A thrilling fantasy adventure about the importance of friendship and protecting our oceans with the added magic of the Water Dragon, an octopus called Kraken and OTTERS!

I love fantasy adventures based on mythical tales, and Alex Neptune is brilliant. It had me laughing lots, and I also loved the message of looking after our oceans. I will be putting this on my school reading newsletter, and getting a copy for my year 6 class.

There are some versions of books targeting younger audiences that appeal to people of all ages. This is one of them.
Alex has been friends with Zoey for a long time. She knows of his tumultuous relationship with the water that borders their town. It has always seemed that the ocean has been wanting to kill Alex - he, therefore prefers to keep his distance. Anil is new in the mix, and Alex resents his presence. The balance of friendships, old and new, is brought out little by little as the situation around them morphs into something a lot more dangerous.
Their town has had a lot of pollution issues. Zoey is the most vocal of the lot when it comes to talking about everything that that entails. One evening as they notice a green light in the distance, Alex makes a new friend. It is an octopus that does not want to keep away. This is how he finds out that there is something afoot, and it is up to Alex to save the dragon(and essentially the world). As the title indicates, it is in the form of a heist.
The revelations are smooth, and the pacing is well done. There are different stages and some twists to the hurdles people encounter, but overall it was highly satisfying to see how everyone fits into the bigger picture. Some of the banter veers into childishness, but given that the characters are that particular age, it is more than appropriate.
There are some scenes that I can easily visualise as part of a tv series or movie. I cheered along even though I knew the obvious ending.
There is fantasy and magic involved in the central plot, but a lot of the action involves people putting brain and brawn together to come up with a viable solution. I think the children who do read this will definitely find something to like, and adults who are used to indulging in this genre will also enjoy their time with it.
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

This is a great debut, full of great characters and adventure. With a strong environmental message at its heart this is also a story about courage, friendship, and family secrets. Alex is a lovely character, gradually learning about his family history and his own links to the Water Dragon, a creature he had always thought was a myth. It's a story full of action which also lays the ground for a sequel which I am very much looking forward to. I enjoyed the way all the characters played to their individual strengths, making up a strong team together. I also liked the main villain, his motivations convincing and fitting perfectly with the overall plot. Overall a very enjoyable adventure!

I loved this fun middlegrade!
Friendship, adventure and a lovely cast of kids made this book really wirth the while!

Action, excitement, legends, humour and a whole host of brilliant sea creatures (Kraken stole the show for me) - a thoroughly enjoyable aquatic adventure! This is brilliant mix of environmental fiction, fantasy & beating-the-bad-guys!

A fun middle grade read that will appeal to fans of Thomas Taylor's Eerie-on-Sea series. Alex Neptune lives in the seaside town of Haven Bay. A town rife with stories of the mythical Water Dragon, which had formed the bay hundreds of years ago. A bay which is now polluted and dying, due to the mysterious Station which the mayor has built. One day Alex finds a creature in the abandoned aquarium. Could it be that the Water Dragon is real?? Alex and his friends set out to free the creature, making some very interesting discoveries along the way. This is a great adventure story. Fast-paced and full of heart and humour. It also carries a strong message about the environment and our impact on it. Featuring strong performances from an octopus named Kraken and a seagull named Pinch, I can heartily recommend this book. Pleased to say that there is a teaser for book 2 at the end, so this is not the last outing for Alex and his friends!

Alex Neptune, Dragon Thief rides a tidal wave of adventure: exhilarating, action-packed and hilarious.

Alex Neptune lives in the seaside town of Haven Bay which is not an ideal location if the ocean is trying to kill you and you hate water! Legend has it that the Bay was created by a mythical creature, a water dragon … but surely that is just a legend told to draw in the tourists. Or maybe, just maybe, the sea creatures that are showing an interest in Alex, know something he doesn’t …

When Alex takes home Kraken, an adorable water-squirting octopus that his legend-loving friend Anil has found, it leads him to the deserted aquarium where he finds four otters feeding something in a tank … something that has been imprisoned … something that needs his help to escape. But wait a minute … isn’t the ocean trying to kill him? – will it stop now that he has been tasked with saving a water dragon. Yes! A water dragon … maybe there is truth in the legend. Could its imprisonment have anything to do with the mysterious, guarded Station which has been built by Mayor Parch and the toxins that are polluting the sea and killing the sea life? And who is the sinister stranger who seems to have taken a strong interest in the dragon?

So begins a rip-roaring, unputdownable adventure as Alex and his friends, Anil and Zoey, find themselves in a race against time to save the water dragon from being taken from Haven Bay, and leaving the ocean and its inhabitants in danger. Just wow! I felt like I was on a wild rapids raft as I was tossed and turned by the incredible twists and revelations which made it such a thrilling read. I adore stories based on myths and legends, so this was right up my street: I so enjoyed learning the background to the myth and how it brings the past and the present together – just brilliant!

As well as being a magical, fantasy adventure, this story also has some powerful messages about the importance of looking after the environment with the harm that pollution and trophy-hunting is causing to the ocean and its creatures, and the damage that can be caused by unscrupulous, greedy people when technology is used to harm rather than help. I liked that Zoey wants to use technology to benefit the environment, emphasising that it can be used for good.

I really liked the three children, Alex, Zoey and Anil, and enjoyed how their friendship group became stronger and closer as they worked together as a team to develop a plan, overcome dangers and support each other. Alex learns so much about himself and his special connection with the ocean, and shows real courage when facing his fears. Zoey loves inventing things and never gives up – even if her inventions are more likely to end in an explosion! Anil loves legends and animals, but is finding Haven Bay lonely. I loved his relationship with Pinch! I also have to give a special mention to Alex’s older sister, Bridget who is utterly brilliant – someone who goes after what she wants, works hard to meet her goals, and refuses to accept that there is anything she can’t do.

I absolutely loved the adorable sea creatures from Kraken who is a real fast-shooter with water and a master of disguise to the distraction-bringing, chaos-loving, acrobatic otters to Pinch whose name suits perfectly as he is a gull with a penchant for thieving which leads to some hilarious moments.

This is a magical, thrilling, heart-warming adventure brimming with wonderful friendships, humour and heart. This should be in every young, and young at heart, adventurer’s hands as it is sure to bring giggles, gasps and giant waves of fun! I can’t wait to join Alex on his next adventure …

Free Willy meets Percy Jackson.

A wonderful MG fantasy that tackles serious issues such as environmental pollution. It's about recognizing the damage we have done to the ocean and about doing our best to protect marine life. It's also about magic, friendship, an incredible heist and wonderful sea creatures (the Water Dragon, four sea otters, an octopus, etc), I really enjoyed reading this novel. It's funny, heartwarming, and thought-provoking. What I loved the most about it is the diversity and the fact that the family isn't absent from the narrative. Alex has a wonderful family - father, grandfather, and a bodybuilder big sister who dreams of joining the weightlifting team. I love the fact that this book reminds children that they can always ask their family for help. They don't have to save the world on their own. They don't have to lie to their loved ones.

Alex Neptune is a highly entertaining nautical adventure that fans of Malamander will certainly enjoy. The book has a cast of characters that are entertaining and diverse. The developing friendship of Alex, Zoey and Anil as they form into a strong group of fearless ocean protectors is a lovely story of celebrating individual strengths. As well as this, the children demonstrate a powerful sense of what is right and wrong on how well we need to look after our oceans. Alex's tender relationship with the water dragon is what the story is centered around and is a valuable lesson we all can learn from - what we give is what we get back from the natural world. Alex Neptune, Dragon Thief is a great balance of adventure, mystery, humour, ocean magic and eco-awareness. I will certainly be adding this to our school library. And if you aren't a fan of Kraken the octopus and octopuses in general after reading this book then you need to be more like Alex! Loved the sneak peak of the second book and I'm looking forward to reading more Alex Neptune adventures.

After years of the ocean being uninhabitable, and on a mission to save a water dragon, strange things begin to happen. Alex gains magical powers. A tale of friendship, teamwork and working for the greater good.
Loved by this fan of Percy Jackson, and Dragon Realm books: my 12 year old son!

Thanks to #NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ahead of publication in exchange for an honest review

This was a really fun and exciting book, and one I enjoyed a lot.

The setting is wonderful. A decidedly strange seaside town reminiscent of Eerie on Sea, though with a charm all of its own. Much of this lies in the rich local legends, about a pirate and a dragon and their battle across the bay. It's a place full of mystery too, from lights seen in the old, abandoned aquarium to the rather sinister structure recently built on the harbour. What is poisoning the water in the bay? What is the mayor up to? Why does he have secretive guards all over the place? There's so much to delve into here.

Luckily we have a fantastic cast of characters to do that delving. I really like Alex, and his character arc as he learned more about himself, his ancestry, his powers, and finally comes to understand why the ocean keeps trying to kill him. Zoey is also fantastic, with her inventions that sometimes work but almost always have a tendency to explode. She's just so full of attitude and opinion, and was a joy to read about, especially her art versus technology conflicts with her father. Anil was also fab as the third member of the team, trying to fit in to the group despite Zoey's resistance, and I loved his firm belief in himself. The supporting cast were also excellent, I really liked Alex's grandfather with his ice cream van.

Obviously special mention has to be made of the animal characters. The otters were just adorable, the thieving seagull was very amusing, and Kraken the blue octopus was just wonderful!

There was also a serious message here, about what we're doing to our oceans, our responsibility to them and a scathing criticism of capitalist methods of fixing things for those prepared and able to pay.

I loved the way this book combined both magic and technology, to create something really interesting and unique.

Alex Neptune, Dragon Thief is a fun and exciting mystery with a fantastic cast of human and animal characters.