Danny Dread

Danny Dread is a pupil at Dementos Academy for Young Evil Geniuses, where the children of the most wicked families in the land are educated in the art of evil and criminal mayhem. Danny, however, is in completely the wrong place as he cannot bring himself to do anything even remotely evil and secretly admires a family of do-gooding superheroes a secret he has to keep from his father, Larry Dread, the latest in a long line of evil geniuses. This book follows Danny as he tries to surreptitiously prevent his father from starting World War Three without revealing his desire to do good. Along the way, he befriends Earl, a rat with an ear growing out of his back (the result of a dastardly experiment in growing body parts) who helps him in his quest to save the world. We also meet Pelican, intent first of all on eating Earl but somehow ending up as part of the team that saves the world from imminent destruction, as well as the superhero family, the Lionhearts. This is an enjoyable, fast-paced and funny adventure, taking in infernal machines, mad lab assistants and perilous moments. Confident, independent young readers will enjoy the humour, especially in the dialogue between Danny and Earl, who has a very sophisticated command of language for a rat, and the description of Dementos Academy, its staff and programmes of study, will also raise a smile. 248 pages / Ages 9 - 11 / Reviewed by June Hughes, school librarian

Suggested Reading Age 9+