Wildlands: Into the Storm

Returning to a near-future, rewilded Britain for another thrilling and thought provoking adventure, award-winning author Brogen Murphy brings us a story of bravery, friendship and hope. 
 
Finn lives in the Buffer Zone on the edge of the Wildlands, surrounded by a vast, rewilded landscape filled with boar, bison and beavers. But his quiet life is up-ended when his father takes in an orphaned bear cub – a secret that could cost them everything. 
After being rescued from the Wildlands, Astrid is doing everything she can to expose the poachers that threaten this protected sanctuary – but no one is listening. 
When Finn’s bear grows too big to hide, and Astrid’s Mum hatches a daring plan to get proof of the poachers, both children set off on parallel journeys – over land, sea and sky. 
But winter is closing in, and a terrible storm is brewing . . . 
Stranded in the heart of the Wildlands – with secrets between them and danger far closer than they realise – can they learn to trust each other to save what they both love most? 
This series is perfect for 8-12 year olds and fans of The Explorer and The Last Wild. Wildlands was the winner of the Children's Wainwright Prize for Fiction 2025.

After graduating with a degree in Zoology from the University of Cambridge, Brogen Murphy set about trying to figure out how best to save the world. They tried ecology field work, carbon offsetting and a brief stint in climate activism, before spending fifteen years promoting clean technologies to help build a low-carbon future. They live with their wife by the sea in Suffolk, and when not writing they can be found in the forest looking (down) for mushrooms or (up) for birds – and therefore often tripping over. Their debut children's novel Wildlands is published by Penguin Random House.

Returning to a near-future, rewilded Britain for another thrilling and thought provoking adventure, award-winning author Brogen Murphy brings us a story of bravery, friendship and hope. 
 
Finn lives in the Buffer Zone on the edge of the Wildlands, surrounded by a vast, rewilded landscape filled with boar, bison and beavers. But his quiet life is up-ended when his father takes in an orphaned bear cub – a secret that could cost them everything.After being rescued from the Wildlands, Astrid is doing everything she can to expose the poachers that threaten this protected sanctuary – but no one is listening.When Finn’s bear grows too big to hide, and Astrid’s Mum hatches a daring plan to get proof of the poachers, both children set off on parallel journeys – over land, sea and sky.But winter is closing in, and a terrible storm is brewing . . .Stranded in the heart of the Wildlands – with secrets between them and danger far closer than they realise – can they learn to trust each other to save what they both love most?This duology is perfect for 8-12 year olds and fans of The Explorer and The Last Wild. Wildlands was the winner of the Children's Wainwright Prize for Fiction 2025.

Brogen Murphy

Financial Times ("Best Summer Books of 2025")

Occasionally books come along that you know will stay in your heart for a long time, and Wildlands is one of them.

Vashti Hardy, author of the Brightstorm series

Murphy's family drama is set against a backdrop of bigger issues, and the environmental and domestic concerns are neatly interwoven. The idyllic setting, meanwhile, offers a narrative of hope: there are things that humans can do to control and save the world, on both the micro and macro level.

Set in an imaginary near-future, this environmental adventure is full of incredible lost animals and plants. It's a tense, exciting story that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Convincing and affecting, this classic-in-the-making keeps things nail-bitingly real.

Set in a utopian landscape and addressing big questions about humanity's relationship with the environment, this is a gripping and refreshingly original story of survival against the odds. Engrossing, thrilling and thought-provoking.

At the core of this book is a story about tenacity, sisterly love and hope all wrapped up in a brilliant adventure. Chapter after chapter is filled with emotional depth, adventurist dilemmas and thought-provoking conversation starters around what Britain’s ecological future might look like – a brilliant read!

Shortlisted for the Waterstones Children's Book Prize 2026 
Winner of the Wainwright Children's Prize for Fiction 2025 
 
A UTOPIAN FUTURE. 
A FORBIDDEN WILDERNESS. 
TWO KIDS TRYING TO SURVIVE. 
 
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? 
How far would YOU go to find your way home? 
Perfect for fans of THE EXPLORER and THE LAST 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. 
 
Awards: 
<ul><li>Winner of the Wainwright Children's Prize for Fiction 2025</li><li>Winner of the Shropshire Bookfest Big Book Award 2026</li><li>Shortlisted for the Waterstones Children's Book Prize 2026</li><li>Shortlisted for the Redbridge Book Award 2026</li><li>Shortlisted for the Peters Children's Book of the Year 2026</li></ul>

Brogen Murphy

Praise for Wildlands

Love this book.

A vivid, memorable eco-adventure

Occasionally books come along that you know will stay in your heart for a long time, and Wildlands is one of them.

Love this book.

A vivid, memorable eco-adventure

Occasionally books come along that you know will stay in your heart for a long time, and Wildlands is one of them.

Love this book.

A vivid, memorable eco-adventure

Occasionally books come along that you know will stay in your heart for a long time, and Wildlands is one of them.

Books by Brogen Murphy

Follow penguin

Follow ladybird

Follow puffin

Sign up to the Penguin newsletter