A fast-paced, thought-provoking adventure story filled with friendship, war and the journey to find who we really are, from the author of The Monsters of Rookhaven. Christopher is ‘Proper’: a real boy with a real soul, orphaned in a fire.

He works for an engineer, a maker of the eccentric, loyal and totally individual mechanicals who are Christopher’s best friends. But after a devastating accident, a secret is revealed and Christopher’s world is changed for ever ... What follows is a remarkable adventure, as Christopher discovers who he really is, and what it means to be human.

A heartfelt tale of humanity, adventure and belonging, from the bestselling author of Pog and The Monsters of Rookhaven. Pinocchio meets The Wizard of Oz with a hint of Northern Lights as a boy and his mechanical friends discover the truth about his past. A thought-provoking and timely novel, with strong themes of friendship, war and what it really means to be human.