The Last Wild Trilogy: The Last Wild

From the winner of the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize

This is a story about a boy named Kester. He is extraordinary, but he doesn't know that yet. All he knows, at this very moment, is this:

1. There is a flock of excited pigeons in his bedroom.

2. They are talking to him.

3. His life will never be quite the same again...

Kester lives in a land in quarantine. A deadly virus has killed all the animals except pests and it's expected to be equally dangerous to humans. But when Kester realises he can talk to the pests, he finds they have great hope invested in him.

A captivating animal adventure destined to be loved by readers of all ages.

Short-listed for Waterstones Children's Book Prize: Fiction 5 - 12 Category 2014

“'Thrilling ... Written in a vivid, urgent style, its sense of loss at all the creatures we have lost or are losing may be as critical to the new generation as Tarka the Otter' Times.”

An excellent, punchy adventure tale with vivid characters and an impassioned eco message. The Financial Times
Written in vivid and urgent style ... As thrilling as James and the Giant Peach ... The Last Wild may be as critical to the new generation as Tarka the Otter. The Times
Full of suspense without ever sacrificing warmth. -- Katherine Rundell
A darkly comic and hugely inventive adventure ... it could be the next big thing. -- Eoin Colfer
Gripping, original and memorable. -- Francesca Simon
A magnetic adventure ... find yourself glued like tar to this satisfying, spine-tingling book. -- Samuel H. (aged 10)
Wildly inventive, moving and gripping. -- Frank Cottrell Boyce
A must-read: brings to mind the smarts and silliness of Roald Dahl. New York Post
Inventive, with laughs, tears and cliffhangers. Sunday Times
I haven't read a book this good and interesting since The Hunger Games ... an edge-of-your-seat fast-paced read. Guardian Children's website
Splendid stuff -- Eva Ibbotson
An amazing story The Guardian
The sequel had better come soon. Observer
A brilliantly written adventure that is great for starting discussions about extinction and what we can do to prevent it, and the importance of biodiversity Good Housekeeping
'I haven't read a book this good and interesting since The Hunger Games ... an edge-of-your-seat fast-paced read' Guardian Children's website. Guardian Children's website
'An action-packed, dystopian eco-thriller with memorable characters, both animal and human, and a powerful message about the interdependence of man and nature. A promising debut' Daily Mail. Daily Mail
'A darkly comic and hugely inventive adventure ... it could be the next big thing' Eoin Colfer. Eoin Colfer
'Gripping, original and memorable' Francesca Simon. Francesca Simon
'The sequel had better come soon' Observer. Observer
'Inventive, with laughs, tears and cliffhangers' Sunday Times. Sunday Times
'Thrilling ... Written in a vivid, urgent style, its sense of loss at all the creatures we have lost or are losing may be as critical to the new generation as Tarka the Otter' Times. Times
'Splendid stuff' Eva Ibbotson. Eva Ibbotson

Piers Torday began his career in theatre and then television as a producer and writer. His first book for children, The Last Wild, was shortlisted for the Waterstones Children's Book Award and nominated for the CILIP Carnegie Medal. His second book, The Dark Wild, won the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize. There May Be A Castle was a People's Book Award finalist and a Times Children's Book of the Year. The Lost Magician was a Book of the Year in six national newspapers and won the Teach Primary Book Award. The follow up, The Frozen Sea, was published in 2019. Piers has also completed an unfinished novel by his late father Paul (author of Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, The Death of an Owl) and adapted The Box of Delights and A Christmas Carol for the stage.

This is the story of a boy named Kester. He is extraordinary, but he doesn't know that yet. All he knows, at this very moment, is this: 1. There is a flock of excited pigeons in his bedroom. 2. They are talking to him. 3. His life will never be quite the same again...

AS SEEN ON BBC'S COUNTRYFILE From the winner of the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize This is a story about a boy named Kester. He is extraordinary, but he doesn't know that yet. All he knows, at this very moment, is this: 1. There is a flock of excited pigeons in his bedroom. 2. They are talking to him. 3. His life will never be quite the same again... A captivating animal adventure destined to be loved by readers of all ages.

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