Animals are rebelling, and Aubrey, who can talk to other species, is stung by a very polite wasp. It does not take long for Aubrey and his animal friends to discover that the mysterious Big B has a plan to control their robot spiders to bite humans and change the dynamics of human/animal relationships. But has the mastermind really thought through the consequences of these actions? Aubrey can see the potential pitfalls and has to act quickly to save the day. Action packed and full of humour, this is a fun, warm-hearted novel that celebrates the power of nature, supportive families and friendship. This will be a hit with readers in our school library.

Being honest – as always, or else I wouldn't be here – I cannot see how the first two in this series were up for awards. I really couldn't take to this – a clumsy look at a kid who can talk to the animals, tasked with trying to work out why the wasps of the neighbourhood have all taken against him and why all the other animals are revolting. For yes, all the critters – in farms or out, but generally in our food chain, have done a French and gone on strike, and within four days the entire country is forced to be vegetarian. Because that is how the food industry works.

From the fact the first two chapters are about the kid and his mother trying to shoo chickens into a coop, and about how he has a dog, to the poor way the characters are introduced, to the bonkers choice of voice for a silverfish the boy's friendly spider introduces him to, to the pointless and boring bickering of the wasp soldiers – none of this appealed. And while I might have been interested in the reasoning of the animals rebelling, there was so much eco-haranguing in just the first few chapters I felt all mystery removed from proceedings. For the under-tens it might not be offensively bad, and it certainly reads so quickly no small sense of accomplishment could be attained, but the under-tens deserve books anyone of any age could enjoy, and this certainly wasn't one. A generous two stars.

And now I see other reviews claim this is about depression??? And incredibly crass as regards to warfare??? Second star removed. This is tripe.

'I think Ariadne should say it,' Aubrey said. 'It's not up to humans anymore' (173)
And with this Clare's thesis is made.
Aubrey is a boy who has an affinity with wild creatures; he can talk and listen to them. He and his friends Ariadne the spider, Silvio the silverfish, Villi the hornet, Hoppy the squirrel and Lupo the husky pup must save the adults from the great spider attack of the Tarantella - a plan from Big B to force humans to listen to, and start taking care of, the planet.
In places the prose is a little bit stilted but it's mostly laugh out loud funny as Aubrey and his friends plot and plan. A lovely use of dialogue makes this a snappy, fun read with a serious message. It's a great premise and KS2 readers will love it. Could work as a lovely read-aloud in a climate unit or for turning into a performance piece in younger years.

I'm sorry, I thought it was a new book. I already read and reviewed this one
My review:
This is a book that deals in an interesting way with serious topics like depressions without turning into a depressing or very sad book.
The characters are fleshed out and the author did a good job in developing the plot.
I'm sure it will be appreciated by children.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Aubrey Rambunctious Wolf is a boy with a special talent. He can understand and talk to animals which is very handy when you're trying to stop a villainous plot.

This is the first Aubrey book I've read, which in retrospect was a bit silly of me because I don't usually like to come in midway through a story so I've missed Aubrey's previous adventures.

However I still liked this book a lot. The info says its for 9 - 12 year olds but I'd have thought a slightly younger audience would appreciate it too.

The story is quote clever in that it teaches us that there may be no quick fixes to solving the earth's problems but we all need to do something, if you're going to be a warrior then be one who fights for peace and if you're brave you'll find the things you are scared of aren't quite that frightening after all.

I like the messages it wraps up in a neat little story that's funny and interesting. I like that Horatio Clare uses hero animals and insects that are unusual for heroes - silverfish and hornets, for example.

Frankly any book that promotes kindness, understanding and a bit more love gets my vote.

Thankyou to Netgalley for the ARC. Most appreciated. I'm going to go back and read the first two Aubrey stories now.