<p><span class="a-text-bold">'So good I read it twice' - Hilary McKay, author of </span><span class="a-text-bold a-text-italic">The</span><span class="a-text-bold"> </span><span class="a-text-bold a-text-italic">Skylarks' War</span><span><br><br></span><span class="a-text-bold">'This thrilling time-slip adventure oozes magic and heart' - </span><span class="a-text-bold a-text-italic">Bookseller </span><span class="a-text-bold">EDITOR'S CHOICE</span><span><br><br>When Charlie's longed-for brother is born with a serious heart condition, Charlie's world is turned upside down. Upset and afraid, Charlie flees the hospital and makes for the ancient forest on the edge of town. There Charlie finds a boy floating face-down in the stream, injured, but alive. But when Charlie sets off back to the hospital to fetch help, it seems the forest has changed. It's become a place as strange and wild as the boy dressed in deerskins. For Charlie has unwittingly fled into the Stone Age, with no way to help the boy or return to the present day. Or is there?<br><br>What follows is a wild, big-hearted adventure as Charlie and the Stone Age boy set out together to find what they have lost - their courage, their hope, their family and their way home.<br><br>Fans of Piers Torday and </span><span class="a-text-italic">Stig of the Dump</span><span> will love this wild, wise and heartfelt debut adventure.</span></p>
<div class="a-row a-expander-container a-expander-extend-container"> <h3><span>Review</span></h3> <div class="a-section a-spacing-small a-padding-small"> <span class="a-text-italic">The Wild Way Home</span><span> echoes </span><span class="a-text-italic">Skellig </span><span>and </span><span class="a-text-italic">Stig of the Dump</span><span>, with a bold, readable charm entirely its own ... Full of peril, sadness and wild joy, it's a timeslip adventure with a difference. ― </span><span class="a-text-italic">Guardian</span><span><br><br>Underpinning this action-packed debut is a sensitive portrayal of how a child's fear of illness and change can be overcome by helping others and facing up to the truth. ― </span><span class="a-text-italic">Daily Mail</span><span><br><br>This thrilling time-slip adventure oozes magic and heart ― </span><span class="a-text-italic">Bookseller EDITOR'S CHOICE</span><span><br><br>So good I read it twice ― </span><span class="a-text-italic">Hilary McKay, author of The Skylarks' War</span><span><br><br>I loved this unique quirky story full of heart ― </span><span class="a-text-italic">Jasbinder Bilan, author of Asha and the Spirit Bird</span><span><br><br>An enchanting debut ― </span><span class="a-text-italic">Mail on Sunday, best fiction of the year</span><span><br><br>With echoes of </span><span class="a-text-italic">Skellig</span><span>, this story is so smoothly told I barely stopped. A really powerful debut and definitely a must in every school library ― </span><span class="a-text-italic">Fleur Hitchcock for Waterstones Bookseller Reviews</span><span><br><br>Delivers in spades. It made me laugh, cry, gasp and turn the pages for one more chapter every time I had to stop ― </span><span class="a-text-italic">Nizrana Farook, author of The Girl Who Stole an Elephant</span><span><br><br>Reminiscent of </span><span class="a-text-italic">Skellig</span><span> and </span><span class="a-text-italic">Stig of the Dump, The Wild Way Home </span><span>is</span><span>a lovely time-slip adventure full of heart, family and finding your feet when times are tough ― </span><span class="a-text-italic">Anna Fargher, author of Umbrella Mouse</span><span><br><br>An exciting debut that takes us on a timeslip adventure into the deep past, where survival is at the point of a spear and family is the only thing you have to hold onto ― </span><span class="a-text-italic">A.F. Harrold</span><span><br><br>Gorgeously magical and achingly real. I loved every character in this book and I devoured the whole story in a breathless rush because I couldn't stop reading (even when it made me cry) ― </span><span class="a-text-italic">Stephanie Burgis, author of The Dragon With a Chocolate Heart</span><span><br><br>A beautiful story of things ancient and eternal. Kirtley convincingly creates and navigates the difficult landscapes of both Stone Age Ireland and contemporary family life in this big-hearted, gripping debut. ― </span><span class="a-text-italic">Kelly McCaughrain</span><span><br><br>A tense, emotionally charged time-slip story . deeply moving and at times heart-breaking. Coming soon and eminently worth the wait ― </span><span class="a-text-italic">Irish Examiner</span><span><br><br>It is a heart-warming, magical book that has family, friendship and overcoming difficulties at its core. I couldn't put it down! ― </span><span class="a-text-italic">NetGalley user</span><span><br><br>A captivating story of self-discovery and realising what is truly important in life ― </span><span class="a-text-italic">Scope For Imagination</span><span><br><br>Perfect for an UKS2 Stone Age topic, or for a nature or history lover, this world was immersive and believable and characters, settings and plot line were written with extraordinary attention to detail. Beautiful! ― </span><span class="a-text-italic">NetGalley Reviewer</span><span><br><br>Fans of Stig of the Dump or Michelle Paver's Wolf Brother series will very much enjoy Sophie Kirtley's vivid, exciting and heart-warming Stone Age timeslip story. Kirtley portrays the emotional truths of her story with equal skill, making that Charlie's sense of loss, love and home as vivid and affecting as the encounters with wolves. This is Sophie Kirtley's debut novel and very impressive. ― </span><span class="a-text-italic">Books For Keeps</span><span><br><br>A captivating story of self-discovery and realising what is truly important in life. It is also a magnificent portrayal of Stone Age life with opportunities for discussion about values, survival and family. -- Top 10 Summer Holiday Books for Children ― </span><span class="a-text-italic">True Education Partnerships</span><span><br><br>Enchanting debut about Charlie, who travels back to the Stone Age while running away from the feelings prompted by the arrival of a poorly baby brother. When Charlie saves a lost Stone Age boy from drowning, the pair brave storms, wolves and other dangers while trying to find their way home ― </span><span class="a-text-italic">Mail on Sunday</span> </div> <h3><span>Book Description</span></h3> <div class="a-section a-spacing-small a-padding-small"> <span>An unforgettable middle-grade adventure about courage and family that will plunge you back into the Stone Age . and then lead you home. Perfect for fans of Piers Torday and </span><span class="a-text-italic">Stig of the Dump</span> </div> <div data-expanded="true" class="a-expander-content a-expander-extend-content a-expander-content-expanded" style="overflow: hidden;"> <h3><span>About the Author</span></h3> <div class="a-section a-spacing-small a-padding-small"> <span>Sophie Kirtley grew up in Northern Ireland, where she spent her childhood climbing on hay bales, rolling down sand-dunes and leaping the raw Atlantic waves. Nowadays she lives in Wiltshire with her husband, three children and their mini-menagerie of pets and wild things. Sophie has always loved stories: she has taught English, and has worked in a theatre, a bookshop and a tiny pub where folk tell fairytales by candlelight. Sophie is also a prize-winning published poet. This is Sophie's debut novel.</span> </div> </div> <div class="a-row"> <a data-csa-c-func-deps="aui-da-a-expander-toggle" data-csa-c-type="widget" data-csa-interaction-events="click" aria-expanded="true" role="button" href="javascript:void(0)" data-action="a-expander-toggle" class="a-expander-header a-declarative a-expander-extend-header" data-a-expander-toggle="{"allowLinkDefault":true, "expand_prompt":"Read more", "collapse_prompt":""}" data-csa-c-id="e8bk2-gyhgah-gl5e6n-afph6u"><i class="a-icon a-icon-extender-collapse"></i><span class="a-expander-prompt"></span></a> </div> </div>
