Phoenix

Name: William Joseph
Price range: $

by SF Said, illustrated by Dave McKean

Interest age: 10+
Reading age: 10+

Published by Corgi, 2014

Adventure
Science fiction

About this book

Lucky dreams of the stars quite often, but this night is different. Tonight, they are calling to him, as if they have something to tell him. And then he wakes up, feverishly hot, to discover the top sheet of his bed is burnt. Within minutes, he's on the run with his mother who is determined to get him off the planet.

They join up with a group of aliens - refugees from the ongoing war between aliens and humans - who agree to help Lucky find his father. As Lucky spends more time with the aliens, he begins to understand everything he heard about them wasn't true. But being on the run in a galaxy at war presents its problems, not least of all the rumour that there's a wolf that eats stars. Lucky is now on a mission, to find out what the power is growing inside him, and to discover some of the biggest secrets in the universe.

Read an extract

Phoenix is a fantastic read that takes you on a thrilling space adventure full of suspense, action, emotion and more.

About the author

SF Said is the author of award-winning children’s books including Tyger, Phoenix and Varjak Paw – which featured in BookTrust’s list of 100 Best Children’s Books from the last 100 Years, and has been adapted for stage as well as studied as part of the national Key Stage 2 curriculum. He has also previously acted as a judge for BookTrust’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

Said is a powerful advocate for making reading a more inclusive experience for more children and shares BookTrust’s ambitions to improve representation in children’s books. His books immerse children in worlds where characters explore their identity within systems of social injustice, inequity and prejudice.

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The Outlaw Varjak Paw

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Tyger

by SF Said, illustrated by Dave McKean

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Varjak Paw

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9 to 14 years
New You For Ever

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