The Boy Who Fell From the Sky

By Author / Illustrator

Benjamin Dean

Genre

Magical Realism

Age range(s)

Publisher

Simon & Schuster Ltd

ISBN

9781398518742

Format

Paperback / softback

Published

18-01-2024

Synopsis

Combining the warmth and heart of Ross Welford's The 1,000 Year Old Boy with the epic adventure and inseparable friendship of Frank Cottrell Boyce's Cosmic comes an otherworldly new middle grade adventure from the award-winning Benjamin Dean.

12-year-old Zed has always been fascinated by the Demons that fall from the sky. His whole life his dad has worked as a Hunter, tasked with eliminating Demons once and for all, and Zed hopes to one day follow in his footsteps. But then one night Spark appears and disrupts everything Zed thought he knew. Because this Demon is nothing like the myths - he's a frightened boy, no older than Zed, who wants to go back home. Can Zed stand up for what's right, even if it means going against his own family?

Praise for Benjamin Dean: 'Warm-hearted and cheering, with a dash of sparkle' - Guardian. 'A life-affirming, must-read' - The Independent. 'The novel wears its heart on its sleeve, and it is a very big heart' - Financial Times. 'Funny, fresh and full of heart' - Katie Tsang, co-author of DRAGON MOUNTAIN. 'Vibrant, funny and wise - a book to savour' - Kiran Millwood Hargrave, author of The Girl of Ink and Stars.

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Reviews

Here's a book with a sprinkle of stardust that I, for one, can't wait to share. Zed's dad protects Earth from the fearful Demons that fall from the sky and he's more than good at his job. He's the best, the First Hunter in the Authority. For Zed, friendless and accident-prone, living up to his father's prowess and earning his respect is a dream that he fears he will never achieve.

Before long, Zed's desperation to prove himself leads him straight into the path of a Demon. Confusingly, Spark seems more like a homesick boy. He's trusting, vulnerable and eager to become Zed's friend. Could all the myths of fangs and violence be wrong? Could Zed's father have been lying to him … or is this just a Demon trick to lure him to destruction?

As he struggles to unravel the truth, for the first time Zed needs to make his own judgements and decide whether standing up for truth and friendship might be more courageous than tracking a Demon. The story fizzes with life and ends with a flourish. Zed's honest lack of confidence and Spark's cheeky charisma are hard to resist and will have a wide appeal.

Just this would make it a thrilling read aloud to share in Key Stage 2 but there's more. Through the excitement of the plot, the book subtly invites us to question our own prejudices and look afresh at our own world. Do we fear things simply because we have been taught to, because they are different and because we have never properly looked at them?

320 pages / Ages 8+ / Reviewed by Louisa Farrow, teacher