Borgon the Axeboy 1 – Borgon the Axeboy and the Dangerous Breakfast

Kjartan Poskitt's Borgon the Axeboy and the Dangerous Breakfast is a loud, very silly adventure for 8 year olds, and the first book about Borgon.

What happens

Borgon and his mum and dad are the last barbarians in the whole Lost Desert. Barbarians are meant to be the toughest, scariest savages around. His dad once drove off a whole gang of desert bandits with a teaspoon (and a fork).

So Borgon decides to make his mum the Best Barbarian Breakfast Ever. According to his dad, a barbarian breakfast needs two things. It must be FUN, and it must be DANGEROUS.

His dad whispers the secret recipe, then begs him not to try it. Too late! Borgon's off on his horse with an axe, a spear, a sword, a net and a mysterious bag of extra bits.

Then there's Grizzy, the nosy girl from across the basin, who tags along without being asked. She can read. Borgon can't, and can't see why he'd ever need to. You can imagine how that goes at the first signpost!

They bicker the whole way, and it's very funny. Grizzy has a Book of All Things full of dragon recipes, including dragon toenail custard. Borgon is certain a bent blade of grass proves the dragon went the other way.

So what IS the dangerous breakfast? I'm not telling. But the answer is perfect, and very barbarian.

The humour is gross in all the best ways. Crocodile tails for breakfast, lots of burping and a dragon with really terrible wind. There's a bit of cartoon gore too. Borgon's axe goes into a dragon's belly and there's black blood, though nobody's left in a bad way.

It's also sweet underneath all the YARGHHHH. Borgon and Grizzy are never going to admit they like each other, but they're very good at saving each other.

What to read next

If they're after more of Borgon and his mad barbarian family, Borgon the Axeboy and the Prince's Shadow comes next. This time a noisy trumpet announces a contest to find a bodyguard for the prince, and Borgon thinks his dad should enter.