book cover

A Beginner’s Guide to Ruling the Galaxy

by David Solomons

Interest age: 9 to 11
Reading age: 9 to 11

Published by Nosy Crow, 2022

  • Adventure
  • Coming-of-age
  • Funny
  • Thriller

About this book

From the first moment he met her, Gavin knew there was something odd about Niki; he just couldn’t quite put his finger on what it was.

She follows him everywhere but doesn’t actually seem to like him. She reminds him all the time about how cosmically insignificant he is. And then she tells him she’s a galactic princess on the run and that the Earth is about to be destroyed by her warring parents. Yeah, right!

But when he comes across a talking cat with a spaceship in the park, Gavin seriously wonders if the impossible could be true after all. And if his insignificance could be the most powerful weapon he has.

From the most mundane town in the universe to the chaos and exhilaration of battles in outer space and the trauma of almost being eaten by a drooling alien, this surreal, sci-fi adventure will take you on the ride of your life.

But behind the dry humour, exotic characters and twisting plot is a universal tale about finding your place in the world among people who care about you. Expect this story to stay with you for a long time.  

About the author

David Solomons is the best-selling author of the My Brother is a Superhero books, the first of which won the Waterstones Children's Book Prize 2016 and the British Book Industry Awards Children's Book of the Year 2016. David also won the 2018 Laugh Out Loud Awards (Lollies) with the second book in this series, My Gym Teacher is an Alien Overlord. He is a lifelong Doctor Who fan.

In addition to his acclaimed children's fiction, David Solomons has been writing screenplays for many years - his first feature film was an adaptation of Five Children and It, starring Kenneth Branagh and Eddie Izzard. He was born in Glasgow and now lives in Dorset with his wife, the novelist Natasha Solomons, their son Luke and their daughter, Lara.

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