The Boy Who Fell From The Sky - Benjamin Dean

Zed lives with his father who is the First Hunter in the Authority, the organisation who track down the Demons (known to be dangerous) that fall from the sky.  Being a Hunter is a prestigious job and one that carries status by those the Hunters protect.  Zed has always felt the weight of expectation on him to follow in his father's footsteps and become a Hunter, but when he and his father are summoned to meet the Superior, things don't go well and it is clear that his father is disappointed in him.  Sent to his room when they get home, Zed can overhear his dad's team in discussions, and then hears a shooting star, which signals that a Demon is falling to Earth.  With his father and his team quick to act, Zed is left alone.  However, what Zed doesn't expect is to encounter one of the aliens; nor does he expect anything that happens afterwards. 

It's no secret that I love Benjamin Dean's books, both Middle Grade and YA, so when The Boy Who Fell From The Sky popped up on NetGalley, the temptation to dive straight in was too great!

Zed is a character I loved from the very beginning: making jokes when he's nervous; listening in to adult conversations when he's not supposed to; sneaking around when he thinks nobody notices ... readers will definitely warm to him.  But one thing is clear: Zed is lonely.  He and his father have spent so long travelling around for his father's job, that he's never had the chance to make any real friends.  Coupled with the fact that everything Zed has ever been taught about Demons dictates that they are vicious and should be feared, it's not surprising the way he reacts when he first meets Spark.  What unfolds is a truly heart-warming story about finding friendship; knowing when to do the right thing and following your heart.

One of the things that I felt really shone from the book were the messages woven into the plot about being yourself.  Lines such as 'Rejecting who you are and forcing yourself to become some you're not, is painful' were powerful and ones that children need to hear (Can I just say that I think Spark's grandma is a very wise alien and one whose messages need spreading further).

Publishing on the 18th January, The Boy Who Fell From The Sky is a sci-fi that is guaranteed to warm your heart, make you smile and banish the January blues.