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The Blockbusters!: A sparkling Hollywood adventure by the fantastically funny million-selling UK Children's Laureate
Nominated for the Carnegie Medal for Writing
Year 6 goes to Hollywood!
Head to Tinseltown in this hilarious and heart-warming adventure by the UK Children's Laureate 2024-2026 and bestselling, award-winner Frank Cottrell-Boyce. The Blockbusters! is fabulously illustrated in black and white throughout by Steven Lenton.
When new boy Rafa and his friends accidentally stray onto the set of a Hollywood blockbuster, the last thing they expect is to become part of the action. Rafa’s likeness to the famous movie star, BB, gives him VIP access all areas, including the banquet of catering doughnuts!
But Rafa isn’t the only one having an adventure. His big brother, Cillian, is missing. He sent Rafa a clue to his location, but he can’t really be in actual Hollywood, can he? It’s up to Rafa to keep acting the part of a movie star, if he is to find his brother – and home.
Praise for Frank
'Full of heart and emotion that might just bring a tear to your eye' - Tom Fletcher on Sputnik's Guide to Life on Earth
'Full of jokes and touching moments' - The Sunday Times on Framed
'He has something of Roald Dahl's magic, but more heart' - Sunday Telegraph on Cosmic
'A funny, charming, life-affirming book' - Richard Osman on Runaway Robot
Year 6 goes to Hollywood!
Head to Tinseltown in this hilarious and heart-warming adventure by the UK Children's Laureate 2024-2026 and bestselling, award-winner Frank Cottrell-Boyce. The Blockbusters! is fabulously illustrated in black and white throughout by Steven Lenton.
When new boy Rafa and his friends accidentally stray onto the set of a Hollywood blockbuster, the last thing they expect is to become part of the action. Rafa’s likeness to the famous movie star, BB, gives him VIP access all areas, including the banquet of catering doughnuts!
But Rafa isn’t the only one having an adventure. His big brother, Cillian, is missing. He sent Rafa a clue to his location, but he can’t really be in actual Hollywood, can he? It’s up to Rafa to keep acting the part of a movie star, if he is to find his brother – and home.
Praise for Frank
'Full of heart and emotion that might just bring a tear to your eye' - Tom Fletcher on Sputnik's Guide to Life on Earth
'Full of jokes and touching moments' - The Sunday Times on Framed
'He has something of Roald Dahl's magic, but more heart' - Sunday Telegraph on Cosmic
'A funny, charming, life-affirming book' - Richard Osman on Runaway Robot
- GenresMiddle GradeHumor
257 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 15, 2025
2 people are currently reading
15 people want to read
About the author
Frank Cottrell Boyce
77 books264 followersFrank Cottrell Boyce is a British screenwriter, novelist and occasional actor.
In addition to original scripts, Cottrell Boyce has also adapted novels for the screen and written children's fiction, winning the 2004 Carnegie Medal for his debut, Millions, based on his own screenplay for the film of the same name.
His novel Framed was shortlisted for the Whitbread Book of the Year as well as the Carnegie Medal.
He adapted the novel into a screenplay for a 2009 BBC television film. His 2009 novel Cosmic has also been shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal.
He is married and the father of seven children.
In addition to original scripts, Cottrell Boyce has also adapted novels for the screen and written children's fiction, winning the 2004 Carnegie Medal for his debut, Millions, based on his own screenplay for the film of the same name.
His novel Framed was shortlisted for the Whitbread Book of the Year as well as the Carnegie Medal.
He adapted the novel into a screenplay for a 2009 BBC television film. His 2009 novel Cosmic has also been shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal.
He is married and the father of seven children.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
June 2, 2025
When Year 6 student Rafa and his classmates find themselves on a real Hollywood movie set, things take an unexpected turn. Rafa happens to look just like the film's superstar, BB, and suddenly, he’s caught up in a whirlwind of movie magic, mistaken identity, and trays full of doughnuts. But the excitement is shadowed by a deeper worry. His older brother, Cillian, is missing. Rafa has one cryptic clue to his brother’s whereabouts, and as he stumbles through glitzy film sets and behind-the-scenes chaos, he’s determined to follow the trail, no matter how wild it gets.
There’s something gently extraordinary about the way Frank Cottrell-Boyce writes, funny and light on the surface, but with a quiet depth underneath. I found myself laughing at the slapstick moments, yet caring deeply about Rafa’s mission to find his brother. Frank makes the unbelievable feel oddly possible, especially through Rafa’s wide-eyed determination and the tender sibling bond that carries the story forward.
The illustrations by Steven Lenton add just the right touch of energy and charm. They don’t just decorate the story, they lift it. It’s easy to get swept up in the playful chaos, and I loved the way adventure and emotion are stitched together so naturally.
There’s something gently extraordinary about the way Frank Cottrell-Boyce writes, funny and light on the surface, but with a quiet depth underneath. I found myself laughing at the slapstick moments, yet caring deeply about Rafa’s mission to find his brother. Frank makes the unbelievable feel oddly possible, especially through Rafa’s wide-eyed determination and the tender sibling bond that carries the story forward.
The illustrations by Steven Lenton add just the right touch of energy and charm. They don’t just decorate the story, they lift it. It’s easy to get swept up in the playful chaos, and I loved the way adventure and emotion are stitched together so naturally.
August 24, 2025
Either a convoluted fantasia, or a bonkers slice of nonsense, this features Rafa, who gets taken by a teacher along with all the three other kids she seems to have in her charge to see a new Shakespearean theatre. What they don't know is it's shut for the day as it's a major movie set – and what they don't know is that they will be involved in the movie. And what they certainly don't know is that Rafa will end up swapping places with the starlet of the piece, and be forced to pretend to be her, with the full-on Hollywood lifestyle. Whether he likes it or not…
This tries to do so much, and struggles to get it all in order. There's the film star fantasy, courtesy the (very belated) body swap-styled shenanigans. There's the "let's all speak Shakespearean!" thread – the teacher does this to some extent, and the movie girl is playing Will's sister. There's the TV show the kid likes to watch, that's bubbling away in the background, and there is – to contrast with Hollywood – the fact that Rafa, his mum and brother were kicked out of their home, and the lads are stuck living with a dead-beat uncle in some Merseyside tower block. We soon realise that the older brother has actually just fled that arrangement, only to end up in… well, it begins with H and ends with -ollywood.
There is of course a cleverness when – finally – all this convoluted nutjobbery tallies and aligns, but by then some people will have long given up. I'm very much of the opinion classic kids books can be read by any age range – and this can't. The narration is in a realistic, semi-colloquial style that grates, and while a younger reader will potentially love this, it certainly has too much that is adult-proof, limiting it to the more naive audience members to truly like. I mean, Quiz?
Ultimately this is lively and brisk, but it needed a lot of chutzpah to get away with everything here, and that brio, common sense and likeability are just not there enough for my tastes. Many will lap it up happily, but for me it was only two and a bit stars – and not on a walk of fame, either.
This tries to do so much, and struggles to get it all in order. There's the film star fantasy, courtesy the (very belated) body swap-styled shenanigans. There's the "let's all speak Shakespearean!" thread – the teacher does this to some extent, and the movie girl is playing Will's sister. There's the TV show the kid likes to watch, that's bubbling away in the background, and there is – to contrast with Hollywood – the fact that Rafa, his mum and brother were kicked out of their home, and the lads are stuck living with a dead-beat uncle in some Merseyside tower block. We soon realise that the older brother has actually just fled that arrangement, only to end up in… well, it begins with H and ends with -ollywood.
There is of course a cleverness when – finally – all this convoluted nutjobbery tallies and aligns, but by then some people will have long given up. I'm very much of the opinion classic kids books can be read by any age range – and this can't. The narration is in a realistic, semi-colloquial style that grates, and while a younger reader will potentially love this, it certainly has too much that is adult-proof, limiting it to the more naive audience members to truly like. I mean, Quiz?
Ultimately this is lively and brisk, but it needed a lot of chutzpah to get away with everything here, and that brio, common sense and likeability are just not there enough for my tastes. Many will lap it up happily, but for me it was only two and a bit stars – and not on a walk of fame, either.
May 12, 2025
Madcap idea, good fun.
In the same vein as The Wonder Brothers (which is lightly referenced here), we have another fast-paced adventure where a group of children are, we are told early on, catapulted to Hollywood from their school trip in England.... er, brilliant!
Their Shakespeare-mad teacher takes a select group of students to a (ridiculously sounding) film set by accident on their trip to the Globe and Rafa is found to be a dead likeness for the child star. In a Prince and the Pauper-style twist, there may be a spot of role-reversal about to happen and the whole group are caught up in the movie, the airplane ride and... the Oscars?!
Rafa and his brother have been left with their uncle, Mum having left them with no explanation. Now his brother has disappeared to, but with Rafa's phone exchanged for the movie star's, he can't work out what's happening. So there's that side of things going on under the surface too, though you forget this a little for a lot of the story with everything exciting that goes on.
Not the classic books that Millions and Framed are in my opinion, but Cottrell Boyce knows how to capture imagination with great story ideas. I liked the narrator's voice and seeing behind the scenes of a movie. I liked the twists that popped up and the strange storyline involving Rafa's brother, mum and uncle that all comes together at the end.
A lot of heart, by the end, even if that gets lost for much of the length. Lots of movie-set fun and an easy-to-read story.
Great for ages 8-12.
With thanks to Netgalley for providing a sample reading copy.
In the same vein as The Wonder Brothers (which is lightly referenced here), we have another fast-paced adventure where a group of children are, we are told early on, catapulted to Hollywood from their school trip in England.... er, brilliant!
Their Shakespeare-mad teacher takes a select group of students to a (ridiculously sounding) film set by accident on their trip to the Globe and Rafa is found to be a dead likeness for the child star. In a Prince and the Pauper-style twist, there may be a spot of role-reversal about to happen and the whole group are caught up in the movie, the airplane ride and... the Oscars?!
Rafa and his brother have been left with their uncle, Mum having left them with no explanation. Now his brother has disappeared to, but with Rafa's phone exchanged for the movie star's, he can't work out what's happening. So there's that side of things going on under the surface too, though you forget this a little for a lot of the story with everything exciting that goes on.
Not the classic books that Millions and Framed are in my opinion, but Cottrell Boyce knows how to capture imagination with great story ideas. I liked the narrator's voice and seeing behind the scenes of a movie. I liked the twists that popped up and the strange storyline involving Rafa's brother, mum and uncle that all comes together at the end.
A lot of heart, by the end, even if that gets lost for much of the length. Lots of movie-set fun and an easy-to-read story.
Great for ages 8-12.
With thanks to Netgalley for providing a sample reading copy.
June 6, 2025
We discovered Frank Cottrell-Boyce in our house (the novels, not the author…) a bit less than a year ago; around the time he was announced as the Children’s Laurate. Since then, his novels have become a staple for our family.
It is great to read children’s novels that are perfectly aimed at the target age group - novels which are genuinely funny and exciting, and most importantly are not in any way patronising. This has been the case for all his novels we have read together, and The Blockbusters is no exception.
This novel feels very contemporary but without pushing any particular ‘agenda’, other than expressing a genuine understanding of current social problems and being profoundly moral, but without being in any way ‘preachy’. To be able to do this is a rare gift, and one that if it could be understood by many modern authors, would be of great benefit to their readers but also to the longevity of their books.
I doubt we will read a funnier, crazier, more entertaining and genuinely moving novel all year but unless other children’s novelists up their game, Frank Cottrell-Boyce won’t have much competition.
PS this gets a 9.5/10 from our ten-year-old – high praise indeed.
It is great to read children’s novels that are perfectly aimed at the target age group - novels which are genuinely funny and exciting, and most importantly are not in any way patronising. This has been the case for all his novels we have read together, and The Blockbusters is no exception.
This novel feels very contemporary but without pushing any particular ‘agenda’, other than expressing a genuine understanding of current social problems and being profoundly moral, but without being in any way ‘preachy’. To be able to do this is a rare gift, and one that if it could be understood by many modern authors, would be of great benefit to their readers but also to the longevity of their books.
I doubt we will read a funnier, crazier, more entertaining and genuinely moving novel all year but unless other children’s novelists up their game, Frank Cottrell-Boyce won’t have much competition.
PS this gets a 9.5/10 from our ten-year-old – high praise indeed.
May 31, 2025
A brilliant Blockbuster of a book, the story follows Rafa, a new boy at Star of the Sea primary school. He has moved to live with his brother at Uncle Miles’s flat, made a whole new group of friends, started a new school and joined Mrs Greenwood’s nurture group. Mrs Greenwood loves Shakespeare and has arranged a trip to visit the Globe but when they arrive superstar child actor BB has it all closed off to film her new movie Genius Squad.
Chaos and hilarity ensue as Rafa ends up as her body double despite being a boy pretending to be a girl pretending to be a boy. Still with me?
Frank Cottrell Boyce always writes stories with loveable and relatable characters - this book is no different. Rafa and Cillian have a wonderful relationship, Mrs Greenwood is the teacher everyone would love to have, was Quiz ever real?
I will definitely buying this one for my daughter and my class when it’s released.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.
Chaos and hilarity ensue as Rafa ends up as her body double despite being a boy pretending to be a girl pretending to be a boy. Still with me?
Frank Cottrell Boyce always writes stories with loveable and relatable characters - this book is no different. Rafa and Cillian have a wonderful relationship, Mrs Greenwood is the teacher everyone would love to have, was Quiz ever real?
I will definitely buying this one for my daughter and my class when it’s released.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.
March 15, 2025
Holy Moly! If you only add one new book to your middle grade fiction collection this year, make it this one!
My full review is here: http://vsviewfromthebookshelves.home....
My full review is here: http://vsviewfromthebookshelves.home....
June 22, 2025
4.5 stars. Clever, witty and funny writing, heartwarming and non-preachy. Unlikely, engaging & thoroughly entertaining story. Loved it!
June 25, 2025
Entertaining, gorgeous and appropriate for middle grade readers. The book wraps you up like a warm duvet does on a cold winter day with a mug of hot chocolate by your bedside. Sweet!
July 18, 2025
Adventure, mistaken identity, Hollywood, an ordinary boy and a child film star! Surreal, mad and wonderful. Laugh out loud, feel good read.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews