Felix and the Future Agency: An explosive new children's adventure series: Volume 1

By Author / Illustrator

Rachel Morrisroe, illus Paddy Donnelly

Genre

Adventure

Age range(s)

Publisher

Simon & Schuster Children's Books

ISBN

9781398539280

Format

Hardback

Published

22-05-2025

Synopsis

Get ready to join magical new hero Felix Green on an edge-of-your-seat adventure at the FUTURE AGENCY. Perfect for fans of Percy Jackson and Skandar . . .

Felix Green has a talent - a talent that often gets him into A LOT of trouble - he can forsee the future. And he's not the only one! When his latest prediction comes true, he soon finds himself whisked off to join the secret underground Future Agency. Here he starts to learn the tools to protect the country from the natural disasters set to befall it - summoning animal star constellations down from the sky, dream weaving and speaking to ghosts. When a dark spectre infiltrates the Future Agency, only Felix can unmask the culprit and save the agency from destruction . . .

Find out about the real life premonitions that inspired Felix and the Future Agency in our author Q&A

Praise for Felix and the Future Agency: 'Explosively magical! What a fun-filled, exciting adventure - kids are going to love it!' Abi Elphinstone, author of Skysong. 'Very occasionally, a book comes along that feels fantastically unique - Felix and the Future Agency is that book. Clever and funny with a genius premise and characters to fall in love with, I'm already counting down the days to the sequel." A.F. Steadman, author of the Skandar series. 'A heart-strong story built to get lost in. Storytelling at its most spectacular.' Jacob North, author of the Ice Apprentices series. 'It's packed with mystery and bursting with magic - the must-read middle-grade adventure of the year!' Laura Noakes, author of Cosima Unfortunate Steals a Star.

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Reviews

Sue

Felix has a special ability - but one which often gets him into trouble and makes others think he's weird. Being able to foresee the future, he tries to warn others to keep them safe, often resulting in him getting the blame for what happens. However, when offered a place at Sparkleton High School, an 'institution whose sole purpose is to educate challenging pupils', Felix is amazed to find that this is actually a cover story for the Future Agency, a secret organisation full of people like him. Soon, he is learning how to control and develop his abilities and making friends until a dark spectre appears threatening everything Felix has just discovered…

Fast paced and full of energy, Felix and the Future Agency is a cracking read, full of humour and heart. Felix is a brilliant character, who tries hard to do the 'right' thing, but is often consumed by feelings of frustration and anger as people misunderstand or judge him. Isolated by his power, it is a real pleasure to see him make friends as he 'finds his people' and develops his skills. Readers are sure to empathise with his emotions as he struggles to deal with 'normal' school and share his excitement as he explores his new life. In his new friendships, he shows himself to be loyal and courageous, quick to defend and support others.

One thing which I really love about this story is how it draws on elements from this world! In the afterword, the author explains that Felix's world was inspired by a real-life organisation called the Premonitions Bureau, created in the late 1960s, and offers a little background on this. From this spark, she has created an absorbing world, full of detail, weaving elements from history into its fabric like Mother Redcap, William Terriss and Shakespeare! For the historically curious, it is a real joy be able to investigate further and discover more about these figures.

Felix's world is skilfully developed with many little details which add so much colour and interest to what is a brilliant adventure. Plenty of tension and red herrings keep readers guessing about the identity of the villain of the piece right to the end and the story is left wide open for a sequel (or series?) continuing Felix's adventures which I, for one, can't wait to get my hands on!

304 pages / Ages 8+ / Reviewed by Sue Wilsher, teacher