'Who let the gods out?' by Maz Evans

Stand aside, David Walliams, there's a new comic genius in town! The kid in me giggled and the adult chortled along. This is a book that will make you laugh and laugh. That's despite the fact that life for the hero, Elliot Hooper, is pretty grim. Not only is he the sole carer for his mum who has memory problems, but his greedy next door neighbour is desperate to get her hands on Elliot's house - by fair means or foul.

Enter Virgo - a young immortal - who falls into his cow shed. Together, they accidentally release the demon Thanatos from his prison beneath Stonehenge. Assisted by a cast of Greek gods and goddesses, Elliot and Virgo must stop Thanatos getting his evil claws on the Earth Stone. It's fast-moving and a lot of fun (you'll never see the Queen in the same light again, that's for sure!) There's a huge number of characters but they're all individual and memorable. Hermes is particularly brilliant, hanging out in Café Hero, engrossed in his iGod.

It was great to see a young carer in a book as these kids are often unseen. I really felt for Elliot as he struggled to balance caring for mum with school. With my most serious adult head on, there was just one point that worried me - that the greedy neighbour's actions were described by Zeus as legal when they were most definitely were not (under the mental capacity act) and it bothered me that young carers reading this book might consequently not speak up if the vulnerable adult in their life is being exploited. Despite this, I really enjoyed reading this book and I recommend it for anyone looking for something to put a big smile on their face.