Michelle Harrison - The Thirteen Treasures - Winner of the Waterstones book prize 2009

Debut author Michelle Harrison has been named winner of the Waterstone's Children's Book Prize, with her fairy story The 13 Treasures. Also the winner of our blog vote early this year which was a close race with Steve Feasey "Changeling". I am so pleased for Michelle and I know it will encourage her to write more great books in the future. Michelle Harrison is a great new talent and I am looking forward to reading her next book.

Harrison, 29, wrote the first few chapters of her book, about a teenage girl who can see fairies, while at university in Stafford in 2002.
Harrison's book has already been sold in the US, Germany, Greece, Italy, Russia, Serbia and Spain, and has drawn comparisons with The Spiderwick Chronicles and the classic fairy tales of The Brothers Grimm.


Harrison, who works as an editorial assistant in children's publishing and is also a keen illustrator, beat books by seven other authors to the prize.

If you not had the pleasure of reading this book. Why not give it a try...........

Synopsis

While visiting her grandmother's house, an old photograph leads Tanya to an unsolved mystery. Fifty years ago a girl vanished in the woods nearby - a girl Tanya's grandmother will not speak of. Fabian, the caretaker's son, is tormented by the girl's disappearance. His grandfather was the last person to see her alive, and has lived under suspicion ever since. Together, Tanya and Fabian decide to find the truth. But Tanya has her own secret: the ability to see fairies. And, after disturbing an intruder in the night, it emerges that someone else shares her ability ...The manor's sinister history is about to repeat itself ...