A Sunday Times bestseller and Waterstone’s Children’s Book of the Year in 2022, as well as a bestseller here in the U.S., A.F. Steadman’s Skandar and the Unicorn Thief captured the imaginations of middle grade readers on both sides of the Atlantic who continue to gobble up the four subsequent books in the series and its prequel The First Unicorn Rider, which released last fall. We caught up with the author to find out what’s next ahead of her Author of the Day conversation at 2026's London Book Fair.
Do you have plans to expand the storytelling of Skandar’s world in the future?
I didn’t know how I was going to feel when I finished the series, but writing The First Unicorn Rider convinced me that I’d like to write more in that world. There are no concrete plans, but I’ve been talking to my publishers [at Simon & Schuster] about it. Readers are really keen to hear more stories and they give me ideas all the time. They want to know about the early times on the island and about what the adult characters were like as children. But they also want to know about what happens after the big war. It’s a question of deciding what to do next rather than whether it will happen. I don’t think I’m ready to leave the series behind just yet.
At a time when there’s a lot of discussion on getting kids excited about reading, you’ve managed to do it. What’s working for the readers you’ve met?
If I had to pick one thing I’d say it’s when they identify with the characters. I tried to write the series in a really inclusive way so that whoever you are, you can see yourself in this world. Especially at the middle grade age, readers want to see themselves reflected in stories because they’re trying to figure out who they are and where they belong in the world. There are unicorns in the books, but also friends falling out, sibling relationships, and power dynamics. It’s a fantasy book, but they also take something of it to their own lives. Lots of kids reading at the same time in the classroom makes a difference. They can talk about characters with their friends. It’s important that the books don’t talk down to them and they don’t feel they’re reading something that’s too young for them.
Readers will get to experience the characters in a new way through the upcoming film. What can you share about it?
We have a script written by Jon Croker. Sony is searching for a director who can bring it to life in a very epic way. They’re really respectful of the source material, which is great for me and for the fans. Once we’ve got the right director, we’ll be ready to go.
