Published: 30/09/2021
A timeless tale of wild nature and family secrets boasting a cast of unforgettable characters, October, October is an enthralling read from a distinctive voice in children’s fiction.
Winner of the Carnegie Medal 2022
Shortlisted for the James Cropper Wainwright Prize for Children's Writing on Nature & Conservation 2022
October and her dad live in the woods. They know the trees and the rocks and the lake and stars like best friends. They live in the woods and they are wild. And that's the way it is.
Until the year October turns eleven.
That's the year October rescues a baby owl. It's the year Dad falls out of the biggest tree in their woods. The year the woman who calls herself October's mother comes back. The year everything changes.
Written in Katya Balen's heart-stoppingly beautiful style, this book is a feast for the senses, filled with the woodsmoke smell of crisp autumn mornings and the sound of wellies squelching in river mud. And, as October fights to find the space to be wild in the whirling chaos of the world beyond the woods, it is also a feast for the soul.
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
ISBN: 9781526601933
Number of pages: 304
Weight: 282 g
Dimensions: 198 x 129 mm
MEDIA REVIEWS
'Katya Balen's October, October is a very special new addition to the shelf and deserves classic status' - The Times Children's Book of the Week
'Quite simply one of the most beautiful books I've ever read' - Kiran Millwood Hargrave
'October, October is fierce with a wild love. It draws you in to its heart, shakes you with a fury, wraps you in a spell of storytelling. In lyrical prose, Katya Balen gives us a modern day heroine filled with courage. I loved every page.' - Jackie Morris
'In October, October the greenwood meets the city. Wise and bright - I loved it. - Hilary McKay, author of The Skylarks' War
'The most wonderful, original treasure of a story' - Emma Carroll
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