- Illustrated Chapter Books
- Ages 7–9
- Fantasy
Dungeon Runners: Hero Trial
Book 1 of 4 in Dungeon RunnersView the full series
An award-winning fantasy debut where dungeon-running is a televised sport and the underdog is a gnorf with something to prove. Larwood (of Podkin One-Ear) and Todd-Stanton give Dog Man / InvestiGators readers a high-fantasy alternative without sacrificing pace or jokes.
- Best for7–9
- FormatIllustrated
The vibe
What it’s like.
Style
- Conversational
- Comedic
- Onomatopoeic
Tone
- Funny
- Exciting
- Adventurous
- Silly
- Warm
- Suspenseful
- Inspirational
Themes
Experience meters
What’s it about?
The story.
Hero Trial introduces the Dungeon Running League, a fantasy world's answer to a sports tournament, where teams of unlikely heroes are dropped into dungeons full of monsters, mazes and traps and have to make it out alive (and ideally with the treasure). The protagonist trio's gnorf, with his ensemble of mismatched teammates, has to qualify for the league through a Hero Trial that tests every kind of nerve at once. Larwood handles the fantasy worldbuilding with the lightness of touch he brought to Podkin One-Ear, but pitched younger and faster, and Todd-Stanton's illustrations carry a substantial share of the storytelling, character expressions, monster design, and dungeon geometry are all visual jokes as much as visual exposition. The teamwork deep theme (0.9) is the highest in the series and the underdog_hero surface topic captures the central appeal: this is the book where the smallest member of the team has to prove what they bring. A natural step up for readers who've outgrown InvestiGators or Murray and Bun and want something with more sustained narrative.
Fit check
Right for your child?
Where it lands by age
- 1
- 3
- 5
- 7
- 9
- 11
- 13
- Best fit · 7–9
- Read aloud · 6–9
- Independent · 7–10
Prose load
Moderate
Visual support
High
Reluctant-reader friendly
Very
Read-aloud quality
Strong
Works well for
- Reading aloud
- Reading together
- Gift-buying
- Reluctant readers
Nothing in the book is likely to concern most parents. Safe to recommend without preview.
Bedtime suitability
3 / 5 · Workable
Sensitive-child
3 / 5 · Mostly fine
Graphic intensity
1 / 5 · None
Best for
- Reluctant readers
- Fantasy fans
- Adventure seekers
- Dog man fans
- Underdog stories
Avoid if
No common reasons to avoid this one — a rare clean sweep on the sensitivity flags.
Particularly good for children who are…
- Reluctant reader
- Struggling with reading
- Making friends
- Low self esteem
In the classroom
How it works in school.
A funny, fast-paced gaming-style fantasy series — a great reluctant-reader pick and classroom-library staple.
A book children love that happens to support school — never a stand-in for the texts a class is taught with. Reviewed for the classroom · June 2026.
Why it lands
Why they love it.
Why kids love it
The specific kick is the league — dungeon-running as a televised sport, teams of mismatched heroes dropped into dungeons full of monsters and traps, the gnorf the smallest member having to prove what he brings. The Larwood debut for a kid who's outgrown InvestiGators and wants real fantasy momentum.
- Adventure and freedom
- Being special or chosen
- Friendship and belonging
- Going on a quest
- Having a secret base
Why parents love it
The Kieran Larwood / Joe Todd-Stanton series opener — Podkin-quality worldbuilding pitched younger and faster, Todd-Stanton's illustrations carrying real narrative weight. Award winner. Strong step-up for readers ready for sustained fantasy after Dog Man.
- Shared humour
- Quick to read
- Bedtime appropriate
- Conversation starter
In the series
Dungeon Runners.
4 books · open the series →
About the creators
About the creators.
If you liked this
Three ways out of this book.
If you liked this, try…
Lateral matches. Same shelf, different texture.
Come into this from…
Easier or preparing reads — perfect lead-ins.
Where to go next…
Escalation reads — a step up in scale, silliness, or stakes.
Where you’ll find it
On these reading lists.
Buy or borrow
Pick up a copy.
- Bookshop.org ↗
- Waterstones ↗
- Amazon UK ↗
- Hive ↗
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