The Weird Map in Mr. Glimm's Skull

Something is buried beneath Wild Meadow. Felix Jones is twelve years old, new in the village, and determined to stay invisible. Lunchtime is spent in the school boiler room, building radios from biscuit tins. He has discovered that the boiler room is quiet, safe, and blessedly free of people asking awkward questions about his dad. He likes it there. Then he finds the trapdoor. The one with Soviet-era Cyrillic writing on it that says Keep Out. The school caretaker, the strange and scarred Mr. Glimm, vanishes the morning after warning Felix about it. Left behind: one brass key, one damp handwritten note, and a mop bucket that holds more answers than it should. The note reads: Do not let her open my head. Felix is too late to stop that part. But what he discovers next changes everything. Beneath St David's School — through corridors that should not exist, past Soviet machinery and technology that should not work — Felix and his reluctant friend William uncover a Cold War listening station buried directly over something far older. Something vast and ancient and conscious. Something that has been calling itself Mother for longer than recorded history. She fell from the sky. She was sealed underground. And then the Soviets drilled into her. Now the seal is breaking. And Mother has decided that Felix is the one who can set her free. The Weird Map in Mr. Glimm's Skull is a witty, fast-paced British Boys' Adventure with a science fiction soul. It features a tech-savvy twelve-year-old, a best friend who would really rather not be here, robot drones, psychic signals, ancient alien intelligence, and a father-son relationship that underpins everything. The writing is sharp, funny, and driven by a protagonist with one of the most distinctive voices in middle grade fiction: confident, observant, and relentlessly curious. For boys who would rather be building something than sitting still. For parents and educators working to build readers out of reluctant ones. For anyone who believes the best stories happen underground. Book 1 of the Felix Jones Adventures. Boys' Adventure. Raconteur Press. Ages 8–14.