Costa Book of the Year 2016

Costa Coffee have announced the 2016 Costa Book of the Year winner, the winner can be seen below.

Congratulations to Frances Hardinge on winning the Costa Book of the Year award, with The Lie Tree! Frances Hardinge “started writing her first children’s novel, Fly by Night, which went on to win the Branford Boase Award, and was also shortlisted for the Guardian Children’s Fiction Award. Her subsequent books, Verdigris Deep, Gullstruck Island, Twilight Robbery, A Face Like Glass, Cuckoo Song and The Lie Tree are also aimed at children and young adults.” She now adds Costa’s Book of the Year Award to her growing collection.

Costa Book of the Year award 2016

 The Lie Tree by Frances Hardinge

 “The Lie Tree is a wonderfully evocative and atmospheric novel by Frances Hardinge, award-winning author of Cuckoo Song and Fly By Night. Faith’s father has been found dead under mysterious circumstances, and as she is searching through his belongings for clues she discovers a strange tree. The tree only grows healthy and bears fruit if you whisper a lie to it. The fruit of the tree, when eaten, will deliver a hidden truth to the person who consumes it. The bigger the lie, the more people who believe it, the bigger the truth that is uncovered. The girl realizes that she is good at lying and that the tree might hold the key to her father’s murder, so she begins to spread untruths far and wide across her small island community. But as her tales spiral out of control, she discovers that where lies seduce, truths shatter …”

What the judges said: “We all loved this dark, sprawling, fiercely clever novel that blends history and fantasy in a way that will grip readers of all ages.” 

If you like letting your imagination get away with you then this book is perfect for you.