Battle Boy

Battle Boy: Bloodaxe (ISBN 978-033042520-9)

Battle Boy: Aztec Attack (ISBN 978-033042558-2)

Battle Boy: Battle Bust-up (ISBN 978-033042559-9)

by Charlie Carter (Pan Macmillan)

PB RRP $9.99

Reviewed by Kathryn Duncan

If you are looking for a Christmas present for the reluctant reader, then it is worth looking at the Battle Boy series.

Battle Boy: Bloodaxe - Napoleon again finds himself sent back in time, this time to England in 954 - The Dark Ages, where he meets the feared Viking, Bloodaxe, and again finds himself in the middle of a battle. Napoleon befriends Bloodaxe’s son, Haeric, and although they have to fight each other, the boys learn lessons about leadership and war.  Again, supported by Skin, Napoleon navigates the intricacies of being in another time and despite Professor Perdu’s belief that the mission has failed, Napoleon has learned something about himself.

Battle Boy: Aztec Attack - The year is 1519 and this time Napoleon has found himself in Mexico facing the Aztecs and Spanish Conquistadors. This time, the mission might not be as clear as in the past - is Battle Boy really after the DNA sample from Cortez, or is there something more to the mission that Professor Perdu is not telling him?  Battle Boy 005 finds himself face to face with BB004 and the hope that they will meet again sometime in the future, rather than in the past.

Battle Boy: Battle Bust-up - After five eventful, but successful missions, Napoleon, better known as Battle Boy 005, finds himself in a tangled tale as two battles, The Battle of Issus in 333BC and the Battle of Kursk in 1943, are mixed up in the same book. His job this time is to find the contaminated parts and return them to their rightful book.  This is a nice change from the formulaic stories of previous five books and an astute reader will keenly pick up the differences in the types of battles used in such different times. As always, Napoleon returns home safely, even if a little battle weary, having restored the battle books to their correct states.

  

The Battle Boy series offer adventure and fun for readers and cleverly incorporates historical events into a genre that young readers, and in particular young boys, will love.  They combine history and technology with adventure and provide just enough facts to keep the reader intrigued about the topic. Hopefully, the stories will lead young readers to the non-fiction shelves of their local libraries, in the hope that they might come across their own historical adventure.

The series is supported by a website with information about the equipment and a quiz about each book - and it’s a Battle Boy secret how many this reviewer got right! http://www.battleboy.com.au/