- Chapter Books
- Ages 9–12
- Adventure
The Wild Way Home
A prehistoric time-slip adventure with real emotional weight: when Charlie's longed-for baby brother is born seriously ill, Charlie flees into the forest and finds it transformed into the Stone Age, where a lost boy named Harby needs help finding his way home. A gripping meditation on family, fear and love.
- Best for9–12
- FormatChapter
- Length256 pp
- Read aloud~3 hr40 min
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The vibe
What it’s like.
Style
- Lyrical
- Literary
Tone
- Adventurous
- Bittersweet
- Warm
- Suspenseful
Themes
Experience meters
What’s it about?
The story.
Charlie Merriam has always loved the wilderness at the edge of the village – but on the day everything changes, the forest becomes somewhere else entirely. Reeling from the news that their longed-for baby brother has been born with a serious heart condition, Charlie runs into Mandel Forest to escape – and steps out not into the woods they know, but into a version tens of thousands of years in the past. There Charlie meets Harby, a Stone Age boy who has lost his memory and is searching for his sister, and the two must cross a wild, prehistoric landscape together. Sophie Kirtley's debut is a gripping time-slip adventure and a profound, tender exploration of family, belonging and the fear of losing someone you love. The language barrier between Charlie and Harby, the beauty and danger of the ancient forest, and Charlie's aching worry for the baby give the story real depth. Exciting, moving and beautifully written, it's a wilderness adventure with a great deal of heart.
Fit check
Right for your child?
Where it lands by age
Pitched at 9–12s reading independently, and a rich read-aloud from about 8. The Stone Age adventure carries the pace while the thread of an ill baby brother gives it emotional weight – best for children ready to meet that theme.
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- Best fit · 9–12
- Read aloud · 8–11
- Independent · 9–12
Prose load
Moderate
Visual support
None
Reluctant-reader friendly
Workable
Read-aloud quality
Strong
Works well for
- Reading aloud
Preview before sharing if a child is sensitive to: illness or disability, absent parent.
Bedtime suitability
2 / 5 · Better outside bedtime
Sensitive-child
3 / 5 · Mostly fine
Graphic intensity
2 / 5 · Mild
Best for
- Time slip
- Wilderness adventure
- Emotional depth
Avoid if
- Sensitive to family illness
- Wants light read
Particularly good for children who are…
- Illness in family
- Anxiety and worry
- New sibling
Why it lands
Why they love it.
Why kids love it
Running into the forest and stepping out thousands of years in the past, Charlie meets a Stone Age boy who can't remember who he is. The wild prehistoric journey, the mammoths and the race home make it thrilling – and Charlie's worry for the baby makes it real.
- Time travel
- Adventure and freedom
- Surviving danger
- Friendship and belonging
Why parents love it
Kirtley's beautifully written debut wraps a gripping prehistoric time-slip around a tender story about a family facing a seriously ill newborn. It handles fear and worry with honesty and hope, making it both a page-turner and a springboard for hard conversations.
- Great writing
- Conversation starter
About the author
Sophie Kirtley.
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