Alfie Far From Home

Rachel Wells's Alfie Far From Home is a funny holiday story for 11 year olds about a cat who nods off in the wrong van.

What happens

Alfie only meant to have a quick snooze on a cushion in the Clovers' camper van. He wakes up three hours later on the road to Devon.

So Alfie is going on holiday! The campsite is run by Mr Green, who has a whistle, a rule book and a moustache that looks worryingly like a slug. Rule 378 bans midnight feasts. Rule 244 bans unwarranted overexcitement.

There's also Humphrey, a huge ginger campsite cat who makes it VERY clear that this is his campsite.

Stanley, who's eight, makes friends in about five minutes. His big sister Viola doesn't. She's shy, she's nervous about starting a new school, and her mum keeps sending her off to practise the piano while everyone else has fun.

Alfie decides that Viola needs him. Cue a treasure hunt that goes wrong, a disastrous magic show and a puppet show that's even worse.

There's a homesick American boy called Nathan too, who's staying with his uncle (Mr Green!) and keeps landing everyone in trouble. The cold-shower prank is a particular low point.

Alfie tells the story himself, and he's as vain as can be about his fur and very sure he knows best. The jokes come thick and fast, and poor Mr Green gets the worst of them.

It's got a lovely message about shyness, without ever lecturing. If your reader finds it hard to join in with new people, they'll probably be rooting for Viola all the way. Have you ever watched your own child hang back at a party? This one might feel very familiar.

What to read next

For the start of Alfie's friendship with the family, Alfie Cat in Trouble is where the Clovers' removal van first pulls up round the corner from Edgar Road.