Charlie has always wanted a sibling and was eagerly anticipating their arrival. His brother is born near midnight on the day before Charlie's twelfth birthday but the excitement is tinged with dread as his baby brother is born with a heart defect that needs immediate surgery. That news has Charlie literally running off to the nearby forest where he usually plays with his friends. This time, however, he finds a boy, lying in the river and discovers that he may be on familiar ground but he's no longer in his own time! Thus starts a moving adventure set in the stone age in which he discovers the meaning of family and how important it is to 'make safe'. I adored this book. The storyline - a boy walks into a wood in panic and ends up in the Stone Age - is hugely creative. The character I found most interesting was Harby (Hartboy) This is because he spends his time with Charlie, trying to translate the English language, and I loved the expressions he develops. I loved all characters; except, perhaps, Dara and Harby’s Mother, who weren’t that involved with the story line. It is a heart-warming, magical book that has family, friendship and overcoming difficulties at its core. I couldn't put it down! NetGalley user Before he knows it Charlie is in a different world, one from long ago. The Stone Age. He must do all he can to try and survive this new environment. Trust, is something which he will need to start to do or he could find himself in a great deal of danger. 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) Stephanie Burgis, author of The Dragon With a Chocolate Heart

What follows is a brilliantly written and engaging adventure, full of peril, laughter, cliff-hangers (quite literally), friendship and heartfelt emotion. The Wild Way Home has something for everyone. I absolutely loved doing research for the book. So much mystery surrounds the Stone Age and even though technologies like carbon-dating artefacts to a particular era can offer us some level of certainty, there are still enormous gaping uncertainties too. I feel like these uncertainties and gaps are really story-ful territory – so a lot of my research was finding out about interesting real artefacts… and imagining the stories that might be lurking behind them! Was the plot exciting, thought-provoking, serious or light-hearted (or any mixture of these)?Exciting. Serious. There are two main storylines in ‘The Wild Way Home’ both of which were engaging, particularly finding out what happened to Harby that led to him being half drowned in the river. Despite these being the only real plots, the book being more character driven and focussing on the development of Charlie and Harby, ‘The Wild Way Home’ never feels stretched out. The pacing is really fast with chapters running straight into each other with very few time jumps, making the book really hard to put down. The ending of both of the plots were satisfying, heartfelt and filled with hope although I really would have liked the time-travel aspect to have been explained a bit better rather then left as it is here. The wild way home is one such book which anyone can read irrespective of their age. Book is a mix of fantasy and mystery which keeps the reader fall in love with the book all over again. Book cover is also very beautiful and enough to grab the attention of readers.Charlie has long dreamed of having a sibling and is delighted when he's woken on his 12th birthday to be told he has a baby brother. But his happiness doesn't last when he discovers Dara is very poorly. He's not the pink, beautiful baby brother he was expecting. As fear takes over, Charlie runs and ends up far, far, far away with no idea how to get home. What is wrong with the baby? Why does Mum howl when the doctors return to the hospital room with news? Charlie’s flight leads her through the hospital doors to the woods she knows so well, beyond Beaky and Lamont into something entirely unfamiliar. Which brings me to another warm-hearted Northern Irish gem of a book, this time for teenage readers. Flying Tips for Flightless Birdsby Kelly McCaughrain The Wild Way Home by Sophie Kirtley is a stunning middle grade book set in the Stone Age. There is so much positivity surrounding this debut author and her wonderful book. I had the honour of putting together some questions for Sophie to answer- ones that I was curious about as a reader. Her answers did not disappoint- she answered amazingly! And one of the things I love most about Northern Ireland is that it’s a place just steeped in stories: everybody has a story and nobody’s shy to tell you theirs. I grew up with stories in my blood – my dad is a born storyteller, turning every household happening or minor misadventure into a great yarn. My mum loves stories too, but more as a reader - she always encouraged me to read and through her I first discovered some of the books by Northern Irish children’s authors that are still amongst my favourites today.

Reminiscent of Skellig and Stig of the Dump, The Wild Way Home is a lovely time-slip adventure full of heart, family and finding your feet when times are tough Anna Fargher, author of Umbrella Mouse I found Charlie the most interesting because he had to go on a cool, but dangerous adventure to find a cure for his baby brother. I did not like Charlie also because he was annoying and he hated his baby brother at first. I liked it that I started off not liking him, but then changed my mind. Coffee house Caffè Nero has announced the 16-strong shortlist for the inaugural Nero Book Awards, recognising the outstanding books of the past 12...Oh I utterly feel everything Charlie feels when I’m writing those scenes in the book, it’s hard not to. I kind of lose myself when I’m writing – it’s a bit like living a double life: when Charlie’s happy, I’m happy; when Charlie’s distraught, I’m distraught.