The Wild Ones

The Wild Ones Synopsis

'The old familiar world had gone. Out there in the cold and gusting dark, something new and unknown was waiting...'

Scamp lives at a pet care centre. He has friends, food and a warm bed. But one terrible night - the Night of the Great Growl - his world changes for ever.

The people have vanished and all that's left outside are the Things: vicious, starving beasts that roam the ruined city. Driven into the wilds - with Chandelier the cat, Punzel the rabbit, Patticake the dachshund, Falstaff the parrot and hamsters Nudge and Wink - Scamp sets off in search of safety.

On their epic journey, Scamp must discover his own wildness if he's to lead the pets to the one thing they so desperately need - a new home.

A moving, beautifully written survival quest story perfect for fans of I Am Rebel. Set to win the hearts of children the world over with irresistible full-page illustrations.

A letter from the author: 

Hello, my name is Steve,

I’m here because, although I’ve written over 200 books in the last 20+ years, The Wild Ones marks a new direction for me, and I’m so excited to share the story with you. I can’t bend your ear in person, but I hope you won’t mind me telling you more about it! (The Wild Ones, not your ear.)

The basic idea is ‘The apocalypse, as it happened to pets’ – or ‘The Walking Dead but with rescue animals.’ A modern take on that old Disney classic The Incredible Journey with a slightly larger cast (or Homeward Bound if you prefer the remake!). I love animals, and as well as small furry pets my family has always taken in rescue dogs.

The latest is Clara, a staffy/greyhound cross who’d wound up in a shelter having been terribly neglected. I’m blessed she made me her human ten years ago, and I’ve often wanted to put her in a book…

The bare bones of The Wild Ones came to me during lockdown in 2020 when things were heading a little south of Dystopia. I knew at once it would lead my imagination in a more serious direction than usual for my middle-grade work, elevating heart as well as humour. To do it just right would take time, and I had other projects in play, so the new story had to take a back seat.

I confess, I let things drift until, one day, late in 2024, I was visiting schools in Shanghai. Outside a small village, I saw a feral dog half hidden in the long grass, chewing on a plastic lid (pictured right). Tough. Surviving. It was like a real-world reminder of my imaginary Wild Ones! I resolved to make time for their adventure as soon as I returned, and that’s what I did.

(No Clara, though! I couldn’t bear to put her through the epic ordeals and dangers the other pets face, although she does make a cameo and the book is dedicated to her.)

The abandoned pets in The Wild Ones are innocents thrust into a scary, unpredictable world where all rules have gone out the window. A world that they must navigate together if they are ever to find safety and a new way of living. Without getting preachy I feel that today’s children, as they grow older, face similar challenges.

Like my characters, I hope they can learn to trust their instincts and find community and agency in each other’s company. Set themselves free. Grow a little wilder.

It took me a year to write The Wild Ones, but I got there in the end … and now The Wild Ones is in your hands! I hope you’ll enjoy spending time with Scamp, Patticake, Chandelier and the rest of the rescues – and that you might help them to find their forever home with loving readers!

All my best Steve.