Stars: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This is a fun, funny adventure of Scooter (the immense jam inventor) and an alien – Fizzbee – who arrives with a bang! Scooter is full of incredible ideas for new flavours and jam-tactic inventions but Daffy Dodgy – who runs the doughnut factory next door – is so keen to know what these are she’s always coming up with a scheme to get her hands on them.

With her Guinea Pig sidekick, Boris, Daffy one day spies a flying jam tart whizzing round Scooter’s factory. A flying jam tart that happens to be…Fizzbee! Can Scooter and his new friend find a way to foil her plan? Or will his inventions fall into the wrong hands forever….

To celebrate my stop on the blog tour, I was lucky enough to have a Q&A with the author herself, Chrissie Sains!

1. What sparked the idea for you to write this book?

It all started with a jam tart. My daughter held it up and commented that it looked like a little flying saucer. We began to imagine what it would be like if a tiny alien crash landed on earth and flew around in a jam tart. 

2. Are any of Scooter’s characteristics inspired by someone you know?

Yes – Scooter was inspired by my goddaughter, Abigail. 

Abigail is an incredible girl. I’ve never known anyone so determined – she doesn’t let anything stand in her way! Like Scooter, Abigail has Cerebral Palsy. It’s a part of her daily life and can sometimes make things more challenging. I wanted to reflect that in the hero of this book. 

3. Which is your favourite flavour of Scooter’s jam?

I think it would have to be Cherry Candy Floss jam. As a child I LOVED candy floss. We went to the fair once a year and every time we went, I’d be given a stick of Candy Floss as a special treat. I’d imagine that I was eating magic dust and that the rides were all magic too. 

(Emily: For me, the Sherbet Lemon jam sounds divine!)

4. I absolutely loved Fizzbee! What makes her so important in the story?

Thank you – I love Fizzbee too. Jenny Taylor’s illustrations of her are just perfect!

She’s the toast to Scooter’s jam. Fizzbee never underestimates Scooter. She sees him for the incredible boy that he is. She also teaches Scooter not to underestimate her. 

5. If you ran a jam factory, what flavour jam would you want to produce? 

I’d probably start with strawberry but then I’d want to get inventive, like Scooter! I’ve been toying with the idea of popping candy jam lately – I think that would be a lot of fun to make!

6. What makes Daffy Dodgy so brilliantly villainous? 

I’m so fond of Daffy. When I was writing the book, I really loved writing Daffy scenes. The thing I love about her is that she’s not all bad. She adores her pet guinea pig, Boris (even though Boris is pretty underwhelmed by her) and she has a childish excitement about roller coasters and new ideas. She might have chosen to be a bit dastardly, but I think she’s secretly a little bit fluffy on the inside.

7) And finally, the tricky question…should jam or cream come first on a scone? 

Hehe – well I know the correct answer should be cream and then jam BUT I always spread the jam first – anyone who can spread jam on top of cream is a superhero.

(Emily: I agree! It’s jam then cream for me, too!)

Thank you so much for your brilliant answers and such a fantastic book! If you like the sound of it, buy it here.

Emily x

📚 Book gifted by publisher.