Nelson Kane lives in a junkyard with his mother, grandmother, and perpetually hungry cousin Kenny. It’s an ordinary, fallen-on-hard-times tip, where his grandmother invents strange gadgets out of junk, and his mum takes on cleaning work to make ends meet. All this changes on Nelson’s tenth birthday, when he discovers he has inherited his father’s ninja powers and is now charged with the hard task of protecting his town … and the world!

This far-fetched and funny adventure – the first in a new series – will delight Anh Do’s legion of fans and engage a new audience of readers 6 and up. It follows the highly successful format of Anh Do’s WeirDo and HotDog series, combining clear, visually stimulating text with black and white illustrations, plenty of fast-paced action and loveable characters. I loved the well-depicted family dynamic in this book, which is full of quirky warmth and charming humour.

George Delaney is a children’s and YA specialist at Readings Kids.