This book is great fun to read. A fantastic piece of Middle Grade fiction with a heart. I am clearly not the target audience for this story, but I really enjoyed it as a great adventure yarn for younger readers, and I may be gifting it to a few readers I know.
Charlie does not think he is very brave; he does not stand up to bullies and tries to avoid being noticed by peers. He wishes he could be braver, like his friend Lippy, and answer some of the bullies back, like his friend Roo – and as for Dad, who is a firefighter, well that is a strength and bravery he can only imagine.
Yet, one day he meets Cando, the Last Firefox, and this sets him on a path of adventure he was never expecting. And one that proves that he does indeed have that fire inside him to be as brave as all the people he admires.
I do not want to give any spoilers away, as it is great fun to read, but it is wonderful again to see a book for younger readers that is so inclusive. Charlie has been adopted by his Dad and Pa and, for me, that was one of the greatest things about this story, as it covers so many key social issues in a heartwarming manner. I wish there had been so many more books like this around when I was younger, and although it is still not perfect, at least that change is happening.
So, if you like a good adventure story with a heart, then this is a book for you, whatever your age.