Liz Hyder has been making up stories for as long she can remember. In 2018, she won the Moniack Mhor Emerging Writer Award and the following year, Bearmouth, her debut young adult novel, won a Waterstones Children's Book Prize, the Branford Boase Award and was chosen as the Children's Book of the Year by The Times. Her debut adult book The Gifts was published in 2022 with The Illusions publishing in June of this year. She is currently working on a new young adult novel, set in Pembrokeshire. Originally from London, she has lived in Shropshire for over a decade.
'Bearmouth' by Liz Hyder
Winner of the Waterstones Children's Book Older Fiction Award 2020
Life in Bearmouth is one of hard labour, the sunlit world above the mine a distant memory. Reward will come in the next life with the benevolence of the Mayker. New accepts everything - that is, until the mysterious Devlin arrives.
Suddenly, Newt starts to look at Bearmouth with a fresh perspective, questioning the system, and setting in motion a chain of events that could destroy their entire world. In this powerful and brilliantly original debut novel, friendship creates strength, courage is hard-won and hope is the path to freedom.