James Davis Books

Scarlet is having a tricky time at school, friendship-wise and her younger brother is being annoying. She sees an advert for a ‘defender of the universe’ and, although she’s pretty certain it’s a joke, decides to apply anyway. That’s how she ends up meeting a floating boy called Jasper, going aboard an invisible spaceship and meeting an egg-shaped AI robot called Bot. Scarlet now finds herself jointly in charge of defending the entire universe with Jasper, which involves encountering creatures from other planets and also dolphins wearing suits.

This book is laugh-out-loud funny with silly names, made-up words and bonkers chapter titles. This would make a great read-aloud for Year 3. Children who enjoy funny books and adventures will love reading about Scarlet; the chapters are not too long, and there are illustrations scattered throughout. The action moves quite quickly, making it a good choice for an independent read for less confident readers in Y4 and up.