Middle-grade just got a whole lot funnier — if you can get past the mayhem, the strangeness and a touch of the unreal

For thirteen-year-old Joey, the best thing about summer is the epic water fights with his best mate. Hoses, buckets, taps—they're using it all. But the fun dries up fast when Joey finds a giant frilled-neck lizard in his bathroom.

In an instant, the tiles are gone, replaced with endless sand dunes, blazing heat, and a sun that feels like it's out to fry him alive.

The lizard isn't just any lizard—it's Freddy, straight out of Joey's little sister's storybook, and Freddy isn't here to play games. He's here to prove Joey is wasting water, and is on a mission to make Joey see how precious it is.

Joey doesn't want the lecture. But when his best mate gets caught in Freddy's scorching desert world, the only way to save him is to listen.

With Sienna by his side, Joey must figure out how to beat the heat—and maybe learn a thing or two about saving water—before it's too late.