'Carnegie-scooping Patrick Ness pulls off a zany caper with verve... An entire subplot about how the country of France ended up on Zeke the monitor lizard’s knee is deftly rolled into this pacey, knockabout plot.' The Observer
'This zany school adventure has likeable characters and explores friendship, growing up, and a parent who is fighting their own battles.' The Bookseller
'hilarious' Waterstones September’s Best Children’s Books 2024
'Ness expertly mixes perceptive observation of the pressures of school and home life, and the compensations of friendship, with some situations and characters that are so way out that it is a wonder he can get away with it…It’s a tale that is beyond unpredictable: crazy, funny, and tender. Running through the laughter and bravura invention, there is an uplifting faith in our capacity to understand, love and support one another. Sheer unmissable brilliance...You will see it nowhere else.' Books for Keeps, Editor’s Choice
'Laughable and learnable moments make for a rollicking adventure... Full of humor and heart, this is a must-buy for any school or public library.' School Library Journal
'Using over-the-top prose, Ness details characters tackling mundane yet serious issues surrounding economic disparity, school violence, anger management, and self-image in a tale that is both deeply relatable and humorously off-kilter.' Publishers Weekly
'Enormous fun and filled with utterly bonkers, at times quite surreal, humour, the award-winning writer’s debut middle grade offering is one that will win him a brand new group of fans as we are introduced to lizard Zeke and his mother and friends in the first of an illustrated series by Patrick Ness perfect for its 9+ target audience.' World’s Smallest Library
'[] highly hilarious! I loved it!' BookRead2Day
'[Ness's] combination of splendid silliness, tenderness and poignancy works effectively, so much so that readers will find themselves laughing frequently. Making the whole thing even funnier are Tim Miller’s zany ink drawings. Underestimating a monitor lizard is not to be advised.' Red Reading Hub
'I ADORED this book. I don't know how Patrick Ness manages to get so much pathos into a story about a monitor lizard with France on his knee but he really does. It was sweet, kind, adorable and utterly bonkers but in a gigantic warm hug of a way. More please!' Netgalley Reviewer
'Magnificent! I haven't giggled this much since the Wilf (Georgia Pritchett), Bad Guys (Aaron Blabey) or Mort (Rachel Delahaye) series.' Netgalley Reviewer