Over the past three years, I’ve been writing a book. Packkeeper.
It’s a clean adventure story for kids about dogs and wolves and the difference between the wild and the civilized, with no swearing, no abuse, no political themes whatsoever, and only moderate danger.
I’ll be releasing Packkeeper to read for free online right here on the website, as a free online book for kids.
Sign up to the email list to learn more about this process and what it means to me.
In the meantime, here’s why I wrote Packkeeper.
If you’re anything like me, you’re increasingly shocked about the content in most so-called ‘kids’ books’. It’s ridiculous and, on many levels, deeply alarming.
The vast majority of books in the kids’ sections of online stores, especially, are inappropriate in some way, shape, or form.
I don’t have any children of my own, but I know that if I did, I’d hardly know what to give them to read, especially if I wanted a clean book for kids or a wholesome kids’ adventure story.
There are a few classics – many of which I’m going to talk about as my inspiration for Packkeeper – but those are fast fading into history, with most of them becoming increasingly ‘uncool’ to read.
But that point underlies something bigger. Reading itself is more and more uncool. We live in the age of doomscrolling, a completely understandable yet utterly heartbreaking phenomenon affecting all levels of society.
And I can’t help but think that, surely, if we’re going to lose ourselves in something, it might as well at least exercise our brains on some level, and provide some kind of moral lesson – a clean adventure book for kids.
I’ve read The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings. I’ve read the entire Redwall series. I loved Enid Blyton’s books and The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis. I very much enjoyed Eragon and How to Train Your Dragon. Harry Potter is, of course, a modern classic, as is Percy Jackson.
But those kinds of stories seem further and further away from the norm.
I’m not too sure why.
Perhaps authors and publishers have to go more and more extreme in order to feel noticed.
The irony being, to me, that the fundamental point of an adventure story for kids has been lost.
So, while I could never hope to replicate the skill of those authors who wrote those books I just mentioned, I thought I’d at least make up a story of my own to get lost in. In other words, I wrote the sort of clean book for kids that I’d want to find myself.
Packkeeper is a story for kids – sure. But I hope that, no matter how old you are, you enjoy it just as much.
I love any kids’ adventure story with dogs or wolves in it – but there’s a catch.
What happens to the dog?
Does the dog – die?
(In Packkeeper, no – absolutely not! All animals are fine!)
See, that always terrified me about reading an adventure story with a dog in it when I was younger. And so, I basically never read any.
I recently picked up White Fang. It’s a fantastic story from a supremely skilled writer. And even that, despite being often treated as a children’s or young readers’ classic, involves both dog and human death.
Perhaps we’re softer these days than we used to be. And perhaps the line between adult, teen, and kid fiction has become more defined over the last few decades.
But still, I can’t cope with anything bad happening to the dog. So I wrote my own gentle dog adventure story for kids, where you can trust that everything and everyone ends up okay, despite all the dangers.
Packkeeper isn’t an autobiography (you’ll be very glad to hear).
It’s in no way based on real life, or even real countries or time periods. (Oh, right, and any relation to people or events is purely coincidental, etc. etc.!)
However – and this is a big however, for me – Packkeeper contains no magic. No sorcery. No multiverses, time travelling, or lightsabers (as much as I would love that). Nobody has the Force, nobody has a magic wand, nobody has The Voice, and nobody has superpowers.
It’s a story about real people with real objectives, good and bad – and how those play out.
And although it isn’t based on real life, I’ve had a lot to do with dogs over the past few years.
My wife has a bit of a magic touch when it comes to dogs and all animals, which is where the themes of gentle training yet firm authority make their way into the book. My brother-in-law and sister-in-law are vets. My mum and sister are part of a dog walking group. And we live on a farm, so yep – animals.
Our own dog is a rebellious Cane Corso who drives us up the wall most of the time, but who snaps to attention when it matters most and wants to climb into bed when there’s a thunderstorm – she provides the inspiration for a minor character in Packkeeper.
I wanted this dog and wolf adventure story for kids to feel grounded. It’s an adventure and it’s entirely made up. But – I hope – it feels like it could be real.
Real-world politics has no place in Packkeeper. This is, pure and simple, a storybook.
It’s not a commentary on the state of the world or a political satire or a vehicle for a deeply personal vendetta.
But there are, of course, morals – morals that both the characters and the readers learn. The primary lesson of Packkeeper is to make someone stop and think.
What makes someone trustworthy in my life? Is it because I’m comfortable? Is it because I’m happy? Is it because I get what I want?
Or do those things actually mask a more complex relationship?
What if kindness can be cruel? What if strength first requires weakness? What if leadership requires meekness and humility?
Those are all scriptural principles and things that we could all do with applying in our lives. And they’re what the characters of Packkeeper will learn (or fail to learn) as this family-friendly adventure story for kids progresses.
I had a standard childhood, and while my parents encouraged me to get outside as much as possible (we were privileged enough to have access to grass in both the front and the back of the house, as well as multiple local parks and green spaces) – I was very much an indoor kid. I loved LEGO, and later TV and video games.
Now, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with being inside. It certainly has its time and its place.
But what I want to highlight with Packkeeper is the excitement of the outdoors, of beginning to come to understand the creatures on God’s Earth, and of the adventures we can still have, even in this modern era where it feels like everything has already been mapped, analysed, written about, and had the book closed on it.
Get outside. Pick up a stick. Climb a tree. Learn to fish or fire a bow and arrow. That’s just another reason why I wanted to write an outdoor adventure book for kids.
In my regular career as a writer for websites, I stand by one key principle: all writing is, is understanding your reader.
When an adult reads a story to a child, there’s a certain craft in how the details are woven together to form something engaging.
But far more than that, there’s also the skill of that adult in creating an exciting and entrancing atmosphere as they read.
I’ve heard engaging speakers turn the dullest of books into a gripping mystery that I couldn’t wait to hear the end of. And I’ve heard bored, uninterested, mind-elsewhere readers take the best writing in the world and put people to sleep.
Everyone has the capacity to develop that voice that keeps a reader engaged. I suppose I hope that, on some level, this book encourages kids all around the world to not have to rely on big publishers or contracts or lots of money to write their own adventure stories.
Sit down, pick up a pen, and see where the page takes you.
In the final scene of the 2014 film Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb, Robin Williams tells Ben Stiller, “It’s time for your next adventure.”
“I have no idea what I’m going to do tomorrow,” comes the reply.
“How exciting!”
That response encapsulates both how I try to write and how I try to live.
This is my first full-length novel. It’s not long. Tolkien would laugh at me, in actual fact, in terms of length.
However, it’s as long as it needs to be. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it.
Writing a clean adventure story for kids helps open your mind to ideas in ways that modern media ironically takes away.
How can I develop this character without turning them into something inappropriate or overly scary or unrelatable? How can I present danger and threat without anything too serious happening?
It’s good for my brain too.
And beyond that, I think there’s real value in family-friendly books for kids that still have tension, stakes, and excitement. A story doesn’t have to be crude, cynical, or extreme to be memorable.
And I hope that’s what this is for you.
One of my main concerns in writing an adventure book for kids without swearing was maintaining creative control.
I was worried that a publisher would try to force me to change certain things, add certain events, or bring in mature themes disguised in overly subtle ways.
Maybe that wouldn’t have happened with the right publisher, but I didn’t want to take the risk.
That’s why I’m self-publishing Packkeeper. It’s an awful lot of effort, and I’m learning about things I never even imagined existed.
But I feel it’s worth it to be able to keep control of the overall end goal: a family-friendly adventure novel that both kids and adults can enjoy.
Any modern definition of success is almost always about money. Or possibly fame (‘how many copies did you sell?’).
I’m not going to lie – I do need to sell copies of Packkeeper if I’m to make it worth all the time, effort, and investment I put into it.
But I don’t need to get rich. That’s not my objective here. My goal is to create a wholesome kids’ adventure book about dogs and wolves that young readers (especially) will enjoy. And hopefully you, as their parent or guardian, will too.
That’s why Packkeeper will be as reasonably priced as I can manage, with different purchase options across various platforms. And it’s also why I’ll be releasing Packkeeper as a free kids’ book online.
Packkeeper is still in production. I’m still editing some final drafts, and we’re still working on building up our audience and finishing all the illustrations and concept art.
But I’m really excited you’re here. I’ve spent three years working on this story. In summer 2026, I’m planning to release Packkeeper right here on the website.
If you’re looking for a free online adventure book for kids, navigate to this page to read Packkeeper online.
It’ll be completely free, with chapters released every week throughout the rest of the season. And if you want to purchase a hard copy or an eBook, you can get those too.
In the meantime, please don’t hesitate to sign up for the email list and join the pack! I’ll never spam you, but I’d love to let you know a little more about the lore of this world and when those free chapters are released.
See you there!