More great reads: the best books for 7 year olds
"An animal adventure story with a difference."
April 2026 Debut of the Month
If all stories grow out of a ‘what if’, the premise for S.J. Poyton’s debut is particularly striking.
In Ash’s world, mammoths have been brought back from extinction. This is to address the climate crisis in the Arctic tundra. Her parents have been at the forefront of the management and care of the mammoth herds and Ash lives with her dad at the Mammoth Arctic Conservation Trust HQ in Greenland.
Dad has the unique role of Mammoth Rider, able to ride and guide the mammoth patriarch, Goliath, and Ash longs to follow in his footsteps, while she also seems to have inherited her mum’s ability to communicate directly with the huge beasts. She forms a special bond with a white calf she calls Nayala and when unscrupulous villains threaten to harm the mammoths and sabotage the reintroduction programme, Ash and her two young friends Ruby and Jack are the only ones who can stand in their way. The action really heats up towards the end with Ash whizzing through the tundra on a snowmobile, Nayala pulled in a box behind her and the mother mammoth thundering along at her side, and there’s even more drama to come with a truly explosive conclusion.
Amongst all the action, we’re given time to get to know Ash, who struggles with dyslexia, dyscalculia and dyspraxia, as does the author, and to understand the importance of protecting the natural world and our interconnectedness with wild things. The story feels convincing from start to end, so that we believe mammoth riding could be a thing and readers who like animal adventure stories will love this. The text has been specially adapted to be dyslexia friendly.
The arctic is all Ash Grimes has ever known. Born and raised at a research facility responsible for cloning and releasing mammoths, Ash is desperate to prove she has what it takes to be a Mammoth Rider. When a billionaire trophy hunter threatens the safety of the Mega Herd, Ash, along with best friends Jack and Ruby, must face a race across the tundra to save the compound, her dad and the rarest creature on the planet - a white mammoth calf.
The arctic is all Ash Grimes has ever known. Born and raised at a research facility responsible for cloning and releasing mammoths, Ash is desperate to prove she has what it takes to be a Mammoth Rider.
The LoveReading4Kids Editorial Team have read and reviewed Mammoth Rider and determined it is suitable for children aged 7-10 years old
Mammoth Rider features in the following genres: Featured Books for 7+ readers, Featured Books for 9+ readers, Debuts of the Month, Recommendations, Adventure Stories, Animal Stories, Dinosaurs, The Natural World, Wildlife, Ecological and Environmental Interest - Non Fiction, Dyslexia Friendly Books for Interest age 7+, Dyslexia Friendly Books for Interest age 9+, Children’s / Teenage general interest: Wildlife and habitats: Ice, snow and tundra, Children’s / Teenage fiction: Friendship stories, Children’s / Teenage fiction: General, modern and contemporary fiction, Children's and Young Adult Fiction, Children’s, Teenage and Educational, Children’s / Teenage: General interest, Children’s / Teenage: Social issues / topics, Personal Social Health Economic (PSHE), Romance / Relationship Stories
Paperback, Hardback. £8.09, down from the £8.99 cover price. Pre-order. 14th January 2027.
Mammoth Rider was written by S. J. Poyton and published by Simon & Schuster Children's an imprint of Simon & Schuster UK
Mammoth Rider has 352 pages
£8.09, reduced from £8.99. Pre-order. 14th January 2027.
