Peters Joint Junior Fiction Book of Year, I Am Wolf: Q&A with Alastair Chisholm

April 29th 2025

To celebrate the books voted by you for Peters Children's Book of the Year, we're spotlighting the fantastic authors and illustrators behind the winning titles! We'll be asking about their award-winning books, exploring their themes, genre, and format, as well as learning more about the creators and what they're up to next.

In this week's Q&A, we're joined by Alastair Chisholm, author of joint Junior Fiction winner I Am Wolf. Find out Alastair's thoughts on junior sci-fi and fantasy, and why it's important for children to read about worth and belonging. Plus, listen to Alastair read the opening of his latest title and follow-up to I Am Wolf, I Am Raven!

Alastair Chisholm | Author Alastair is a children's author and puzzle creator. As a puzzle creator he wrote quite a lot of books of Sudoku and other puzzles for kids and grown-ups, and as an author he writes picture books and middle-grade fiction. Alastair lives in Edinburgh with his wife (who is lovely), two teenagers (who are lovely but very loud), and a cat named Maudie, who is yowling at him even though there is clearly food in her bowl, look, it's right there, look. His hobbies include writing and playing games on his phone when he should be writing. DISCOVER BOOKS BY ALASTAIR CHISHOLM

Congratulations on I Am Wolf being voted as joint Peters Junior Fiction Book of the Year! How does it feel to be chosen by teachers, school librarians and public librarians from across the UK?

Thank you! It’s a real honour. Teachers and librarians have a knowledge of what kids love that no one else can touch, and there are so many fantastic books for young readers – just look at the shortlist!

I Am Wolf is a gripping start to a sci-fi trilogy. In your other middle grade titles, you dive into dragon worlds and dystopic futures. Why do you think sci-fi and fantasy are good genres for connecting with and engaging young readers?

I love sci-fi and fantasy, partly because they’re a lot of fun!

I also love those genres because we can use these worlds to tell other stories. The giant mechanical beasts of I Am Wolf are exciting, but they also given me a way to talk about tribalism and belonging. Sci-fi lets me tell both stories.

Plus, sci-fi and fantasy settings are a great way to avoid the hero’s pesky parents, who would never let them do the mad dangerous things I want them to do...

Were there any particular sci-fi or fantasy stories which inspired you as a child? What memories do you have of reading about different worlds or realities?

I was a big sci-fi reader as a kid, with books by Nicholas Fisk as well as old-school classics like Asimov’s robot stories (I loved how his tales were all sneaky logic puzzles).

But the book I loved most was Susan Cooper’s The Grey King. It’s a fantasy adventure, but it’s the one that taught me that, fundamentally, all stories are about people. No matter the whizz-bangs and clever twists, the books that stay with you forever are the ones that make you care.

Coll’s story in I Am Wolf challenges the ideas of worth and belonging. Why are these stories important for middle grade readers to engage with?

Everyone at this age knows how important these ideas are. We’re all trying to find our tribes, we’re hyper-aware of our position in the pecking order, the peer groups: who’s in/out, how do I fit in, am I liked, am I weird? What are these secret social rules that everyone but me seems to know? What’s the point of me? I think any story that touches on this is worth telling just to let you know you’re not alone.

Our award focuses on books which excite and engage children on their reading journey. What do you think we adults – as leaders and carers – can do to encourage reading for pleasure?

There are so many brilliant stories out there that I think the best we can do is help young readers find their own thing. Give them options, and don’t judge.

Let them read comics (I love comics). Let them read simpler books if that’s where they’re comfortable. Let them read the same book eight times, why not? Let them enjoy themselves.

Get them to tell you about books they love. Put books in safe spaces. Play audiobooks in the car. Read to them!

And don’t despair if it doesn’t have an immediate impact. Just plant the seed…

What are you working on at the moment? (and when can we read or see it!)

Well, the second book in the series – I Am Raven – came out this month, which is very exciting! And right now, I’m working on the final volume… It’s out in 2026!

Watch Alastair read from his new book, I Am Raven

Watch Alastair's reading below or on our YouTube channel.

I Am Wolf Coll is Wolf. He lives with his clan on a Construct, a huge technological "creature" driven by the clan's combined willpower. Together they roam their world, fighting other clans and absorbing them into their own. But when a new and dangerous Construct attacks them, Coll is thrown clear from Wolf and left behind. Now he must survive life on ground and get back to his clan. He is helped by Rieka, a "Tock" who makes the Constructs work. She promises Coll a way to return, but can she be trusted? And what is she really trying to do...? When Coll uncovers the truth, it destroys everything he thought he knew about his clan, the world they live in, and even himself. In a world full of danger, and suddenly without meaning, can he find a way back? You pay £5.91           RRP £7.99 Save 26% DISCOVER

I Am Raven Once, Brann belonged to Raven. She flew high above the world and she was fearless. But Raven was destroyed by Dragon. Brann's home is gone and her crew is missing. Determined to find the truth, Brann heads north. But what she and her friends learn will change everything. What happened to Raven's crew? And what is the secret Brann is hiding? You pay £5.91           RRP £7.99 Save 26% DISCOVER

Discover all of our Peters Children's Book of the Year 2025 winners

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