ABOUT THE BOOK

​

On a faraway planet called Kel, twelve-year old Khali has just seen his dad disappear on a mission to investigate an energy source called the Arokah. Drawn by a strange light from a cave, his dad runs out of oxygen there and is left for dead. All Khali has left in the world is the birthday gift his dad gave him – a stone tablet with a puzzle on it. Now an orphan, he is sent away to board at a school called the Beacon, where there are many other children like him with special needs. Khali now longs to solve the puzzle on the tablet and return to Kel to look for his father.

With the help of some unusual friends and aliens, Khali solves the enigma and embarks on a covert mission to the sister planet Oxona, drawn by the light of the orb that had mesmerised his dad. However, Khali and his friends live in a world where nothing is as it seems, and they are not alone. There are others who have become aware of the special powers conferred on him by the Arokah. They crave its life-enhancing and healing energy and they are watching the boy, following his every move. Will Khali find the orb before his enemies? And what will he find of his dad in the cave?

Khali and the Orb of Xona is a gripping and original Sci Fi fantasy about an autistic boy in an autism-friendly universe. It is aimed at pre-teens or "tweens" (10-12 year olds), and is especially suitable for children on the autism spectrum. It has been highly praised by readers who work in special needs schools.