Harklights

Product Information

A match factory which masquerades as an orphanage. A manikin which it emerges was once alive. A monster which in reality mayn’t be alive. Butterflies which aren’t insects. A boy who doubts he has what it takes to put things right. It’s all here in Harklights, a debut novel from the first ever winner of the Joan Aiken Future Classics Prize, set in a vaguely Victorian world with elements of fantasy and steampunk. For an unmissable festive treat, Juno Dawson’s Stay Another Day (Quercus) follows three siblings heading home to Edinburgh, where their perfect middle-class Christmas is soon threatened by some very big family secrets. Riffing on Christmas romcom themes, it’s a delicious family drama with a gritty contemporary edge. FN Do you plan to return to Harklights to follow the characters' journeys? What are you writing currently? I've just finished a new draft for Witchstorm. The story is set in the same world as Harklights, and follows a cast of new characters. There's a crossover, but I can't really say more without giving anything away.

Brewers wove its way into the roots of Harklights - the Hobs take their name from Hob, a Scottish household spirit. And Nissa's name comes from Nisse, meaning gnome in Norwegian. The orphans releasing the pixies and Hobb that Old Ma Bogy had stored didn’t explain how they got there. It would have been a good way to tie-in an origin story of Old Ma Bogey and why she kidnapped the creatures. For example, her father ran a successful circus that included captured pixies and hobbs as performers. During one performance, The Hobbs and fairies convince Old Ma Bogey to release them from their cage. After being released, they sprout trees beneath the circus causing it to be rise to the canopies, never to be used again. The Primary School Library Alliance is calling on the government to match-fund the private investment it has brought into helping primary schools c...

Synopsis

wow. What a mighty message from so many delicately made moments in our amazing Children's Book of the month for May.

The idea that you don't have to be big to change the world. Small actions can make big differences, whether it's choosing a bamboo toothbrush instead of a plastic one, recycling paper, or giving food to the homeless. While our focus is on the narrator’s hopes and fears, behind them all is a tale of despoilation, exploitation and cruelty fully relevant in our contemporary world which will resonate even with the most innocent young reader. This book is a beautifully illustrated, magical adventure which teaches empathy towards the natural world and is an ideal extra-curriculum read to stimulate discussion about man’s relationship with the environment. An asset to any school Library’s bookshelves!A very engaging adventure from illustrator & author Tim Tilley. I am so excited to get this into the hands of readers of all ages. This is an exciting adventure with a serious message, ‘Nature takes care of us, it is only right that we take care of it in return.’ A charming fairytale adventure with an enduring ecological message.” Peter Bunzl, author of Cogheart

This heart-warming and enchanting story was a pleasure to lose myself in, with charming illustrations that depict a world of imagination and wonder. The writing is cleverly crafted move the narrative beyond being just about fanciful miniature worlds and people, but more so about the underlying message of the importance of protection and conservation. I think the bit of history that impacted my imagination for Harklights was the idea that Britain was once a huge forest. We had a small spinney not far from home, and the idea that it might have stretched from coast to coast really stayed with me. Of course, forests can have open spaces, but I always imagined it to be closed canopy, so a squirrel could hop tree from to tree all the way from Norfolk to Wales. A magical tale for nature lovers and fans of adventure, from award-winning author-illustrator Tim Tilley.Winner of the Joan Aiken Future Classics Prize, Harklights is a magical story celebrating family, friendship and the natural world, filled with a message of hope for our times. The illustrations in this fantasy book are simply beautiful, so it's a shame I couldn't connect with the story more. I never do well with stories that are basically morality tales of modern day issues, and I didn't originally realise that this was one, otherwise I may have skipped it. In this video, Tim Tilley explains how his love of nature helped to inspire Harklights and how his visits to local woods provided fresh ideas for his story. I don't really have a set place to do my best writing. I'm a bit like a cat, I like to settle in different places. I write all around the house. Woods, libraries and bookshops. They are places to unwind, shelter from the rain, and explore hidden worlds.