By A. M. Dassu (author) , Joe Lillington (illustrator)
"Five lives, five compelling stories of personal journeys."
Paperback Pre-order. 8th April 2027 £7.99 £7.19
Paperback In Stock £12.00 £10.80
View All Editions (2)
November 2025 Book of the Month
In a departure from this best-selling author’s usual narrative style, this is a moving collection of five short stories, each set in a different country, with a different child protagonist. Each story is linked by the migration journey of starlings, whose murmurations are a wonder to behold, and which are reflected in the lovely orange and black cover. The colour scheme continues throughout the lavishly illustrated volume with evocative images on every page, adding greatly to the appeal for newly confident or reluctant readers. Starlings make the journey from Egypt to Morocco, to Spain,to France and then England and the stories follow the same pattern.
In the author afterword we are told that she wanted to reflect not just the journeys her characters take but their inner journey too, and this she does beautifully. We get a remarkable sense of each character and their family and home life as well the beautifully described natural environment they have journeyed to, and we , like the protagonist, come to understand just how important each of these elements are to their happiness and growing understanding about the world. These subtle and well-crafted stories hold excitement and adventure, particularly in the Sahara and the remote forests of Spain, but also really relatable family issues and themes of resilience and hope.
All these elements are encapsulated in the final story about Yusuf, a newly arrived refugee from Syria, starting school in the UK and despite the language barriers and homesickness realises that he, just like the starlings, can find protection and comfort in a flock of friends and make a home for himself here.
Each satisfying story is a perfect length for bedtime or class reading and I have no doubt fascinating discussions will follow. It is lovely to have such a quality text to offer younger, curious readers.
A story collection about five children in different parts of the world, whose lives are connected by the captivating flight of starling murmurations.
Read the full description
A runaway, a rescue, a desert drama, from Egypt to Morocco, across Spain and France, the starlings swoop and dive, glide and soar - as the children watching them undertake their own journeys.
Reflecting an important part of every child's life, as they gain confidence, make friends, and learn to let go.
Illustrated in striking black and orange with illustrations on every page.
Watch author A. M. Dassu introduce Wild Journey
A. M. DASSU is the internationally acclaimed author of Boy, Everywhere and Fight Back , which have collectively been listed for forty-six awards, including the Waterstones Children's Book Prize, the Carnegie Medal, The Little Rebels Award for Radical Fiction and the inaugural Week Junior Award.
She is a director at Inclusive Minds, which is an organisation for people who are passionate about inclusion, diversity, equality and accessibility in children's literature; a patron of The Other Side of Hope, a literary magazine edited by immigrants and refugees, which serves to celebrate the refugee and immigrant communities worldwide, and one of The National Literacy Trust's Connecting Stories campaign authors, aiming to help inspire a love of reading and writing in children and young people.
A. M. Dassu grew up in the Midlands dreaming of becoming a writer but studied economics instead and worked in marketing and project management before realising her dream. She writes books that challenge stereotypes, humanise the 'other' and are full of empathy, hope and heart. Her previous book, Boot It! was a bestselling £1 World Book Day 2023 novel. She has donated a part of her advances to Baca, a UK charity that supports young people who arrive in the UK alone seeking asylum, and to Syrians in Idlib, who lost everything once again due to the devastating earthquake in 2023.
Photo copyright Mark Waugh
Children's Books that raise awareness of Refugees and Asylum Seekers
Jhalak Prize Announces Longlists for 10th Year Celebrating Writers of Colour in Children's Books
A. M. Dassu - LoveReading4Kids' Guest Editor of the Month
Stocking Fillers for Kids - the perfect children's books to find on Christmas morning
the best books for 7-9 year olds
Royal Institute of Magic: The High Council
Royal Institute of Magic: The Last Guardian
Ella Jones Vs the Sun Stealer
A story collection about five children in different parts of the world, whose lives are connected by the captivating flight of starling murmurations. A runaway, a rescue, a desert drama, from Egypt to Morocco, across Spain and France, the starlings swoop and dive, glide and soar - as the children watching them undertake their own journeys.
The LoveReading4Kids Editorial Team have read and reviewed Wild Journey and determined it is suitable for children aged 7-10 years old
Wild Journey features in the following genres: Featured Books for 7+ readers, Featured Books for 9+ readers, Books of the Month, Recommendations, Stories about Family and Friends, Animal Stories, Short Stories, Personal Social Health Economic (PSHE), Children’s / Teenage fiction: General, modern and contemporary fiction, Children's and Young Adult Fiction, Children’s, Teenage and Educational
Paperback. £10.80, down from the £12.00 cover price. In Stock.
Wild Journey was written by A. M. Dassu and published by Zephyr an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing (UK)
Wild Journey has 134 pages
£10.80, reduced from £12.00. In Stock.
©PTC International Ltd T/A LoveReading is registered in England. Company number: 10193437. VAT number: 270 4538 09. Registered address: 157 Shooters Hill, London, SE18 3HP. Terms & Conditions | Privacy Policy | Disclaimer
The National Year of Reading starts here. Join thousands of families and schools supporting reading for pleasure across the UK.