In the tradition of Roald Dahl’s child-led adventures that feature a range of stupid and/or horrible adults comes this story about a very likeable boy and how he battles through a range of wacky adversities.

Alex J. Jennings is a famous explorer, renowned for leading an expedition into the Forbidden Lands but now locked away owing to some bizarre behavior said to be a result of his adventures. When he escapes, arch nemesis Davidus Kyte believes that Jennings’s son, also called Alex, is the key to tracking him down. And so begins Alex Junior’s adventure into strange, unknown places.

Highlights include a dry-humoured talking dog with a faint French accent and a girl with fantastically sharp teeth. The tone sits somewhere between David Walliams (the fastest-growing children’s author in the UK) and the far more bonkers and hilarious Mr Gum books by Andy Stanton. A fun and daft read, with heart, for ages 8 and up.