13-year-old Tom Morgan and his friends live on the streets of an alternate London, shining shoes and picking pockets – until one day Tom’s friends are caught and sent to a brutal workhouse.

Frantic and without a way to save them, Tom bumps into the mysterious Corsair, who offers him an opportunity to train at an elite international boarding school for thieves. Seeing a glimmer of hope, Tom lets himself be whisked away to the snowy Alps in a zeppelin. Swept into a thrilling world of danger and intrigue, the more secrets he learns about the Shadow League, the harder it becomes for Tom to leave. But there are dark forces at work and real danger is coming…

Can Tom save his fellow pupils from disaster – and ever be able to get home again to rescue his friends?

Peter Burns is the author of ten critically acclaimed non-fiction sports books and has been nominated for numerous awards, including twice for the prestigious William Hill Sports Book of the Year. The truth, however, is that he’s always wanted to write children’s books, so Shadow Thieves is a dream come true. Peter studied English at the University of St Andrews before gaining a Masters in publishing at Napier University. He lives in Edinburgh with his wife, four kids and a slightly nervous cocker spaniel.

The activity pack includes stickers, book club-style questions to ponder and a welcome note from Peter Burns. There's an animal origami craft project to enjoy and a logic puzzle to solve, alongside jokes and further reading recommendations.

Activity packs are a handy A5 size and printed on uncoated paper which is fully recyclable.

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Our packs are wrapped in a simple paper sleeve and sent out in a cardboard book wrap – we would be so grateful if you could recycle both.

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We are a monthly book subscription by post for children aged 5 to 14, focused on helping families discover new and different chapter books.

This title was sent to subscribers in the Macaw reading group, aged roughly 12 to 14, who need books that feel grown-up but aren’t quite ready for all young adult books.