Read Ben 10: 1-2 Punch! Stinkfly and Cannonbolt free for 7 days. £7.99/month after - less than a paperback.
Wrigley Stuart's Ben 10 double bill is a pair of alien action stories for 8 year olds, one starring Stinkfly and the other Cannonbolt.
Ben Tennyson wears the Omnitrix on his wrist. One press and he can turn into any of ten alien creatures. He's travelling with his cousin Gwen and Grandpa Max in their camper van, the Rust Bucket, and trouble finds them wherever they park.
In the first story they visit Neon Land, a theme park so bright you need sunglasses at night. The lights cut out, a rollercoaster car gets stuck upside down, and Ben turns into Stinkfly to fly the riders down. Then the villain Steam Smythe rolls in with a giant machine that sucks up electricity. His plan is to plunge the whole world into darkness (no video games, which is the bit Ben really can't cope with).
The second story is set in Salem Town, a crumbling old theme village about to be knocked down. Bulldozer drivers with spinning eyes start digging up the square, and the sorcerer Hex floats down to claim an ancient book of spells. Ben becomes Cannonbolt, an armoured alien who rolls into a ball, and flattens rather a lot of the scenery.
The full title is Ben 10: 1-2 Punch! Stinkfly and Cannonbolt, and that's a fair summary. Two quick stories, loads of sound effects (KZZT! KABOOM!) and plenty of chasing about.
The jokes are half the fun. Ben can't stop making puns and nobody ever laughs. Grandpa Max just stares. Ben knows he needs better material, which somehow makes it funnier.
Gwen is the brains of the team. She's the one who works out how to beat Steam Smythe's machine, and she thinks fast again in Salem. So it isn't all about the boy with the watch.
In Salem, Gwen mentions the real witch trials in a single line (innocent people accused of being witches and hanged), so a curious reader might have a question or two.
If your reader already knows the cartoon, they'll hear the voices straight away. If they don't, it doesn't matter. Everything they need is on the page.
If they're after more superpowers with plenty of laughs, try My Brother Is a Superhero. Luke nips out of the tree house for a wee, and while he's gone a visitor from another universe hands the powers to his big brother Zack instead.
A library hand-picked by an English teacher, delivered through a calm, ad-free app. If your child already loves reading, we keep up.
7-day free trial. Then £7.99/month.
