Hi, I am David!
I’ve always been fascinated by the parts of history that leave us with more questions than answers.
That fascination eventually led me to the archaeological dig at Cookham Abbey, where I am now a Trustee of the Friends of Cookham Abbey and where an unexpected discovery of my own began.
I never planned to write a children’s book. Then inspired by the discoveries of the dig, I imagined a young Anglo-Saxon girl walking beside the Thames, talking to eels and possessing mysterious powers. I named her Silver Serpent and suddenly a story was waiting to be told.
Inspired by real archaeological discoveries at Cookham Abbey, I wrote Silver Serpent and the Wild Ice Child to take young readers beyond the history books and into an Anglo-Saxon world of mystery, ghosts and courage in this children's historical fantasy adventure.
About the Book
When a chronicler is mysteriously pulled into the pages of a book and transformed into a kestrel, he finds himself soaring above an Anglo-Saxon monastery more than 1,200 years ago.
Below him, an extraordinary story is unfolding.
A girl who can speak with animals. A boy raised to seek revenge. An unlikely friendship that could change everything. And, lurking amongst them, a few rather mischievous ghosts...
Inspired by real archaeological discoveries at Cookham Abbey, Silver Serpent and the Wild Ice Child is a children's historical fantasy adventure filled with mystery, friendship, humour and the supernatural — where the secrets buried beneath our feet are only the beginning.
For readers aged 8–12.
Take a Sneak Peek
I took my flute out of the pouch and started playing a joyful tune to myself, and immediately to my complete amazement, a writhing swarm of eels appeared, arranging themselves to form the words, ‘Go Heal’ in my own Anglo– Saxon language. Then they descended back into the green depths of the Thames, attempting to avoid the terrifying dangers that lurked there. I had discovered that my flute had a magical power of conversing with the eels of the River Thames. I had heard of magic but never ever believed that I could be the possessor of such powers.’
The Professor smiled. He had guessed that she had something magical about her but didn’t yet know the strength of that power.
‘I could not believe what had happened to me, and the incredible powers of my flute,’ Silver Serpent said. ‘But after some thought, I took the eels’ message to ‘Go Heal’ to mean that, throughout my life, I should always help people in need, including those in the hospice at the Abbey. It seemed that my recently found, small piece of metal, had somehow responded to the hidden magic in Swan’s Song, my flute, which I had named after the range of sounds swans and their cygnets possess. Maybe, just maybe, the runic letters actually meant Go Heal? she asked herself.
She turned to look the Professor square in the face, as if challenging him to say that he didn’t believe her.
Meet the Characters
Silver Serpent-A girl who is curious, courageous and always ready for an adventure. She can whisper to eels and hears the secrets of the Thames.
A Chronicler, transformed into a kestrel, he sees everything from above...
but can he find his way back?
