What do you think?
Rate this book
Alex vs Axel: The Impossible Quests
The hilarous new fantasy adventure from the author of Charlie Changes Into a Chicken.
Alex is a normal, everyday kid, living in a normal, everyday city. Axel is a monster-slaying hero, living in a world of magic. Unfortunately, they look exactly the same. So when the two boys mysteriously swap places, each of them ends up being mistaken for the other.
With zero knowledge of dragon hunting and a very real aversion to danger, Alex is thrust into an epic quest to defeat the evil Felonius Gloam, who has stolen the Book of Lifetales and is using it to unravel the very fabric of the world of Aërth.
Axel's chances aren't much better. Faced with double maths, a grandma who's six months behind on the rent, and a crucial chess tournament he's expected to win, his 'decapitate first, ask questions later' strategy isn't yielding the best results.
Can the two boys complete their Impossible Quests and find their way back to their own lives - or will they each discover they don't have a life to come back to . . . ?
Alex is a normal, everyday kid, living in a normal, everyday city. Axel is a monster-slaying hero, living in a world of magic. Unfortunately, they look exactly the same. So when the two boys mysteriously swap places, each of them ends up being mistaken for the other.
With zero knowledge of dragon hunting and a very real aversion to danger, Alex is thrust into an epic quest to defeat the evil Felonius Gloam, who has stolen the Book of Lifetales and is using it to unravel the very fabric of the world of Aërth.
Axel's chances aren't much better. Faced with double maths, a grandma who's six months behind on the rent, and a crucial chess tournament he's expected to win, his 'decapitate first, ask questions later' strategy isn't yielding the best results.
Can the two boys complete their Impossible Quests and find their way back to their own lives - or will they each discover they don't have a life to come back to . . . ?
384 pages, Paperback
Published September 2, 2025
15 people are currently reading
59 people want to read
About the author
Sam Copeland
21 books65 followersSam Copeland is a Waterstones Children's Book Prize shortlisted author. He is from Manchester and now lives in London with two smelly cats, three smelly children and one relatively clean-smelling wife. He works as a chicken whisperer, travelling the world using his unique gift to tame wild chickens. Charlie Changes Into a Chicken was his first book. It was followed by the sequel Charlie Turns Into a T-Rex, and the third in the series - Charlie Morphs into a Mammoth - which was published in February 2020. His latest book Uma and the Answer to Absolutely Everything will be released in January 2021. His books have been translated into 26 languages, which is wild really. www.sam-copeland.com
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
September 9, 2024
The newest book by Sam Copeland and this time cosmic twins, an Impossible Quests, new friendships, and much more!
🥰 I loved how this one started and how the portal appeared! I hadn’t expected a portal to just appear and almost suck everything up. The blurb says the boys swapped so I expected maybe more in transportation, but portals are definitely much more fun!
🥰 I loved both girl side characters, Sienna and Lorca. Not such a fan of Irving. XD But I did like the girls and how they kicked some butt. I did feel for Sienna as Axel is quite a character and she has her hands full with getting him to understand things. XD
🥰 I loved Aërth and I loved seeing this place. OK, it was also sad given the White Death that was spreading throughout. But I loved the various names of places (which gave me some Abarat vibes) and I loved seeing our trio travel around. Oh, and I loved that one could level up in certain areas. Not just quests but also speeches? That was fun! The dragon as well! Oh, and the fact that this world has a story book with life stories. And a narrator!
🥰 I am normally NOT a fan of talking animals, but Fetlock? Well he was OK. I even liked him. He was fun, not annoying, and he was very sweet with Alex. They both found each other.
🥰 I loved that we switched back and forth between the boys. I was thinking we may just only get Alex POV, but no, we also get Axel! It was fun to see them both adapt to their new worlds and figure out the quests.
🥰 The impossible quests were so much fun. To see the boys both do their best. Sometimes with encouragement looks at Axel.
🥰 That last part with both boys confronting the end-boss of their quests. Axel who tries to defeat Alex his dad with chess. Alex who tries to defeat Gloam. The revelations that come to light. How the author wrote that was just A-plus. Not just a chapter with Alex doing his thing and then a chapter with Axel. Oh no. The events are connected and we switch between the boys continuously and see how their events connect and affect the other.
🥰 I loved that their emotions were tied throughout the book.
🥰 I loved seeing both the boys grow up, get stronger, get smarter. Alex was always my favourite but I loved seeing him find more bravery, find his voice, find his way. And Axel who I wasn’t always a fan of also had a chance and I loved seeing him grow and discover that while it was great to wear nipple armour and beat ass with his sword, he also had a pretty good brain and that he had other qualities as well.
🥰 The illustrations were a lot of fun! I like the way the characters were drawn.
🥰 I loved that both the boys had a good backstory and it was interesting to see how things connected even there.
🥰 OMG, I cried so much at the ending with the last bit of the quest that Alex had to do.
🤔 In the book the creatures that are around the evil Gloam are called flies. It is a cloud of flies. A swarm of flies. HOWEVER. On both the cover AND the illustrations we clearly see wasps/hornets. That was REALLY confusing to me.
🤔 I am a bit confused how (almost) EVERYONE couldn’t differentiate between Alex/Axel. His OWN grandmother doesn’t even see that Axel is not her grandson. I would understand if they were identical. But we clearly hear that Axel is the one with the big big muscles and the big pumped up body and the awesome hair. And if you look at Alex on the cover and throughout the book you can clearly see a skinny little boy with sad hair.
😡 The villain POV. Those who know me know that I absolutely HATE those POVs. I tried reading one and then just stopped doing that and just read Axel/Alex POVs.
😡 The bullying and how apparently no one did anything about it.
But all in all, despite a few weird things and a POV for a villain, I loved this book and I loved how everything was connected and I cannot wait to read the next book of this one next year!
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
🥰 I loved how this one started and how the portal appeared! I hadn’t expected a portal to just appear and almost suck everything up. The blurb says the boys swapped so I expected maybe more in transportation, but portals are definitely much more fun!
🥰 I loved both girl side characters, Sienna and Lorca. Not such a fan of Irving. XD But I did like the girls and how they kicked some butt. I did feel for Sienna as Axel is quite a character and she has her hands full with getting him to understand things. XD
🥰 I loved Aërth and I loved seeing this place. OK, it was also sad given the White Death that was spreading throughout. But I loved the various names of places (which gave me some Abarat vibes) and I loved seeing our trio travel around. Oh, and I loved that one could level up in certain areas. Not just quests but also speeches? That was fun! The dragon as well! Oh, and the fact that this world has a story book with life stories. And a narrator!
🥰 I am normally NOT a fan of talking animals, but Fetlock? Well he was OK. I even liked him. He was fun, not annoying, and he was very sweet with Alex. They both found each other.
🥰 I loved that we switched back and forth between the boys. I was thinking we may just only get Alex POV, but no, we also get Axel! It was fun to see them both adapt to their new worlds and figure out the quests.
🥰 The impossible quests were so much fun. To see the boys both do their best. Sometimes with encouragement looks at Axel.
🥰 That last part with both boys confronting the end-boss of their quests. Axel who tries to defeat Alex his dad with chess. Alex who tries to defeat Gloam. The revelations that come to light. How the author wrote that was just A-plus. Not just a chapter with Alex doing his thing and then a chapter with Axel. Oh no. The events are connected and we switch between the boys continuously and see how their events connect and affect the other.
🥰 I loved that their emotions were tied throughout the book.
🥰 I loved seeing both the boys grow up, get stronger, get smarter. Alex was always my favourite but I loved seeing him find more bravery, find his voice, find his way. And Axel who I wasn’t always a fan of also had a chance and I loved seeing him grow and discover that while it was great to wear nipple armour and beat ass with his sword, he also had a pretty good brain and that he had other qualities as well.
🥰 The illustrations were a lot of fun! I like the way the characters were drawn.
🥰 I loved that both the boys had a good backstory and it was interesting to see how things connected even there.
🥰 OMG, I cried so much at the ending with the last bit of the quest that Alex had to do.
🤔 In the book the creatures that are around the evil Gloam are called flies. It is a cloud of flies. A swarm of flies. HOWEVER. On both the cover AND the illustrations we clearly see wasps/hornets. That was REALLY confusing to me.
🤔 I am a bit confused how (almost) EVERYONE couldn’t differentiate between Alex/Axel. His OWN grandmother doesn’t even see that Axel is not her grandson. I would understand if they were identical. But we clearly hear that Axel is the one with the big big muscles and the big pumped up body and the awesome hair. And if you look at Alex on the cover and throughout the book you can clearly see a skinny little boy with sad hair.
😡 The villain POV. Those who know me know that I absolutely HATE those POVs. I tried reading one and then just stopped doing that and just read Axel/Alex POVs.
😡 The bullying and how apparently no one did anything about it.
But all in all, despite a few weird things and a POV for a villain, I loved this book and I loved how everything was connected and I cannot wait to read the next book of this one next year!
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
May 20, 2024
Very healing for my inner child. Light hearted, adventurous, but most of all a lot fun. The best thing about this book was its clever humour. A high 3 stars!
January 19, 2025
This book was so fun! I had no problems getting hooked and the whole premise of the story was great. Enough to capture the minds of younger audiences and amuse the older ones (ie Me!).
I love a life swap trope, especially when one reedy Alex on Earth gets swapped for one heroic Axel from an alternate fantasy world where animals speak, and heroes are the flavour of the day.
Alex is facing his own troubles on Earth, with him and his grandma facing eviction for debts that they can’t pay and Axel whose world faces the dreaded White Death and the Father of the flies. Can each boy conquer each others story?
What followed was an epic adventure for the two of them and I was so intrigued as to how it would all finish up. I really enjoyed and the audiobook was a great format to consume the story too as the narrator was fab and very easy to listen to. It was a fab read!
I love a life swap trope, especially when one reedy Alex on Earth gets swapped for one heroic Axel from an alternate fantasy world where animals speak, and heroes are the flavour of the day.
Alex is facing his own troubles on Earth, with him and his grandma facing eviction for debts that they can’t pay and Axel whose world faces the dreaded White Death and the Father of the flies. Can each boy conquer each others story?
What followed was an epic adventure for the two of them and I was so intrigued as to how it would all finish up. I really enjoyed and the audiobook was a great format to consume the story too as the narrator was fab and very easy to listen to. It was a fab read!
August 27, 2024
A fun but surprisingly devastating middle grade novel following two boys from different worlds who swap places and have to learn to grow as a result.
This book actually got me! I was expecting mostly the kind of humour which might not be my speed, and there was a fair amount of that, but at the crux of it this book is actually a heartfelt deconstruction of toxic masculinity, a commentary on wealth disparity and abusive fathers twisting the narrative, and learning to step outside of your shell. It also had some great jokes for adults slipped in there too.
I really think this is an important book for young boys, and really hope it finds its audience!
Thank you to Penguin for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This book actually got me! I was expecting mostly the kind of humour which might not be my speed, and there was a fair amount of that, but at the crux of it this book is actually a heartfelt deconstruction of toxic masculinity, a commentary on wealth disparity and abusive fathers twisting the narrative, and learning to step outside of your shell. It also had some great jokes for adults slipped in there too.
I really think this is an important book for young boys, and really hope it finds its audience!
Thank you to Penguin for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
November 19, 2024
Sam Copeland’s humorous fantasy novel for readers aged 9+ (the first in a series) has some genuine laugh-out-loud moments and gleefully subverts a number of the fantasy cliches. Although I think Alex has more depth than Axel and some of the resolutions to plot difficulties were too pat, there are also some genuinely moving moments and I enjoyed the adventure such that I would definitely read the sequel.
July 22, 2024
Saw the cover on Instagram and bought the book. A fun kid’s book. A 21st Century nerd swaps place with a similar-looking hero from a medieval/fantasy (dragons, talking animals) alternative reality. Both have to complete An Impossible Quest more appropriate to the other. SPOILER One of them has really good hair.
August 17, 2024
Please bear in mind I’m an adult reviewing a children’s book… it was brilliant! Compelling, fun, I laughed out loud, and would absolutely recommend to anyone who just needs some fun in their very serious reading lives!
I felt quite emotionally attached to the characters, and enjoyed the pacing of the adventure. Super book!
I felt quite emotionally attached to the characters, and enjoyed the pacing of the adventure. Super book!
May 4, 2024
Freaky Friday Cosy Fantasy Body Swap story involving COSMIC TWINS who could resist??
This book is so much fun. It made me laugh, I loved the magic world and their was a talking dog: who could want for more!
Thoroughly reccomend reading this.
This book is so much fun. It made me laugh, I loved the magic world and their was a talking dog: who could want for more!
Thoroughly reccomend reading this.
May 30, 2024
This has so much brilliance! Gorgeous connection between the two boys, amazing messages about bravery and resilience, some PROPER funny moments and the hope and joy that friends bring. A total page-turner adventure Really enjoyed this! Can’t wait for the next one.
June 3, 2025
The start is a bit confusing and all over the place as the book keeps switching from Alex's world to Axel's world and you lose track on what is going on.
I think that the plot was a bit fuzzy and it wasn't very clear but overall except for these points, the book is pretty good.
I think that the plot was a bit fuzzy and it wasn't very clear but overall except for these points, the book is pretty good.
July 9, 2024
Absolute splendidly fun book! Great story throughly enjoyed!
May 7, 2024
Overall I really enjoyed this. I loved moving between Alex and Axel, seeing what they were up to at different points. I loved how it shows that we don’t need brute strength to defeat evil. I was a little bit disappointed with the ending, but I will still be ordering book two!
April 30, 2024
When Alex swaps lives with Axel a monster slaying hero his life get more interesting if not a little dangerous! Axel on the other hand is just plain confused by our world and is outraged he has to go to school and do maths, I mean he’s a hero he doesn’t take orders he dishes them out! This is a laugh out loud funny adventure with themes around family, friendship and what it truly means to be brave. It also poses the age old question of which is more useful in life brains or Brawn and sends a message about hope and finding your inner strength. This is perfect for any fans of Walliams, Loki and Wimpy Kid.
July 1, 2024
3.75 stars. A fun story about epic quest of saving the world and finding oneself, about friendship and achieving the impossible.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews