Alex Jennings is a boy with a problem. His mum's sent him away to boarding school because his father, the most famously failed explorer in the history of the Cusp, has escaped from hospital again, yelling 'squiggles'. Make that two problems. Now the evil Davidus Kyte and all his henchmen are after Alex, convinced he alone knows the meaning of the word 'squiggles'. OK, make that three ... Alex Jennings is a boy with a lot of problems. But with the help of a talking dog and a girl with unfeasibly sharp teeth, he just might have what it takes to cross the Forbidden Lands, escape the evil Davidus Kyte, and find out what lies beyond the Cusp ...

 

This book was recognised by the Branford Boase Award. The Branford Boase Award is awarded annually for an outstanding first novel to a first-time writer of a book for young people. At the same time, it marks the important contribution of the editor in identifying and nurturing new talent. It was recognised by the The Whitbread Award, now called 'The Costa Book Awards'. These are a set of annual literary awards recognising English-language books by writers based in Britain and Ireland. They were inaugurated for 1971 publications and known as the Whitbread Book Awards until 2006 when Costa Coffee, then a subsidiary of Whitbread, took over sponsorship.

There are 352 pages in this book. This book was published 2013 by Faber & Faber .

Ross Montgomery is a primary school teacher and he writes his books when he really should have been marking homework. Author of Alex, the Dog and the Unopenable Door and The Tornado Chasers, Ross has been shortlisted for the Costa Book Award and nominated for the Branford Boase Award. Perijee & Me is his third middle-grade novel. Ross lives in Brixton, London.