Bearmouth: WINNER OF WATERSTONES CHILDREN'S BOOK PRIZE 2020 OLDER READERS CATEGORY

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Because of the way that it was written and the fact that there is a unreliable narrator, I felt that it wasn’t very deep of a novel. I couldn’t really see the each of the characters for who there were properly or follow the events of the plot as well as I would have liked. The language used in this book is all pretty simply as well and if not for the occasional event that can be considered somewhat dark, like death, it almost felt like a middle-grade novel, solely from the way that it was written. I loved The Animals of Farthing Wood by Colin Dann. Roald Dahl, obviously, and CS Lewis. Maybe I should confess this – I never got the religious stuff in Narnia at all until I was much older. My favourite Narnia book is The Magician’s Nephew, like all right-thinking people. The Dark Is Rising by Susan Cooper… It’s not a very diverse list: I just read whatever was in the library or at home. Liz Hyder sold the film rights to her YA debut, Bearmouth, a dystopian thriller about child miners fighting injustice, before it had arrived in the bookshops. In The Gifts, a Victorian novel for adults, four feisty women struggle against the constraints of a patriarchal society. When two of them grow wings, they are exploited by a ruthless surgeon, Edward Meake, who believes he is serving science and God’s purpose. 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 an age defined by men, it will take something extraordinary to show four women who they truly are….

Sarah Odedina said: “What marks Liz out for me is her courage and originality and her faultless ability to create a story that holds the reader’s attention by its sheer power. As an editor there cannot be many higher accolades than to be on the Branford Boase Award shortlist. To win the award in partnership with an author confirms that this task of bringing stories to young readers is a work of collaboration and one that is most successful when author and editor listen to one another and enjoy the process of creating a novel.” Bearmouth". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. In September 1841, Jesuit priest Pierre Jean De Smet, traveled westward through this area on his way from St. Louis, to establish a mission for the Flathead Indians in the Bitterroot Valley. The book is well paced with short chapters and is written from five different points of view - four women and one man who is a doctor with very high and dangerous aspirations. These five people have their paths all intertwine as you delve deeper into their stories as these women grow and spread their wings - literally! Reading all about these strong, intelligent women battling against the patriarchy and societal pressures that were part of Victorian life was so thrilling and empowering!Sadly I was unable to finish this book. The harrowing and graphic torture and killing of the dog by the surgeon about 10% of the way into the book was way too much for me. It turned my stomach and made me very upset. I don't know what else is in the book but that requires a Content Warning. It is a thing I can't stand and something I avoid in books and movies. It makes me hugely distressed. I can't imagine what that level of distressing detail could possibly add to the story. You could easily show he was an evil man without the detail. Alice: Edward’s wife and hobby painter, Alice knows Edward is up to something, but can’t get him to reveal more. Hyder has said the novel grew out of her research into the exploitation of children in Victorian mines, and there is certainly a harrowing, gritty realism in the descriptions of Bearmouth. Yet she has gone far beyond her sources, creating a mythic tale with the feel of a fable, one in which the young and vulnerable take on the powerful and mighty.

Julia Eccleshare said: “The Branford Boase Award is now in its 21 st year, and it has really come of age. Each year we look for exceptional books, stories we haven’t read before, told in new and original ways. Both Bearmouth and The Space We’re In do this, and both Liz and Katya have extraordinarily memorable voices even amongst a shortlist of such exciting debut authors. We all agreed that Bearmouth is the outstanding novel on the list, a hugely brave and impressive piece of writing, testament to the skill of both author and editor in successfully creating such characters and such a narrative. It’s a book that sends shivers down the spine, truly astounding. As always, we can’t wait to read what the shortlisted authors will write next.” Liz has written this piece for Teen Librarian, about the importance of rebellion and asking questions Set in 1840 England and narrated from five different points of view The Gifts is a slow-burn gothic tale of a doctor's obsession with the women with wings. I loved that book fell into many categories such as historical fiction, fantasy, magical realism and a touch of mystery.

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Although I loved this novel, I did find the narrative a bit fragmented due to the frequent point of view shifts. Yet after a while I became used to this rhythm of movement. Buy from our bookstore and 25% of the cover price will be given to a school of your choice to buy more books. *15% of eBooks. Home > Armistice Day: A Collection of Remembrance - Spark Interest and Educate Children about Historical Moments I enjoyed seeing the scenes from five different points of view, four of which were women. The third person narration ensures that the proceeding is somewhat easy. However, five perspectives automatically means plenty of characters and, as the story progresses, plenty of interconnections as well. It takes some time to remember who is who. Moreover, the switch in character perspectives sometimes happens too often. Though this isn’t too confusing because of the third person, it takes some time to get attuned to. A very well fleshed out story with a great setting and system. Really connected to all the characters. There were too many open questions!

I was already struggling with the writing and the fact that we often switch viewpoint or who is being written about in the midst of a paragraph. So you start the paragraph with Annie and then suddenly you are reading about Etta and you are like, wait, who the hell is Etta and how did she suddenly appear? This happens a LOT and I found it really irritating. This 19th century setting is one that combines both historical fiction with a touch of magical realism. The story is told from the perspective of these four women, a botanist, an artist, a storyteller and a would be journalist and also Edward Meake, a London surgeon whose aspirations for greater success to better that of his friend and rival, charismatic surgeon Samuel Covell, are overtaken by obsession, greed and ambition with his conviction that he alone has been chosen by a higher authority. When I began reading I, like a number of other readers, took time to adjust to the phonetic style of writing used to mimic our main character's voice. Initially this meant the reading felt slower than I'd like, but it certainly became one of the features of the book that I really enjoyed. The voice of Newt changed as they developed in confidence, and I enjoyed seeing the shifting patterns of language as they grew in awareness of the world around them.The nearest town is Drummond, approximately 8 miles (13km) to the east. The nearest large city is Missoula, about 40 miles (64km) to the west. The next large city to the east is Butte, 80 miles (130km) to the southeast. What I will say is that ‘The Gifts’ touches on the beauty of the natural world, superstition and science, the lure of ambition and pride; it is also the story of four women determining their own right to be, their talents and gifts undimmed by society’s constraints. I’m editing Bearmouth for publication with the brilliant Pushkin Press, which is very exciting, but I’m also researching the next book and brainstorming ideas for TV and film. Lots going on! This was definitely a very different sort of book! The first thing you'll notice in Bearmouth is the writing style- it's written as Newt assumes words are spelled, in a phonetic way, which does take some getting used to. We're told the story of the mine through Newt's perspective, one that has seen quite a few atrocities. So let's dive into what worked for me and what didn't!