Forbidden Journal of Rufus Rumble: Legend of the Fang

By Nick Long

Illustrated by Robin Tatlow-Lord.

Reviewed by Lauren Spencer

When he isn’t searching for lost cities in the Amazon and filming Netflix documentaries, Nick Long is writing his children’s book, Forbidden Journal of Rufus Rumble. Wait! I probably wasn’t supposed to tell you that. In fact, I’m not even sure if I should be writing this review …

Legend of the Fang is the second book of the Rufus Rumble series and picks up where the first book, Forbidden Journal of Rufus Rumble: Worst Space Crew Ever! left off. Therefore, if you haven’t read the first book, some of this review may seem strange. Eleven-year-old Rufus and the worst space crew ever (Captain Clewston, a gorilla, a merman, a yeti, a pirate, a dragon, two robots, an intergalactic toilet attendant, oh and Maureen) have crashed-landed on an alien planet. The worst part of all this is the planet has NO WAFFLES!!

As it turns out, the worst space crew ever are a loyal and hardworking bunch that Rufus grows quite attached to. Together, they come up with a plan to rebuild the broken spaceship and get back to finding Rufus’s missing mother. But things don’t seem to ever go to plan with Rufus and his crew of misfits. Not even ‘The Worst-Case Scenario Space Manual’ could prepare them.

Amongst the humorous and quirky journal entries are the black and white graphics by Robin Tatlow-Lord, creating a unique journal layout that brings the pages to life. There is also the return of the potato script intermission featuring the star-spudded cast. Much like the first book, we are introduced to some interesting new characters, Loco Joe and his attack alpaca, Simon, as well as Finsa and the pumpkin-loving noffles. But, perhaps keep all this on the down low, in case the ‘Throwbackers’ find out!

The Rufus Rumble series is quirky and playful, filled with out-of-this-world characters taking on wild adventures. The books are suitable for middle-grade readers and those looking to move up from graphic novels.

Affirm Kids 2025

Nick Long

Robin Tatlow-Lord