WINNER OF THE WRITERS' PRIZE - BOOK OF THE YEAR Inspired by a true story, The Home Child is a beautiful novel-in-verse about a child far from home Ground-breaking Benjamin Zephaniah Beautifully crafted Guardian Extraordinary Hannah LoweIn 1908, Eliza Showell, twelve years old and newly orphaned, boards a ship that will carry her from the slums of the Black Country to rural Nova Scotia. She will never return or see her family again.With nothing to call her own, the wild beauty of her surroundings is the only solace Eliza has until another Home Child, a boy, arrives at the farm and changes everything.Inspired by the true story of Liz Berry s great aunt, this spellbinding novel in verse is an exquisite portrait of a girl far from home. One of the outstanding books of this year. Although this is a historical tale its resonance is timeless Sunday Times Deeply moving. A graceful, delicate book, stunning in its emotional depth... I know I'll return to it many times in the future Megan Hunter, author of The End We Start From