Review of 'Nero the Hero' - Samantha Mattocks
- lotenwriting
- 9 minutes ago
- 3 min read
Prepare to meet your new favourite superhero as Nero the Hero reveals his secret!Â
Nero is no ordinary dog. This miniature schnauzer has a beard, a bark, and a secret. When danger strikes, he transforms into Nero the Hero, a powerful protector with extraordinary abilities.
Alongside his human, twelve-year-old Jack, Nero dives into fast-paced adventures filled with mystery, heart, and just a touch of fun. But when Jack makes a brave mistake and finds himself in real danger, Nero must face his greatest challenge yet to save his best friend alone.
Perfect for readers aged 8-12, this highly illustrated chapter book blends action-packed fantasy with an engaging, accessible style, making it ideal for reluctant readers and confident young bookworms alike. With short chapters and dynamic illustrations, Nero the Hero is a thrilling start to a children’s fantasy series about friendship, bravery, and daring rescues.
Fans of Claude and The Hounds of Penhallow Hall will love this action-filled adventure starring a heroic dog and the boy who believes in him.
From the author of the popular Magical Mister Mishkins series, Samantha Mattocks introduces a bold new hero first seen in The Magic of Mister Mishkins. Beautifully illustrated by Gerda Smit, this is a story full of adventure, loyalty, and the power of believing in something extraordinary.
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We love a book with a dog in it, so one with a canine main character was always going to be a hit in our house. Nero is a Miniature Schnauzer, but he's a dog with a secret! Nero was always destined to be a superhero, and he uses his powers to save a variety of people and animals. However, his new found abilities – while exciting – cause some problems.
Nero's owner, Jean, has her grandson Jack staying with her for the summer holidays and while Jack adores Nero, and loves the fact that he is a hero, it starts to make him feel like he's not enough. Over the course of the book, Jack learns an important lesson - even people without superpowers can be enough, if they simply do their best. Children (as well as some adults) have a habit of comparing themselves to other people. It's inevitable, I suppose, but can make even the most confident child feel inadequate in certain areas of life. I see it with my own children and one of our constant refrains is 'you are enough'. When the Barbie movie came out, I loved Ken's jumper that proudly proclaimed 'I am Kenough' and bought one for my eldest. It's a message we really strongly enforce in our house and this book provides a good starting point for a discussion around that message.
When you add in facts about birdlife and the natural world, there's lots of fun facts to take away from this book. I only noticed them because of a conversation I'd had with the author recently (we were on a children's book panel together) about how she includes teaching points in her books, otherwise they wouldn't have stood out in the same way, but it's a lovely way to add to a child's bank of knowledge without them realising.
The important question though, is obviously 'is it a good read?' and the answer is yes. Nero is an endearing character and it's an interesting story to introduce him and I loved the cameo appearance from Mr Mishkin (a character from Mattocks' other book series) even if it did bring a tiny tear to my eye! However, I can only comment on the book from an adult perspective, so I asked the expert - my 10yo - for a child's view of the story. Here's what he said.
"I really enjoyed the book as it included the feeling of not being enough and trying to be a hero when Jack was enough. This is important because children need to know that they are good enough and lots don't feel like they are, especially if they are being bullied. I also liked that Nero was one of a line of superhero dogs and it was passed down from each miniature schnauzer that Jean owned. Overall, I would recommend this book to people of 6-12, or if you love dogs and magic."
Samantha Mattocks is best known for her highly illustrated Middle Grade books in The Magical Mister Mishkins series. Her words have transported readers across all her work to another place, one filled with magic, inspiration, dreams, and more.
An award-winning journalist and author, Samantha lives in Norfolk. She owns The Arabian Magazine, a beautiful publication that celebrates the Arabian horse. She was on MasterChef UK in 2019.
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