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Wildlands: Into the Storm

Award-winning author Brogen Murphy is back with a new thrilling and thought-provoking adventure set in a near-future, rewilded Britain.

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 poaching operation that threatens 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.

About Brogen Murphy

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.
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Details
  • Imprint: Puffin
  • ISBN: 9780241728123
  • Length: 432 pages
  • Price: £8.99
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