‘Fire Boy’ J.M. Joseph

The first in a new series, as well as part of this year’s BookBuzz offering, ‘Fire Boy’ is a totally joyful read.

Aiden receives a mysterious package marked ‘top secret’ which contains a jar of sweets, which obviously have to be tasted! Aiden shares these with his two closest friends, Sadie & Hussein and after having one each it soon becomes clear these aren’t just normal sweets. They each develop a superpower suited to their individual DNA, and Aiden is able to light pretty much any part of his body on fire. However, as we all know, with great power comes great responsibility and the 3 friends are soon contacted by a man who is determined to get the sweets for himself. With the unlikely help of Aiden’s feisty (and rather scary) Gran, the friends find themselves cornered by a man absolutely determined to get them back at any cost.

This is a light and fast-paced read that is great fun. The chapters are often quite short which keeps the story moving along, however unlikely the circumstances! I loved the relationship between the three friends which feels very realistic, although I did find the Gran character something of a caricature. This is a great middle grade story!