Alex Sparrow and the Furry Fury

Agent Alex and Jess are back for the second book in the Alex Sparrow series and still bickering constantly! Their latest mission begins when animals turn against humans but the pair discover there is fear and confusion in the animal world, too. They suspect the lady running the animal sanctuary they are volunteering at. She is peculiar, but is she the culprit?

Alex’s lie-detecting skills, which release ‘ear farts’, bring them closer to the truth. Jess’s special power of communicating with animals has no smelly by-products, and with the help of furry friends, they’re on the track to success. But someone does not like them meddling and wants to warn them off. Will they come out of this alive?

What a page turner! The terrible twists in this book will keep children guessing until the end. The pace and humour means 300 pages fly by and children will love the modern wordplay too ('her eyes turned to heart emojis'). Alex and Jess’s squabbling is a laugh a minute but a good reminder that friendships aren’t always smooth sailing. The book touches on bullying too, from peers but also the mother of one character.

An innocent, funny and exciting read, with characters you wish you could be friends with.