The Custodians series
A middle-grade fantasy-adventure series for readers 9–13, centred on five children in Scotland drawn into a hidden network of corridors, stations and ancient responsibilities.
The series begins with a stone circle in a Scottish field and grows into a wider story about trust, belonging, courage, family, hidden histories, responsibility, and the moral choices young people make when adults have left difficult legacies behind them.
Three books, one widening world
Custodians of the Stone Circle
Book OneIntroduces five children from a Scottish setting who discover that the stories around them are true, and that they are being invited into a world of thresholds, guardians, artefacts and difficult choices.
The first book explores friendship, responsibility, listening, anti-racist thinking, belonging, and the question of how young people are trusted with knowledge that adults have tried to manage on their own.
The Custodians and the In-between Worlds
Book TwoWidens the story across Rome, the Himalayas, Oaxaca and Aotearoa / New Zealand, showing readers that the hidden network reaches across countries, cultures and histories.
Book Two focuses on patterns of power, secrecy, manipulation, hidden systems, and the difference between care and control, while still keeping friendship, family and repair at the centre of the story.
The Custodians and the Chamber of Threads
Book ThreeAsks what kind of custodians the children want to become when they can finally see the larger pattern clearly.
The third book explores extraction, fairness, consent, moral courage, shared responsibility, restitution, and the idea that children and young people can think seriously about systems, justice and representation.
Built for the upper-primary to early-secondary classroom
9–13, especially upper primary and early secondary readers.
P6–S2 for independent reading, class novel work, literature circles and transition reading.
Friendship, courage, belonging, hidden histories, anti-racism, responsibility, trust, justice, family, consent.
Rooted in Scotland, opening onto the wider world
The series is rooted in Scotland from the start, with a stone circle, a Scottish field, a recognisable school-world, and family life that gives pupils a strong local anchor before the story opens into a wider international network.
That makes the books especially useful for Scottish schools wanting stories that begin from a Scottish setting while also helping pupils think about migration, empire, belonging, global interconnection and whose stories get protected or erased.
Where the series lands across the curriculum
| Area | How the series supports it | CfE hook |
|---|---|---|
| Literacy & English | Reading for understanding, analysis and evaluation through layered narrative, atmosphere, character motivation and moral choice. | LIT 2-16a / ENG 3-19a |
| Social Studies | Inquiry into Scotland’s relationship with wider world histories — heritage, empire, extraction, museums, movement across borders. | SOC 2-01a / SOC 3-02a |
| Health & Wellbeing | Identity, belonging, friendship, courage, manipulation, speaking up, safety, fairness and respectful disagreement. | HWB 2-01a / HWB 3-02a |
| Religious & Moral Education | A Muslim family and faith-informed worldview woven into everyday life, language and ethics — trust, responsibility, prayer, the unseen. | — |
These books are written with care for Islamic teachings and boundaries, including in their treatment of the unseen. While the stories refer to djinn as part of the wider created world, they do not invite occult practice, summoning, spell-work or boundary-crossing. Instead, the series keeps a clear ethical focus on responsibility, prayer, restraint, moral choice and respectful coexistence, so adults can feel confident that these themes are handled thoughtfully and safely for young readers.
- A Scottish-rooted fantasy series with global reach.
- Centres Muslim children and families without making them a side note or stereotype.
- Supports rich classroom discussion about hidden histories, power, justice, care, consent and who gets listened to.
- A strong choice for reading for pleasure, inclusive library stock, anti-racist curriculum conversations and interdisciplinary learning.
- Class novel study in upper primary or early secondary.
- Literature circles focused on character, ethics and power.
- Cross-curricular work linking literacy, social studies, health and wellbeing, and RME.
- Book groups and library promotion for pupils who enjoy mystery, adventure and fantasy with depth.
The series is available in paperback via Ingram’s global distribution network, making it straightforward for schools and libraries to order through their usual suppliers and wholesalers.
Schools and libraries can order through their usual suppliers using the title, author name and ISBN details. Titles can be listed with a standard trade discount and marked returnable to align with common school and library purchasing requirements.
Also available to parents and carers via Amazon and other online retailers.
Ready to bring the Custodians to your pupils?
A full Curriculum for Excellence-aligned teacher’s guide is ready to use.
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