PAX and the Missing Head by David Barker

Book Summary

In a country beset by civil war, New London defends itself behind a giant wall. Inside the city, children are forced to work from an early age, except for the lucky few who train to be leaders in the re-purposed Palace of Westminster. 12-year-old orphaned Pax is brilliant at recycling old tech. He enjoys working on the verti-farms and just wants a bit of peace and quiet. But when that is taken away from him, his only hope is to pass a near-impossible exam and join the other students in Scholastic Parliament. There he’ll make new friends and new enemies. He’ll get tested like never before. And he’ll discover that not everything is quite what it seems under the mayor’s harsh leadership.

First of all I must admit I really thought it was a completely different type of head from the title and description! I won't spoil it for you and anyway, probably everyone else got it right away 😂

This is set in a very mysterious new world. It's not really clear what exactly has caused things to change so horrifically but New London is now protected from the outside by a giant steel wall keeping out the old and the rich. Pax has never been outside but loves to look beyond the wall from high up in the vertical farms where he works.

I thought New London was such a depressing place! It's quite scary how things could escalate into a life like that. Pax really just wants to keep his head down but he's obviously really smart and Alderman seems to know that he could do better and bigger things with his life. Speaking of which, the end of the book definitely leaves things open enough for Pax to takes things much further.

It was kind of sad how Pax found it so hard to make friends so I was cheering when he found his people at Parliament. Though of course, not everyone was so nice. I find reading about bullies so frustrating and I was desperate for Pax to get back at mean-boy Zach.

Author Bio

"I attended the Faber Academy in 2014 and from that had three climate-fiction thrillers published (The Gold Trilogy, Bloodhound Books). I joined SCBWI in 2018 as I shifted my focus to a younger audience. My MG debut, Pax & The Missing Head publishes with Tiny Tree in late 2023. I live in Berkshire with my wife and daughter. I have a passion for stories, sport and boardgames."

I've made my own version of a Parliament Royale, it might give you courage while taking the terrifying scholastic test! In a a shaker full of ice, add the following, 40 ml citrus gin, 20ml apple sourz, 15ml lemon juice and a few drops of angostura bitters. Pour into a flute and top with champagne.

The Official Spooky Season Book Tag

I think this was one of the hardest tags I've done but I was determined to get it posted this month, before the end of the official spooky season! Thank you to Noly (The Artsy Reader) for tagging me, you can find her original and very good answers to the questions here.

The rules are as follows:

Tag the original creator (The Artsy Reader)

Use the official banner

Answer the prompts and questions

Tag 5 people

Have fun and get spooky!!!

Question 1: You hear a strange noise in the night – the monsters got inside! Which book character would you choose to protect you from harm?

Crisanta Knight from Protagonist Bound by Geanna Culbertson. She's got magic and many abilities to help protect me, plus she goes on tons of quests so has the experience. Also comes with her kick ass friends.

Question 2: You go on vacation and your hotel is located right next to a cemetery. Which book character do you really hope is not hiding in the shadows?

The creepy one-eyed stones in Marianne Dreams by Catherine Storr. This was one of my favourite books as a child and definitely the creepiest thing I can think of. They could easily hide in a cemetery!

Question 3: It’s a particularly cold night and you decide to stay inside. Which three book characters would you like to spend a trivia quiz and board game night with?

Irene from the Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman, Bethany from The Beast and the Bethany by Jack Meggitt-Phillips and Kurara from Rebel Skies by Ann Sei Lin. Each of them are really interesting and fun characters, though I now realise they would all probably beat me at any game we tried to play.

Question 4: Time for a big adventure! The scary book you pick transports you into its world. Where do you end up?

It would probably have to be Faerie. It would mostly be terrifying but at the same time really wondrous and amazing.

Question 5: No Halloween without Trick or Treat-ing! Which book character do you think has the sweetest tooth?

Aleja and her friends in Ship of Shadows by Maria Kuzniar. They always have cake ready and waiting and definitely would not go on any adventure without snacks.

Question 6: The fairies are angry and want a sacrifice from your bookshelf. Which scary book has to go and why?

This is really tough as I try not to keep books without a good reason. I am constantly having to give some away to make room for the new ones I love. I don't think I have any more that I am willing to give up right now.

Question 7: You decide you feel more autumnal rather than halloween-y today. Which book setting would you choose for a more cosy and less scary vibe?

Viv's cafe in Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree. The whole book makes me feel cosy, despite the high possibility of adventure.

Question 8: The witch is cooking up a spell in her cauldron and you have to add one magic ingredient. Which item from a book are you adding to the mixture?

I can't think of many magical book ingredients except from Harry Potter. Most of them are animal parts and I feel bad for the animals so I'd put in Moondew as I love anything to do with the sky and space.

Question 9: You get to decide which bookish place to visit for Halloween. Which book setting is the scariest – and gets crossed off the list?

The spider tunnels in Dread Wood by Jennifer Killick, mostly because I could not deal with the Latchitts. They just never seem to quit, no matter how many times you think you've escaped them.

Question 10: The big day is finally here: it’s Halloween! Which book character do you dress up as, and what would be part of your outfit?

I've always liked the look of those long white ancient Greek style dresses so maybe I could go as a Goddess from one of the many mythology-based books I read. Quite a few of them seem pretty scary to me!

I'm tagging:

@thepennotthesw1

@shelvesofstarl1

@BooksAre42

@AmysBookishLife

@AVoraciousReadr

And anyone else who's interested. Let me know if you have a go, I'd love to read your answers!