SPACEBOY: The epic and funny new children’s book from multi-million bestselling author David Walliams

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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 Ruth’s dreams come true. But does this visitor from another planet have a giant secret?

Cally Poplak, executive publisher, said: “Hot off the heels of securing the bestselling children’s book of 2022 we couldn’t be more excited to publish David Walliams’ next adventure. David’s books bring joy and laughter to children and parents around the globe." to go up into space, and Ruth even named her three legged dog after him. It's the 1960's and space is a hot topic as the USA tries to copy their Russian rivals in the space race. 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 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.

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Drawing on the golden age of comic books as well as classic children’s literature, and infused with David’s love of cinema, this is a non-stop, laugh-out-loud comic adventure that, like all of David’s novels, is also full of heart. Gloriously illustrated by the versatile Adam Stower, who brings his own deep love of film and comics to the world of Bedlam, it will be the perfect tonic for families everywhere this Easter and beyond,” he said. David Walliams has revolutionised reading for children and has become one of the most influential children’s writers today. Since the publication of his ground-breaking first novel, The Boy in the Dress (2008), Walliams has seen unprecedented growth with global sales exceeding 45 million copies, and his books translated into 55 languages. Collectively across his titles, David has celebrated over 70 weeks (non-consecutive) at number one in the overall book charts and more than 200 weeks (non-consecutive) at number one in the children’s charts – an unprecedented achievement for a children’s writer. 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. 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. 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.

HarperCollins Children’s Books, unprecedented three times winner of Children’s Publisher of the Year (2014, 2015, 2016) is one of the leading publishers of children’s books, recognised for nurturing new talent as well as boasting a reputable list of established bestselling authors. Respected worldwide for its tradition of publishing quality, award-winning books for young readers, HarperCollins is home to many children’s classics, including The Chronicles of Narnia, the Paddington stories, The Cat in the Hat and The Tiger Who Came to Tea, and to some of the biggest names in children’s literature past and present, including David Walliams, Judith Kerr, David Baddiel, Lauren Child, Oliver Jeffers, and Michael Morpurgo. 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. World rights enquiries to Carla Alonzi, Head of Rights / 0208 307 4289 / [email protected], 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). 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.

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. Adding to David Walliams’ wonderful story were captivating illustrations by Adam Stower. Not only did Adam Stower’s illustrations perfectly complimented the story they helped to elevate this book to a whole new level. Walliams said Pinocchio was one of his favourite stories growing up, and that he wanted to create his own version with a robot police dog who yearned to be a real dog. “It is a comedy adventure story with a group of supervillains, but I hope my readers will find a positive message in there about being whoever you want to be,” he said. One night, using the telescope she's scavenged to watch the stars, Ruth is astounded to see an ACTUAL UFO crashing near the farm. With an alien inside it!! She's GOT to get there before her aunt finds out!

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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. An alien on earth is news and the Spaceboy even makes it to The White House to meet a rotund President with an orange face who may or may not seem familiar to many readers. In the end the book is all about what makes news in power hungry nations and how children need loving families to help them realise their dreams. Walliams also points out that women and girls definitely have a role to play in the space race – something that was undreamt of in the ‘60’s.