Spaceboy by David Walliams | Book Review

“Women can do anything a man can do, and they can do it better!”

America. The 1960s. Stuck on a remote farm with her awful aunt, twelve-year-old orphan Ruth spends every night gazing at the stars, dreaming of adventure.

One night she spots a flying saucer blazing across the sky… before crash-landing in a field. When the spaceship opens and reveals a mysterious alien, all Ruth’s dreams come true.

But does this visitor from another planet have a giant secret?

David Walliams returns with a new adventure to dive into – one that centres around a bold and courageous young girl who set off on a daring journey, at a time when, after man had finally travelled to outer space, the world had become curious about life beyond Planet Earth.

After losing her parents, Ruth was sent to Aunt Dorothy, a distant relative, with a sign around her neck to look after the orphan. Aunt Dorothy detested children and immediately put her to work on her ostrich farm. Ruth was not allowed to go to school and had no friends. She worked morning till night doing the hardest and dirtiest jobs on her aunt’s commands.

Her first friend was a dog she found not far from the farmhouse. He had been run over by a car and had a broken leg. She nursed him back to health but was unable to save his leg so she made him a new one using a battered old whisk and a belt. She named the dog Yuri after her hero, Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin – the first man in outer space.

“What an ADVENTURE to be him, she thought, whizzing around Planet Earth, while I wrestle with my aunt’s toenails.“

Ruth was obsessed with space and spent her nights looking through a battered telescope from her room in the attic. One night, she noticed a UFO in the sky hurtling towards the farm. From there began a reckless journey that took Ruth, Yuri and Spaceboy racing across the country to prevent capture.

Spaceboy is written on a snippet of history that changed our world and allowed us to dream of bigger things. It introduces us to a daredevil girl who is a science nerd and not afraid to stand up for herself or her friends.  David Walliams brings his signature writing style and pushes Ruth to break stereotypes. He also jabs a punch of humour on the state of society, government and politics which makes you double over with laughter.

Adam Stower is the new illustrator for Walliams’s books and this is my second one by him after The World’s Worst Pets. He brings a frenzy to the adventure in his scenes, blowing the wind through your hair. Some of the scenes are drawn like a children’s comic book and I especially loved his illustration for Spaceboy with his metal head and flowing cape.

This is clearly one of the more thrilling adventures I wish I had been a part of. Space travel has never looked this exciting!

Spaceboy by David Walliams. Illustrated by Adam Stower. Published in 2022 by HarperCollins Children’s Book, HarperCollins India.

Book 23 of 2023.

Aquamarine Flavours Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟.

Available on Amazon*.

About Photo: I needed to replicate Spaceboy’s shiny silver flying-saucer.

This Adamski-type UFO is made from a template designed by Masahiro Kushima and cut in 220gsm Ivory paper.

About the Author: David Walliams is an English comedian, actor, writer, and television personality. He began writing children’s novels in 2008 and has been described as “the fastest-growing children’s author in the UK”, with a literary style compared to that of Roald Dahl.

He continues to take the literary world by storm and his books have been adapted for the television and stage. David’s books have now exceeded 100 non-consecutive weeks at children’s number one, and have been translated in over 55 languages, selling more than 40 million copies worldwide.

To know more, follow him on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

About the Illustrator: Adam Stower is an author and award-winning illustrator, who has collaborated with David Walliams on several of his books for children. He has been drawing pictures and making up stories ever since he was old enough to hold a crayon. Adam was born in England but grew up in Switzerland and Germany. After nine years at an ancient boarding school in Norfolk, Adam trained at the Norwich School of Art earning a first class Honours Degree in Illustration. He moved south to continue his studies at Brighton University and achieved a Masters degree in Narrative Illustration and Editorial Design. Adam fell in love with the city and lives there still, with his wife and daughter and a cat called Murray.

You can find him on Instagram and Twitter.

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