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Spaceboy
Go back to the Space Race with No.1 bestselling author David Walliams for a breathless cinematic adventure full of mystery, action, laughs and surprises – and a secret that could change the course of history…
America. The 1960s.
Stuck on a remote farm with her awful aunt, twelve-year-old orphan Ruth spends every night gazing at the stars, dreaming of adventure.
One night she spots a flying saucer blazing across the sky… before crash-landing in a field. When the spaceship opens and reveals a mysterious alien, all Ruth’s dreams come true.
But does this visitor from another planet have a giant secret?
Spaceboy is a hilarious and action-packed tale for readers in any solar system.
America. The 1960s.
Stuck on a remote farm with her awful aunt, twelve-year-old orphan Ruth spends every night gazing at the stars, dreaming of adventure.
One night she spots a flying saucer blazing across the sky… before crash-landing in a field. When the spaceship opens and reveals a mysterious alien, all Ruth’s dreams come true.
But does this visitor from another planet have a giant secret?
Spaceboy is a hilarious and action-packed tale for readers in any solar system.
355 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2022
235 people are currently reading
783 people want to read
About the author
David Walliams
232 books3,409 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.
David Walliams is an actor and writer best known for his work with Matt Lucas in the multi-award-winning sketch show Little Britain. His debut children's novel, The Boy in the Dress, was published in 2008 to unanimous critical acclaim and he has since developed a reputation as a natural successor to Roald Dahl.
David Walliams is an actor and writer best known for his work with Matt Lucas in the multi-award-winning sketch show Little Britain. His debut children's novel, The Boy in the Dress, was published in 2008 to unanimous critical acclaim and he has since developed a reputation as a natural successor to Roald Dahl.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 202 reviews
April 11, 2023
The stories are quite good, but I just hate the way David Walliams writes!
The different fonts and sizes and sound effects are such a pain to read aloud and let's be honest are little more than padding. And it seems David is quite behind on gender stereotypes as there's always some cobblers about boys doing one thing and girls doing another or so-and-so looking/acting like a girl etc. Some cultural stereotypes crop up as well which I believe Walliams has also been pulled up on in his World's Worst Children/Teachers books.
Lots of toilet humour, bottoms, trumps etc which Walliams relies on for humour over smart dialogue or a clever plot, quite the opposite to his hero Roald Dahl's approach. To mention their storytelling abilities in the same breath remains a bit of a reach for me!
Still, the story did have heart and my son enjoyed my dramatic reading even if it was all a bit tiresome for me.
The different fonts and sizes and sound effects are such a pain to read aloud and let's be honest are little more than padding. And it seems David is quite behind on gender stereotypes as there's always some cobblers about boys doing one thing and girls doing another or so-and-so looking/acting like a girl etc. Some cultural stereotypes crop up as well which I believe Walliams has also been pulled up on in his World's Worst Children/Teachers books.
Lots of toilet humour, bottoms, trumps etc which Walliams relies on for humour over smart dialogue or a clever plot, quite the opposite to his hero Roald Dahl's approach. To mention their storytelling abilities in the same breath remains a bit of a reach for me!
Still, the story did have heart and my son enjoyed my dramatic reading even if it was all a bit tiresome for me.
October 9, 2024
I liked nothing about this book. Did not like the story, the writing, the characters, nor the messages the story sends to kids. I doubt I'll ever pick up a book by David Walliams.
June 22, 2024
A cute story about an orphan named Ruth who is living with a cruel aunt after her parents died.
She like science especially about the universe and travel into space. Her best friend is Yuri, a three legged dog.
One night, she witnessed a UFO and found an alien.
That is their adventure.
The bits about the US president is very funny. He is vain, and very stupid. The illustrator has made a very good impression of Trump.
This is also about how people are fooled because they didn’t look close enough.
4.5 stars read.
She like science especially about the universe and travel into space. Her best friend is Yuri, a three legged dog.
One night, she witnessed a UFO and found an alien.
That is their adventure.
The bits about the US president is very funny. He is vain, and very stupid. The illustrator has made a very good impression of Trump.
This is also about how people are fooled because they didn’t look close enough.
4.5 stars read.
July 27, 2023
4 stars.
I can see why David Walliams is so popular. His fun and humourous story was a joy to read. There is a silliness to it but also a depth as both Ruth and Spaceboy have a parent-guardian who abuses them verbally on a daily bases. The story also involves Ruth's parental, both being deceased.
Ruth sees a spacecraft crashing down to the ground not far from her home so she sneaks out to investigate, where she meets, her soon to be new Friend, Spaceboy. But if course Ruth isn't the only one to have seen this spacecraft crash landing.
The illustrations match perfectly with the story and were really enjoyable to look at. The book is a chapter book but it is equally also a picture book as half of the content is illustrative.
Looking forward to reading more from this author.
I can see why David Walliams is so popular. His fun and humourous story was a joy to read. There is a silliness to it but also a depth as both Ruth and Spaceboy have a parent-guardian who abuses them verbally on a daily bases. The story also involves Ruth's parental, both being deceased.
Ruth sees a spacecraft crashing down to the ground not far from her home so she sneaks out to investigate, where she meets, her soon to be new Friend, Spaceboy. But if course Ruth isn't the only one to have seen this spacecraft crash landing.
The illustrations match perfectly with the story and were really enjoyable to look at. The book is a chapter book but it is equally also a picture book as half of the content is illustrative.
Looking forward to reading more from this author.
October 14, 2022
Space Race-era tale with the usual plucky kids, awful adults, and Walliams humour.
A new illustrator with a slightly different style, but any reader will still recognise Walliams' famed characters and writing style.
Like James and the Giant Peach, this heroine has also lost her parents tragically and been sent to awful relatives (here a Dahl-eqsue Aunt Dorothy - think George's awful Grandma).
Ruth is worked hard by her aunt on her ostrich farm, she isn't allowed to go to school. Her only friend is a stray dog she's been allowed to adopt as her aunt likes kicking him around. Ruth has named the pooch Yuri, after her space hero, Yuri Gagarin.
Because Ruth is obsessed with space. As is the rest of the world, as it's 1960s America and the Space Race is in full swing.
One night, using the telescope she's scavenged to watch the stars, Ruth is astounded to see an ACTUAL UFO crashing near the farm. With an alien inside it!! She's GOT to get there before her aunt finds out!
And so begins yet another madcap adventure with over-the-top villains, over-long chases, disgusting lists, hidden topical references, brave and resourceful children, and lots of short chapters to keep children page-turning at a tremendous rate.
I was glad to see the historical context of the book, a bit of history there for readers, and Walliams actually reins in some of the usual silliness with no Raj or disgusting lunch menus. At times I felt like I was reading Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator, but Walliams definitely has his own signature on his work and Dahl, while clearly a strong influence, is not channelled.
Lots of fun, it has a bit of a bonkers ending, but for goodness sake - it's a piece of fiction. I hope this gets children excited about space.
One for ages 7-12.
A new illustrator with a slightly different style, but any reader will still recognise Walliams' famed characters and writing style.
Like James and the Giant Peach, this heroine has also lost her parents tragically and been sent to awful relatives (here a Dahl-eqsue Aunt Dorothy - think George's awful Grandma).
Ruth is worked hard by her aunt on her ostrich farm, she isn't allowed to go to school. Her only friend is a stray dog she's been allowed to adopt as her aunt likes kicking him around. Ruth has named the pooch Yuri, after her space hero, Yuri Gagarin.
Because Ruth is obsessed with space. As is the rest of the world, as it's 1960s America and the Space Race is in full swing.
One night, using the telescope she's scavenged to watch the stars, Ruth is astounded to see an ACTUAL UFO crashing near the farm. With an alien inside it!! She's GOT to get there before her aunt finds out!
And so begins yet another madcap adventure with over-the-top villains, over-long chases, disgusting lists, hidden topical references, brave and resourceful children, and lots of short chapters to keep children page-turning at a tremendous rate.
I was glad to see the historical context of the book, a bit of history there for readers, and Walliams actually reins in some of the usual silliness with no Raj or disgusting lunch menus. At times I felt like I was reading Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator, but Walliams definitely has his own signature on his work and Dahl, while clearly a strong influence, is not channelled.
Lots of fun, it has a bit of a bonkers ending, but for goodness sake - it's a piece of fiction. I hope this gets children excited about space.
One for ages 7-12.
April 28, 2023
Elijah's Rating (4 Years Old) - "I give this book one million out of one million. I thought this book was great and really good. It made me laugh lots. The characters were really good and the best characters were Yuri and Space Boy. I want to read Robodog next, and then after Robodog, Spaceboy AGAIN!" 🤣
June 18, 2024
Amazing book with a cool plot twist in the middle
March 16, 2024
Spaceboy is a fun adventure story for new readers by comedian / actor David Walliams (Think Little Britain). It seems that Walliams has become quite a prolific author of children's novels.
Spaceboy features orphan Ruth, her 3-legged dog Yuri (named after famed Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin). Ruth lost her parents when she was young and she now has to live Aunt Dorothy. Ruth wants to go to outer space. Yuri found a broken telescope and Ruth fixed it and now spends her evenings watching the stars.
One night a flying saucer crash lands on Dorothy's property. And this begins a wild adventure as Ruth, Yuri (btw, Ruth fashioned a 4th leg out of an old egg whisk for Yuri) and Spaceboy try to escape, Dorothy, the local donut eating sheriff and scads of radiation suited soldiers. They will be captured, brought to the White House and then to NASA with a Dr. Strangelove like scientist.
It's a very fun adventure, with great drawings by Adam Stower. It has a bit of a feel of Roald Dahl to it. Ruth is a wonderful girl, strong, imaginative and spunky. Yuri is so cute and her faithful friend. And Spaceboy... well, look for a surprise. All in all, a great story for young folks beginning to explore the world of books. They'll love it. (4.0 stars)
Spaceboy features orphan Ruth, her 3-legged dog Yuri (named after famed Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin). Ruth lost her parents when she was young and she now has to live Aunt Dorothy. Ruth wants to go to outer space. Yuri found a broken telescope and Ruth fixed it and now spends her evenings watching the stars.
One night a flying saucer crash lands on Dorothy's property. And this begins a wild adventure as Ruth, Yuri (btw, Ruth fashioned a 4th leg out of an old egg whisk for Yuri) and Spaceboy try to escape, Dorothy, the local donut eating sheriff and scads of radiation suited soldiers. They will be captured, brought to the White House and then to NASA with a Dr. Strangelove like scientist.
It's a very fun adventure, with great drawings by Adam Stower. It has a bit of a feel of Roald Dahl to it. Ruth is a wonderful girl, strong, imaginative and spunky. Yuri is so cute and her faithful friend. And Spaceboy... well, look for a surprise. All in all, a great story for young folks beginning to explore the world of books. They'll love it. (4.0 stars)
January 16, 2024
Забавна и приключенска точно в стила на Уолямс!
September 16, 2025
A little long and mostly predictable but still good fun. The Quentin Blake-esque illustrations really make the book enjoyable
November 18, 2025
Osma :) Iduću kreće sam ;) Za ovu dajemo 4.4/5 😊
January 19, 2023
I think this story has been done too many times - "Alien crashes on a farm!" It's always the same with the whole flying saucer crashing in a cornfield- But I don't get why the whole twist was added: to me, it just ruined the whole story. Alien isn't an alien- seriously? It was just a human all along! What could've been a great book was just turned into more of a jokebook to be honest. Pretty much every page was just a load of silly speech full of puns and jokes, and there was barely anything serious. Plus there was no moral ending like in his other books: boy in a dress, gangsta granny, grandpa's great escape e.t.c I did enjoy reading some of it, but I just think the plot wasn't too great.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 30, 2023
Best book ever
February 6, 2023
Read this to my twins. One loved it and wants me to read it again tomorrow, the other hated it. So I gave it 3 stars to average it out.
September 1, 2024
Super Buch zieht sich nur ganz kurz doch dann beginnt auch schon das Abenteuer mit Ruth, Juri und Spaceboy. Ich liebe die Bücher von David Walliams und mir macht es jedes Mal Spaß die Bücher zu lesen.
July 24, 2023
A frustrating read at times with so many noises in the text (BUZZ WHIRR PLONKS etc) but sweet and interesting storyline.
August 17, 2024
Almost perfect 🤩
February 17, 2025
The book is playfull. I really love the change of the illustrations in this book. I cant imagine how would look if the book have the same illustrations Like the other books.
Read
July 11, 2025🛸
September 14, 2025
coooooool
November 5, 2025
Very catchy book when they had a rase from the girls backyard into a secret enemy base the sheriff was funny as he ate like TEN MILLION doughnuts
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 9, 2023
‘America. The 1960s.
Stuck on a remote farm with her awful aunt, twelve-year-old orphan Ruth spends every night gazing at the stars, dreaming of adventure.
One night she spots a flying saucer blazing across the sky… before crash-landing in a field. When the spaceship opens and reveals a mysterious alien, all of Ruth’s dreams come true.
But does this visitor from another planet have a giant secret?’
I loved this book.
I am a massive fan of David Walliams’ books so I went into this book with high hopes. Thankfully it not only lived up to my high expectations it well and truly surpassed them.
One thing that surprised me with this book was its setting both in time and place. Most of David Walliams’ books are set in present time and in England whereas this book was set in 1960’s USA. I loved getting to read about the space race and have a different kind of supporting cast such as the sheriff and the President of the United States.
The story itself was both fun and wacky as well as being educational as it was based on real events. I loved that even though this story was different from David Walliams’ other novels; both in place and time, it didn’t lose any of its Walliams’ magic.
Adding to David Walliams’ wonderful story were captivating illustrations by Adam Stower. Not only did Adam Stower’s illustrations perfectly complimented the story they helped to elevate this book to a whole new level.
I honestly don’t have a bad word to say about this book. I loved the writing, the story, the characters, and the illustrations and that is why I can easily see this book becoming a fast favourite with young readers.
Spaceboy by David Walliams is a must have for all Middle Grade readers.
Geramie Kate Barker
gemsbooknook.wordpress.com
Stuck on a remote farm with her awful aunt, twelve-year-old orphan Ruth spends every night gazing at the stars, dreaming of adventure.
One night she spots a flying saucer blazing across the sky… before crash-landing in a field. When the spaceship opens and reveals a mysterious alien, all of Ruth’s dreams come true.
But does this visitor from another planet have a giant secret?’
I loved this book.
I am a massive fan of David Walliams’ books so I went into this book with high hopes. Thankfully it not only lived up to my high expectations it well and truly surpassed them.
One thing that surprised me with this book was its setting both in time and place. Most of David Walliams’ books are set in present time and in England whereas this book was set in 1960’s USA. I loved getting to read about the space race and have a different kind of supporting cast such as the sheriff and the President of the United States.
The story itself was both fun and wacky as well as being educational as it was based on real events. I loved that even though this story was different from David Walliams’ other novels; both in place and time, it didn’t lose any of its Walliams’ magic.
Adding to David Walliams’ wonderful story were captivating illustrations by Adam Stower. Not only did Adam Stower’s illustrations perfectly complimented the story they helped to elevate this book to a whole new level.
I honestly don’t have a bad word to say about this book. I loved the writing, the story, the characters, and the illustrations and that is why I can easily see this book becoming a fast favourite with young readers.
Spaceboy by David Walliams is a must have for all Middle Grade readers.
Geramie Kate Barker
gemsbooknook.wordpress.com
January 25, 2023
There's a new kid in town, Kevin, from SPACEBOY 🚀. If your young one loved Greg from THE WIMPY KID series, Kevin will be their new best friend.
"Mom, I am finished. What a different take on space, and I learnt a couple of new words, you know!" DEFIANT was one of them, hopefully it will not be tested any time soon👀
"Is there a second book, Mom? Please google..."
A well-read book in all its glory. It took Langa 28 days to finish SPACE BOY, David Williams. 20 pages a day.
It's not about the length of time it takes a child to finish a book, it's about consistency, and if a child reads frequently, daily, for about 10 minutes, that's all the difference it makes between developing reasoning skills, confidence, a great vocab and the hunger to learn more, to know more.
I had to look up other books by David Wallace, and next on our bookshelves is GANGSTA GRANNY and CODE NAME BANANAS.
Thank you @holyoakeh
& @exclusivebooks for this review copy. #readingisasuperpower
#lorrainerecommends #lorrainereviewsbooks #momswhoread #readinginheels
"Mom, I am finished. What a different take on space, and I learnt a couple of new words, you know!" DEFIANT was one of them, hopefully it will not be tested any time soon👀
"Is there a second book, Mom? Please google..."
A well-read book in all its glory. It took Langa 28 days to finish SPACE BOY, David Williams. 20 pages a day.
It's not about the length of time it takes a child to finish a book, it's about consistency, and if a child reads frequently, daily, for about 10 minutes, that's all the difference it makes between developing reasoning skills, confidence, a great vocab and the hunger to learn more, to know more.
I had to look up other books by David Wallace, and next on our bookshelves is GANGSTA GRANNY and CODE NAME BANANAS.
Thank you @holyoakeh
& @exclusivebooks for this review copy. #readingisasuperpower
#lorrainerecommends #lorrainereviewsbooks #momswhoread #readinginheels
October 5, 2022
New David Walliams book and new illustrator to. This gives the book a different feel to Walliams other books. Not just because it's a different illustrator but he has changed how he illustrates, with some of the illustrations drawn in the style of a comic. It works though. It just feels a lot different.
The story is again in the manner of Walliams other books but it's a great read. A poor orphan girl hard done by but she has a fantastic adventure. Even as a 46 year old reader, I loved it. I really enjoy the exaggerated world that Walliams brings to life. As a kid I would have loved it even more.
The story is again in the manner of Walliams other books but it's a great read. A poor orphan girl hard done by but she has a fantastic adventure. Even as a 46 year old reader, I loved it. I really enjoy the exaggerated world that Walliams brings to life. As a kid I would have loved it even more.
October 7, 2023
My daughter and I were excited to read this new Walliam’s book. It was nice that it was set somewhere other than London, but unfortunately the same plot line. Orphaned child who is cared for by a terrible adult. Throw in an “alien” (my daughter saw through that plot line on the first page) child escapes and causes havoc and revenge is had on said horrible adult. It would just be nice to have a healthy parent-child relationship for once!! We did enjoy his Trump-like character. Finally-no Raj in this book :(
December 17, 2022
Fairly dreadful. No heart - unlike his earlier stuff :(
December 28, 2022
slayyy
January 24, 2023
Good🤗
May 14, 2024
Project space boy is a go
Displaying 1 - 30 of 202 reviews