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The Kid Who Came from Space cover art

The Kid Who Came from Space

By: Ross Welford
Narrated by: Chris Coxon, Sarah Ovens
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Summary

The stunning new 10+ story from the bestselling and award-winning author of TIME TRAVELLING WITH A HAMSTER, for anyone who loved the humour of WALL-E, the action of STAR WARS and the deeply touching emotion of ET.

A small village in the wilds of Northumberland is rocked by the disappearance of twelve-year-old Tammy. Only her twin brother, Ethan, knows she is safe – and the extraordinary truth of where she is. It is a secret he must keep, or risk never seeing her again.

But that doesn’t mean he’s going to give up.

Together with his friend Iggy and the mysterious (and very hairy) Hellyann, Ethan teams up with a spaceship called Philip, and Suzy the trained chicken, for a nail-biting chase to get his sister back… that will take him further than anyone has ever been before.

A remarkable story of sibling connection, friendship and interstellar adventure from the author Kiran Millwood Hargrave called “one of my favourite middle grade writers”.

©2020 Ross Welford (P)2020 HarperCollins Publishers Limited

Critic reviews

"Original, amusing and gripping. Welford is a remarkably entertaining storyteller." (Sunday Times Children's Book of the Week)

"Ross Welford is superb. This tense, rip-roaring, witty adventure is underpinned by a moving examination of love and loyalty." (Daily Mail)

"A masterclass in children's storytelling." (Waterstones.com, Best Books to Look Out For in 2020)

What listeners say about The Kid Who Came from Space

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Another excellent story from Ross Welford.

Loved it. This story is intended for older children but could be equally enjoyed by adults. I loved the narration and found it quite emotional, especially when Ethan burst into his parents' pub to tell them his twin sister was missing. I had tears rolling down my face at that point as I imagined the situation. I also liked the short chapters, which encouraged me to listen to 'just another chapter', which often turned into another two or three chapters, as I was eager to find out what would happen next. I would definitely recommend this book.

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Absolutely brilliant

One of the best Children's books I've read in a long time. Reading this with my class. Engaging, funny, exciting and touching.

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  • Overall
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    3 out of 5 stars

Sci-fi story for pre-teens

Sci-fi alien story for pre-teens, doesn't talk down to the reader.

3.5 stars

I've read every Ross Welford book, in awe at the genius of some of his concepts and execution. Some of my favourite novels for the age group. This might be my least favourite though.

It's the first of his I've read as an audiobook, though the format suited the narration and flow of the story, it was a straightforward enough story with just a couple of changes in storyteller that didn't confuse. Though I did lose concentration a few times, distracted from the plot.

A twin sister goes missing, and her brother finds out what's happened to her. It may be something surprising and totally out of his comfort zone, but he knows he's got to try and get her back.

Not wanting to give too much away here, though the title gives its own clues. Ethan is a slightly unusual 'hero' - very flawed, the kind of person who makes excuses for having underachieved, never putting in everything he's able to. It's the kind of character you want to see stretch and grow over the course of a book. The second narrator, Hellyann, gives some fascinating perspective on another culture, and will set many young minds pondering on human/animal rights, and related themes.

What felt fairly tight to start with did become quite madcap at times, which may have been why I felt distracted in the middle chapters. Definitely some scenes and images stick in the mind, and the family/friendship theme is a strong one.

This does expect a reader to keep up, it doesn't simplify issues or sugarcoat some quite shocking ideas/mental images, like all Welford's books. But it is also entertaining and a great introduction to a wide-ranging genre.

For ages 10-14. With thanks to Newbooks for providing a sample Audible copy.

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