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Rupert & Nell: The Hot Air Balloon
Rupert is a Scottish Deerhound and is a bit of a softie. He seems to end up in the water a lot during his adventures but always remains cheerful. His favourite foods are pancakes and chocolate. Nell is a Border Collie and has spent most of her life on the farm helping Mr McTavish. When he retired, Nell went to stay with him in a cottage by the banks of Loch Ness. Now she spends her days going on adventures with Rupert. Wee Nessie is the daughter of the Loch Ness Monster and loves to fly as often as possible. She thinks she has become quite good at it and takes Rupert and Nell on adventures. She hides herself and her passengers from people on the ground by puffing out great clouds of steam. Landings are still a bit problematic but so far they only happen at the end of each flight!
In this adventure, Rupert decides to jump into a picnic basket that isn't what it seems. He ends up very high in the air and has to be rescued by Wee Nessie.
In this adventure, Rupert decides to jump into a picnic basket that isn't what it seems. He ends up very high in the air and has to be rescued by Wee Nessie.
18 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 3, 2013
1 person want to read
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
January 24, 2026
BLOG TOUR REVIEW
Review for 'Rupert & Nell The Hot Air Balloon' by Bill Brodie. Illustrated by Rey Flores.
This is the fourth book myself, my 13 year old son and 8 year old twins have read by this extremely talented author. I am on the tour for all 5 books in this brilliant series so make sure you return the 8th February for Rupert and Nell: Pancake Day. You can also check out my previous reviews on Amazon and Social Media. This book is the fifth book in Bill's 'The Adventures Of Rupert & Nell' series and each book in this series can all be read as standalones and in any order.
Congratulations to Bill Brodie on yet another absolutely incredible and page turning children's book! Amazon gives this book a reading age of 3 years to 10 years. It is primarily aimed at children but unfortunately at the age of 39 I can no longer be classed as one myself! However, I absolutely loved reading it and think that it is a great short story for young adults and children alike!! My 13 year old son enjoyed reading it and my 8 year old twin boys loved listening to and reading it. I would say children up to the age of 10/11 would enjoy it the most. We read the hardback version and if you are going to grab a copy of this book I would DEFINITELY highly recommend the hardback version as it is just beautiful with a gorgeous cover and stunning illustrations throughout. As I previously mentioned I will be/have been reviewing all 5 books in this series, I have all 5 books in the hardback version and they look absolutely beautiful on my shelf so treat your children to the set. This is a fantastic book about a Scottish Deerhound called Rupert, a Border Collie called Nell and the daughter of the Loch Ness Monster called Wee Nessie. In this adventure Rupert and Nell are awoken by a noise and decide to investigate. They find the noise and Rupert sees what looks like a giant picnic basket. He jumps into the basket on the hunt for food but it turns out it is a hot air balloon and he manages to catch the lever for the burners on the way in. This leads to the hot air balloon flying away with Rupert in it!! Nell rushes to Nessie to try to help Rupert but will they be able to catch up with Rupert and the hot air balloon? With a storyline packed with fun, friendship, drama, mayhem, a hot air balloon chase, stunning illustrations, animals, madness and so much more what are you waiting for?? Stop reading this and start reading this brilliant book now!! It has everything that a child could want in a magical page turning book plus so much more!! Bill's wonderful and vivid descriptions and evocative writing skills really transports the reader into the book where they will get to see Rupert, Nell and Wee Nessie come to life in front of your eyes, feel the magic in the air and have fun. It is ram packed with absolutely stunning, eye catching and colourful illustrations thanks to Rey Flores, with so much to see and discover in each picture. The book is laid out with the storyline on one page and the fantastic illustration relating to that part illustrated on the whole of the opposite page. Malaki, Hunter and Ryder loved pointing out all the different things that they could see in the pictures and discuss what is going on. This truly is a fun, adventurous and fantastic read that children and adults will love getting lost in. We devoured the story in one sitting as we couldn't wait to see what was going to happen next book it has been perfectly laid out with each double page ending on a full stop so you could easily read a few pages at a time too. It would make a perfect bedtime story that will send your children off into dreamland where they will dream of adventures with Rupert, Nell and Nessie. The book is filled with amazing adventures, characters who we loved meeting and stunning illustrations we all loved looking at!!
An absolutely adventurous, fun and exciting book for children and grown ups alike!! Stunning descriptions and illustrations, action packed adventure and much more!!
❤️ Overall a fantastically imaginative, fun and immersive adventure book 💜
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Review for 'Rupert & Nell The Hot Air Balloon' by Bill Brodie. Illustrated by Rey Flores.
This is the fourth book myself, my 13 year old son and 8 year old twins have read by this extremely talented author. I am on the tour for all 5 books in this brilliant series so make sure you return the 8th February for Rupert and Nell: Pancake Day. You can also check out my previous reviews on Amazon and Social Media. This book is the fifth book in Bill's 'The Adventures Of Rupert & Nell' series and each book in this series can all be read as standalones and in any order.
Congratulations to Bill Brodie on yet another absolutely incredible and page turning children's book! Amazon gives this book a reading age of 3 years to 10 years. It is primarily aimed at children but unfortunately at the age of 39 I can no longer be classed as one myself! However, I absolutely loved reading it and think that it is a great short story for young adults and children alike!! My 13 year old son enjoyed reading it and my 8 year old twin boys loved listening to and reading it. I would say children up to the age of 10/11 would enjoy it the most. We read the hardback version and if you are going to grab a copy of this book I would DEFINITELY highly recommend the hardback version as it is just beautiful with a gorgeous cover and stunning illustrations throughout. As I previously mentioned I will be/have been reviewing all 5 books in this series, I have all 5 books in the hardback version and they look absolutely beautiful on my shelf so treat your children to the set. This is a fantastic book about a Scottish Deerhound called Rupert, a Border Collie called Nell and the daughter of the Loch Ness Monster called Wee Nessie. In this adventure Rupert and Nell are awoken by a noise and decide to investigate. They find the noise and Rupert sees what looks like a giant picnic basket. He jumps into the basket on the hunt for food but it turns out it is a hot air balloon and he manages to catch the lever for the burners on the way in. This leads to the hot air balloon flying away with Rupert in it!! Nell rushes to Nessie to try to help Rupert but will they be able to catch up with Rupert and the hot air balloon? With a storyline packed with fun, friendship, drama, mayhem, a hot air balloon chase, stunning illustrations, animals, madness and so much more what are you waiting for?? Stop reading this and start reading this brilliant book now!! It has everything that a child could want in a magical page turning book plus so much more!! Bill's wonderful and vivid descriptions and evocative writing skills really transports the reader into the book where they will get to see Rupert, Nell and Wee Nessie come to life in front of your eyes, feel the magic in the air and have fun. It is ram packed with absolutely stunning, eye catching and colourful illustrations thanks to Rey Flores, with so much to see and discover in each picture. The book is laid out with the storyline on one page and the fantastic illustration relating to that part illustrated on the whole of the opposite page. Malaki, Hunter and Ryder loved pointing out all the different things that they could see in the pictures and discuss what is going on. This truly is a fun, adventurous and fantastic read that children and adults will love getting lost in. We devoured the story in one sitting as we couldn't wait to see what was going to happen next book it has been perfectly laid out with each double page ending on a full stop so you could easily read a few pages at a time too. It would make a perfect bedtime story that will send your children off into dreamland where they will dream of adventures with Rupert, Nell and Nessie. The book is filled with amazing adventures, characters who we loved meeting and stunning illustrations we all loved looking at!!
An absolutely adventurous, fun and exciting book for children and grown ups alike!! Stunning descriptions and illustrations, action packed adventure and much more!!
❤️ Overall a fantastically imaginative, fun and immersive adventure book 💜
#RupertAndNellTheHotAIrBalloon #TheAdventuresOfRupertAndNell #BillBrodie #ReyFlores #BrodieBooks #KellyALacey #lovebookstours #Ad #LBTCrew #BookTwitter #FreeReview #FreeBookReview #Bookstagram
@TheAdventuresOfRupertAndNell @BillBrodie @ReyFlores @BrodieBooks @LoveBookTours @LBTCrew
https://m.facebook.com/Bookwork86/?__...
https://www.instagram.com/bookwormwhi...
https://www.facebook.com/GoldenOldies...
https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/3...
https://mobile.twitter.com/kcmw86
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/profile/a...
December 8, 2025
This book forms part of a great, new series of children's books featuring Rupert and Nell, two of the cutest dogs who live to go on adventures together in the Scottish landscape.
As you know, I'm a little obsessed with Scotland and take any chance to read books that will take me on a journey through the wilderness of this beautiful place.
I've always thought that a ride in a hot air balloon would be so serene, just floating there above the ground - but when Rupert gets stuck in the basket alone - his ride is anything but calming.
I loved that Wee Nessie appeared in this story again to save the day - but was a bit upset for poor MacDonald.
And of course, Rupert ends up getting yet, yet again!
This was a cute story, but was definitely quite a bit too wordy for younger readers to read themselves - however, this makes the perfect series for sharing with your young ones and I could see myself reading these before nap times or before bed every night.
The illustrations are big and bold and I love the character in the animals faces that really draws the eye and prompts discussion.
There's lots to see in each image and really brings the story to life as we read.
These stories remind me of those that my own Dad used to make up for us as kids - I can't wait to see what other adventures this pair gets up to in the next few books.
As you know, I'm a little obsessed with Scotland and take any chance to read books that will take me on a journey through the wilderness of this beautiful place.
I've always thought that a ride in a hot air balloon would be so serene, just floating there above the ground - but when Rupert gets stuck in the basket alone - his ride is anything but calming.
I loved that Wee Nessie appeared in this story again to save the day - but was a bit upset for poor MacDonald.
And of course, Rupert ends up getting yet, yet again!
This was a cute story, but was definitely quite a bit too wordy for younger readers to read themselves - however, this makes the perfect series for sharing with your young ones and I could see myself reading these before nap times or before bed every night.
The illustrations are big and bold and I love the character in the animals faces that really draws the eye and prompts discussion.
There's lots to see in each image and really brings the story to life as we read.
These stories remind me of those that my own Dad used to make up for us as kids - I can't wait to see what other adventures this pair gets up to in the next few books.
January 20, 2026
It’s time for another adventure with these cheeky characters! Don’t worry if you have missed the earlier books in this series, there is a helpful reminder about the characters at the start.
Now, as we are coming to expect from these books, Rupert is about to get into some mischief. I mean, of course he is, when he gets sight of a ‘picnic basket’ all he is thinking about is food! However, he is in for a surprise!
Can his friends Nell and Wee Nessie help him?
My son really enjoyed this one, he can’t wait to see what Rupert gets up to next. He laughed out loud as Rupert manages to get himself all wet, again!
As with the other books in the series, there are large illustrations which show the adventures as they happen, with the text on the opposite page. This makes bedtime reading nice and easy as my son snuggles up one side by the pictures while I read from the other side.
These books are suitable for younger children who love to be read to, but also slightly older children who can read for themselves. They are always such happy books, they bring smiles and laughter but also a message of friendship and forgiveness too.
We can’t wait to see where the next adventure takes our friends!
Now, as we are coming to expect from these books, Rupert is about to get into some mischief. I mean, of course he is, when he gets sight of a ‘picnic basket’ all he is thinking about is food! However, he is in for a surprise!
Can his friends Nell and Wee Nessie help him?
My son really enjoyed this one, he can’t wait to see what Rupert gets up to next. He laughed out loud as Rupert manages to get himself all wet, again!
As with the other books in the series, there are large illustrations which show the adventures as they happen, with the text on the opposite page. This makes bedtime reading nice and easy as my son snuggles up one side by the pictures while I read from the other side.
These books are suitable for younger children who love to be read to, but also slightly older children who can read for themselves. They are always such happy books, they bring smiles and laughter but also a message of friendship and forgiveness too.
We can’t wait to see where the next adventure takes our friends!
December 29, 2025
Thank you to the author and Love books tours for our copy, this is our honest review.
Henry liked the hot air balloon and that Rupert is always getting into mischief and having to be rescued. I like that Rupert is led by his stomach and just sort of falls into adventures but thankfully his friends are on hand to help him out. It was another great book for us to talk about kindness, helping others, dangerous situations and how we'd escape them without having Wee Nessie there! The illustrations keep to keep Henry's attention and are integral to the overall story, another great bedtime read.
Rupert and Nell are awoken by a strange noise before breakfast and find that there is a hot air balloon being blown up down by the lake. Rupert jumps in looking for food but ends up drifting up into the sky. Quick thinking Nell calls on their friend Wee Nessie to help rescue him thankfully, although it is still a terrible l tricky rescue!
Henry liked the hot air balloon and that Rupert is always getting into mischief and having to be rescued. I like that Rupert is led by his stomach and just sort of falls into adventures but thankfully his friends are on hand to help him out. It was another great book for us to talk about kindness, helping others, dangerous situations and how we'd escape them without having Wee Nessie there! The illustrations keep to keep Henry's attention and are integral to the overall story, another great bedtime read.
Rupert and Nell are awoken by a strange noise before breakfast and find that there is a hot air balloon being blown up down by the lake. Rupert jumps in looking for food but ends up drifting up into the sky. Quick thinking Nell calls on their friend Wee Nessie to help rescue him thankfully, although it is still a terrible l tricky rescue!
January 22, 2026
Rupert and Nell: The Hot Air Balloon is part of a 5 book series, and is set in the beautiful Highlands of Scotland, on the banks of the majestic Loch Ness.
The Scottish Highlands are one of my favourite places to visit and I have so many wonderful memories from Summer holidays there, a tradition I now pass on to our three Daughters, so reading this brought back lots of those wonderful memories.
So all in all, a brilliant little read that i read with our youngest Daughter and we both really enjoyed it.
Like all good children's picture books should, there's lots of beautiful illustrations throughout, which highlight parts of the story, and the text used is a good size, clear and easily readable.
5 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 's from us.
The Scottish Highlands are one of my favourite places to visit and I have so many wonderful memories from Summer holidays there, a tradition I now pass on to our three Daughters, so reading this brought back lots of those wonderful memories.
So all in all, a brilliant little read that i read with our youngest Daughter and we both really enjoyed it.
Like all good children's picture books should, there's lots of beautiful illustrations throughout, which highlight parts of the story, and the text used is a good size, clear and easily readable.
5 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 's from us.
January 21, 2026
Another gorgeous picture book in the Rupert & Nell series. Like the others, it begins with a short description of Rupert the Scottish Deerhound, Nell the Border Collie and of course Wee Nessie the daughter of the Loch Ness Monster.
My son adores this series. He was very eager to read another one with me. The doggy duo go to investigate a roaring noise down by the loch. As soon as my son saw the hot air balloon he got excited and said oh no Rupert is going to cause chaos again!
The story was adventurous and lots of fun. It's lovely to see my son so enthusiastic about books. The illustrations were particularly beautiful in this book with bold colours.
A lovely story to share together.
My son adores this series. He was very eager to read another one with me. The doggy duo go to investigate a roaring noise down by the loch. As soon as my son saw the hot air balloon he got excited and said oh no Rupert is going to cause chaos again!
The story was adventurous and lots of fun. It's lovely to see my son so enthusiastic about books. The illustrations were particularly beautiful in this book with bold colours.
A lovely story to share together.
January 23, 2026
This is such a cute series that follows Rupert and Nell, two very special dogs and their friends Wee Nessie, on some very exciting adventures. This time out, Rupert sees a hot air balloon and, thinking it’s a giant picnic basket full of food , he bounds right in, accidentally launching himself! Of course, Nell and Wee Nessie must go to his rescue. I really like these gorgeous little adventure stories and their gloriously colourful illustrations. I can’t recommend this series highly enough for young, adventurous readers.
January 24, 2026
This is the fourth book we have read in the series of five with friends Rupert, Nell and Wee Nessie. This one is set in a hot air balloon when Rupert manages to jump into a basket and set the balloon off. Wee Nessie needs to save the day again, luckily her flying skills are coming along and Alfred the frog had fun! Set in the beautiful Loch Ness with wonderful coloured illustrations this book will bring a smile to any age of reader. I loved the sense of fun and adventure. We can’t wait for us to read the next book in the series to see where they head to next.
January 24, 2026
This was our favourite in the series so far and leaves us excited for the next one!
Again we loved the character bio recaps and the illustrations! Rupert in the hot air balloon is super cute - what a doofus!
The layout of the pages, short paragraphs and pictures is perfect to read together, for new readers and for developing readers to practice alone.
The story is engaging, funny and an enjoyable time in our house when we are reading them together! Now we look up when we see a hot air balloon and wonder if there are dogs inside!
Again we loved the character bio recaps and the illustrations! Rupert in the hot air balloon is super cute - what a doofus!
The layout of the pages, short paragraphs and pictures is perfect to read together, for new readers and for developing readers to practice alone.
The story is engaging, funny and an enjoyable time in our house when we are reading them together! Now we look up when we see a hot air balloon and wonder if there are dogs inside!
December 27, 2025
After reading four other books in this series, I just knew Rupert would be up to mischief straight away by the title. Hot air Balloons and a mischievous dog definitely screamed adventure and I wasn't wrong. As well as Rupert we get to enjoy Wee Nessies flying exploits again aswell as meet some new characters all while trying to get Rupert back onto dry land. I have really enjoyed reading about Rupert and Nell's adventures and I would happily recommend to anyone with young children.
January 25, 2026
Rupert and Nell: The Hot Air Balloon is another cute Rupert and Nell (and Wee Nessie) adventure written by Bill Brodie. Rupert can’t help himself and gets up to his usual mischief. Then, Nell and Wee Nessie save him again as usual. The Rupert and Nell books are sweet and fun for kids and adults alike with beautiful illustrations by Rey Flores. If you are building your child’s library, the Rupert and Nell set of books would make a great addition to it! 5 out of 5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Highly recommend!
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews