Guest post: Freddie Jones: The Four Assemble by Nicholas Cariello (Young Adult)

 November 2018, Tangerine River, 297 pages, Paperback, review copy

Book summary

Freddie Jones is lonely, friendless and misunderstood. His father has gone missing and his wicked grandmother is now in charge. Only eleven years old, yet feeling like he wants to give up on life, Freddie opens his heart to the universe… and the universe hears him.To his amazement, Freddie is carried off to a strange world where he forges new friendships. However, even his newfound friends can’t replace his dear father; he longs to see him again. But perhaps his friends can give him some clues about his father’s sudden disappearance…Armed with some terrifying and unbelievable information, will Freddie dare to go on the adventure of a lifetime… and will he survive it?

Nayu's thoughts 

This actually isn't a review because while the book sounds really good it isn't quite my type of read at the moment. However, because I have read similar sounding books in the past I thought you'd all like to hear about it. So Nicholas kindly agreed to share a few of his thoughts with you along with an extended synopsis.

Nicholas Cariello's thoughts on the book

Freddie Jones, the Four Assemble, is story of a boy in search of his beloved father. Lost and looking for answers he talks to the universe…and the universe hears him!

Freddie then finds himself in a new world, with new faces and a new way of life. It is here that he finds some answers on not just his father, but also himself.

Inspiration – where do I start! – came from a number of things; my children, Harry Potter, the wonders of the world, I suppose my main inspiration was to just look up at the stars of a night time, sometimes the simplest things seems to put everything into perspective.

I feel the book is an easy read, and readers will be able to relate to Freddie and find comfort in his story. It’s a mix of excitement, humour and suspense with a lot of twists and turns, so be prepared for an epic adventure!

The book is a great read for all ages and promotes a lot of self-belief for young children, urging them to follow their dreams and keep their thoughts positive.

Eleven-year old Freddie Jones lives alone with his father in their cosmos inspired little abode. Sadly, his mother passed when he was just a baby. Freddie has the best dad in the world, and they do everything together, including their passions of star gazing. Freddie idealised his dad; he was everything a boy could wish for.

But, when his father goes missing on a work trip to the Pyramids of Giza, Freddie finds himself alone and deserted – especially more so when he finds out his cruel grandmother has to look after him. With his nan now controlling the fort, Freddie is subject to a life of hard work and abuse.

Bored and lonely and grasping onto the fact that his father is still alive, Freddie’s path leads him to a fortune teller who reminds him that he is special, and he has the power to make things happen. With this mindset Freddie talks to the universe, and it hears him. Next thing he knows he’s whisked through a portal to another world

He arrives in Yin Yang’s, a deep, meaningful inspired world where children learn their true strengths and discover powers they didn’t know existed. It is here he finally makes some friends: Chang, Anika and Jazmine, who inform Freddie of an ancient extinct species called the Reptoids - who Freddie thinks may well of had a part to do with the disappearance of his father. This idea lays the foundations to an adventure set across the universe.

Their clues eventually lead them to the reptile world, where the group eventually rescue Freddie’s dad. But, it’s not just his father they find, Freddie also finds himself, along with some answers to his mother.