Crowfall by Vashti Hardy

A ‘Hot Contender’ for the Big Book Award 2022 shortlist.

:A rip-roaring, island-hopping adventure – and unforgettable ecological fable – from the award-winning author of Wildspark and Brightstorm.

Ironhold is an orderly place where “industry brings prosperity”, and where nature is pushed aside for progress. But when Orin Crowfall, a lowly servant boy, learns that the island itself is in grave danger, that knowledge makes him a target of powerful forces. He narrowly escapes on a small boat, but then faces a fight for survival with his robot friend, Cody, in the stormy ocean, pursued by a terrifying sea monster.

Can they make it to safety, somewhere beyond the horizon? And will Orin find a way back to save his family before everything is destroyed? To succeed, Orin will need to dig deep for courage, trust in new friends, and, ultimately, have faith in himself.

This is fantasy adventure at its finest: riotous adventure, memorable characters, incredible world building, and a powerful, thought-provoking message about ecological balance.

Published by Scholastic

About the author & illustrator

Vashti Hardy is an award winning (Blue Peter 2020 ‘Best Writer’ award with Wildspark) writer of children’s books spending her time between Lancashire and Sussex. Also shortlisted for the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize 2019, Books are My Bag Awards and Leeds Book Award for her debut novel Brightstorm.  She was a primary school teacher for several years, and has a special interest in children’s writing, especially free-writing and the use of journals and creating fantasy worlds. She has a first-class honours teaching degree with English specialism and an MA in Creative Writing from the University of Chichester. After leaving teaching to focus more on her writing, she became a copywriter and digital marketing executive.

Vashti is an alumni member of The Golden Egg Academy.