book cover

Relic Hamilton

by Joseph Coelho, illustrated by Hyun Song We

Interest age: 9 to 11
Reading age: 9+

Published by Walker Books, 2024

  • Adventure
  • Fantasy

About this book

12-year-old history-obsessed Relic Hamilton lives with his grandad above Anansi Antiques, a treasure-trove of a shop that has been in their family for generations. When he finds a particularly curious oil lamp in the basement, he unwittingly releases a genie – only to discover that their benevolent reputation as wish-granters is far from the truth... 

This fateful encounter thrusts Relic into the heart of a secret, underground society of genie hunters who fly around the world in their jet, the Aladdin, protecting the world from malicious genies who feed on the hope of humanity.  

The incredibly likeable Relic is joined by an exciting cast of characters including Taya, a girl who is being slowly taken over by an evil genie; the wonderfully eccentric sword-swishing professor Latimer; tech-savvy, cyber-punk Dr Raphaelaand Rania, a 13-year-old half human, half genie. 

Joseph Coelho has written an unputdownable adventure story that rattles along at great pace. There is something for everyone here, including fantasy elements, magic, time travel, pirates, technology, gadgets, humour, and lots of exhilarating action. 

Relic is a resilient hero and a true historian - think of a modern-day Indiana Jones. His adventure is brought vividly to life by Coelho’s excellent writing – including snappy dialoguepoetry, and accurate contemporary references. 

About the author

Joseph Coelho is an award-winning children's author, performance poet and playwright based in London. He is also the Waterstones Children's Laureate for 2022-2024. His debut poetry collection, Werewolf Club Rules, was the 2015 winner of the CLPE CLiPPA Poetry Award. His second book, Overheard in a Tower Block, was shortlisted for the 2018 CLPE CLiPPA Poetry Award and is longlisted for the 2019 UKLA Book Awards. Joseph features in the BBC Teach 'Understanding Poetry' online series.

His work has poetry and performance at its heart, drawing on over 16 years' experience running dynamic creative literacy sessions in schools. He aims to inspire young people through stories and characters they can recognise.

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