Grimstink is a hilarious and clever sci-fi adventure that blends alien invasions with British everyday life in the most brilliant way. Layla and Reece are a relatable sibling duo, and Grimstink is both chaotic and oddly lovable. The humour is sharp, the plot moves at warp speed, and there are touching moments that give it real depth. Perfect for fans of quirky, fast-paced stories with heart. I loved every page!

With all that is going on in the world at the moment, I’m not entirely convinced that the destruction of the Earth by aliens wouldn’t be an entirely bad thing. While the arrival of extraterrestrials is typically depicted as a terrible thing in fiction – surely just a reflection of how humanity would behave if the tables were turned – I can’t help but think that if there are actually aliens somewhere out there who are far more advanced than we are, they’ve taken a good hard look at us and decided to steer well clear. In this new title from Horrible Histories and BAFTA-winning scriptwriter Daniel Peak, the concept of destroying all life on our planet is brought hilariously to life for its middle grade audience, who will delight in the antics of alien Grimstink – and the teenager he accidentally swaps places with – when he is sent to Earth on a mission to put an end to the possibility of humanity one day becoming powerful enough to annihilate his own species. Full of cultural references that young readers will recognise, this is a really entertaining story that I can thoroughly recommend. The arrival of Layla’s 13th birthday doesn’t bring the lavish gifts that she might have hoped for but rather a job in the form of an ugly green backpack stuffed with leaflets waiting to be delivered. Furious that younger brother Reece, who by coincidence shares the same birthday, has been given a new bike, Layla angrily takes it and rides off to make a start on getting rid of the leaflets. Pausing to check where she should be heading, Layla spots a bright, multicoloured light in the sky above her that breaks apart and, curious, cycles off to where she thinks a piece of it has landed. Picking up what she has discovered, Layla experiences a peculiar sensation before passing out, little realising that she has swapped places with alien Grimstink, who immediately sets about investigating his new surroundings, starting with Layla’s home where he meets Reece, who takes a shine to him and does his best to make him feel welcome. When she comes to, Layla quickly works out what has happened and sets about trying to discover how to reverse the swap. As Grimstink starts to carry out his mission. Layla battles to outwit those she encounters in order to return home but will she be successful in her efforts or will the alien destroy all that she knows and leave her stranded light years from home? Written as a dual narrative with the action split between Layla and Grimstink, the two protagonists both quickly find themselves in the very stickiest of sticky situations following their swap. Where Layla gets into all sort of scrapes facing extraterrestrial life forms and killer robots, it’s Grimstink’s adventures that, for me at least, really make the story. Thrust into a world which to us is cosily familiar, he has no idea how to behave and for the most part is utterly reliant on Reece to navigate the world that he is so intent on destroying, making for some very, very funny situations indeed. Confident readers in Year 3 upwards will really enjoy reading this, as will any adults with whom the book is shared, whether at home or in class, and its short chapters and overall length will also make it a popular choice in upper KS2 and even into KS3.

One quick accidental, galaxy spanning, quantum entanglement mishap later, Layla Tenby finds herself on the 7th moon of the planet Qarl (normal day). And on Earth, her little brother Reece encounters Grimstink who's jumped through said portal to wipe out all life on our insignificant planet (normal day). What follows alternates between Layla and Grimstink's very differing perspectives on where they find themselves and what they have to do to achieve their goals. Layla encounters Deathbots, witches, prophecies, evil aliens, cheesy eels and marauding armies (normal day). Grimstink encounters Subway sandwiches, graveyards, Aldi, old peoples homes, PC Chan and cows (normal day). An absolute belter from page 1, the author swings effortlessly between his two main characters and the voices of the supporting cast. Intelligent, original, superbly plotted and funny. No, allow me to rephrase that; outstandingly hilarious. No word of a lie, I cried laughing on more than one occasion (not a normal day). All round wonderful addition to anyone's bookshelves. Fingers crossed it's part of a series.