James Dixon on Crow Children and the best books for early teens

We’re delighted to sit down with James Dixon, author of Crow Children, for a Q&A about his moving and atmospheric debut for early teen readers. Blending themes of grief, memory, and the mysteries of the natural world, the novel follows Ava as she navigates loss, friendship, and the uncanny pull of the crows—creatures that carry both wonder and danger. Here, James shares the personal inspirations behind Ava’s story, the surprising intelligence of crows, and his hopes for how young readers might find magic, meaning, and courage in the pages of Crow Children.

What inspired you to write Crow Children?

Crow Children is a deeply personal novel for me. In its first form, it was simply about a girl learning to speak to crows – in fact, my original manuscript was entitled The girl who spoke to the birds. It was all inspired by an article a friend of mine sent me a few years ago about a woman in the US who could speak to crows – understand them in part, have them understand her. However, as I wrote, elements of my own life began to creep in, then began to take over the narrative as a whole. In particular, my Nan, who died about a year and a half before Crow Children was published, was suffering with Alzheimer’s. She was losing herself and her stories, just like Ava’s Nana. She went into it, full bodied and whole, and I took the opportunity enjoyed by writers of all stripes to shape the world a little, to give her some measure of peace before death, if only in an imagined narrative.

What research did you do for the book and did you learn anything that surprised you?

A lot of personal feeling went into this book, as we have seen. However, I did get into the world of crows for some time, researching them, and finding them to be singular and a little bit wonderful. They are amongst the most intelligent birds on Earth – among the most intelligent animals, actually. They use tools, recognise human faces, and even hold funerals of sorts for their dead. Social, adaptable, and deeply curious, they have made their homes in both urban and wild settings. Mythically, they have long been messengers, which is in large part how I used them in Crow Children – they bring memory, change, messages, and influence the fates themselves.

What do you hope young readers will take away from the story and how it unfolds?

I hope they come away with a sense that magic might lurk and linger in forgotten places, and that often it’s up to us to find or create it, to breathe new life into it, and that grief and courage often walk hand in hand. I would also like to think that stories like Crow Children show young readers that as human beings our voices and stories matter greatly – perhaps more than anything else.

In what ways would you say the book reflects our relationship with the natural world?

Crow Children is rooted in the idea that nature remembers. It holds us, remembers us, and reflects us back at ourselves. The land, the trees, and of course the birds – they are not just backdrops. They are characters themselves, shaped by memory, alive and living more profoundly through our gaze, through our experiences with them. We shape the wild places and, in turn, they have always shaped us.

Can you tell us anything about what the future holds for Ava?

No. It is all there in the novel – or as much as I want to say, at least. She learns what she needs to learn within the narrative, becomes a little wiser, a little calmer, a little more open. The rest is up to her.

Why did you choose to write books for this age group?

Funnily enough, this book was originally aimed at a middle grade audience. However, when my publisher read an early iteration of the work, she thought it better for an adult audience. We kind of compromised – if I could make it work as a YA book, she said, she would publish it. We both set to work and Crow Children took shape.

Do you have a favourite place to write?

I’m a coffee shop writer through and through. Writing is a solitary pursuit. For those of us who do it full time, it can sometimes be very solitary. Getting out into the world is therefore very important, and the hum of life around me in a coffee shop, the people, the music, all go into my work and keep me grounded. Also, as with many writers, I’m usually pretty well fuelled by coffee, so a ready supply is always welcome.

Which other recent novels for early teens would you recommend our subscribers read next?

Honestly, I always advise readers – young and old alike – to get into David Almond. He writes with a lyrical depth and emotional clarity that I try to replicate in my own work; he also trusts young readers with big questions – grief, wonder, belief – and never talks down, which is vital for creating good, authentic narrative prose. The Colour of the Sun, Heaven Eyes, and Bone Music are particularly good.

Copies of our Crow Children pack, including a copy of the book and loads of fun activities to go with it, are now available for individual purchase. Grab a copy while stocks last!

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