Gimme Some Space (The Marvellous Submarine, #2)
By Clayton Zane Comber & Conor McCammon
Reviewed by Sandy Driessens
“When moon rocks begin to crash-land on Monkey Island, Poppy and Billy suspect the Fugitives might be behind the chaos. Luckily, they have an idea: modify Mum’s greatest invention, the Marvellous Submarine, to FLY IT INTO SPACE!”
If you’re looking for a Junior Fiction chapter book that feels like it has come straight from the wild imagination of an 8 or 9 year old … this is the book for you.
Twins, Poppy and Billy have to investigate why moon rocks are hitting their island and why, according to Dad (an astronaut) there’s space junk everywhere! Who can go and investigate? … Poppy and Billy of course! How will they get into space? Mum (the world’s greatest inventor) with a smile, converts her Marvellous Submarine into the Marvellous Spacemarine so that the twins, with their crew of super-smart animals can blast into outerspace and save the day.
Of course, order is restored ‘with rockets and storms and more lassos than they ever imagined’. The bad guys are caught, after much lollygagging around and shot off into the sunset with Sheriff Jonwayn while Poppy and Billy return to their home on Monkey Island, ready for another adventure.
Creators Clayton Zane Comber and Conor McCammon have tapped into their inner-child and collaborated to create a book that speaks the language of imaginative young adventurers. Chapter One is a short, visual lesson on outer space and an introduction to the characters, then it’s full blast into excitement with plenty of BOOMS, SWERVING and WOOSHING! The illustrations on the cover and throughout the book are simple but exciting and loud. This is the second book in the series … the first being The Marvellous Submarine, the submarine becoming a vital component of this book. Two characters that may need a little clarification, by parents, are Robot Elvis (with his rocking vernacular) and space cowboy, Jonwayn, the sheriff ‘round these parts.
I envision children creating their own Spacemarine with household items and stuffed toys becoming their fabulous crew. Gimme Some Space will stimulate and perhaps expand the imagination of a junior reader.
A humorous adventure story for children aged 7+..
HarperCollins AU 2026
Clayton Zane Comber
Conor McCammon
