Pax and the Missing Head by David Barker - #BookReview #BlogTour

 

Pax stood on the edge of the crumbling, 20th floor balcony with the wind pulling at his orange boiler suit. He'd finished checking the lettuces and now it was tomatoes up on twenty-one. He leant backwards, letting the harness take his weight as he stared up at the sky. He pressed a button on the hand-held controller to wind in the rope and began to walk up the side of the tower. High above, the machine grumbled through its worn-out gears, setting Pax's teeth on edge.

'Crunching cog wheels! Bet I could fix that in no time...'

***

In a country beset by civil war, New London defends itself behind a giant wall. Inside the city, children are forced to work from an early age, except for the lucky few who train to be leaders in the re-purposed Palace of Westminster. 12-year-old orphaned Pax is brilliant at recycling old tech. He enjoys working on the verti-farms and just wants a bit of peace and quiet. But when that is taken away from him, his only hope is to pass a near-impossible exam and join the other students in Scholastic Parliament. There he’ll make new friends and new enemies. He’ll get tested like never before. And he’ll discover that not everything is quite what it seems under the mayor’s harsh leadership​.

***

This is a delightful story aimed at middle grade children. Generally speaking, I am not a fan of dystopian novels with one or two exceptions such as Orwell's 1984. 

The main character is Pax, a twelve year old seedling who was grown in a laboratory. He is considerate, intelligent and caring and makes for a great character that children will love. He works hard and through his intelligence and aptitude he has been accepted into the Scholastic Parliament, a school which he hopes will lead to his dream of becoming an engineer.

It is here, that he makes good friends, as well as enemies, and where he is in a position to prove his worth. It is a lovely story and the author has done a great job of bringing his characters to life on the page. I think most children will be able to identify with Pax one way or another and this makes him an engaging and likeable character.

The plot flows nicely and there is enough to keep children hooked. My childhood is many years behind me (actually decades, who am I kidding) but I was enthralled by this story. It may be set in the future but all the problems that Pax encounters are applicable to contemporary children.

This book is the first in a planned series and I am really looking forward to becoming further acquainted with Pax and his friends.

ISBN: 978 1913230357

Publisher:  Tiny Tree

Formats:  e-book and paperback

No. of Pages:  216 (paperback)

About the Author:

David attended the Faber Academy in 2014 and from that had three climate-fiction thrillers published (The Gold Trilogy, Bloodhound Books). He joined SCBWI in 2018 as he shifted his focus to a younger audience. His Middle Grade debut, Pax & The Missing Head publishes with Tiny Tree in late 2023. He lives in Berkshire with his wife and daughter and has a passion for stories, sport and boardgames.

(Book and all media courtesy of The Write Reads)

(all opinions are my own)