Frank was asked by the Fleming Estate to write the official sequel to Ian Fleming's Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Flies Again was shortlisted for the Roald Dahl Funny Prize in 2012. This is an adventure story interwoven with some comical and thought provoking elements. Young Noah accidentally finds himself caught on a geography school trip with his older sister and some fellow year 9 students; through the naivety of their teacher they find themselves stranded on a small island where accidentally young Noah “ switches off “ the internet and thus chaos ensues. They are stranded without communication . What is comical and striking ( and worthy of family and class discussion ) is how the youngsters are so dependent on the internet and social media within their lives for survival, knowledge and communication. When confronted with a dial- up phone box, all sorts of confusion arises. Noah’s creation of a treasure map to distract the group and the subsequent discovery of gold all ads to the adventure.

This is a cross over book - perfect for upper key stage 2 readers but those in key stage 3 not necessarily wanting to venture in to the YA adult section of the library or bookshop. Frank's first book, Millions, won the CILIP Carnegie Medal in 2004 and has been shortlisted for a number of awards, including the Guardian Children's Fiction Award 2004. Millions has also been made into a movie directed by Danny Boyle. Frank's second novel, Framed, was published in September 2005 and shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal, the Whitbread Award and the Guardian Prize. It was made into a BBC feature-length film in 2009. Frank's third novel, Cosmic, was published in June 2008. It was shortlisted for the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize 2008 and the inaugural Roald Dahl Funny Prize. The friendship group were so heartwarming to read about and there was also some interesting discussions of living without technology too. It’s great to see these kinds of stories being so popular with children. Told in letters that are mainly written by Noah to his parents in which he shares all about what the children have been up to over the course of five days (and nights), which includes foiling a robbery. The book will have children giggling out loud.Noah, his sister and four of her classmates end up marooned on a tiny island with no grown ups and no way to get home. And it also seems as if Noah might have accidentally broken the internet. It is time to see what happens when people have to stop looking at their phone. Can Noah become the 'wee gem' that the others believe him to be? Can he keep them alive AND fix the internet? By dropping a series of letters, to his parents, into the island's mail box, Noah explains his plans step by step… but will anyone receive them? After accidentally stowing away on his big sister’s geography field trip, Noah becomes the hero of the story. When the teacher takes them the wrong way, they lose the rest of the class and somehow end up on an uninhabited island. Then the minibus is destroyed and their teacher goes missing. The letters Noah writes home to his parents recount the challenges they face and the actions they take to survive. Add in a treasure hunt and the need to fix the internet and what you end up with is a fast paced, humorous story of survival without the benefits of modern technology. With such a complex plot, with so many threads, it would be so easy for any lesser novelist to lose control of some elements, but Cottrell-Boyce has no such worries and keeps the reader engaged at all times. The humour is laugh out loud funny, with a heart-warming group of characters who develop throughout the story. He has also created a fantastic trilogy, writtenwith his trademark wit, warmth and sense of story, based upon Ian Fleming's novel, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, comprising Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Flies Again, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and the Race Against Time and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Over the Moon.

You can find out a bit more about him and his Chitty Chitty Bang Bang triology at uk.chittyfliesagain.com The chapters are written as letters between Noah and his parents, and the fact that they seem strangely calm – maybe even amused – at Noah’s Lord of the Flies-style situation gives it a real sense of the absurd. There’s also a gentle message about the value we can find in everyday things when we are forced to put our phones and laptops away, and the firm friendships that take hold in times of uncertainty. In a series of letters, Noah writes to his parents, pouring out his daily trials and hoping they get them delivered somehow… after all, there is a post-box. But did he really break the whole world’s internet? With no way of knowing when, or if, they’ll be rescued, Noah and his sister’s classmates must learn to work together if they’re going to survive. When Noah finds a treasure map, going on a hunt in search of gold seems like a good place to start. But the mysterious island holds all kind of treasure – some of it found in very unexpected places.

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Each of the gang are totally fantastic characters with personalities so affectionately created by the author. Ryland Scally (his second name is one for the Scousers reading this) loves computers with fights involved. Also fights themselves in general. Dario Fogerty is a walking encyclopaedia and my absolute favourite was Ada Adamski, "who talked like she had the faeries on speed dial". Ada is convinced that Noah is a magical child from the island itself - "He's like a wee hobbit", and made me laugh out loud at her delightful daydreaming ditzy demeanour.