Tilda Evergreen, a young mouse in a blue coat, stands in a snowy fir forest at night with two companions.

A novel of the Island of Starthling

Runaway

by A. L. Newby

Tilda Evergreen is going to save her Father and bring him home. It doesn't matter that she's heading straight into the wolf king's lair. She'll be fine.

Out September 17, 2026

A broken island. A missing father. One very stubborn mouse.

Starthling was once a united island of creatures under the rule of the Good King. Now it is nothing more than a broken land of Darkness and fear. Only the bravest dare to fight back against the evil wolf king, and only the strongest have a chance of surviving. The Evergreen family suddenly find themselves smack in the middle of the danger, whether they want it or not. They will face their fair share of trials, but little do they know that many of them will come from within.

Tilda Evergreen is going to save her Father and bring him home. It doesn't really matter that she might be heading straight into an evil wolf king's lair, or that said wolf king might just maybe have magical powers and hundreds of scary creatures at his beck and call. She'll be fine. Tilda Evergreen is perfectly capable of rescuing her Father by herself, thank you very much. Accepting someone's charity? That's what an amateur would do. And Tilda Evergreen is definitely not an amateur.

For readers
8 to 12
Length
134 pages
Format
Paperback
Publisher
Society of Young Inklings

Explore the island

Tap a marker to read about that place.

A hand-drawn map of the Island of Starthling, with forests, mountains, fortresses, and villages.
Illustration of A. L. Newby laughing in a mountain meadow, holding a small white flower.

About the author

A. L. Newby is a young writer who lives in Raleigh, North Carolina with her family and seven chickens who rule in a castle of their own. When she's not writing she enjoys biking, playing tennis, and reading. She has always loved fictional stories and spends an unusual amount of time with her nose in a book, daydreaming about stepping into wardrobes, losing glass slippers, and flying on the back of a dragon.

She also wastes her time rubbing potential genie lamps when no one is looking. She loves writing in coffee shops while sipping chai lattes. This is her first book.

Letters from Starthling

News from the island: signings, readings, and whatever Tilda does next. A few emails a year, nothing more.