There’s much to enjoy in this exciting adventure with its magical twist! There’s an ancient spirit imprisoned in a forest for a thousand years awakened and determined to destroy the world, a prophecy, four weird but lovable talking alpaca guides and a reluctant girl on a quest to save the world.

Alex, our unwilling heroine, on holiday in Tasmania, discovers she’s a descendant of a powerful tribe destined to save the world. She’s clever, brave and persistent but her guides are four warrior spirits in the form of forgetful alpacas. For this Herculean task, Alex must find the destructive spirit somewhere in the forest, perform a binding ritual using unknown ingredients, find a special key, all while being pursued by a pack of possessed Tasmanian tigers resurrected from extinction. In so doing, she discovers confidence, self-belief and the importance of friendship and cooperation.

Alex and the Alpacas Save the World is the perfect mix of exciting suspense and quirky fun that lightens the story’s more sinister moments. It skilfully draws from literature and myth – the duality of nature’s power, creation and destruction – to weave a story that is fresh and compelling. Highly recommended for readers aged 9+.

Athina Clarke is the children’s book buyer at Readings Malvern.