America. The 1960s. Ruth loves climbing trees, making a mess and throwing stones. But the thing she loves most is SPACE. I had to look up other books by David Wallace, and next on our bookshelves is GANGSTA GRANNY and CODE NAME BANANAS.

I was glad to see the historical context of the book, a bit of history there for readers, and Walliams actually reins in some of the usual silliness with no Raj or disgusting lunch menus. At times I felt like I was reading Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator, but Walliams definitely has his own signature on his work and Dahl, while clearly a strong influence, is not channelled.

I honestly don’t have a bad word to say about this book. I loved the writing, the story, the characters, and the illustrations and that is why I can easily see this book becoming a fast favourite with young readers. The girl is obsessed. She spends her days reading comics about alien invasions, doodling UFOs, watching B-movies about Earth being invaded by creatures from Mars… and gazing at the stars through her old, battered telescope. Ruth's terrible life is never to be the same as she struggles to hide the alien from her aunt, the sheriff, the FBI, the CIA, the scientific boffins and even the President of America. Thrown into a bouncing, flying, racing, falling, but fabulously fun adventure, Ruth does everything she can to keep her first real friend (besides Yuri) safe. The villains are properly villainous, a president is really familiar (but I can't quite put my finger on it - smirk) and a stereotypical military Major can hardly stand up with the weight of his medals and his strong chin. It's not about the length of time it takes a child to finish a book, it's about consistency, and if a child reads frequently, daily, for about 10 minutes, that's all the difference it makes between developing reasoning skills, confidence, a great vocab and the hunger to learn more, to know more.

This is clearly one of the more thrilling adventures I wish I had been a part of. Space travel has never looked this exciting! Adam Stower is the new illustrator for Walliams’s books and this is my second one by him after The World’s Worst Pets. He brings a frenzy to the adventure in his scenes, blowing the wind through your hair. Some of the scenes are drawn like a children’s comic book and I especially loved his illustration for Spaceboy with his metal head and flowing cape. Mom, I am finished. What a different take on space, and I learnt a couple of new words, you know!" DEFIANT was one of them, hopefully it will not be tested any time soon👀

Like James and the Giant Peach, this heroine has also lost her parents tragically and been sent to awful relatives (here a Dahl-eqsue Aunt Dorothy - think George's awful Grandma). Space Boy is a non-stop fun-fest, with tons and tons of action, a courageous heroine, a funny furry friend at her side, and an alien with a very, very big secret.

I am a massive fan of David Walliams’ books so I went into this book with high hopes. Thankfully it not only lived up to my high expectations it well and truly surpassed them. The night sky is the only pleasure Ruth gets since she was left as an orphan on her evil aunt's steps. Aunt Dorothy makes Ruth work from dawn till dusk on her failing Ostrich farm, and also makes her share the minimal food she does get with her only friend - her dog Yuri.Spaceboy is written on a snippet of history that changed our world and allowed us to dream of bigger things. It introduces us to a daredevil girl who is a science nerd and not afraid to stand up for herself or her friends. David Walliams brings his signature writing style and pushes Ruth to break stereotypes. He also jabs a punch of humour on the state of society, government and politics which makes you double over with laughter. Lots of fun, it has a bit of a bonkers ending, but for goodness sake - it's a piece of fiction. I hope this gets children excited about space. One night she spots a flying saucer blazing across the sky… before crash-landing in a field. When the spaceship opens and reveals a mysterious alien, all of Ruth’s dreams come true. There's a new kid in town, Kevin, from SPACEBOY 🚀. If your young one loved Greg from THE WIMPY KID series, Kevin will be their new best friend. Because Ruth is obsessed with space. As is the rest of the world, as it's 1960s America and the Space Race is in full swing.