The playwright, teacher and debut author picks books that feature a hero, putting courageous acts front and centre.
The City of Ghosts by VE Schwab
Sure, Cassidy Blake is the main hero of this book, the first in the series, but Jacob, her ghostly friend, plays a heroic role. And it’s set in my adopted home town of Edinburgh and those really are the ghost stories that are told in these parts.
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Wild Song by Janis Mackay
This uplifting story explores anger, fear and the healing power of nature with the protagonist Niilo. You might argue that Hannu is the hero of this book – or maybe it’s the Finnish landscape?
Watership Down by Richard Adams
Not a Scot this time but, like me, Adams spent time in Antarctica and Watership Down started off as a story for his daughters. In this (my daughter’s favourite story) Hazel is the main character but it’s Fiver who saves the group, time and again, showing heroic courage in the face of terrible danger.
Holes by Louis Sachar
One of my favourite books. Stanley is sent to do hard labour for a crime he didn’t commit. However, it’s one of the secondary characters, a boy everyone else thinks is worthless, who shows the most heroism.
