The Forest of Forgotten Footsteps

Kids’ Stories Book

By: Ayokunle Mathew Akinbi

Narrated by: Rosie Wagner

Some secrets are meant to be found. Others are meant to be followed. When twelve-year-old Oliver discovers an ancient map hidden beneath the floorboards of his dusty attic, he doesn’t just find a piece of paper, he finds a doorway. The map doesn’t smell of old ink it smells of coming storms and crushed ferns, and it leads straight to a place the world has worked hard to forget.

Step into the Forest of Forgotten Footsteps, a living, breathing labyrinth where the trees have ears, the shadows have minds of their own, and the very ground remembers every step ever taken. Accompanied by Ethan, a boy who must walk backward to keep his future from being stolen, and Mara, a girl whose heart is a ticking compass, Oliver must navigate a world of Whispering Creeks that babble the secrets of the past. Silver Birch Groves that echo the laughter of lost playgrounds.

Starlight Paths that only appear when the sun hits its highest peak. But the deeper Oliver ventures, the more the forest hungers. In this woods, you don't just lose your way, you lose your name, your memories, and the very footsteps that lead you home. To escape, Oliver must face the mysterious Gatekeeper and decide what he is willing to leave behind to reclaim who he truly is.

A mesmerizing middle-grade fantasy filled with rich sensory wonder, "The Forest of Forgotten Footsteps" is a hauntingly beautiful reminder that while we may lose our way, our stories are never truly forgotten.

©2026 Ayokunle Mathew Akinbi (P)2026 Ayokunle Mathew Akinbi