Alex Neptune, Dragon Thief: Book 1

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The winners of The Farshore Reading for Pleasure Teacher Awards 2023, highlighting the work schools are doing to encourage a love of reading, have... 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. 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. 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. Featuring a faded seaside town teeming with legend and danger, Alex Neptune is fun and full of heart, perfect for readers who love mysteries and heists.' - Sarah Driver, author of The Huntress trilogy

Alex Neptune, Dragon Thief: Alex Neptune, Book 1 (Audio

Now the tourists avoid it too. Haven's waters have become polluted and unswimable, making it tough for businesses to survive in Haven. Alex's family have an ice cream van that Alex often helps in, but it doesn't make a lot of money. 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 BonlivreDavid has taken the myths of dragons and given them a new spin. This is a fantastic adventure story, and I loved that Alex was able to see different skills in his friends and bring them together to form an effective team. Kids are going to really enjoy this story - and there's more to come! 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.

Alex Neptune, Pirate Hunter by David Owen | Waterstones Alex Neptune, Pirate Hunter by David Owen | Waterstones

Hello Yellow - 80 Books to Help Children Nurture Good Mental Health and Support With Anxiety and Wellbeing - There is so much to celebrate in this book from sprinkles of humour to the funny, quirky characters and plot. The teaching links and hooks are endless too. This would be a perfect book to explore the eco-friendly themes of marine, coastal management, reducing litter and caring for our oceans. It also carries a strong environmental message which is delivered excellently throughout the adventure. A ship made of trash and being spearheaded by a pirate is trying to find the missing dragon's egg, and they think it's still in their town. There is a new member in their small group, one who comes bearing news of the plans of the pirate. 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.Having worked as a freelance games journalist and taught on a BA Creative Writing course for three years, David Owen's debut novel, Panther, was longlisted for the Carnegie Medal, and was followed by three further highly acclaimed YA novels.