Six teenagers. An empty shopping centre. No Wi-Fi. And … a baby? Acclaimed author Tegan Bennett Daylight’s first novel for young adults reconceives Lord of the Flies for Gen Z.

A group of teenagers alone in an empty shopping center, with everything they could possibly want ... and a baby?

With no phones, no internet and no way out, Shannon and five other trapped teens are completely disconnected from the outside world ... and their online lives. It’s hard to say whether they’ll be driven to delinquency, or—even worse—forced to make friends irl. Will the limitless bubble tea, Maccas and new sneakers be enough to keep the six teens satisfied until they can find a way out, or is this the start of something much more sinister?

In Royals, her new novel for young people, acclaimed author Tegan Bennett Daylight upends Lord of the Flies to find out what really happens when there are no adults in the room.

Praise for Royals

‘A real page-turner of a book, full of vivid characters, intrigue and genuine warmth. The setting is so realistically unsettling, and the teenagers so likeable, that I was hooked from the beginning.’ Alice Pung, author of One Hundred Days and Laurinda

‘If Stephen King did The Breakfast Club it might turn out a bit like Royals ... A page-turning romp with a serious message at its core’ Kate Emery, author of The Not-So-Chosen One

‘This glorious fever dream of a novel explores the limits of consumerism alongside the possibilities of human connection, all the while keeping readers on the edge of their seats.’ Erin Gough, author of Amelia Westlake Was Never Here