Pax and the Missing Head by David Barker – A Review by Bryony – BLOG TOUR

“In a country beset by civil war, New London defends itself behind a giant wall…”

Rating: 3 stars

Release date: 12/10/2023

Publisher: Tiny Tree

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Author: David Barker

I attended the Faber Academy in 2014 and from that had three climate-fiction thrillers published (The Gold Trilogy, Bloodhound Books). I joined SCBWI in 2018 as I shifted my focus to a younger audience. My MG debut, Pax & The Missing Head publishes with Tiny Tree in late 2023. I live in Berkshire with my wife and daughter. I have a passion for stories, sport and boardgames.

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In a country beset by civil war, New London defends itself behind a giant wall. Inside the city, children are forced to work from an early age, except for the lucky few who train to be leaders in the re-purposed Palace of Westminster. 12-year-old orphaned Pax is brilliant at recycling old tech. He enjoys working on the verti-farms and just wants a bit of peace and quiet. But when that is taken away from him, his only hope is to pass a near-impossible exam and join the other students in Scholastic Parliament. There he’ll make new friends and new enemies. He’ll get tested like never before. And he’ll discover that not everything is quite what it seems under the mayor’s harsh leadership.

Pax and the Missing Head was a really fun start to the promise of a new middle grade adventure.

I thought Pax was a really great main character. He was so resourceful and smart – I was so impressed by his ability to just build anything out of the scraps left behind. He was also really brave and I liked that very little knocked him down.

I’m so glad he made a lot of friends along the way that really stuck with him. As a team, they were able to work well together and make use of each of their strengths. They were also there for Pax when he was constantly picked on by bullies.

I feel like you cannot go wrong with a good school setting with a bit of house competition. It’s such an easy way to raise the stakes and root for the underdogs (and boo whenever the bullies get a win).

I also loved the dystopian setting, where the “useful” people are kept safe behind a wall. I think there’s a lot more to discover about behind the wall and I’m excited to learn more about it in future books.

I really enjoyed this book. It was so easy to read because I got drawn into the story and its adventure, and I loved the characters at its core. I can’t wait to read more in the series.