From Frank Cottrell Boyce—the beloved, award-winning, New York Times–bestselling author of Millions and Cosmic—comes another hilarious, heartbreaking, and completely original middle grade novel.
Rory Rooney likes to be prepared for anything. That sort of planning pays off when you’re the smallest kid in your class. Rory is even prepared (mostly) for Tommy-Lee, his nemesis, who starts most days by throwing Rory out of the back of the school bus. Don’t be scared, his favorite book says, be prepared. And Rory aims to be. What’s more heroic than that?
But Rory isn’t prepared when he suddenly and inexplicably turns green and finds himself stuck in an experimental hospital ward. The doctors are just as baffled as Rory is, and that’s when he begins to wonder: What if this isn’t caused by his genes, or a virus, or something he ate? What if it’s something even more extraordinary? After all, more than a few superheroes’ careers began when they turned green. Could this be a sign that he’s meant for something greater? Rory is going to find out—and that’s going to start with escaping from the hospital.
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“Ewan Goddard narrates with gusto… Goddard handles the main characters seamlessly and keeps the two [characters] distinct, especially Rory, who exudes all the bravado, wimpiness, doubt, and confidence that specific moments in the story require. Goddard also gives added personality to a flamboyant array of secondary characters and delivers the narrative with tongue-in-cheek drollness…Winner of the AudioFile Earphones Award.”
— AudioFile
“This is classic Cottrell Boyce: brilliantly funny, believable, and very human…a fast-paced adventure…[and] a rallying cry for the power of difference.”
— Telegraph (London)“[A] delightful, laugh-out-loud reading odyssey…guaranteed to enchant both children and parents.”
— Lancashire Evening Post (England)“A quirky and madcap adventure full of resplendent British humor and colloquialisms…[that is] humorous and fast paced.”
— School Library Journal (starred review)“Boyce…provides readers with a fast-paced and hysterically funny adventure while also exploring the nature of fear, friendship, and family.”
— Booklist (starred review)“[A] funny, sentimental, thematic smorgasbord of a novel that serves up equal helpings of satire and compassion.”
— Kirkus Reviews“Offers up a message worth embracing: ‘The thing that makes you different,’ Rory concludes, ‘is the thing that makes you Astounding.’”
— Publishers WeeklyBe the first to write a review about this audiobook!
Frank Cottrell Boyce is the author of Framed, Cosmic, the new Chitty Chitty Bang Bang novels, and Millions, which was made into a movie by Oscar-winning director Danny Boyle. He is also a successful writer of film scripts and, along with Danny Boyle, devised the opening ceremony for the London 2012 Olympics.