have been reading this with Riley since the New Year and we have LOVED it! Fun, fantastical and laugh out loud – it has all a kid’s book needs to be a great bedtime adventure of a read. The human imagination is the greatest musical instrument in the entire universe.What a shame that,as they grow up,so many people forget how to play.” Maya loves to dream, both daydreaming (which gets her in trouble at school) and dreaming at night. When a boy from one of her dreams turns up in real life, she's really not sure what's going on. But he knows. His name is Teddy Flamewood and he and his sister are there to help Maya use her dreaming skills to put things right. Despite it being slightly longer than other books we have read previously, this one kept both of us interested and excited to read with a fab bunch of characters and a thrilling story line. This was a lovely middle grade that focuses on facing your fears and embracing every corner of your imagination.

The Great Dream Robbery by Greg James, Chris Smith - Waterstones

Professor Dexter’s motto has always been "What if?", and has led him to the verge of a huge breakthrough in dream research at Somnia Inc. But six weeks ago, there was a terrible accident that left him trapped in a nightmare that he can’t wake up from. But something went terribly wrong and Dad is in hospital, unable to wake up. His boss Lilith Delamere is paying all the expensive hospital bills, but Maya thinks there's something not quite right about the tall, dark haired lady who looks like she hasn't slept for months!

This is a fabulous story with a broad appeal (not least to Geography teachers who could use the “wave-cut platform” rap in class to great effect!). The plot is fast-paced, has comic-style fonts which will encourage reading aloud, as well as a clever narrative style which enables the authors to befriend and talk directly to their reader. In addition, there are many laugh-out-loud moments which combined with the subtle undertones of how to face your fears, will leave children wanting to read more. It’s a triumph! The Great Dream Robbery is full of rich language and descriptive paragraphs entwined within the humour. There is an endearing cast of characters, as well as the truly villainous character of Lilith Delamere. In an attempt to stop Lilith’s dastardly plan, there is an extremely bizarre battle involving a unicorn called Donald, a seal and an army of line dancing robots. This book could definitely be enjoyed in the classroom - probably as a class reader. Or as in my case, in the library for book club – as it has left me with a plethora of activity ideas. The villain was great, I couldn’t even really dislike her. In fact I mostly just felt sorry for her. I knew that underneath all that anger was a tired woman who just wanted to freaking sleep for once but thanks to nightmares and dad she wasn’t able to. So I was looking forward to seeing her change, see her understand. But before that we get some great parts in which she is a wonderful villain. Evil, mean, and shouty. In line with the National Curriculum, all of our ‘The Great Dream Robbery’ activities have been designed especially for use within children aged between 7 and 11 years old. You can also trust that they’re stimulating for your little learners, having been created in collaboration with our team of experienced primary school teachers. How are these ‘The Great Dream Robbery’ activities useful? I loved the later part of the book with them breaking into the dream lab! That was just so much fun to read and see what these kids get up to! Lots of imagination and tons of laughter from my side.

The Great Dream Robbery | Meet Greg James and Chris Smith The Great Dream Robbery | Meet Greg James and Chris Smith

LoveReading4Kids exists because books change lives, and buying books through LoveReading4Kids means you get to change the lives of future generations, with 25% of the cover price donated to schools in need. Join our community to get personalised book suggestions, extracts straight to your inbox, 10% off RRPs, and to change children’s lives. I’m a huge fan of the Kid Normal series so I was overjoyed to see that James & Smith have collaborated again and that I was approved for this review copy.This madcap adventure could have only been dreamt up by the crazy minds of Greg James and Chris Smith, the duo behind the brilliant Kid Normal series. There latest book, The Great Dream Robbery, is part science-fiction, part mission impossible, part mystery that needs solving and a whole lot of fun. When twelve-year-old Maya Clayton’s sleep expert father invented a special device that allows you to slip into other people’s dreams he was excited at the prospect of discovering more about the human imagination. What he did not plan was for his villainous boss of Somnia Incorporated, Lilith Delamere, to trap him in a nightmare from which he cannot escape. Inject some fun into your reading lessons with our selection of fantastic ‘The Great Dream Robbery’ activities. Created in partnership with Puffin Books, they’re the perfect way to support reading ‘The Great Dream Robbery’ with your class.