Alan King of the Universe

Written by Tom McLaughlin (Hodder Children’s Books)

Guest reviewed by Cedric, age 10

Age 7- 11 Graphic Novel

A hilarious graphic novel about an orange cat called Alan and his trusty side-kick Fido, who are mismatched partners in Alan’s quest for world domination. Perfect for fans of Dog Man 

ALAN IS KING OF THE UNIVERSE. Well, not yet. But he WILL be.

An orange cat blessed with opposable thumbs, Alan is convinced he was born to rule and spends his days scheming up brilliant plans to fulfil his destiny – from creating a brand-new country, Alanland, to cloning himself in an attempt raise an entire army of Alans. And his hapless dog sidekick Fido is just happy to be along for the ride!

Join these two loveable characters on their hilarious adventures as they try to take over the universe – as long as they’re home in time for tea, of course.

This two-colour graphic novel series will have kids and their grown-ups rolling around the floor with laughter.

Fido often does silly things, but always with the best of intentions. Unlike Alan, who is just evil, diverting the scientists who own a cloning machine with the promise of free calculators, so he can clone himself and make his plans easier; or inventing his own country as a first step to world domination – and then being indisposed when the Olympics come calling. We soon see a pattern – Fido is smarter than he knows or appears!

The visual simplicty of the graphic style in black, white and red brings it down to primary school level, but the humour and story telling are a notch up, making it an intelligent read for a newly independent reader. Building a sense of humour in a child is a key skill and this book plays its part. 

Our 10 year old reviewer, Cedric found the book funny and entertaining. Listen to his review here. 

Meet the author

Tom McLaughlin is an author-illustrator from Devon. After graduating from Falmouth College of Art, he worked for 10 years as a political cartoonist. Since going freelance he has been an animation designer for a number of TV shows, as well as an occasional columnist for The Guardian online. He started in the world of children’s publishing by illustrating other people’s books before turning his hand to writing. His books have been nominated for countless awards and have been translated into over 10 different languages. He lives in Devon with his family and can often be found staring out the window with a cup of tea.