Take Me To Your Leader by Leone Agnew. Illus. Paul Beavis. Pub. Puffin, 2024.

Ashton Hill primary school has 17 students of which Lucas, his sister Ellie and friend Harriet are students. The Minister of Education Mrs carter decides to close the school down and the children want to protest.

Their teacher Mr Ngata tells them protest will fall on deaf ears and any petition will be put on the scrap heap. Lucas wants to persist and so does his friend Harriet.

While flying a kite marked with high-viz tape in the evening causes a fuss when a local chicken farmer Mrs Jones reports a UFO in the area and it is printed in the national newspapers. Tourists start clambering into the town poking their cameras and noses into recycling bins almost like they were hoping to find dead alien bodies.

Lucas, Harriet and co promote the alien theme in the hope that it will create jobs and people will stay in the town of Ashton Hill and the school will be saved. Lucas has another reason to stay as his father is buried in the town and he wants to keep in touch. Will it work? read the book and find out..

Very funny in places and other issues like the treatment of battery chickens, vegetarianism, climate change, government responses to protest, school closures etc come into the story. The kids also use a blog, Twitter and other social media to promote their actions.

A modern story and great read -a – loud.