Young children
Paperback
Millie and Oscar are ordinary children, but it all changes when they are introduced to Mr Wallatt, an eccentric scientist.
Millie, Oscar, and their friend Derek, learn that Mr Wallatt is an eco-warrior and a hoarder, who believes that everything should be recycled so the planet is deeply cherished. He is plotting to help migratory birds on their long seasonal flights by reinforcing the magnetic field at the North Pole using a giant battery and a large electromagnet from his attic.
In a separate part of the world, in Arizona, Jed Bronzovic, an astronomer, has been given the task of studying the asteroid belt. He finds a large asteroid made mostly of iron that has been diverted and may pass close by the Earth – he calls it Ferrus-11.
As Mr Wallatt, the children and their fast-running cat, Torpedo, make headway with their experiment, Jed calculates that Ferrus-11 is going to collide with the Earth and its impact may lead to complete loss of life on the planet. Warning broadcasts are made around the world, and it soon dawns on the three children that Mr Wallatt’s magnet may hold the key to deflecting the asteroid. With time quickly running out, can they complete the mission and save the Earth from destruction?
Here's what readers have to say about this book....
J M Vaughan Each page gets more and more interesting! April 26, 2022 I liked how his Prime Controller was ‘magnet’ as when Mr Wallet gave the children letter clues of ‘M-A-G’ I guessed ‘magnet’. I’ve just learnt about magnets in school and now I’ve learnt more about them from this book. Each page gets more and more interesting because each chapter gets more exciting as the end of the world comes closer. Well done Peter Tyrer, from Savannah age 8 1/2.
Really informative and exciting story March 11, 2022 A great book to get kids hooked on reading as the story is told in the perspective of someone a lot of children can relate to. The main character Millie is often told in the beginning of the book that she is too young to understand things, or that she will understand when she is older. I know from experience that this can be really irritating so I think its great that they can have a role model like Millie who shares similar experiences to them but doesn’t let it get in her way or stop her doing amazing things. The book is also really informative about mental health and successfully gets rid of the taboo surrounding the topic quite quickly. I love the analogy of the ‘prime controller’, and I think this story is a great way to teach kids about mental health issues in a way they will understand, and not get uncomfortable around the conversation. Overall, I would definitely recommend this book to kids for a very exciting an interesting read. View this book’s reviews on Amazon
A book I didn't want to put down I really enjoyed this book and always wanted to read more. It had a really good story line about two children who were kind to an old man who had a mental illness. During the book they persevered and never gave up, even when an asteroid was about to hit Earth. I definitely recommend this book to children around my age (10 years).
5.0 out of 5 stars Gripping – full of endearing characters and great for promoting scientific awareness In Arizona, Jed the astronomer is panicking as he tracks the course of a lethal iron asteroid heading straight towards Earth. But, unknown to him, he has allies on the other side of the world. So, meet the endearingly dictatorial, seriously questing Millie, her likeable brother Oscar and their astute friend Derek. An efficient trio who, with the valued assistance of Torpedo the cat, set about saving the planet. Millie, the only one with any real sense and initiative in the town (apart from her esteemed grandfather, whom she clearly resembles) befriends Mr Wallatt, passionate ecowarrior disguised to the world as a crazy hoarder. Amid the typical trappings of the hoarder, such as blocked stairwells, rotting fruit, and rooms too crowded to enter, the children discover a powerful magnet, which offers a chance of deflecting the asteroid. In a race against time, they help Mr Wallett to get the magnet working properly. Will they succeed? Beneath the gripping story, this book presents a parable about how the marginalised of society have something unique and visionary to contribute, and how their rubbish may be not just treasure but life-saving. It celebrates the gold of the less mentally ‘ordinary’ - a favourite word, though perhaps what Tyrer means by ordinary is not always how some of us may choose to define it - working on a miniature railway in someone’s front garden, for example, sounds enviably out of the ordinary. It’s also about holding to your inner vision in the face of others’ obtuseness and indifference – and living with their comic lack of awareness once mission has been accomplished. And behind this lies a serious warning about a planet on a collision course with disaster. Will Tyrer be as prescient about this as he was with his novel Poleaxed, which dealt with a mystery virus in a small English village?
