Hayley Long wins Mal Peet Children’s Book Award

Nov 22, 2017

Congratulations to Hayley Long, who has been awarded the Mal Peet Children’s Book Award at the 2017 East Anglian Book Awards for her heart-breaking new novel, The Nearest Faraway Place.

Published by Hot Key Books in July, the novel tells the powerful story of the love between two brothers, Griff and Dylan, in the aftermath of a family tragedy. Orphaned and with nowhere to go, the boys are taken in by a kind aunt and uncle in Wales, who offer them love, a happy home and a future.  But Dylan is worried about Griff: whether he is OK, whether he is coping with his grief. He doesn¹t seem to want to speak about it or really acknowledge the loss of their parents. And Dylan needs to be even braver than Griff, because there is something very important he needs to face up to before he can move on.

The Mal Peet Children’s Book Award honours the best children’s book set largely in East Anglia or written by an author living in the region. The event was held in Delia Smith’s Top of the Terrace restaurant at Norwich City Football Club.

You can read all about Hayley’s time at the awards on her blog: http://hayleylongwriter.blogspot.co.uk/