AF Steadman: ‘Kids don’t want to be on their phones. They want books and deadly unicorns’

Considering that AF Steadman’s Skandar series follows the story of a 13-year-old unicorn rider called Skandar, it’s a surprise when we sit down and one of the first things she tells me is: “I have never liked unicorns very much.”  

What intrigued her about them, and what led her to write the series that’s led to her triumphing in the Author of the Year category at this year’s British Book Awards, which had Big Issue as a media partner, is their fluffy, pink-horned image. It’s one, she says, that is completely at odds with the mythical creature that’s existed in folklore for hundreds, if not thousands, of years.  

“This creature has morphed through time,” she says. If the myths are to be believed, unicorns are scary, blood-thirsty animals and this is the terrifying picture Steadman chose to focus on.

“A lot of children love that because I think they sometimes feel like they’re too old for the fluffy unicorn pencil cases and the horned headbands. So this is the next level unicorn for them,” she says. “It’s always been really important to me that the books feel like it could happen tomorrow that we find out unicorns are real and deadly. I loved that feeling as a child: half pretending and half knowing, half not knowing.”  

It’s this that gives her books a truly escapist feeling, and that’s something the children she has met though various Skandar events are seeking through her writing. 

“I certainly have noticed going into schools how much pressure they’re under for exams and, in general, they’re so worried about getting things wrong. Whereas, in this fantasy book world, the main character gets things wrong. Skandar is not very heroic at the beginning and he needs a lot of help. And I think seeing that really helps them to escape into the world and put their own life in perspective just a little bit.” 

But the main thing they’re escaping from? That’s the internet, and books can play a vital role in this, Steadman says. “The world is very scary at the moment. But with a book, you can sit down and know that this is about unicorns; that’s what you’re getting and you know where you are. It’s a way to connect with a story in a controlled setting, which we can’t have online. You can open a book, then if it’s scary or too much, you can close the book. Whereas, online it’s much harder to turn it off.” 

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And they do want to turn it off, with Steadman saying she has spoken with plenty of young fans who want to reduce their screentime. “They don’t want to be on their phones,” she says, “But they don’t know how to stop. They need something that’s going to distract them from it. A lot of children say to me that they like when new Skandar books come out because it means that they have something to do that isn’t on their phone.” 

As well as reducing screentime, Steadman knows just how impactful reading can be for children.  

“The books I read between the ages of 11 and 13 laid the foundations of who I became later. Children’s books teach you how to belong in the world, in the real world, even when they’re set in fantasy lands. They’re very good at presenting real-world problems in a way that hides it underneath the excitement, so you’re still engaged. The overarching message is that kindness is a power. Being kind to each other can change things.” 

So underneath the epic fantasy, the blood-thirsty unicorns and the faces that are so mutated they’re left no more than half a face and half a skull (which is a description she herself relays to me), children are left ‘really resonating’ with the storylines.  

“The thing fans always come back to is, ‘I saw myself in one of these characters and I saw the things that I was going through with my friends, or with my family.’ For a lot of them, they’re just going into secondary school and are desperately trying to work out where they fit with everyone,” she says. “So a lot of the messages I want to share are about finding where you belong, and finding people that accept who you are, because that is the most important thing to find out and the bravest thing to claim. That really resonated with a lot of readers, which is lovely to see – and they love the unicorns too, of course.” 

The unicorns do play an important part – and it’s not just about action, drama or scare-factor. It’s about fostering imagination and creativity, which are just two skills that The Book Trust say are significantly boosted by reading. Empathy, attention span and problem solving are more. So, the consensus is that reading is pretty important.

“Reading for pleasure is one of the biggest indicators for future success,” Steadman echoes. “It’s so important and it’s not always prioritised over other things. But if you can get kids reading, then it’s incredible. I’ve seen it happen to children in real time over the many years that I’ve been traveling around with Skandar. I’ve seen a child who doesn’t like books become a child that likes books, and then they get better at everything; they get good grades, and they’re happier. It’s awesome.”  

It takes input from parents too, though. “As adults, we have to model reading to children. It is the best way to get children excited about books,” Steadman says, adding that she’s already reading to her three-month-old son and seeing his enjoyment in it.  

“Especially if you’re reading the same thing as them, it creates a sense of community, whether you’re their parent, teacher or their grandma.  We read together and can chat about it, asking, ‘who’s your favourite character? What do you think’s gonna happen next?’ Then kids are really engaging with the content and learning from it all.”

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