Last Lantern on the Crouch by Hari Vasireddy is shortlisted for the 2026 Author of Tomorrow Award, 11 & Under Category. 

About Last Lantern on the Crouch:

Inspired by family memories of the River Crouch and the Great Flood of 1953, this story follows young Raymond as Burnham-On-Crouch is swallowed by storm, darkness and floodwater. In the freezing church hall, fear spreads as families are left stranded along the coast and rescue boats lose their guiding light. Carrying the last lantern towards the river, Raymond must find the courage to help others through the blackness. Can one small light keep hope alive?

An interview with Hari: 

WNSF: What is your favourite book? 

Hari: My favourite book is Lord of the Flies by William Golding.I love how the island is described so beautifully, even though everything happening on it becomes darker and darker. The idea that children, not adults, could show the breakdown of society really stayed with me (although it did make me slightly suspicious of school trips!).

WNSF: Who is your favourite author? Or one who has inspired you and why? 

Hari: My favourite author is Michael Morpurgo. I admire the way he writes historical fiction with so much emotion, especially when he writes about sadness, courage and loss. His books inspired me to write my own historical adventure story about the Great Flood of 1953, when a storm surge devastated parts of the East of England, including coastal communities near my own town of Burnham On Crouch.

WNSF: What is your favourite subject at school? 

Hari: My favourite subjects are probably Maths and Science - especially Physics because I like puzzles, patterns and impossible-sounding questions. I also love Art and creative writing, because they let me use a different kind of imagination: instead of solving a problem, I get to invent characters, worlds and stories.

WNSF: What does ‘adventure writing’ mean to you? Why did you choose to try your hand at an adventure story? 

Hari: For me, adventure writing is about danger, discovery and courage. I chose to write an adventure story because I wanted to explore what happens when normal life suddenly becomes frightening and unpredictable. In my story, the adventure is not about looking for danger, it is about danger arriving, and the characters having to find their courage.

WNSF: If you could ask an author anything, what would you want to know? 

Hari: I listen to the Just William stories as audiobooks almost every night, and I love how William’s ideas always seem perfectly reasonable to him - until the rest of the world gets involved… If I had the chance, I would ask Richmal Crompton whether she planned William’s scrapes in advance, or whether she simply let him loose on the page and allowed chaos to follow.

WNSF: Who would you consider one of your heroes and why? 

Hari: One of my heroes is from the world of chess: Mikhail Tal, the ‘Magician from Riga’. I admire him because his play was always full of imagination, courage and surprise. He had the skill to turn a quiet position into something dramatic, which is also what I love in stories - the moment when everything suddenly changes and you have no idea what will happen next.

WNSF: What is the most adventurous thing you would like to do, or place you would like to visit and why? 

Hari: I would love to visit Japan because it feels like a place where the modern world and ancient stories exist side by side. I am fascinated by manga and anime, but I would also like to see the temples, landscapes and traditions that inspire so much Japanese storytelling. It would be an adventure because I would not just be visiting a place, I would be exploring a whole different imagination.

WNSF: Where do you find inspiration for your stories? 

Hari: My inspiration usually comes from history, books and human emotions. I like stories where characters are tested, not only by danger, but by fear, grief, loyalty or difficult decisions. Even in an adventure story, I think the most important journey is often the one happening inside the character.

WNSF: If you could time travel, where would you go and why? 

Hari: If I could time-travel, I would go a few centuries into the future to see how far humanity has travelled, but also whether people are still brave, kind, lonely, frightened and hopeful when they get there. I love space stories like Interstellar, The Martian and Project Hail Mary, where characters face impossible science and danger, but the most powerful part is still the raw human emotion at the centre of it all. Space seems like the biggest adventure possible, because it is not just about discovering new worlds, it is about discovering what people are really made of.

WNSF: What three words would you use to describe your story? 

Hari: Atmospheric. Perilous. Hopeful.

WNSF: Congratulations on your brilliant story, and good luck for the next stage of the competition!