Alex Neptune, Dragon Thief: Book 1

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Author Luke Palmer introduces his new book, Play (Firefly Press) about four boys growing up together, the challenges, the friendships, and what hap... There was also a serious message here, about what we're doing to our oceans, our responsibility to them and a scathing criticism of capitalist methods of fixing things for those prepared and able to pay. I loved it! I thought it was a rich and exciting story, with a wonderfully creative and magical blend of folklore and relatable crises. And I badly want my own water-dragon.' - LD Lapinski, author of The Strangeworlds Travel Agency

Alex Neptune: Dragon Thief — Just Imagine Alex Neptune: Dragon Thief — Just Imagine

Alex Neptune, Dragon Thief is another brilliant book by David Owen. An excellent, pacey adventure story full of characters, a great plot and a myth passed down through generations of water creatures and dragons. The story is also filled with humour that will keep any class laughing and engaged. Armistice Day: A Collection of Remembrance - Spark Interest and Educate Children about Historical MomentsI loved the way this book combined both magic and technology, to create something really interesting and unique. Alex Neptune follows a kid named Alex and his friends as they attempt to pull off a heist to save a magnificent, yet heavily weakened, mythical water dragon from the clutches of a vindictive poacher. However, with the ocean seemingly wanting to murder Alex with every chance it gets - literally! - things might be tougher to overcome than they seem. A tale of important heists planned by kids and the importance of protecting the ocean and the environment around you. The winners of The Farshore Reading for Pleasure Teacher Awards 2023, highlighting the work schools are doing to encourage a love of reading, have... This adventure sees all the characters ease into the roles they began with. They help and support each other in the ways that the other needs. The adults continue to assist but, for the most part, are unaware of the dangers that the children are undertaking. Alex may be the central protagonist, but the other Zoey and Anil also are given time and attention as they contribute to the hunt for the missing egg and its importance. One day, Alex is given a small octopus, found in the tunnels along the cliffs. This is surprising as most sea creatures left or died in Haven's disgusting water. This octopus isn't like anything he's researched in all things oceanic. This octopus is super smart, and leads him to the local aquarium, closed down and empty.

Text copyright ©David Owen, 2022. Cover and inside

Another thing that did annoy me was that there is a certain festivity the townfolk have every year and it is central to the plot as well. The festivity itself isn't my issue, it's actually really nice world-building and immersive. The legend goes that Brineblood (a pirate) wanted to capture/kill the Water Dragon but in short fails and disappears. So, every year in August they build effigies of the pirate and models of the Water Dragon that culminate in latter reaching the safety of the water from the clutches of the pirate as they are burnt. Sounds pretty pro-Water Dragon, no? Apparently the author didn't think so, certainly not the characters, because at the end they come and defecate on this tradition by creating a 'new' tradition for the following month by saying they had been remembering a bad guy and that it should be the Water Dragon they need to be thankful for. I'M SORRY, WHAT?! Are you not the same character that has lived in this town the pass 11-12 years and should know this tradition inside out? Which part of the tradition is glorifying the pirate or demonising the dragon? Nowhere. This is a dangerous message to be portraying to children; instead of remembering the good and the bad, and having the mental capacity to differentiate and identify the two, let's just leave out the bad all together. NO. A town forgetting Brineblood would mean another character is more likely to turn out like him. It's like writing a story but then deciding not to include the villain, or writing about WW2 but leaving out Hitler entirely and just have the Allies bringing peace. Long ranting spoilers At a certain point, our character, who has been afraid of the ocean as it had been trying to kill him ever since he was a young child, finds out he has oceanic powers and can breath underwater. He's also seen doing this one more time before later on he appears scared of entering an underground water tunnel because there is a high chance he might drown. And it's supposed to be this big deal and all but why? He's learnt that he is connected to the ocean. He knows he can BREATHE underwater and that there is no risk of drowning, yet it is built up as this massive thing, for what? To create tension or conflict? To raise the stakes? It just felt really weird to me that suddenly such a u-turn was made. Another thing was that in quite a few places the grammar wasn't quite up to speed where a wrong word was used, jarring the sentence and flow of the paragraph or speech. Alex and Zoey have been testing the water of Haven, trying to prove that it's being polluted by a new building on the seafront. Called The Station, no-one knows what goes on in there. What they are sure of, is that their vain, greedy Mayor has something to do with it.I would not recommend reading this book without having read the first. Although explanations are given, the world turned from ordinary to extraordinary by the time we left the three friends the last time. Hello Yellow - 80 Books to Help Children Nurture Good Mental Health and Support With Anxiety and Wellbeing - I absolutely loved this story and couldn't put it down! I am sure children in any Year 5 and Year 6 classroom would feel the same. The twists and turns throughout the plot keep you guessing what is going to happen next and nothing about the story is predictable. I cannot wait to read the next book in the series! There are some scenes that I can easily visualise as part of a tv series or movie. I cheered along even though I knew the obvious ending. With as much mystery and intrigue as the ocean itself, readers will be swept away by this adventure'. - Clare Povey, author of The Unexpected Tale of Bastien Bonlivre

Alex Neptune, Dragon Thief by David Owen | Goodreads

There is fantasy and magic involved in the central plot, but a lot of the action involves people putting brain and brawn together to come up with a viable solution. I think the children who do read this will definitely find something to like, and adults who are used to indulging in this genre will also enjoy their time with it. Size - While the Water Dragon is in a diminished energy-saving-mode size that can fit easily inside an ice-cream van for most of the story, we'll be assessing its size based on the final form when it was returned to fuller (if not full) power. This means while it is possible the bay's shape was indeed like that because the Water Dragon took a bite out of it (leaving it with a 7 or potential 8), the climax size is roughly the size of the boat/ship of the villain. Which isn't huge in dragon numbers (5/10)

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Alex's best friend is Zoey, a keen inventor and budding engineer. Her father runs a scrap business, but yearns to be a full-time artist. His creations are made from the scrap he collects, and Zoey fears for his artist dreams. David has created a wonderfully pacy adventure full of imagination and jeopardy. Its eco themes will resonate with readers and his glittering star the water dragon will be taken firmly to their hearts.' - Jasbinder Bilan, author of Asha & The Spirit Bird