The Once and Future Boy
By Chris Soul
​
WORK IN PROGRESS WITH THE GOLDEN EGG ACADEMY, LONDON, 2020: Middle Grade/ Spooky/ Fantasy- Adventure
'King Arthur' meets 'Stranger Things'.
​
When Scott Whittaker's family move to the military air base of RAF Trevisker in Cornwall, Scott can't believe his life will get any worse. He has to make new friends again and get used to living out in the countryside as aircraft roar in the sky.
But when his father, a Squadron Leader, is declared 'missing in action' Scott vows to be brave and find him. With his plucky friends, Charvik and Briana, Scott is soon plunged into strange worlds of Arthurian myth and legend. Darkness and danger threaten them at every turn. Only by overcoming his fears and understanding what true bravery means, can Scott dispel the growing darkness and find his father at last.
​
Illustrations © Chris Soul 2020
​
​
​
​
I lived on RAF bases as child in the 1980s, in both Cornwall and Scotland. 'The Knights of Spitfire Row' is inspired by being in gangs on those air bases and exploring the wild fringes of the countryside. There is something exciting to me about writing a story set in a male dominated military community in the middle of the countryside; that conflict between the power of nature and the power of war really intrigues me. In researching, I also discovered that Trevisker Primary School was built on the remains of one of the oldest prehistoric settlements in the UK. Children really need more positive messages around mental health and I hope this story encourages children to think about inner and outer conflicts in a new way.
