Mudlarking, monsters and misfits in Becca Rogers' The Girl With Gills
About Author
Becca Rogers introduces her debut novel, The Girl with Gills, an adventure about mudlarking with community and friendship at its heart.
Becca grew up in rural Devon, an avid reader in a house full of folk music and books. After an English literature degree, she spent many years in London - a fundraising manager by day, writer by night.
Now back in Devon, Becca lives by a tidal estuary, where she likes to mudlark, with her husband, two children and her dog, Luna. The Girl with Gills is her debut novel.
Interview
July 2025
Mudlarking, monsters and misfits in Becca Rogers' The Girl With Gills (Zephyr)
Debut author Becca Rogers introduces her debut fantasy adventure, The Girl With Gills, a story about a community of mudlarkers who can breath underwater; a debt from the past that must be repaid; and fantastical creatures in the river's depths!
Becca also gives readers a Creative Challenge, to invent a character with a special feature such as the ability to breathe underwater, and we have her school visits details, below.
Review: "Full of folklore (real or imagined), history and mudlarking experiences, this book is an extraordinary debut."
Read a chapter from The Girl with Gills
Q&A with Becca Rogers
"Living near a river, I often wonder what's going on beneath the surface. I was in a writing workshop when
Effra, the girl with gills, swam into my imagination."
1. Thank you for joining us on ReadingZone! The Girl with Gills is your debut novel, so can you start by telling us a little about yourself and how you started writing for children?
Thank you for having me! My name is Becca Rogers and I'm a children's author (and committed bookworm) living in Devon. As a child, I loved being transported to other worlds with just the turn of a page; I wanted to create stories like that for young readers.
I'm already working on my next middle-grade adventure, Scamp Saltbrace and the Tidal Clock, which will be out in 2026. It features an ancient truce, a mysterious pocket watch that controls the sea and fearsome, black-fanged mermaids!
2. What is your new book, The Girl with Gills (Zephyr), about?
13-year-old Effra and younger brother, Fleet, are larkers - people with gills. They live on a houseboat and, like their mudlark ancestors, scour the river looking for treasure. However, when merciless Rivermun, a larker gone bad, threatens Fleet, Effra plunges into uncharted waters. She faces terrifying creatures and the menacing Rat Queen in search of an elusive ice pearl as she tries to settle a bloodline debt, before the tide changes forever…
3. When did you first get the idea for this book, and is the finished book very different from the initial inspiration?
Living near a river, I often wonder what's going on beneath the surface. I was in a writing workshop when Effra, the girl with gills, swam into my imagination. From the first moment, she lived on a houseboat, had gills and scoured the river looking for treasure. Many elements of the finished book have evolved over time, just like the dark and dangerous creatures Effra discovers in Deep River.
4. Are you a mudlarker, like Effra? How did Effra develop and what challenges does she face through the novel?
Like Effra, I am fascinated by mudlarking and the historical wonders held by the water, both domestic and fantastic. When I walk along the foreshore, I always keep my eyes peeled for the glint of treasure!
At the start of my story, Effra is deeply suspicious of landlubbers and struggling with grief for her grandfather - when she tries to talk about her feelings, words get stuck in her throat, like a fish on a hook. However, as she faces the Rat Queen and Rivermun, Effra challenges her preconceptions to become best friends with a landlubber called Bow. She develops the courage to be vulnerable, as well as the bravery to tackle a spine-chilling river serpent!
5. At the heart of Effra's world is this community of mudlarkers who have developed gills and so can swim underwater. How did all their beliefs and traditions evolve?
It was a pleasure to discover the larkers' world as, over many drafts, the details of their lifestyle developed. All their traditions, proverbs and beliefs flow from the river. They live in harmony with the water, so they always give before taking, and only take what they need. As Effra's grandfather, Boppa, tells her, 'Respect the river, or she won't respect you.'
6. Alongside the fantasy threads through the novel there is also a lot of real world detail, but what time have you chosen to set the story in?
The story is set in a time or place that could be now. It is peppered with details of the characters' precious mudlarking finds from all periods of history. As Effra says to the Rat Queen, 'We can learn from the people who went before us, their hopes an' dreams. We can learn about ourselves, about who we want to be.' I wanted to create a world with a focus on friendship, courage and community.
7. Is the setting, on the banks of the River Yore, based on a real place? How did you go about developing the setting?
My aim was to blend the past with the present in a world that is familiar but perhaps not exactly the same as our own. I live by a tidal estuary and am quietly obsessed by the river, which is constantly changing. The salt air, scream of gulls, shingle rolling and ever-changing tides offered constant inspiration, seeping into my story.
8. There are a number of strong women leaders within and around the community including Mother River and Rat Queen. Is it important for you that children find out about powerful women (good and bad!) in stories? Did any mythical characters help inspire them?
I have two daughters, so writing complex female characters is always a central aim. Every woman in the story holds power in different ways. Mother River, for example, is beyond time; the hours it takes for a tide to rise and fall mean nothing to her. She has a brutality to her, as the natural world does, but also a sense of fairness.
The Rat Queen has an iron will, and she is a truly formidable enemy, but beneath that runs a hint of vulnerability. Then there is Effra's guardian, Mabel, whose power is shown through her love and compassion. Though no specific mythical character inspired them, I hope they share a sense of timelessness.
9. There are also some wonderfully dark characters. What makes a great villain?
When creating a villain, I like to have a well-rounded sense of their backstory. What has turned them into the ruthless character that threatens the hero? I think a good villain has clear, resolute purpose, and is relentless in their pursuit of it. It is important for them to have eccentricity and a lack of empathy. However, a thread of humanity makes them more credible. Eventually, each character has the capacity to make choices and where a heroine chooses the light, a great villain chooses darkness.
10. Within the adventure are more serious themes of how childhoods can shape the person we become. What would you like your readers to take from these characters' stories?
Many of the characters within The Girl with Gills have experienced hardship in childhood. Effra is grief-stricken at the loss of her grandfather, her best friend, Bow, finds no understanding from her parents, and Rivermun's tragic upbringing is a central part of his backstory. However, I hope the reader will see that, no matter your start in life, people can evolve…not just to have gills (!) but to trust in others, believe in community and choose to love instead of hate.
Creative Challenge: Why don't you have a go at inventing a character with a special feature…they might have gills like Effra, or perhaps they can fly or move at incredible speeds. What does your character look like? How does it feel for them to use their skill?
What does their world look like when they are using their talent? For example, if your character has gills and they dive underwater, what would they see? What colours, smells or sights might be there? Think about what plants or animals they'll swim past.
In your story, use all your senses - this is the fun bit! - what does it feel like to fly through the air, run at supersonic speeds, or dive deep beneath the water?
School Events: I offer school visits for years 4,5 and 6. My talk includes lots of interactive creative writing elements, creating characters, settings and fantastical underwater creatures! More information and booking form can be found on my website www.beccarogersauthor.com
The Girl with Gills
