And so begins yet another madcap adventure with over-the-top villains, over-long chases, disgusting lists, hidden topical references, brave and resourceful children, and lots of short chapters to keep children page-turning at a tremendous rate.

Some cultural stereotypes crop up as well which I believe Walliams has also been pulled up on in his World's Worst Children/Teachers books. It has the usual Walliams slapstick humour but less of the non-PC and gross stuff that he is known for. Not only did Adam Stower’s illustrations perfectly complimented the story they helped to elevate this book to a whole new level.

However, while Ruth is the real protagonist and hero (she helps Spaceboy and immediately understands why the rockets crash), it's Spaceboy who is in the title and on the cover. During a Welcome-to-Planet-Earth film made by the military, Yuri jumps at the image of a cat on the screen.

Spaceboy is the hilarious new David Walliams book set during the 1960's space race - due for release in September 2022.Adam Stower is the new illustrator for Walliams’s books and this is my second one by him after The World’s Worst Pets. I liked Yuri and Ruth and feel like this book has potential for sequels of adventures and even prequels of Spaceboy and Ruth's lives prior to them meeting.