Tag Archives: Lorraine Gregory

Book Review: Interdimensional Explorers – Alien Apocalypse

Title: Interdimensional Explorers – Alien Apocalypse

Written by: Lorraine Gregory

Illustrated by: Jo Lindley

Published by: Farshore Books

Blurb

The second sensational book in a brand-new funny, accessible and action-packed space-adventure series written by the incredible Lorraine Gregory – perfect for middle grade fans of MG Leonard and Clare Fayers.

If the fate of the entire multiverse was in your hands, what would YOU do?

Nothing exciting ever happens on twelve-year-old Danny’s estate . . . that is until he falls through a locker in his grandad’s workshop and finds himself in an Interdimensional Lost Property Office!

Join Danny, Modge and Inaaya in a rocket-fuelled rampage across the universe and space shenanigans as they race to save the universe from the evil Flurm Worm . . .

Review

Interdimensional Explorers – Alien Apocalypse is a brilliant book and a dynamic sequel full of energy and adventure. I loved it! It is exactly what children want and need from a children’s book. The story is original and the writing is excellent. Lorraine Gregory grabs the reader from the very first page. As for the world building – this is ingenious and highly imaginative.

There are definitely not enough books on the shelves that explore the multi-verse and alien worlds for the middle grade age range and Interdimensional Explorers – Alien Apocalypse helps to start filling this enormous gap. I’m not sure if this is down to the publishers and the personal preferences of the commissioning editors or not. It seems strange that such book are few and far between. Farshore Books must be commended for grabbing this incredible series. Long may it continue.

The relationships between our three protagonists Danny, Modge and Inaaya and their problems are believable and relatable. The illustrations were full of emotion and added even more depth to the story.

I particularly felt for Inaaya and the pressure she put on herself to succeed in her education and Danny’s worries about his friends all moving on leaving him behind were extremely relatable. I also liked all the duplicitous characters that added clever twists to the plot.

I liked the attention to detail and the meticulous tying off of all the loose ends within the plot. This made the corruption within the system highly realistic and the antagonists reasonings for his actions very plausible.

Interdimensional Explorers – Alien Apocalypse is a fantastic read that I would recommend to all Key Stage Two readers whether they have a fascination for science fiction or not.

I look forward to reading the third book in the series.

To read my review of Book One take a look here: Book Review: Interdimensional Explorers

To read an interview with the author, Lorraine Gregory, about the writing of Interdimensional Explorers go to: Special Guest: Q & A with Lorraine Gregory.

Book Review: Interdimensional Explorers

Title: Interdimensional Explorers

Written by: Lorraine Gregory

Illustrated by: Jo Lindley

Published by: Farshore Books

I am a bit of science fiction fan. I love Star Trek, Firefly, Legends of Tomorrow and absolutely anything with time travel and the multiverse in it. So when I heard about this exciting new middle-grade adventure, I knew I had to read it. Interdimensional Explorers by Lorraine Gregory successfully incorporates the multi-verse theory into an exhilarating page-turner. I was totally absorbed by the characters and the unique imaginative world of the Interdimensional Lost Property Office (IDLPO).

Danny discovers his grandfather is not only the caretaker of the council estate where he lives but is also the caretaker at the IDLPO. When his grandfather has a heart attack at work he makes Danny promise to look after things and thrusts a pocket watch into his hand before he is driven away by the ambulance. Danny and his best friend Modge accidentally locate the entrance to the IDLPO and become the new caretakers until his grandfather is better.

They soon realise they are out of their depth with understanding all the space technology and so Danny reluctantly persuades his cousin, Inaaya, who wants to be an Astro physicist, to help. Then they uncover a plot that will threaten the whole multi-verse. They have to learn to put aside their grievances and work together to prevent the villains from succeeding in their dastardly scheme.  

Did it live up to my expectations? Yes. It certainly did. I absolutely loved Interdimensional Explorers and would recommend it to all middle-grade readers who like me have a passion for science fiction. The interaction between the characters is believable and realistic and it is extremely well-plotted.

I am looking forward to Interdimensional Explorers book two.

You can buy copies of Interdimensional Explorers by Lorraine Gregory from your local bookshop, or online at uk.bookshop.org, an organisation with a mission to financially support local, independent bookshops.

I have also interviewed Lorraine about Interdimensional Explorers for my blog. You can read the interview here: Special Guest: Q & A with Lorraine Gregory

Special Guest: Q & A with Lorraine Gregory

I am thrilled to have Lorraine Gregory as a special guest on my blog today to celebrate the launch of her latest novel, Interdimensional Explorers.

Lorraine has had various jobs over the years including school dinner lady, chef and restaurant manager but she has always had a secret desire to be a writer. She writes middle grade fantasy, with zany characters, which zip off on adventures, fighting monsters and evil villains.

Interdimensional Explorers is the first in a brand-new sensationally spacey, action-packed adventure. Nothing exciting ever happens on twelve-year-old Danny’s estate. That is until he falls through a locker in his grandad’s workshop and finds himself in an Interdimensional Lost Property Office! And – even weirder – his new boss is a giant purple squid on a segway.

Now Danny, best mate Modge and annoying cousin Inaaya find themselves in charge of returning alien items to all corners of the universe. But someone – or something – is determined to stop them. And there’s NOTHING these evil aliens won’t stop at to achieve complete multi-dimensional domination, even trapping Danny and his friends on a planet a million light years away from Earth.

Now for the part you’ve all been waiting for… the interview.

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Hi Lorraine,

Thank you for agreeing to be interviewed on my blog on the day of Interdimensional Explorers release, Thursday 8th June 2023.

The multiverse has been something that has fascinated and inspired me since I used to watch Sliders as a child, so when I heard about your latest book Interdimensional Explorers I just had to learn more about it.

So to start, please tell us a little about yourself and the inspiration for your book, Interdimensional Explorers.

Hi Anita, thanks for inviting me on your blog. I’m a mixed race kid brought up on a council estate and I never saw myself in books growing up. I wanted to give kids like me a story – not an issue story – but an amazing sci fi adventure.

Why did you decide to write a book about the multiverse for children?

Having a multiverse gives me so many options and opportunities for different worlds and ideas. It allows me to play around with world building as much as I like which is what I love to do. At the same time I hope it will spark children’s imaginations and encourage them to explore more sci fi.

What comes first for you the plot, or the characters, and why?

It’s always characters for me. I have to find them first and the plot grows around them. It’s important to me that the characters drive the story because their motivations and reactions are key to making any story believable.

What are the underlying themes of your novel, Interdimensional Explorers?

I think there are a few, loyalty, friendship and learning to believe in yourself no matter where you come from or what other people might think.

How much research did you need to do for your book? 

Because the sci fi in my book is more fiction than science not a huge amount! I did read up on some theories about multiverse’s but everything is quite vague so I felt happy to just let my imagination go wild!

If you could be a character in any of your books, who would you be?

That’s quite a tricky question. I write quite a lot of evil villains and I’m mean to most of my main characters! I’d maybe be Tingle from Maker of Monsters because she has the confidence of all cats and I’d love a bit more of that!

What writing advice would you give to people aspiring to be a children’s book writer?

Read as much as you can! You can learn everything about story structure from reading, and then write as much as you can. Try different genres and styles until you find one that works for you, explore different ideas till you find one that you can’t ignore and then polish it as much as you can. Then  try and find a crit group – online or in person – and get people to read your work and give you feedback, then start editing your work. Repeat the process.

How did you celebrate when you finished writing Interdimensional Explorers?

Interdimensional explorers was written during Lockdown and opportunities to celebrate were limited so I treated the family to a takeaway and a movie for putting up with me writing all the time!

Thank you Lorraine for taking the time to answer my questions for my blog, Much To Do About Writing, I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

Thank you for having me Anita and all the great questions. The next book will be heading to Earth in March 2024!

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You can find Lorraine on twitter @authorontheedge and you can check out her website Lorraine Gregory Author: www.lorrainegregoryauthor.co.uk

Lorraine recommends the independent bookshops like https://chickenandfrog.com and https://rocketshipbookshop.co.uk as two of the best places to purchase her books. You can also order online at at uk.bookshop.org, an organisation with a mission to financially support local, independent bookshops.