Where would you go on a journey if you could go anywhere?

Written by: Emma Green @emgwritesagain

#WoollyHeist #FurryFelon #Alpacalypse

Published by: Usborne @usborne_books

Illustrations by: Jack Noel @jackdraws

Published: January 2026

Price: £7.99

Age: 9+

ISBN: 9781836045663

Thanks to LoveReadingForSchools for the review copy.

First line: When the police officer dropped me, Dad and Lilly back home after the Crash, he said to me, “Rotten luck there, Hedley.”

Genre: Modern adventure, Comedy, Family

What’s it all about? Hedley finds life tricky. He likes things done in a certain way, so living in a children’s home makes his life difficult. But, he can’t return home as his mum has died and his dad can’t get out of bed. Luckily, he has his sister with him – not that he would admit that to her. Unluckily, he has to share a room with another boy called Aiden. Aiden also has troubles, mainly that he makes up everything about his dad, and that he takes everything that belongs to Hedley without permission. As Aiden is quite big, there is nothing that Hedley can do about it. Plus, Aiden gets angry very quickly.  To support both boys with their emotions, Aiden and Hedley are given the opportunity to work at the local petting farm. Hopefully, Hedley’s lucky hat will protect from anything that might go wrong. Aiden has other ideas about how best to use the petting farm as things transpire and Hedley knows nothing about it until the morning when he ends up going on a hike with the other characters.

Why should I read it? The unusual characters and their quirks and relationships pulls this story together. A story full of heart and big emotions. Hedley learns to trust others and with teamwork they save the day, which they destroyed in the first place! A good use of social media and newspaper reports interrupts each chapter with quirky up dates. Be warned the book does contain content of death of a parent and sibling.