Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers

Fans of Ross Welford’s other children’s books have no doubt come to expect from his stories a good dose of time travel, technology-gone-wrong or an otherwise thrilling sci-fi twist, and The Dog Who Saved the World follows suit perfectly.

Georgie Santos loves dogs more than anything in the world. When Dad’s new girlfriend Jessica moves in, Georgie’s beloved dog Mr Mash is forced to move out because of Jessica’s pet allergies. Unimpressed, Georgie volunteers to help out at the dog shelter where Mr Mash is rehoused, but is soon no longer allowed to see him after a deadly and highly contagious disease threatens the life of every dog in the country and to her horror, Mr Mash himself becomes sick.

The only thing distracting Georgie from the pain of not being able to see Mr Mash is her new friendship with Dr Pretorius, an eccentric old scientist who is developing a curious virtual reality project inside a domed room. Georgie knows that trusting Dr Pretorius is a huge risk (in fact I hope that all young readers would know better than to befriend a strange adult in the way that Georgie does), but she is intrigued by the impressive technology and allows herself to become a test subject. As time goes on and the deadly disease becomes even more serious, Georgie begins to wonder whether Dr Pretorius might hold the key to changing the future and, together with her beloved Mr Mash, embarks on a hair-raising adventure to save the world.

Well-pitched for the crossover between Upper KS2 and Lower KS3, The Dog Who Saved The World is an intelligent and absorbing story that raises thought-provoking questions about the responsible use of new or under-tested technologies. As well as the thrilling sci-fi concept and impending sense of global disaster, there is also humour and a great deal of tenderness, especially in Georgie’s relationships with her family and friends.

A highly recommended story for readers who enjoy gaming and those who simply love to expect the unexpected.