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Children's reading lists

15 must-read fantasy books for 9-12-year-olds

An image of four children's books set in Scotland or by Scottish authors. They sit side by side on a dark and light blue montage background 

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16 of the best Scottish children’s books and authors

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Extracts

Orphans of the Tide by Struan Murray

The Secret of the Moonshard

'Sensational storytelling' - AF Steadman, author of Skandar and the Unicorn Thief. 
 
The gripping new magical adventure from Branford Boase winner Struan Murray. 
 
Domino has lived her whole life believing that just one drop of magic could kill her. 
 
Held in a floating laboratory by scheming Science Barons, she has never known a single day of freedom. 
 
When Domino discovers that everything she's been told by the Barons is a lie, she escapes to Abzalaymon, a wondrous city filled with scientific marvels, hulking thunder lizards and hidden magic. 
 
But the Barons are soon on Domino's trail. Because a war is brewing between science and magic. A war that could destroy the world. And Domino might just be the key to saving everyone . . . 
 
'Thrilling' Guardian

The Secret of the Moonshard has everything you could wish for in a fantasy book and more. Exceptional worldbuilding, characters that feel both fresh and familiar, genius twists impeccably executed and an endlessly imaginative story that will have readers turning pages late into the night. Sensational storytelling.

AF Steadman, author of Skandar and the Unicorn Thief

Struan Murray is a world-building genius. Immersive, imaginative and thrilling, this is a perfect fantasy adventure. Outstanding.

A kaleidoscopic, rollicking adventure full of wit and warmth and breathtaking imagination. I loved it!

The Secret of the Moonshard is absorbing and imaginative magical fantasy at its very best. Struan&rsquo;s wonderful storytelling gave me the spellbinding feeling of Howl&rsquo;s Moving Castle mixed with Nevermoor plus a dash of Jurassic Park. Beautiful, original world-building and enticing characters entwined with a thrilling plot. I absolutely loved it!

A rollicking, full-hearted fantasy adventure full of marvellous invention and wild imagination. I love Domino 4eva!

Kiran Millwood Hargrave, author of The Girl of Ink and Stars

A terrific tale, filled with incredible illustrations

This epic adventure is a melting pot of magic and science, friendship and betrayal.

Original. Inventive. Clever. I absolutely loved this book!

This compelling new 9+ fantasy from the Branford Boase-winning Murray features assured world-building, meaty ethical questions and a thrilling arena battle between &ldquo;thunder lizards&rdquo;

Struan Murray (Author) 
Struan Murray is Scottish and grew up in Edinburgh, the youngest of a large, rowdy family of redheads. His debut novel, Orphans of the Tide, won the prestigious Branford Boase Award, and was included in the Guardian's 'Best children's books of 2020'. When he's not writing, Struan is a lecturer at the University of Oxford. 
 
Vivienne To (Illustrator) 
Vivienne To is an illustrator and visual development artist. She has worked across feature films, television, commercials and children's publishing. She created concept art for animated movies such as The Lego Movie and Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole and was the art director on The Lego Batman Movie. She has illustrated several picture books including The Sloth Who Came To Stay, written by Margaret Wild, which was short-listed for the CBCA Award for New Illustrator. 
 
Vivienne was born in Melbourne, grew up in Sydney and lives in Wellington, New Zealand. When she isn't drawing, she can be found knitting on the couch, watching cute dogs at the local park or lost in the pages of a good book.

Domino is an eleven-year-old girl with a strange affliction: if she goes anywhere near magic, it will kill her. 
 
All her life she's been trapped in a floating laboratory, safe from magic but not from the cruel children and the crueler Science Barons who live there. Domino believes the Barons are trying to invent a cure for her magic allergy, but when a mysterious wizard arrives and unleashes total chaos, she discovers that everything she's been told is a lie. 
 
Domino escapes to the wondrous city of Abzalaymon, its streets filled with marvels she's never seen, from automobiles to televisions to hulking thunder lizards. But the Science Barons are on her trail, and Domino must brave a hidden realm of magic if she is to defeat their sinister plot, and uncover a secret that might just save the world: the Secret of the Moonshard.

Eternity Engine

The final instalment in the breathtaking Orphans of the Tide trilogy, which The Times calls 'Unputdownable'. 
 
The seas have parted to reveal the remains of humanity's lost empire and opened a path from Shipwreck Island to the Enemy's City. Now only Ellie Lancaster and her orphan friends can prevent a terrible war. 
 
As Kate marches north at the head of her army, panic infests the City as the Enemy's strength grows. For the parting of the seas has also uncovered the Eternity Engine, a dreadful machine from before the Drowning, with the power to remake the world - or destroy it forever . . . 
 
The critically-acclaimed Orphans of the Tide trilogy reaches its spine-tingling climax and dramatic conclusion. Perfect reading for fans of His Dark Materials or Vashti Hardy. 
 
 
Praise for Orphans of the Tide: 
 
'Unputdownable' - The Times 
 
'Enthralling' - The Daily Express 
 
'Sumptuously atmospheric . . . tirelessly inventive' - The Daily Telegraph 
 
'Gripping' - The Guardian 
 
'Energetic and inventive' - Sunday Times 
 
'Gripping and original' - The Observer 
 
'Singularly brilliant' - Kiran Millwood Hargrave, author of The Girl of Ink and Stars and The Mercies 
 
'Compellingly inventive and unpredictable' - Piers Torday, author of The Last Wild 
 
'A terrific debut of strange myths and dark secrets' - The Bookseller (Editor's Choice)

Struan Murray (Author) Struan Murray is Scottish and grew up in Edinburgh, the youngest of a large, rowdy family of redheads. His debut novel, Orphans of the Tide, won the prestigious Branford Boase Award, and was included in the Guardian's 'Best children's books of 2020'. When he's not writing, Struan is a lecturer at the University of Oxford. Manuel Sumberac (Illustrator) Manuel Šumberac was born in 1988 in Pula, Croatia. He obtained a Masters in Animation and New Media from the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb. He is a member of Filmmakers Association of Croatia. Manuel works in the fields of animation and illustration to produce animated films, music videos, children's books and book covers. He has received numerous awards for his work.

The seas have parted to reveal the remains of humanity's lost empire and opened a path from Shipwreck Island to the Enemy's City. Now only Ellie Lancaster and her orphan friends can prevent a terrible war. 
 
As Kate marches north at the head of her army, panic infests the City as the Enemy's strength grows. For the parting of the seas has also uncovered the Eternity Engine, a dreadful machine from before the Drowning, with the power to remake the world - or destroy it forever . . . 
 
Perfect for fans of His Dark Materials and Vashti Hardy.

Shipwreck Island

The breathtaking adventure continues in the sequel to the much-loved Orphans of the Tide. 
 
Orphans Ellie and Seth have crossed an endless ocean in search of freedom and peace. 
 
Arriving on the shores of a colourful tropical island ruled by a mysterious queen, it seems they might just have found the perfect new home. 
 
But there is trouble brewing in paradise and soon Ellie and Seth find themselves caught up in a dangerous struggle for power - and forced to confront terrible truths from their past . . . 
 
Praise for Orphans of the Tide: 
 
'Unputdownable' - Times 
 
'Enthralling' - Daily Express 
 
'Sumptuously atmospheric . . . tirelessly inventive' - Daily Telegraph

Orphans Ellie and Seth have crossed an endless ocean in search of freedom and peace. 
 
Arriving on the shores of a colourful tropical island ruled by a mysterious queen, it seems they might just have found the perfect new home. 
 
But there is trouble brewing in paradise and soon Ellie and Seth find themselves caught up in a dangerous struggle for power - and forced to confront terrible truths from their past . . .

Orphans of the Tide

Winner of the Branford Boase Award 2021, a breathtaking fantasy adventure for fans of His Dark Materials that The Times calls 'Unputdownable'. 
 
The City was built on a sharp mountain that jutted improbably from the sea, and the sea kept trying to claim it back. That grey morning, once the tide had retreated, a whale was found on a rooftop. 
 
When a mysterious boy washes in with the tide, the citizens believe he's the Enemy - the god who drowned the world - come again to cause untold chaos. 
 
Only Ellie, a fearless young inventor living in a workshop crammed with curiosities, believes he's innocent. 
 
But the Enemy can take possession of any human body and the ruthless Inquisition are determined to destroy it forever. 
 
To save the boy, Ellie must prove who he really is - even if that means revealing her own dangerous secret . . . 
 
'Unputdownable' - The Times 
 
'Enthralling' - The Daily Express 
 
'Sumptuously atmospheric . . . tirelessly inventive' - The Daily Telegraph 
 
'Gripping' - The Guardian 
 
'Energetic and inventive' - Sunday Times 
 
'Gripping and original' - The Observer 
 
'Singularly brilliant' - Kiran Millwood Hargrave, author of The Girl of Ink and Stars and The Mercies 
 
'Compellingly inventive and unpredictable' - Piers Torday, author of The Last Wild 
 
'A terrific debut of strange myths and dark secrets' - The Bookseller (Editor's Choice)

A sumptuously atmospheric adventure . . . Murray is a tirelessly inventive storyteller

Gripping . . . with a touch of Frances Hardinge's bizarre brilliance

Unputdownable . . . Murray has an extraordinary imagination

Energetic and inventive . . . and with some startling surprises, this is also touching about friendship, siblings, loss and courage

Struan Murray . . . effortlessly joins the ranks of the most skilled world-creators . . . Unpredictable, filled with plot twists and shades of moral grey, Orphans of the Tide is both gripping and original.

A beautifully written fantasy adventure with prose that is both muscular and musical, and outstanding world building.

Orphans of the Tide is singularly brilliant. So inventive, and weird, and beautiful, with just the right amount of bite and darkness. I predict big things!

Kiran Millwood Hargrave, author of The Girl of Ink and Stars and The Mercies

I loved it! Dark and thrilling. Great characters to root for. Perilous plot. Extraordinary, vivid world building . . . brilliant!

Eloise Williams, Children's Laureate Wales

The most original opening I've read in years and a plot twist that turns brilliantly

This is a terrific debut of strange myths and dark secrets, fierce loyalties and ruthless villains, told against the thrilling backdrop of a half submerged city.

Compellingly inventive and unpredictable, kept me guessing right till the end.

Absolutely cracking! Great characters, with quite the nastiest villain I've met in a long while.

Fleur Hitchcock, author of The Boy Who Flew

Outstanding and immersive . . . I devoured this in one go

An imaginative journey to a stunning fantasy world, full of twists and heart . . . an absolute corker . . . filled with swashbuckling adventure . . . an enthralling fantasy that moves through dark and grisly scenes of grave peril to positively touching moments of profound friendship. An incredibly imaginative narrative that fills its reader with wonder and thrills while also not being afraid to share quieter moments of real heart.

There is a touch of Phillip Pullman about the world that Murray creates, and Murray matches Pullman lyrical prose [...] The comparison, however, should not take away from Murray's originality [...] the characters themselves, led by the plucky Ellie, anchor Orphans of the Tide in an urgent, human reality.

The energetic steampunk vibe overlies a thoughtful fable about compassion and justice

When a mysterious boy washes in with the tide, the citizens believe he's the Enemy - the god who drowned the world - come again to cause untold chaos. 
 
Only Ellie, a fearless young inventor living in a workshop crammed with curiosities, believes he's innocent. 
 
But the Enemy can take possession of any human body and the ruthless Inquisition are determined to destroy it forever. 
 
To save the boy, Ellie must prove who he really is - even if that means revealing her own dangerous secret . . .

Dragonborn 2

The second book in the breathtaking Dragonborn series, perfect for fans of Impossible Creatures. 
 
When tragedy strikes the dragon island of Skralla, Alex and her friends must embark on a quest to defeat Drak Midna, before he can reclaim his dragon form and renew his war on humanity. 
 
Their journey takes them to a secret utopia in the magical heart of Scotland, where humans and dragons live together, battling side-by-side against an ancient evil. But that evil is growing stronger every day, the old alliance unravelling as hidden enemies strike from the shadows. 
 
And as Alex struggles to master her own unruly dragon-self, and a fated death draws near, she must seek out the help of the most vicious dragon alive.

Struan Murray (Author) 
Struan Murray is Scottish and grew up in Edinburgh, the youngest of a large, rowdy family of redheads. His debut novel, Orphans of the Tide, won the prestigious Branford Boase Award, and was included in the Guardian's 'Best children's books of 2020'. When he's not writing, Struan is a lecturer at the University of Oxford.

When tragedy strikes the dragon island of Skralla, Alex and her friends must embark on a quest to defeat Drak Midna, before he can reclaim his dragon form and renew his war on humanity. 
 
Their journey takes them to a secret utopia in the magical heart of Scotland, where humans and dragons live together, battling side-by-side against an ancient evil. But that evil is growing stronger every day, the old alliance unravelling as hidden enemies strike from the shadows. 
 
And as Alex struggles to master her own unruly dragon-self, and a fated death draws near, she must seek out the help of the most vicious dragon alive.

Struan Murray

Think Tolkien meets Teen Wolf . . . an epic and richly imagined journey of self-discovery . . . a sophisticated story that never talks down to its readers . . . Come for the exceptional writing and stay for the talking dragon skulls, aerial battles and secret cities. Dragonlore with a difference. Children's Book of the Week review.

Readers whose hearts soar for a hero's journey will be transported by Alex's high-flying high jinks as she embraces her destiny (and her inner dragon)

Astonishing fantasy with a unique story that burns with brilliance. Readers will love this thrilling new take on dragons

A.F. Steadman, author of the Skandar series

A blazingly brilliant adventure that will burn bright in the imagination long after the final page.

Dragons may be rare, but page-turners as beautifully written as this are even rarer. Potter and Percy Jackson fans – your new, glorious obsession awaits!

Struan Murray is a singular talent, and Dragonborn is children’s writing at its most sweeping and epic - wild, witty, warm and wise

A fire-breathing, heights-soaring, majestic beast of a book

Thomas Taylor, author of the Eerie-on-Sea Mysteries

Struan Murray is a master storyteller. Dragonborn is an unputdownable, marvellously imagined fantasy, rich with mythical dragon lore. Perfect for the reader who suspects they possess the heart of a dragon.

M.G. Leonard, author of The Hunt for the Golden Scarab

Exciting, thrilling and roaringly good. This is a story that makes you yearn to become a dragon.

The kind of fast-paced, perfectly plotted, thrillingly written book that makes you want to devour it in one go. Murray is a master of world-building and this book is no different - he’s truly in a league of his own. It’s enough to make you believe in dragons.

Katya Balen, Carnegie-winning author of The Light in Everything

With prose as polished as dragon scales, and a lead character who breathes with her own fierce brand of magic, Dragonborn is a uniquely conjured story. I can see children the world over hoarding these books like treasures under their beds.

Ash Bond, author of the Peregrine Quinn series

Think you’ve read every dragon story? Think again. This one soars with a glorious new twist on dragons! I adored this epic, heart-racing fantasy full of fire, flight, and fierce destiny.

As powerful as a dragon's roar, as fast-paced as a dive through the sky and with more twists than a coiling tail - Dragonborn is brilliant. Struan Murray has done it again.

The freshest, most exciting children's book of the decade. Brimming with originality and full of breathtaking twists, Dragonborn is in a league of its own.

Struan Murray is one of the finest children’s fantasy writers of our generation, and Dragonborn is an irresistible feast of a book. An exhilarating adventure with dragon-children, eccentric scholars, an astonishing hidden world, and overall delectable world-building. It deserves a place on every fantasy reader’s bookshelf.

Struan Murray is incapable of writing a bad book. This one is brimming with excitement and magic, and a spellbinding world of dragons you'll never forget. Five stars from me!

Nizrana Farook, author of The Girl Who Stole an Elephant

Dragonborn is the book I wished for when I was young. A future classic that I can't wait to watch soar to the great heights such masterful writing deserves.

Become the impossible . . . 
 
Life is no fun for Alex Evans. Ever since her dad's death, her overprotective mother has smothered her with unbreakable rules and unspoken fears. When the frustration inside Alex finally gets too big to bear, it rushes to the surface. 
 
And flames spill from her mouth. 
 
Because Alex is a dragon. One of the many who live among us, unless something awakens their true nature. Led by the mighty Oliphos to the legendary island of Skralla, Alex must now train alongside fierce, frightening dragon children, if she is to unlock the power of her birthright. 
 
But other dragons are rising too. Drak Midna, the greatest dragon of all, is preparing a war against the human world, and Alex has to be good enough for this fight, or we all will burn . . .

Struan Murray

Praise for Dragonborn

Think Tolkien meets Teen Wolf . . . an epic and richly imagined journey of self-discovery . . . a sophisticated story that never talks down to its readers . . . Come for the exceptional writing and stay for t ...

Readers whose hearts soar for a hero's journey will be transported by Alex's high-flying high jinks as she embraces her destiny (and her inner dragon)

Astonishing fantasy with a unique story that burns with brilliance. Readers will love this thrilling new take on dragons

Think Tolkien meets Teen Wolf . . . an epic and richly imagined journey of self-discovery . . . a sophisticated story that never talks down to its readers . . . Come for the exceptional writing and stay for t ...

Readers whose hearts soar for a hero's journey will be transported by Alex's high-flying high jinks as she embraces her destiny (and her inner dragon)

Astonishing fantasy with a unique story that burns with brilliance. Readers will love this thrilling new take on dragons

Think Tolkien meets Teen Wolf . . . an epic and richly imagined journey of self-discovery . . . a sophisticated story that never talks down to its readers . . . Come for the exceptional writing and stay for t ...

Readers whose hearts soar for a hero's journey will be transported by Alex's high-flying high jinks as she embraces her destiny (and her inner dragon)

Astonishing fantasy with a unique story that burns with brilliance. Readers will love this thrilling new take on dragons

Books by Struan Murray

Series by Struan Murray

Dragonborn2 Books

Orphans of the Tide3 Books

Articles featuring Struan Murray

15 must-read fantasy books for 9-12-year-olds

16 of the best Scottish children’s books and authors

Orphans of the Tide by Struan Murray

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