An inspiring tale from Michael Morpurgo and Michael Foreman celebrating the world’s most iconic train, Flying Scotsman, and its greatest fan, a young girl named Iris

A Financial Times Book of the Year 2022

An inspiring tale from Michael Morpurgo and Michael Foreman celebrating the world’s most iconic train, Flying Scotsman, and its greatest fan, a young girl named Iris.

Iris knows everything there is to know about Flying Scotsman. Her dad is the famous train’s driver, and every year her favourite birthday treat is a trip to see him at work. But each time Flying Scotsman pulls away, Iris wishes more than anything that she could be in the driver’s cab, just like her dad. Then again, who’s to stop her…

Published in association with the National Railway Museum, York, Flying Scotsman and the Best Birthday Ever takes readers on a journey through the golden age of steam travel, paying tribute to the women who kept the railways running during the Second World War. With family at its heart, the story is warmly written and joyously illustrated by national treasures Michael Morpurgo and Michael Foreman.