Mega Robot Bros is a long-running comic strip in The Phoenix, written and illustrated by Neill Cameron. There are three spin-off graphic novels, which are wildly popular in the school library, so we were delighted to see mega-powerful Freddy appear in a more traditional novel form too! The format is similar in style to Wimpy Kid and Tom Gates, but I would say there is a touch more text, so it’s a nice step forward for children who love the illustrated format and are ready for a slightly more complex story.

You’ve got a Freddy in your class, I’m sure – a boisterous child who hasn’t quite got control of their limbs and personal responsibility yet. A child who always wants to do the right thing, but gets it horribly wrong on a regular basis – and perhaps they’ve got an older sibling who always seems to get it right. Now equip that child with deadly lasers, a jet pack, no sense of danger and some excellent sidekicks and you’d be right in thinking absolute mayhem ensues!

Poor old Freddy is banned from using his superpowers at school after one too many incidents, but as you can imagine, there’s always a good reason – or perhaps a desperate, world-saving reason – to use them! Throw in a dodgy bully and some tricky friendship situations, and you know it’s all going to go wrong despite his best efforts to follow the rules. What makes Freddy vs School stand out is that Freddy learns and grows beautifully. He has to work hard to re-establish his friendships after disaster strikes, and to understand other people’s points of view. It’s so deftly done that it doesn’t feel preachy at all. I think Freddy is going to be really popular with primary school children looking for a hilarious, feel-good read.