'Utterly fabulous'
ALEXANDER ARMSTRONG
'Shadow Thieves is the real thing'
MICHAEL GRANT
'A thrilling read!'
JONATHAN STROUD
‘Gripping, exciting and cinematic’
PHILIPPA LEATHLEY
'Sublime world building, edge-of-your-seat action, twists galore’
MEL TAYLOR-BESSENT

Available to Pre-Order Now

5 June 2025
SKANDAR MEETS OLIVER TWIST IN THIS BLOCKBUSTING NEW MIDDLE GRADE ADVENTURE SERIES – PERFECT FOR FANS OF PERCY JACKSON!

‘Dark, daring and delightful, Shadow Thieves is packed with spectacular heists, stylish cons and breathtaking set-pieces. This unputdownable new fantasy is conjured with immense imagination and verve. A brilliant achievement and a thrilling read!’ JONATHAN STROUD

‘I have never been as quickly hooked by a book. Debut author? And it’s this good? Shadow Thieves is the real thing.’ MICHAEL GRANT

‘Utterly fabulous . . . engrossing and charmingly done.’ ALEXANDER ARMSTRONG

Shadow Thieves is a thrilling debut full of intrigue, mystery and heart-stopping adventure. Every twist and turn had me eagerly turning the page to find out what would happen next. A rollercoaster ride from start to finish.’ ANN SEI LIN

‘Deeply atmospheric, Shadow Thieves sweeps you along from one daring escapade to the next. Set in an alternate-history vision of London, I loved the rich, immersive world-building and can’t wait to read more!’ JACK JACKMAN

Shadow Thieves is criminally good. It’s edge-of-your-seat exciting and oh-so stylishly written. Peter Burns is a talent to watch.’ ALEX ATKINSON

‘Gripping, exciting and cinematic, it’s definitely not one to miss!’ PHILIPPA LEATHLEY

‘Sublime world building, edge-of-your-seat action, sky-high stakes, twists galore!’ MEL TAYLOR-BESSENT

Thirteen-year-old Tom Morgan and his friends live on the streets of an alternate London, shining shoes and picking pockets – until one day Tom’s friends are caught and sent to a brutal workhouse.

Frantic and without a way to save them, Tom bumps into the mysterious Corsair, who offers him an opportunity to train at an elite international boarding school for thieves. Seeing a glimmer of hope, Tom lets himself be whisked away to the snowy Alps in a zeppelin. Swept into a thrilling world of danger and intrigue, the more secrets he learns about the Shadow League, the harder it becomes for Tom to leave. But there are dark forces at work and real danger is coming…

Can Tom save his fellow pupils from disaster – and ever be able to get home again to rescue his friends?

Get ready for the stunning debut in what is guaranteed to become every reader’s favourite new series! Heart-pounding adventure, thrilling heists, remote boarding schools full of ancient secrets waiting to be discovered and much, much more . . .

Out 5th June 2025, published by Farshore (HarperCollins)

School for Thieves by Peter Burns
SHADOW THIEVES TO BE PUBLISHED IN THE USA

Exciting news! Shadow Thieves will be published in the USA by Simon & Schuster, where it will be retitled School for Thieves.

This hardcover features vibrant sprayed edges while the special edition supply lasts. For the first printing only!

Out 26th August 2025, published by Aladdin (Simon & Schuster)

READER REVIEWS

Age 12
'One of my favourite reads of all time'
Age 14
'Reading this book helped me to escape the real world and enter into a world full of imagination'
Giota A.
'Grabs you from the very first page and doesn’t let go until long after the final chapter.'
Nicola W.
'Wow. This book absolutely blew me away!'
Erin H.
'I could not, at any point, put this down.'

Join Peter's mailing list

for exclusive content, exciting updates and the latest news from the Shadow League