PotsandPlots

Towards the end of last year, I received several children’s books to review. The first of which, out right at the beginning of 2026 is The Not-So Great Escape by Emma Green. It has the honour of being my first review of the new year!

Growing Information:

Plant With: Children’s Fiction, Comedy, Family

Grows Into: A moving tale about friendship, grief and…errr…alpacas

Rating: Vibrant Annual 🌻🌻 (Check here for rating information.)

Review copy sent by Usborne Books

Available now in paperback (Affiliate Link)

What Is The Not-So Great Escape?

It’s Emma Green’s debut children’s novel featuring siblings, frenemies and alpacas.

Twelve-year-old Hedley and his six-year-old sister, Lily, are trying to cope with tragedy. Their mum was killed in an accident. Their dad has become a shut-in. Hedley and Lily attend a Therapy Activities Centre at weekends, as they try to come to terms with their loss.

Hedley’s roommate at the centre is Aiden, another troubled child, whose father is absent and whose mother “can’t cope.” He mostly lives with his gran. As the novel opens, Aiden, who loves to torment Hedley, has him in a headlock while trying to fart in his face.

Though constantly tormented by Aiden, Hedley finds himself on a journey with Lily, his nemesis, and a stolen alpaca. As they cluelessly evade capture and tumble from scrape to scrape, the internet goes wild for the #alpacabandit.

Why Read The Not-So Great Escape?

This is a fun story with sombre undertones. While the book is laugh-out-loud in places, the difficult parts of Aiden and Hedley’s life are never too far away from the narrative. The events of the book are implausible, but the escapades of Aiden, Hedley, and, in particular, Duke the alpaca are very entertaining.

Older readers will be sure that they know how things between the two boys will end up, but Emma Green throws a curveball at the end that will have readers of all ages flicking back through the book, wondering how they didn’t see it coming.

The Not-So Great Escape examines loss and the difficulties of living in a broken home. Aiden’s insistence that his dad is several somethings that he isn’t is heartbreaking, as is the situation Hedley faces with one parent deceased and another who has collapsed under the weight of the tragedy. In this respect, the book reminded me a little of the AppleTV comedy, Shrinking.

Overall, The Not-So Great Escape is a funny and uplifting tale about the importance of friendship, which gently examines the importance of allowing space to grieve.