Alex Neptune, Dragon Thief: Book 1

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There are different stages and some twists to the hurdles people encounter, but overall it was highly satisfying to see how everyone fits into the bigger picture. Along with friends Zoey and Anil - plus a clumsy seal, a lock-picking hermit crab and some seriously menacing otters - Alex sets out on a treasure hunt to a secret shipwreck where they must face three monstrous challenges. Also the dialogue between the two during the climax was laughably bad, Like c'mon David I know you can do better than that. Anil was also fab as the third member of the team, trying to fit in to the group despite Zoey's resistance, and I loved his firm belief in himself. She definitely gave me Demelza vibes (or Data in Goonies) and it was interesting to see the art vs technology disagreement with her father.

Alex is a simplified and more linear interpretation of the Curule stool, a cross-legged design from Ancient Rome.The otters were just adorable, the thieving seagull was very amusing, and Kraken the blue octopus was just wonderful!

Sarah Driver, author of The Huntress trilogyMeet Alex Neptune, the boy with the power of the ocean in his hands – a brand-new hero for fans of Percy Jackson and Dragon Realm! This was followed by The Fallen Children (May 2017, Atom, Little, Brown), which, through a clever, contemporary YA reinterpretation of John Wyndham’s classic The Midwich Cookoos. A sweet middle grade adventure featuring a cast of lovable characters and a great message about the importance of looking after our oceans and the impact humans have had on them and their inhabitants.Pleased to say that there is a teaser for book 2 at the end, so this is not the last outing for Alex and his friends! I was absolutely howling with laughter at some parts of this as the sense of humour is just so on point, which I was kind of expecting, to be honest, given that David is hilarious on Twitter!

The adventure, humour and magic will hook all readers and I am sure would be a well-read and loved book in any classroom.

First of all I have been following David’s work for years and I am so happy that he has tried his hand at children’s/MG as well as YA - and that this book looks to be blowing up in a good way!