Sam Copeland: Alex vs Axel – The Impossible Quests (Penguin Random House 2024)
Alex Always is a smart boy, he has a very good memory and studies well. This is not appreciated by everyone in his class… He is raised by his grandmother, with whom they can barely keep their small apartment. However, he has even bigger problems to solve when he suddenly falls into another world. Axel Stormward is a Grade Nine hero, a defender of justice, a flayer of evil, a slayer of wolves. He doesn’t even know how much trouble he will get into when he suddenly falls into another world. Alex and Axel switch places to complete their Impossible Quests.
The story runs on two threads, as the two boys try to figure out why they ended up in another world and how they can get home. Both of them are helped along the way by friends to complete the tasks assigned to them. Both of them are part of a story, because what would the world be without stories. We, the readers, can find important topics like life and death, courage, sadness, or remembrance, and what it really means to be a hero. The story is completed by the illustrations of Dotty Sutton.
Sam Copeland was born in Manchester and currently lives in London with his family. He is still looking for an answer to the question „Who am I?”. His first book Charlie Changes into a Chicken won numerous awards and was followed by two sequels. The author’s books always convey important and serious topics, but he takes the edge off with humor.
