Wahoo! When I pulled that silver lever, it was like being sucked right into God’s cosmic vacuum cleaner. What a brain buzz! I spun through a sea of pulsing rainbow colour, past dimly remembered swirls of memory, right through the raw ingredients of the universe itself (or something else quite big). Just when I realised I could breathe without dying on my first flight with Zapp airlines, the in-flight show suddenly ended.
Erasmus James (Raz for short) can’t resist an adventure, so when his dad invents the Galactic ZAPP Machine, he just has to try it out. Before he has time to think twice, he has zapped across the galaxy to a strange planet. He is befriended by Franklin, a talking horse who takes him to meet the planet’s king. And that’s where Raz’s adventures really being. Soon, he is crossing the land on Franklin’s back, meeting huge talking chickens and getting into trouble with carnivorous horses.
Erasmus James and the Galactic Zapp Machine is an action-packed humorous adventure which will appeal to upper-primary aged readers (10 – 12). There are plenty of laugh out loud moments, intersperse with action and some gentle messages about family, friendship and even self-belief.
Plenty of fun.
Erasmus James and the Galactic Zapp Machine, by DC Green
Ibis Publishing, 2005