Rider is such a boring character! We never see him talk to his friends or father figure, so there isn't much opportunity to connect with him. The villain is a bit too over-the-top, not in a good way, and there's a whole bunch of spy cliches. On the plus side, some of the action sequences are very exciting and this book had one of the best villain deaths I've ever read. Even if it's a little dated, it will probably keep a ten year-old entertained.

6: Lily Quench and the Dragon of Ashby by Natalie Jane Prior

I saw this and thought "this could be great! A girl-power Australian equivalent of How To Train Your Dragon!" Turned out to be just an okay children's book. The characters are two-dimensional at best, the world could have been more imaginative and there's a random romance needlessly rushed in. To the book's credit, the story has a lot going on and there's a twist I didn't even see coming, but Natalie Jane Prior sort of tries to get seven year-olds interested in the world of business and fails. The two best things about this book are the detailed descriptive writing and the simple illustrations, but they don't quite go together.

5: Lost Worlds by Andrew Lane

As much as I enjoyed Young Sherlock Holmes and meeting Andrew Lane, I wasn't that impressed with this book of his. A wealthy, paralysed teenage boy sends a team of misfits in search of cryptid creatures rumoured to exist in remote parts of the world. Sounds good enough, but the book has painfully slow pacing. Almost halfway through, these characters aren't even in the same country as the creature they're looking for! Although Lane can create some good characters, he struggles to give them a voice, making the dialogue boring to read, and although some of the action scenes are good, some get way too technical and difficult to follow.

4: Kindred Spirits by Rainbow Rowell

I got this after hearing all the hype on booktube about Rowell's novel, Fangirl. This short story is about three people waiting in a queue to see Star Wars: The Force Awakens and is as BORING as it sounds! The biggest dilemma in this book is struggling to find a toilet. The main protagonist is sweet and funny, but the jokes are very hit-and-miss and I did not feel for the romance at all.

3: Mortal Instruments: City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

More like Snoreful Instruments: Sitting of Groans. For a book that gives Buffy the Vampire Slayer something of a Hogwarts education, it's very slow and very boring. A friend asked me if the book was good, I said it was getting boring, I passed it to him and he took one look and said "yeah that does sound boring." The characters start out as likeable enough, but the grating love-triangles are so infuriating! Though there's imagination there, the bright and colourful designs that would go down well in soft sci-fi, distract from the dark and gritty urban fantasy and like many YA books, it gets very caught up in its own jargon. Wow, that's three popular series I've just torn apart. I wasn't that impressed with the TV show either. Is it me or does Clary look like Daphne from Scooby Doo?

2: Snow White, Black Heart by Jacqueline Rayner

I genuinely feel sad putting Jacqueline Rayner on this list. Despite the cover it's not obvious Twilight offspring, but this book was bombastically bland! The writing wasn't scary, the story was predictable and the characters had nothing to them. Completely wasted potential.

1: I Am Number Four by Pittacus (really?) Lore

(Loud huffy noise of exasperation,) this book was awful! It's basically Twilight only for guys (guylight if you will) and aliens instead of vampires, following the life of our truly memorable hero - John Smith. The blonde, gorgeous perfect protagonists have some cringey insta-love and fairly convoluted superpowers. Like a lot of the books on this list, a big problem is pacing! I mean this book has some threatening antagonists (who are suspiciously similar to the aliens in Torchwood: Trace Memory), but they don't show up properly until over halfway through the story, and even then for a tiny bit! In the meantime, there's a non-threatening school bully who look like John Travolta in Grease. Oh, and the main character and his girlfriend go to a party hosted by the guy who tried to assault her! Why? It's not like Back to the Future, this is 2010! At times this book is shockingly sexist and the characters may have been high half the time. In parts, it's a big self-indulgence for the author who is writing under a pseudonym that's also the name of the leader of a planet, but then again, I may do something similar in some of my books one day. The book's climax is actually pretty intense and action-packed, but it goes way over-the-top and is too much, too late.

So guys, did you read any of these books? What did you think of them and what books have left you a bit miffed so far this year?

Frankie's Top 10 Best Books of 2016 So Far

Halfway through the year already! I've finished all my exams, left school and already read 42 books! Here is a countdown of my top 10 best so far!

10: Nothing Scares Me by Gene Kemp

A dark and mysterious children's book by a Carnegie Award-winning author, it's a shame Nothing Scares Me has faded into obscurity. Following the life of a psychic girl pressured into using her powers to find out about a missing schoolmate, the book has child characters as believable as those on Tracy Beaker, insight into warring youth cultures and a slow build-up to a terrifying intense climax.

9: Spot the Difference by Juno Dawson

Though the story is similar to Mean Girls, this is a surprisingly enjoyable chick-lit - with well-rounded characters, brilliant dialogue and good wit, Spot the Difference reflects British teen life brilliantly. On top of which, the short story ends with a powerful feminist message.

8: 13 Unpredictable Tales by Paul Jennings

Don't be put off by the hideous CGI. This book is as surprising as the title would imply with a terrific twist in each short story with everything from mad inventions to geometric dragons. Some are whacky and hilarious, some heartfelt and emotional. Some are weird and outlandish, others funny and ordinary. Best of all this book does something not all children's books do - it genuinely makes you feel twelve again.

7: The Fire of Ares by Michael Ford

Though it may look like a cheap Percy Jackson knock-off, this children's novel is a brilliant recent work of historical fiction. Following the life of a young Helot slave struggling to save his sick mother and finding his father's family, the main protagonist, Lysander, is easy to route for and sympathise with. At times, enjoyably macho with brutal fight scenes, others, an emotional voyage of self-discovery, The Fire of Ares is full of educational value and moral ideas.

6: Mortal Engines by Phillip Reeve

With its surreal vision of a distant post-apocalyptic future, Phillip Reeve's sci-fi novel has all the elements of a great adventure story. With truly memorable and complex characters, vast and vibrant imagination and exciting action, Mortal Engines is as much fun as Star Wars.

5: Blitz Boys by Linda Newberry

Despite its short length and unappealing cover, Blitz Boys is a surprisingly moving children's book that doesn't sacrifice character development and good fun for a history lesson. With realistic dialogue to reflect class differences  and how children actually behave and showing historical issues to give young readers food for thought, Linda Newberry proves that you don't need big words for big emotion.

4: Viking's Dawn by Henry Treece

Another of Treece's forgotten classics, Viking's Dawn has wonderful descriptive writing that modern authors struggle to reproduce. Though the story may not be one of historical significance, the layered characters and powerful story make the book a thoughtful, thoroughly enjoyable read.

3: Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan

Though perhaps not quite as good as its predecessor, Sea of Monsters is a brilliant and easy-to-read middle grade book. Cleverly incorporating Greek myth into the modern day yet again, the children's novel provides laughs, action and brilliant heroes.

2: Journey to the River Sea by Eva Ibbotson

Another gem of historical fiction, Journey to the River Sea is a wonderful read. About an orphan girl called Maia who has to move to Brazil and live with her horrible, snobbish relatives, the Carters, it's a story of adapting to new places, making new friends and spirit of adventure. With its beautiful settings, loveable characters and emotional story, it's a children's book that is bound to stay with the reader.

Honourable Mentions:

Young Sherlock Holmes: Death Cloud by Andrew Lane, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs, H.I.V.E by Mark Walden, Eve: The Awakening by Jenna Moreci, Department 19 by Will Hill and The Moon is Down by John Steinbeck.

1: The Hunted by Charlie Higson

The penultimate book in Higson's The Enemy series does not disappoint. Set in a world where adults are savage and diseased, leaving children and teenagers to fend for themselves, The Hunted earns top spot with its intense action sequences, cleverly constructed plotlines and perhaps the most incredible climax I've ever read! Even if the rest of the book had been dull, the climax would have redeemed it, but everything else was so good!

Between the blood and gore, there's a surprising amount of humanity with complicated characters including beautifully written children.

So, what books have been your favourites in 2016 so far?

Frank Rufolo Reviews: Snow White, Black Heart by Jacqueline Rayner

Though it showed promise, this short story was a pretty big disappointment from an author I love.