Victoria Williamson is an award-winning author from Glasgow, Scotland, who loved reading books and writing adventure stories from an early age. After studying Physics at the University of Glasgow, she set out on her own real-life adventures, which included teaching maths and science in Cameroon, training teachers in Malawi, teaching English in China and working with children with additional support needs in the UK.

Her previous novels include The Fox Girl and the White Gazelle, The Boy with the Butterfly Mind, Hag Storm, War of the Wind, The Pawnshop of Stolen Dreams, Norah’s Ark, The Whistlers in the Dark, Feast of Ashes, and Skyfleet: March of the Mutabugs. Her books have won the RED Book Award 2024, YA-aldi Glasgow Secondary School Libraries Book Award 2023 and the Bolton Children’s Fiction Award 2020/2021, and have been short-listed and long-listed for numerous other awards. War of the Wind and Norah’s Ark were also both nominated for the 2024 Yoto Carnegie Medals.

Victoria writes and edits Key Stage 2 books for the education company Twinkl. She spends the rest of her time writing novels and visiting schools, libraries and literary festivals to give author talks and run creative writing workshops. Her latest novel, Kittiwake Stormhaven and the Pirate’s Portolano, channels her love of pirates and swashbuckling adventure to create a steampunk world set on the seven seas, and is illustrated by the very talented James Brown.

You can find out more about Victoria’s books, school visits and free resources for schools on her website: www.strangelymagical.com

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• I reviewed Sky Fleet: March of the Mutabugs by Victoria Williamson, a middle-grade dystopian read with protagonists aged around 12.

• I received a free review copy as part of a book tour organised by The Write Reads, and also did an unboxing which included lots of treats.

• The main characters are Amberley, a 12-year-old girl in a wheelchair following a tragic plane crash that killed her parents, and her best friend Rick, who is visually impaired and aspires to be an engineer.

• Both children work together to repair Amberley’s parents’ plane, the Fire Hawk, navigating both emotional and physical challenges.

• The story features mutant “mutabugs” created by radiation, some of which are gigantic and dangerous — readers with phobias of insects, especially spiders, should be aware.

• Williamson excels at representation: the disabilities of Amberley and Rick are integral to the story and empower the characters rather than being tokenistic.

• The book includes extra elements like illustrations of the planes with specs, pilot info, and log entries, which make it engaging for middle-grade readers.

• Themes include empowerment, resilience, doing the right thing even when adults don’t understand, and teamwork, alongside dystopian survival elements.

• The story lends itself well to discussion in book clubs or classrooms, covering topics such as science (insects, radiation), disability, dystopian themes, and moral lessons.

• Overall, I found it an exciting, action-packed, and thoughtfully inclusive read, and highly recommend checking it out.