A UTOPIAN FUTURE
AN UNTOUCHED WILDERNESS
TWO LOST SISTERS TRYING TO SURVIVE
OUT MARCH 6th 2025
How far would YOU go to find your way home?
Perfect for fans of THE EXPLORER and Where the World Turns Wild, this riveting and emotional story takes place in an imagined future teeming with lost flora and fauna that we can only dream about encountering today.
Twenty-five years into the future, no humans are allowed in the Wildlands – a vast area in Britain where wolves, lynx and bison roam free. The only exception is a high-speed train line between London and Glasgow that crosses right through the heart of the project.
Thirteen-year-old Astrid and her little sister, Indie, are onboard when their train slows to a brief, unexpected stop … and they find themselves accidentally left behind.
Stranded in this place of astonishing natural wonders and terrible dangers, they have only a rucksack, a phone without signal – and each other. As every wrong turn takes them deeper into the Wildlands, do they have the ingenuity and determination to survive?
Praise for Wildlands
Such an emotional, gripping read …. Brogen’s descriptions of this world are immersive and beautiful – I really felt that I was stranded with the girls amidst this natural and unpredictable new world and felt their fear, excitement, wonder and empowerment.
~ Check 'Em Out Books
Review
This is a story that I read pretty much in one go. Exciting, entirely believable and beautifully written, this is a middle grade that blew me away.
~ Mrs Sydney’s Famous World’s Smallest Library
Review
Tense survival novel. Two sisters showing resilience and resourcefulness. Edge-of-the-seat stuff.
~ Trish Talks Texts
GoodReads Review
Perfect reading for fans of Greenwild and The Last Wild, Murphy's atmospheric debut is set in a near-future where a vast area of Britain is given over to a dangerous wilderness that two children have to navigate unexpectedly.
~ Waterstones
Wildlands is now available to pre-order.Click on any of the links opposite to be taken directly to the right page.
Pre-orders really help show that their is interest in a new book, which means bookshops will stock more copies.
You can pre-order now online. But you can also pop in to your local bookshop who will be happy to pre-order it for you.
These are nice online bookshops with free delivery that give a portion of the sale to support a local bookshop of your choice (so you get to support the local high stree while not actually having to go there!)
Hive
Bookshop.org
If you want to order from a brand you know and trust, you can pre-order now from any of these stores online or in person.
Waterstones
Folyes
WHSmiths
And sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do...
Amazon
Rewilding - get involved!
Get outside
My hero David Attenborough says: “No one will protect what they don't care about; and no one will care about what they have never experienced.” What a great reason to get outside. Plus, it’s been proven that the more time we spend in nature, the happier we are!
Look closely
Whether you live in a big city, or in the middle of the countryside, there’s always nature to be found nearby. It could be a flowering ‘weed’ growing in a crack in the pavement, a mushroom on a piece of dead wood, or a beautiful shiny insect hiding under a leaf. The closer you look, the more you’ll see!
Make your own mini-rewilding project
Rewilding works even on a small scale - in your garden, local park, or your school. Nature loves messy, hidden places. So let the grass grow long, make a pile of logs and leaves, or build a mini-pond, bug hotel or a bird box.
Spread the word
Now you know all about rewilding, can you teach others about it? There are sometimes opportunities to sign petitions or go on marches to show your support.
Support rewilding
Perhaps you could help raise money for a local rewilding project or a rewilding charity. Could you create a fundraising event at school, or do a sponsored challenge, or ask people to support rewilding in place of birthday presents.
Find out more
Here are some recommended websites where you can find out more about rewildlng.
Keep reading
Here are some great children's books about rewilding - for all ages, from fiction to non-fiction, there's something for everyone!
Fiction
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Where the World Turns Wild by Nicola Penfold (Middle Grade)
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Sky Dancer by Gill Lewis (Middle Grade)
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The REwilders by LIndsay Littleson (Middle Grade)
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Poppy Goes Wild by Nick Powell (7+)
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When We Went Wild by Isabella Tree & Allira Tee (PIcture Book)
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When the Storks Came Home by Isabella Tree & Allira Tee (PIcture Book)
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Our Wild Garden by Daniel Seton & Pieter Fannes (Picture Book)
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The Bison and the Butterfly: An Ecosystem Story - by Alice Hemming & Leschnikoff Nancy (Picture Book)
Non-Fiction
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Rewild - can nature heal our world (Explodapedia) by Ben Martynoga & Noose Allan (12+)
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Wilding: How to Bring Wildlife Back - The Illustrated Guide by Isabella Tree & Angela Harding (9-11)
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Rewilding: Bringing Wildlife Back Where It Belongs by David A. Steen & Chiara Fedele (8-10)
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Rewild the World at Bedtime: Hopeful Stories from Mother Nature by Emily Hawkins a&Ella Beech (5-8)
