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Skrimsli

by Nicola Davies

Interest age: 9 to 14
Reading age: 9+

Published by Firefly Press

  • Adventure
  • Fantasy

About this book

Skrimsli the tiger cub is born into a circus, a harsh world of control through fear. He and his human friends Owl and Kal battle to escape the cruel circus owner – and are plunged into a world of treachery, greed and war. They are searching for the place where they belong, and during their travels they join forces with a desert princess and her eagle, a chihuahua with the attitude of a wolf, and a fierce sea captain. Skrimsli can talk to humans and animals in their minds, but can a tiger and a motley group really overcome the powerful Automators and save an ancient forest? 

An action-packed, gripping fantasy adventure that sensitively explores many relevant themes, such as war, environmentalism and the right of animals and people to be free, and to live how they choose. This is the prequel to The Song That Sings Us, but it stands alone as a phenomenal read. Nicola Davies skilfully weaves together different viewpoints and creates a fantasy world that is both believable and full of heart-thuddingly exciting action. 

About the author

Nicola Davies is the author of more than 50 books for children: fiction, non-fiction and poetry. Her work has been published in more than 10 different languages and has won major awards in the UK, US, France, Italy and Germany.

Nicola trained as a zoologist, taking a degree in Natural Sciences from King's College, Cambridge. She spent some years as a field biologist and studied humpback and sperm whales, and bats, before joining the BBC Natural History Unit as a researcher and then presenter.

Following the start of her writing career, Nicola became a senior lecturer in creative writing, at Bath Spa University but has been writing full time for over a decade. She now regularly runs workshops for children and adults to help them find their voices as writers and advocates for nature. In 2017, she was the first recipient of the SLA’s award for Outstanding Contribution to Children’s Non-fiction and in 2018 had four picture books longlisted for the Greenaway Award.

Find out what Nicola Davies is up to as our Writer in Residence

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