9-year-old Joe lives a long way from his school, so far away that he cannot walk there on his own. Every morning, his Mum drops him off at school and every afternoon, she collects him to take him safely home.

But one afternoon, Joe’s Mum doesn’t arrive. Although he sits and waits patiently for her at school for a whole hour, still, she is nowhere to be seen. Joe is now the only child left at school and, besides being worried about his mother and why she hasn’t arrived, something else is of great concern to him. What if he doesn’t get home in time to watch his favourite TV show? After all, watching Star Fleet is without a doubt the favourite part of his day!

Joe thinks hard about what to do and eventually comes up with a perfect plan. But things don’t work out quite the way he expected them to. Feeling tired and hungry, but determined not to give up, Joe reminds himself to think hard again, and manages to come up with another great idea. His plans are altered again when he has a chance encounter with someone he knows.

Will Joe ever successfully find his way home? Will he be reunited with his precious Mum, and… will he make it home in time to watch Star Fleet again? Read on to find out!

This delightful story will appeal to any child who has ever been faced with a potentially scary situation. Young readers will find themselves inspired by Joe’s calmness and clear-headedness as they follow this resourceful young man on his quest to return home. At the same time, the story teaches valuable life lessons about what to do in the case of an emergency.

The overriding message behind this story is clear –keep calm and never give up!