Secrets of an Overworked Survivor – Journey to the End

Greyson Mann's Journey to the End is a Secrets of an Overworked Survivor adventure for 7 year olds about a boy with a brand new pair of wings.

What happens

Will has found some tattered Elytra wings in a treasure chest. The toolsmith mends them, and Will leaps straight off the library steps to try them out. He soars, stalls, nosedives and lands with a thud.

That's Will all over. He runs (or flies) full steam ahead. His best friend Mina is the planner who looks before she leaps. Now he wants a second pair of wings, so they can fly off on their next adventure together.

There's only one place to find them. The End. And to get home from there, they'll have to beat the Ender Dragon.

Anyone who plays Minecraft will know exactly what that means! It's all here. Endermen in the dark of a mine, Eyes of Ender, a stronghold with a portal hanging over lava, and shulkers firing bullets that chase you round the room.

The battles are fast and exciting without being gory. Will's big brother Seth is a lovely touch too. He's a farmer, not a fighter, and he worries every time Will goes off on an adventure. He still gives Will his best diamond pickaxe to take with him.

The best bit is Mina's potion of luck. Will is desperate for one before the big fight. What's really in the bottle? I won't spoil it, but it's a lovely moment about believing in yourself.

It's a short, snappy read in eight chapters, with lots of crashes and cliffhangers. It mentions earlier adventures in the Nether, but you don't need them to follow what's going on.

What to read next

If they want more mobs, try Creepin' Through the Snow by the same author. It's the diary of a young creeper called Gerald, who has a pocketful of emeralds for his sisters' presents and a big green sled in a shop window.