Birdlands : Longlisted for the Children's Wainwright Prize 2026

A thrilling and heart-breaking animal adventure from the Carnegie-winning author of Lark.

From Carnegie-winning author Anthony McGowan comes another thrilling and heartbreaking animal adventure'An exquisitely written novel from one of our finest writers - a story of humour and tenderness, threaded with hope and the fierce instinct to survive.' Hannah Gold'One of the best animal stories you are likely to read for a very long time.' Piers TordayAn unlikely flock. The adventure of a lifetime. Life can be tough when you’re a bird, especially for Beaky, Herman and Pidge. With the young jackdaw’s twisted beak, the crow’s broken wing and the pigeon’s fear of flying, survival seems impossible. Until, that is, they band together. The trio set out into the wild, leaving the city far behind. But danger lurks at every turn… Will the three birds ever find a place they can call home?'Only a truly great storyteller could write this book and Tony McGowan is the finest one we have.' Phil Earle