The Blythes are a big, warm, rambunctious family who live on a small farm and sometimes foster children. Now Prez has come to live with them. But, though he seems cheerful and helpful, he never says a word.

Then one day Prez answers the door to someone claiming to be his relative. This small, loud stranger carries a backpack, walks with a swagger and goes by the name of Sputnik.

As Prez dithers on the doorstep, Sputnik strolls right past him and introduces himself to everyone in the household. Prez is amazed at the response. The family pat Sputnik on the head, call him a good boy and drop food into his mouth. It seems they all think Sputnik is a dog. It’s only Prez who thinks otherwise.

But Prez soon finds himself having to defend the family from the chaos and danger unleashed by Sputnik, as household items come to life – like a TV remote that fast-forwards people: ‘Anyone can do it, it’s just that people don’t read the instructions properly’; and a toy lightsaber that entertains guests at a children’s party, until one of them is nearly decapitated by it – and Prez is going to have to use his voice to explain himself.

It turns out that Sputnik is writing a guidebook to Earth called Ten Things Worth Doing on Earth, and he takes Prez on a journey to discover just those ten things. Each adventure seems to take Prez nearer to the heart of the family he is being fostered by. But they also take him closer to the day that he is due to leave them forever . . .

Product Details

Format

Paperback

ISBN

9781447237570

Publisher

Macmillan Children's Books

Date published

February 2nd, 2017

Other details

352 pages

Condition

New

UK edition

Author/Illustrator

Frank Cottrell Boyce

Frank Cottrell Boyce is a screenwriter whose films include Welcome to Sarajevo, Hilary and Jackie and Millions, which was also his first book. He has also written episodes of Coronation Street and Brookside, so you probably know his stories from your TV set. He also wrote the London 2012 Olympics Opening Ceremony! His first children’s book Millions won the Carnegie medal, and was made into a film by Danny Boyle. He used to run a Punch and Judy show, earning a fortune in small change, and just like Damian in Millions, he is a Catholic who is fascinated by stories of the saints. He is not a millionaire and has no plans to rob a bank! However, during a short-lived career as an assistant at a puppet show, he earned a fortune entirely in small change. He believes this is how he first became interested in the problems created by user-unfriendly cash. Just like Damian in Millions, he is a Catholic who is fascinated by stories of the saints.

His second book, Framed was inspired by a news story he’d read in an old scrapbook: During the Second World War, a collection of valuable paintings from the National Gallery was hidden in a slate mine for safekeeping. He couldn’t resist imagining how all of that great art might have affected the people who lived near the mine.

Frank lives in Liverpool, with his wife and family of seven children.