Gill Arbuthnott: Children's Author

You can buy all my books on line, but why not support your local independent bookshop, if you’re lucky enough to have one, and buy them there?

Microbe Wars

Since the dawn of humanity, we have been at war with microbes that cause diseases like Black Death, malaria and Covid. Scientists and medics have fought back with antiseptics, antibiotics and immunisation. But did you know that most microbes are our friends? They feed us, keep us healthy and help us make life-saving drugs. Want to know about the wonderfully weird world of microbes? This is the book for you!

From Templar Books, written by Gill Arbuthnott and illustrated by Mariana Madriz, Microbe Wars is available now.

The Keepers’ Daughter

Nyssa is an orphan who has no memory of her family or where she came from. Her life is turned inside out when she discovers an uncle she didn’t know about, and has to flee with him from the sinister Shadowmen. Why are they hunting her? Now Nyssa must find a twin she never knew she had and unravel the mystery of the tattooed message they both carry, before the Shadowmen hunt them all down.

Available as an e-book or paperback from Amazon.

Balloon to the Moon

From Big Picture Press, lavishly illustrated by the wonderful Christopher Neilsen, this is a history of space travel, from the first time the Montgolfier brothers floated above the ground in their hot air balloon, to  the Apollo moon landings and beyond. What animals were the first to see the far side of the moon?  What is the vomit comet? Will you work in space one day? All the answers are in here!

‘Balloon to the Moon will answer all the questions any potential astronauts might pose. It covers the entire spectrum, from mankind’s first attempts to get off the ground via balloons in the 1700s to the space race as it developed in the 50s, 60s and 70s, with revealing descriptions of the personalities involved as well as the technology. It all makes for a fascinating story, and one that will appeal to readers of all kinds. Concluding with a page on space careers and the future of humankind’s exploration of our universe this is a book to inform and inspire. ‘(Andrea Reece lovereadingforkids)

‘Using words, pictures and lots of fascinating facts, author Gill Arbuthnott and illustrator Chris Nielsen bring a new generation of space fans a fascinating countdown of the technologies, innovations and stories that led humans from flying in a hot air balloon to walking on the Moon…. The book’s design and Nielson’s atmospheric illustrations reflect the vintage feel of the 1960s with their clever use of colour and texture while Arbuthnott, a former science teacher who loves combining scientific fact with wonderful anecdotes of people and places, brings life and vitality to the exciting history and innovations of space travel.’ (Lancashire Post)

A Secret Diary of the First World War

14 year old James Marchbank went to war on the Western Front in 1914 and kept a diary of his experiences there. Step into his boots and find out what the First World War was really like…

‘This is a very interesting book, aimed at youngsters. It is likely to hold their attention because of all the excellent illustrations. A very eye-opening subject – it should be read by all.’

‘Just as Peter Jackson’s film They Shall Not Grow Old breathes new life into WW1 history with its colourising of black-and-white contemporary film, A Secret Diary brings to life contemporary WW1 teenage writing for a young modern readership, and transports them to the Front Lines via the skills of the author and the illustrator : an ordinary teenage boy made quite extraordinary by his reporting of his experiences.’

Wonderful Wilderness

What is a wilderness? Why do we need to preserve it and how do we go about doing so? This book takes a look at these important questions and focuses on National Parks from Yellowstone in the US, to the Lake District in the UK and the Great Barrier Reef in Australia.

A Beginner’s Guide to Electricity and Magnetism

Almost the entire world depends on a reliable electricity source – but how often do we stop and think about what actually happens when you switch on the light, flick on the T.V or turn on your computer? This entertaining introduction to electricity and magnetism explains the history of electricity, how it gets from its original source to your plug socket and what might happen in the future. Packed full of brilliant full colour illustration, amazing photos and fascinating facts, A Beginner’s Guide to Electricity and Magnetism is the perfect first introduction to the mysterious world of electricity and magnetism.

A Beginner’s Guide to Life on Earth

What is life? What is a living thing? Discover astonishing facts about life on Earth. Find out how frogs can come back from the dead, who the cleverest non-human in the world is, and why water lilies kidnap flies…

A Beginner’s Guide to the Periodic Table

Which metal screams when you bend it? Which elements are used to make atomic bombs? Which gas will make you giggle uncontrollably? Incredible facts about the 92 most common elements that make our planet. If you thought chemistry was dull, it’s time to think again!

‘Bought this for my 8 year old son who has absolutely devoured it and memorised huge number of the facts! It is brilliantly presented without too much text on the page and with interesting facts and illustrations. We have had fun reading it together as I found it interesting too.’

‘Brilliant book for young children, great illustrations, and interesting narrative.‘

What Makes Your Body Work?

What Makes Your Body Work introduces some of the body’s major organs and systems through experiments that you can try at home. From understanding why the brain can decipher ltteers in a wrod in the wrnog oredr to measuring your own lung volume, What Makes Your Body Work is bursting full of brilliant ways to discover what makes our bodies tick. Did you know you are quite like a doughnut? That what you look at is not necessarily what you see? Open a page and find out more!

What Makes You You?

Meet DNA, the fabulous molecule that makes you you! Find out why you resemble your family, but are still unique; how DNA fingerprinting can solve crimes and cut restaurant bills. From Charles Darwin to Dolly the sheep, this is the story of genes.

‘I recommend this book from age 9 to age 11 partly because they won’t understand it any younger and i think that any older will get bored as they’re such clever clogs. It makes you keep reading as scientific terms become funny in a way you can take loads of information in. Gill Arbuthnott is an amazing writer and i hope he writes more books just like this.’ !!

‘What Makes You You?’ was shortlisted for the 2014 Royal Society’s Young People’s Book Award.

Beneath

Jess’s friend Freya is stolen by the Nykur – the Kelpies. Jess is the only one who can save her, and when she tries to do so, she meets Finn, a Nykur boy. Jess must choose between the world she’s always known, the people she’s always loved – and what lies Beneath…

Winterbringers

St Andrews, Fife, known for its glorious weather – but not this year. On summer holiday, Josh finds snow falling and the sea freezing.  Together with a local girl – Callie – he uncovers the journal of an eighteenth century girl who writes about a Kingdom of Summer. They find that a permanent winter threatens unless they can help the Winter King restore the balance of the seasons. Can they stop the Winterbringers?

‘Among the current deluge of mediocre fantasy novels for older children, a few stand out as genuinely worthwhile, and ‘Winterbringers’ is one of them. Based on an authentic account of an eighteenth-century witch trial, it involves the attempts of two modern teenagers to link with, and partially counteract, the previous witches’ attempts to increase the power of Summer in Fife – an endeavour that anybody who knows Fife can only approve of! The idea sounds wimsey, but it is well handled; the story is exciting, quite often scary, and the unnatural winter conditions are chillingly (!) evoked.’

Dark Spell

15-year-old Callie Hall has just found out she’s a witch, and things keep going wrong. Sometimes her mind seems to make things happen, things she can’t control. Her friend Josh understands she’s a bit weird, but its only on a dark and dangerous visit to the tunnels under the ruins of St Andrews’ castle that he realises just how strange she really is. Something comes back with Callie — in Callie — something she can’t escape. Can Callie control her power long enough to send back the darkness, before it takes over her life? And will Josh ever understand her secret?

‘Dark Spell’ was shortlisted for the Older Readers category in the 2014 Scottish Children’s Book Awards.

The Giant Panda Party

Sunshine, the giant panda, is grumpy. His birthday is coming and he’s sure no one will remember. But his best friend Sweetie has a plan. She sneaks around the zoo at night, asking all the other animals whether they can sing. The lion roars, the python hisses and the chimps say OO OO OOO! But which zoo animal has the best singing voice? Will grumpy Sunshine get a giant birthday surprise?

The Giant Panda Party is illustrated by Joanne Nethercott and published by Picture Kelpies.

‘The Giant Panda Party is based on the popular Edinburgh Zoo pair, Sunshine and Sweetie. In this fun story from Gill Arbuthnott and Joanne Nethercott, Sweetie organises a birthday surprise for Sunshine … It’s a lovely excuse to describe the characteristics of these animals and in particular the sounds they make.’ — Lothian Life

Lost at the Zoo

When Rory the mouse falls out of Sam’s pocket in Edinburgh Zoo, he is afraid he’ll never find Sam again. ‘Have you seen Sam?’ Rory asks, and tries to describe his owner. He tells the zebra Sam’s got sticky-out sandy hair, and gets sent to the lion! He tells the lion Sam’s got big round eyes, and gets sent to the owl! Rory meets lots of animals as he searches the enormous zoo for Sam.

Lost at the Zoo is illustrated by Joanne Nethercott and published by Picture Kelpies.

‘This charming story for very young readers is full of wonderful animal characters and beautifully illustrated by talented young artist,
Joanne Nethercott.’
— The Scots Magazine

‘Take a delightful and unusual trip around the zoo as seen by Rory, a little mouse who has lost his owner. From the anteater to the penguin, all the animals try to help Rory find his owner but Rory’s descriptions of Sam are sometimes rather confusing!’
— Julia Eccleshare, LoveReading4Kids

Short Story – Marilyn’s Hands

I was commissioned by the Edinburgh International Book Festival to be one of fifty authors to contribute to ‘Elsewhere’ – a collection of new writing on the theme of identity. It was a hugely enjoyable project to be involved in, and my story ‘Marilyn’s Hands’  is live on the New Writing website, with a podcast also available. It’s totally different to the sort of writing I normally do. My short stories usually tend to end up as novels, and this is my first published piece of adult writing. There is an anthology of all the commissioned stories, for those who like their stories in ink and paper, or you can click on the link above to read it.

Germ Wars

Not for the squeamish… All you never wanted to know about the Black Death, Smallpox and other hideous diseases. Plus how scientists and our bodies fight the never-ending battle against the germs.

 Mad Scientists

Always thought scientists were boring? Think again: most of this lot were as mad as a bag of snakes… Find out about the man who tried to eat everything, Alexis the human test tube, and the cat that’s alive and dead at the same time…

‘Mad Scientists’ was longlisted for the United Kingdom Literacy Association (UKLA) Children’s Book Award 2009 (3-11 category).

Crazy Creatures

Animals do really amazing and revolting things. Read on to find out about the lizard that shoots blood from its eyes, farting herring and the mite that dies before it’s born. Oh, and some potentially very interesting pets…

 The Chaos Clock

In Edinburgh, time is coming unstuck. Eleven year old Kate and David find themselves caught up in an age-old battle between the Guardians of Time and the Lords of Chaos, centred around the Millennium Clock in the museum. Will they help the mysterious Mr Flowerdew to keep the past at bay, or will the temptations offered by the Lords of Chaos be too strong to resist?

The Chaos Quest

Eighteen months have passed since the events of the Chaos Clock, and Kate and David find themselves dealing with the boring problems of family life. But everything is turned upside down for them again when Morgan the Hunter and the powerful Stardreamer appear in Edinburgh. The Lords of Chaos are hunting them. Can Kate and David help them fulfil their destiny before it’s too late?