North West
The Blue Book of Nebo
Manon Steffan RosFirefly 2022 16+ 9781913102784
Location: Nebo, Gwynedd
Themes: Post-apocalyptic – Dystopian – Different worlds – Survival – Family
Dylan was six when The End came, back in 2018; when the electricity went off for good, and the ‘normal’ 21st-century world he knew disappeared. Now he’s 14 and he and his mam have survived in their isolated hilltop house above the village of Nebo in north-west Wales, learning new skills, and returning to old ways of living.
Woven
Angharad Tomos (English adaptation by Mícheál Ó hAodha)Gwasg Carreg Gwalch 2021 14+ 9781845278373
Location: Dolgellau, Castell Penrhyn, Bangor
Themes: Enslavement and slavery – Abuse – Poverty – Racism
Two young girls – Dorcas and Ebony – separated by culture and continent but not by history. A lord with an insatiable desire for wealth and profit. This is the story of a servant-maid in Wales and an enslaved girl in the West Indies; a magnificent castle and the terrible suffering that accompanied slavery, of a dangerous journey across the rough seas by ship and the cruelty faced by so many.
The Crown in the Quarry
Myrddin ap DafyddGwasg Carreg Gwalch 2020 11+ 9781845277253
Location: Blaenau Ffestiniog
Themes: Social influences – Culture – Racism – The Second World War
This adventure is set in Blaenau Ffestiniog during the Second World War. In Liverpool the falling bombs are destroying homes and families, and children are having to flee to places of safety.
Branwen
Aiden SaundersAtebol 2020 7+ 9781912261994
Location: Harlech
Themes: Myths and legends – The Mabinogi
A bilingual, graphic representation of the second branch of the Mabinogion - Branwen, daughter of Llŷr. The aim of the book is to present the Mabinogion tales to young people, and to retell these highly visual and emotional stories to today's audience using artwork originating from truly historical artefacts.
My Secret Lies with You
Faye BirdUsborne Publishing Ltd 2019 14+ 9781474958240
Location: Harlech and the Dwyryd Estuary
Themes: Mystery – Thriller
Alys appeared last summer, and then she vanished without a trace. Ifan fell in love with her. Hannah hated her. And Marko regrets what they did. This summer Cait is new in town, and a girl has been reported missing. Cait needs to uncover the truth. What happened last summer? And who is Alys?
The Four Branches of the Mabinogi: Story of Branwen
Siân Lewis (Valériane Leblond)Rily 2019 4+ 9781849674256
Location: Harlech
Themes: Myths and legends – The Mabinogi
The Four Branches of the Mabinogi are the oldest and most famous legends in Wales. First written down around eight hundred years ago, they were being told for many years before that. This is the story of Branwen, her husband Matholwch and her brother, the giant Bendigeidfran.
The Four Branches of the Mabinogi: Story of Blodeuwedd
Siân Lewis (Valériane Leblond)Rily 2019 7+ 9781849674379
Location: Dyffryn Nantlle
Themes: Myths and legends – The Mabinogi
The Four Branches of the Mabinogi are the oldest and most famous legends in Wales. First written down around eight hundred years ago, they were being told for many years before that. This is the story of Blodeuwedd, the woman made from fowers.
Max Kowalski Didn’t Mean It
Susie DayPenguin 2019 9+ 9780241351390
Location: Snowdonia
Themes: Adventure – Crime – Bereavement – Family life
The problem with Wales, he thought, was that it was too far away. But that was the point. To leave Southend behind. To get so far that no one would think to look for them there. Shortlisted for the 2020 Tir na n-Og Award.
Gelert - A Man's Best Friend
Cerys Matthews (Fran Evans)Pont@Lolfa 2019 7+ 9781848514645
Location: Beddgelert, Snowdonia
Themes: Myths and legends – Loyalty
A classic Welsh legend retold by singer and songwriter, Cerys Matthews. Gelert is one of the best-loved traditional tales from Wales. In this version, the beautiful atmospheric illustrations by Fran Evans combine with author Cerys Mathews's retelling of the story in rhyme, making it an ideal read-aloud book.
The Moon is Red
Myrddin ap DafyddGwasg Carreg Gwalch 2018 11+ 9781845276799
Location: Pen Llŷn
Themes: Social influences – Culture – Refugees
The bombing school is on fire...! A novel for young people which follows an old woman as she saves a single item from her room at an old people's home, triggering memories about the Fire on the Llŷn peninsula in 1936 and the bombing of Guernica in the country of Basque in 1937.
The Black Chair
Phil CarradicePont@Lolfa 2017 (First published 2009) 11+ 9781843239789
Location: Trawsfynydd
Themes: Friendship – The First World War – Welsh history
Using a fictional character in the same battalion as Hedd Wyn, we learn about the life and death of the celebrated poet who died before he was chaired at the 1917 Eisteddfod. Shortlisted for the 2010 Tir na n-Og Award.
The Haunting of Jessop Rise
Danny WestonAndersen Press Ltd 2017 11+ 9781783444618
Location: Porthmadog
Themes: Friendship - Mystery and danger – Adventure – Ghost story
Alone and penniless after his father is killed in a cotton mill accident, fourteen-year-old William faces the rest of his childhood in a brutal workhouse. Then his long-estranged uncle Seth sends for him, and William thinks his fortunes are changing. But at his uncle's home, William finds himself caught up in a dark and terrifying mystery. Shortlisted for the 2017 Tir na n-Og Award.
Here Be Witches - The Snowdonia Chronicles
Sarah MussiCordee Books and Maps 2017 14+ 9781911342328
Location: Snowdonia
Themes: Witches and witchcraft – Teen love – Adventure and survival
All Ellie Morgan wants is to be with her one true love, Henry. But she’s caught in the middle of a battle as old as Snowdon itself. A battle between good and evil. A witches’ spell, cast high on the mountain, has sped up time and made matters much worse. As an eternal winter tightens its grip on Snowdon, Ellie and her friends have just three days to survive and complete their quest.
The Search for Mister Lloyd
Griff RowlandCandy Jar Books 2015 11+ 9780993119170
Location: Bangor
Themes: Friendships – School life – Mystery and adventure
Where do you even begin to search for your lost pigeon? Of course, you put up LOST posters, pinning them to as many tree trunks as possible and handing them out to people in the street, but it's not like you can actually look for a pigeon... or can you? A mysterious tip-off suggests Mister Lloyd has landed in London and the search shifts to the metropolis where the 11-year-old hero finds himself increasingly isolated and in danger. 2016 Tir na n-Og Award Winner.
Framed
Frank Cotterell-Boyce (Steven Lenton)Macmillan Children’s Books 2005; Republished 2019 9+ 9781529008784
Location: Manod, Snowdonia
Themes: Adventure – Humour – Art
Dylan is the only boy living in the Welsh town of Manod; when a mysterious convoy of lorries trundles up the misty mountainside towards a disused mine, Dylan is confounded. Who are these people - and what have they got to hide? A story inspired by the contents of London's National Gallery stored in Welsh slate mines during World War II. Shortlisted for the 2006 Tir na n-Og Award.
