Danny’s grandad is hiding a bit of a secret in his caretakers shed. When he is suddenly taken ill, it’s up to Danny to keep an eye on things. But he is about to get more than he bargained for… Together with his best friend Modge and annoying cousin Inaaya, Danny will experience mysterious creatures and mayhem in more than one dimension as he tries to foil a dastardly plot which threatens the multiverse. Lorraine Gregory has a marvellous imagination and a cracking sense of humour as she tells us this tale of friendship, empathy and adventure. Best of all, it’s the first in a series so lots more to look forward to!

As a child, I was very open to the idea of other worlds and dimensions – after all, I had seen the evidence that they existed in Dr Who – my favourite TV programme. That desire to travel to the far-flung corners of existence and have the most amazing adventures as I encountered alien species and battled the baddies has never really gone away and, despite Mr S’s insistence that any fiction that cannot be true is not worth the time of day, I still yearn for stories through which I can achieve that thrill. Here is the book which took me back to my childhood, reading the stories of Terrance Dicks, Malcolm Hulke, Robert Holmes and others whose names are probably forgotten to many now – a book that I would happily have considered worthy to include on my dedicated Dr Who shelf, such was the glorious feelings of wonder and nostalgia it invoked. Don’t get me wrong – this is not old-fashioned in any way but very unusually for a bang-up-to-date story, through the pleasure it has brought me, it has reminded me so much of why I became a reader all those years ago. I think we all have that one really annoying relative and for Danny it’s his perfect cousin Inaaya who delights in telling him he is in a whole heap of trouble when he finally returns home from school. Late due to a detention he has failed to declare to his family, Danny should have been at his grandad’s to help out some time ago and is somewhat surprised when instead of a massive telling-off from his mum she sends him over. Forced to take Inaaya with him, Danny arrives at his grandfather’s workshop and is shocked to see the old man surrounded by blue light and lurching out of a locker. This is nothing though to the shock he has when Grandad falls to the ground. While Inaaya calls for an ambulance, Danny tends to his grandad who appears to be rambling and tells him to go into the office and look after them, before warning him to BEWARE THE CHEESE. When it becomes clear that Grandad has had a heart attack and will be out of action for some time, a guilt-filled Danny returns to the workshop with best friend Modge to try to keep on top of whatever needs doing to help out. Not sure what needs to be done, the boys investigate the locker – unexpectedly falling through it – and are amazed to find themselves in an Interdimensional Lost Property Office. When Grandad’s supervisor turns up to ensure the office is carrying out its duties, Danny and Modge promise to look after things but before long they realise they will need to ask Inaaya for help if they are to be successful. With things going well at first, the three children soon seem to be on top of things but they haven’t reckoned on alien powers who want the office to fail. As they travel to other worlds to try to stop them, they find themselves in terrible danger – danger that threatens all of the dimensions. Can Danny and the others discover exactly what is going on and step up to prevent disaster? Danny is a character that so many children will identify with. Not a fan of school or responsibility, he just wants to have fun and when we first meet him is someone who will put in the bare minimum effort into homework or at school. When his grandad is taken ill, he blames himself for not being there and not helping as he knows he should have and is determined to keep things ticking over while he is in charge. Soon out of his depth with understanding the role of looking after the office, he realises that hard-working and studious Inaaya is the answer to his prayers and after asking for her help, is pretty much happy to let her take charge until things go wrong and he realises that he can no longer take a backseat. Finally stepping up, he comes to see that he cannot just coast through life if he wants to be successful – a powerful message to many children who think that by doing enough and no more, they are bound to do well in life, and one that they are far more likely to take on board through the pages of this story than they are from well-meaning adults. This is the perfect book for Year 4 upwards. Exciting, believable, enormous fun and packed with Jo Lindley’s illustrations – many of which, like the text, are brilliantly funny – this would make a fabulous class reader, with many opportunities for some very valuable discussions in class based on some of the big reveals about the characters further on in the story. I absolutely adored it and have already added Book 2 to my Upcoming reads I can’t wait to get my hands on! page on my blog. Sadly, I am going to have to be very patient to read that as it does not publish until March 14th 2024 but this opener in the series is such a winner that I am already looking forward to re-reading it.

What an absolute treat this was! Lost creatures from other dimentions need to get back to their home planets. Danny, Inaaya and Modge decide to help them but two hairy-legged foes have other ideas! I loved the characters, the creatures (especially Shugly) and the idea of a secret interdimentional lost poperty office. Also, who knew Qwerty was an alien language! Can't wait for book two.

A fantastically original adventure through the dimensions. Lorraine Gregory's council estate kids are a pure joy and all the action is brought fizzing to life with Jo Lindley's glorious artwork. More fun than the multiverse can handle!