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The Boy Who Made the World Disappear

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The Boy Who Made the World Disappear by Ben Miller and Daniela Jaglenka Terrazzini

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By Ben Miller and Daniela Jaglenka Terrazzini

avg rating

127 reviews

‘A sheer delight for all kids both big AND small’ Ruth Jones on The Night I Met Father Christmas
 
‘Bubbles with warmth and mischievous humour . . . irresistible’ Alexander Armstrong on The Night I Met Father Christmas

‘Wonderful, funny, magical’ Chris Evans on How I Became a Dog Called Midnight

Enter a world of wonder with an instant classic from comedian, actor and bestselling children’s author, Ben Miller! Harrison tries his best to be good. He doesn’t steal, he always shares with his sister and he never cheats at board games, but Harrison also has a BIG flaw . . . He can’t control his temper!

So when he’s given a black hole instead of a balloon at a party, Harrison jumps at the chance to get rid of everything that makes him cross. But when it’s not just things he hates that are disappearing into the black hole but things he loves, too, Harrison starts to realize that sometimes you should be careful what you wish for…

An out-of-this-world adventure about twists of fate, time travel and troublesome black holes, Ben Miller’s stunning storytelling is brought to life with beautiful illustrations from Daniela Jaglenka Terrazzini. 

Praise for Ben Miller:
‘A magical adventure’ Sunday Express on The Day I Fell Into a Fairytale
‘Great for reading aloud’ The Week Junior on The Day I Fell Into a Fairytale
‘A fire-side gem of a story’ Abi Elphinstone on The Night I Met Father Christmas
’Fabulous’ Sunday Express on The Boy Who Made the World Disappear
‘Enchanting, funny and intriguing in equal measure’ Philip Ardagh on The Night I Met Father Christmas
‘Each of [Ben’s] five books is joyous and thoughtful’ Red Magazine
 

Reviews

02 Jan 2026

it was about a boy who always lost his temper once he lost it at a birthday party and instead of a normal balloon they gave a black hole a small one in the shape of a balloon which sucked in anything it touched.

07 Dec 2025

My favourite part of this book was when Harrison got a black hole from Hector Broom’s birthday party.
I really enjoyed this book because it was exciting and hard to put down.

06 Dec 2025

I like this character Harrison, he always have a big flaw when someone say "Code Red".He had a big flaw at Hector Broom's birthday party, and he was given a black hole that actually sucks every thing that touches it. He was very angry once and spinned the black hole without looking and his parents were suddenly gone. He realised he made a very big mistake he has to find Shelley the astronomer to save his parents. I think this is a very adventurous journey.I would recommedn this amazing Ben Miller book to children!

18 Aug 2025

The balloon actually did work like a black hole!

18 Aug 2025

fun intese good book to reaf

17 Jul 2025

An enjoyable read. Suitable for my class (age8/9). Would tie in well if the children are learning about space in WAU.

15 Jul 2025

I loved when Harrison skipped his swimming lesson and got to have hot chocolate with his swimming instructor. I would recommend this book to someone else because it proves you can have an adventure at any age

20 Feb 2025

It was not as good as the other Ben Miller books.

30 Aug 2024

I really enjoyed this book and like Ben Miller’s stories.

27 Aug 2024

I liked because it involved time travelling and an Einstein-Rosen bridge which allowed them to time travel. My favourite person was Shelley.

22 Aug 2024

I loved this book because some bits are actually real but most is fiction and it takes you through all emotions

20 Aug 2024

It was a good book, it mentioned a balloon but it was really a black hole. There is a boy called Harrison who uses the black hole for his really bad temper and he takes advantage of it, until everything is getting sucked into the black hole balloon. Harrison learns to calm down more because he loses his parents in the black hole and he realises how much work his parents do for him.

14 Aug 2024

The boy in this book I found was a lot like me as he has loads of code reds which in this book are lash outs on his parents.My favourite part is when his sister was brushing him down with a dust pan and brush.

10 Aug 2024

Very good and funny

09 Aug 2024

I really enjoyed reading about Harrison's adventures with the black hole. There were lots of unexpected disappearances of things and people and Harrison had to go back in time to put everything right. It was a very exciting story and I would recommend it to my friends.

09 Jul 2024

I found this book very interesting because it allowed me to use my imagination to link together the different facts happening in the story. What I like the most about this book are the various adventures that Harrison is involved into. I highly recommend it.

26 Jun 2024

It was quite interesting with funny bits in between certain chapters and my favourite charcter is the dog called blue or the person that gave Harrison the black hole by the way her name is shelly

13 Feb 2024

I really enjoyed reading this book because first of all, it was an easy read and also I liked the way how near the beginning, two people met and decided that they didn't really like each other. But at the end of the story they worked together and helped each other.

03 Jan 2024

It was funny when he kept putting things in the black hole, like he accidentally put his parents in!

13 Dec 2023

Great book from Ben Miller!

30 Aug 2023

I wonder why Shelly gave the black hole balloon to Harrison at the party. I think it's so Harrison can control his temper. I would definitely recommend this book to someone else.

25 Aug 2023

I listened to this one on Audible, and it is wonderfully narrated by the author. I really enjoyed his reading style and it made the book come to life! It's about a boy who has trouble controlling his temper, he gets a black hole balloon at a birthday party, great to get rid of stuff he doesn't like at first but in the end it destroys his world when his parents get sucked in and he has to go on a big adventure to save the world.

23 Aug 2023

It was a little bit funny but it teaches you not to lose your temper

22 Aug 2023

I think my favourite part was when Harrison got his black hole and put it in the sand and it made the world disappear.

18 Aug 2023

I love dreading this book and I found it very addictive and impossible to put down. I can't describe how much wonder and passion I have for this book (even if it can get a little complicated at times).

14 Aug 2023

I liked this book there were some tricky words that I have now learnt.
I don't think I would like to have a black hole nut it might be fun for a day. My favourite characters were Harrison and Shelley.

10 Aug 2023

It was really gripping and I would totally recommend it to anyone

03 Aug 2023

It was interesting and mysterious.

02 Aug 2023

This book was really fascinating because it was full of surprises.

01 Aug 2023

I love this fiction book because there is a little boy who sometimes loses his temper but when he is given a black hole instead of a balloon at a party he thinks he could make everything he hated disappear. He then realises that you should be careful what you wish for. I would recommend this book to 8+ and this is why; Harrison is a little boy who loses his temper this book helps children understand not to lose there temper and control it.

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