William Wenton and the Luridium Thief , from Bobbie Peers, is a very visual, fast-paced book, which will certainly appeal to kids at the younger end of the middle-grade spectrum who are looking for adventure.

William Wenton and his family are in hiding in Norway, though he doesn’t know why. He loves to crack codes, and is really, really good at it. Not in the sense that he’s super clever, and kids who read the book won’t get to crack codes and solve puzzles along with him. Rather, Will is a bit of a savant; he’s almost magically able to crack even the most difficult of puzzles, and it is when he accidentally cracks the ‘Impossible Puzzle’ on national TV that his journey begins. The puzzle was a test and now people are after him.

On the run from a terrifying killer robot, William ends up at the Institute for Post Human Research in London. The threat of the mysterious man who controls the robot after him is constant, and yet Will manages to muddle by solving puzzles and enjoying the company of his new friend Iscia and the eccentric robots that look after the school.

This is one exciting read – Bobbie Peers knows his audience. My fussy 8 year old son called it ‘amazing.’ It is truly action-packed and is written so that kids can race through. The robots are good fun, in fact I could have done with more of them. The door to William’s room was a highlight for me.

William Wenton and the Luridium Thief is a great introduction to books such as Alex Rider or Percy Jackson, and will get even reluctant readers interested.

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