Alex O’Hallory, The Best Junior Cricketer In The Galaxy

Presenting... A children's book for kids who love cricket and/or space adventure

Here’s something new (and something that’s not a complete surprise to at least some of you) - a children’s book about an Earth kid who joins a team of galactic alien cricketers.

It’s intended for ages 7 to 13 and, in fact, if you are outside this age range, you do not have my permission to enjoy the book. If, however, you are a child inside this age range (or know one who might enjoy it), then I heartily endorse giving it a try. You can download a sample from my online store if you are too cowardly to purchase it outright. 

(If you have the courage for an instant purchase, then that is, of course, the recommended option. An ebook version is available from the link above, but you can also get a printed copy from Amazon if you like your reading matter in paper form. (That link is to the Australian Amazon store, but it should be available in all the others as well - adjust your URLs accordingly.))

And, of course, if you are a paid subscriber, you can use your discount code to get the entire book for free.

Frequentlyish Asked Questions

What’s the book about?

If you click through to the book, you can read a blurb for it.

No? You can’t be bothered? Fine. Here it is.

Alex O’Hallory is just an ordinary kid who has never once played cricket on a planet other than Earth. But that’s all about to change.

It’s not easy building a galactic junior cricket team. It requires dedicated talent scouts carefully keeping track of the best young alien players from the millions of cricket-loving planets all across the galaxy.

Alex’s grandfather is one such scout, but when he loses his first choice pick for the Outer Orion OrigaMists, he grabs Alex instead to fill in as Earth’s representative in the tryouts.

Now Alex has to deal with fast-bowling cyborgs, dinosaur planets, big-hitting insects, shrinking ladders, sledging fish-headed wicketkeepers, origami detention, mad scientists, out-of-control bowling machines, giant robot coaches, leg-spinning farts and other everyday kid problems on the way to becoming… the best junior cricketer in the galaxy.

Look out, Milky ‘Way 2 Go’ Junior Cricket Competition. There’s a new Earthling in town.

Exciting, huh!

What age is the book recommended for?

I told you this already. It’s ages 7 to 13. Nobody outside this age range is permitted to enjoy the book.

What happens if I’m reading this book to my child and accidentally enjoy it?

I will be furious with you. However, I cannot stop you from enjoying the book. I am relying on the honour system here.

Is that ‘Alex’ as in Carey, or ‘Alex’ as in Blackwell?

Yes.

No, I mean, is Alex a boy or a girl?

Irrelevant. To counter the strict restrictions on the age range that I’ve unnecessarily adopted, I’ve made zero restrictions on the sex range. At no point in the book do I mention whether Alex is a boy or a girl. The galactic team of aliens that Alex joins (spoiler!) has male, female, and none of the above participants. Why make it harder for young readers to relate to the main character if I don’t have to?

Is this a woke thing?

Probably.

Are there fart jokes?

Yes. If there’s one thing I learned in my decades of writing for MAD magazine, it’s that young readers love a good fart joke. So, yes, one of Alex’s teammates is a fart in a space suit. He bowls leg spin. And smells terrible. (His name is H2S, which some of you may recognise as the chemical compound for hydrogen sulfide - rotten egg gas. This is the kind of reference that an older reader is not permitted to enjoy.)

The title says ‘Book One’. Does this mean there are more books to come?

Yes.

I mean, probably. I have at least another three books’ worth of material already written in some form (see the following questions for more details on that), so if this is even moderately successful, I can add more.

Of course, if it’s not moderately successful, then I may find other things to do with my time. All the more reason for you to purchase the book, of course.

Do you have juicy behind-the-scenes gossip about the creation of this book?

I sure do. So juicy that it’s going behind the paywall as of the next question!

Before I go, though, a reminder of those links:

• ebook (including sample): https://www.liebcricket.com/store/product/alex-ohallory-the-best-junior-cricketer-in-the-galaxy-book-1/

• printed copy (via Amazon): https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B0D3HRTF1F

So what’s the gossip about the book?