THE LIE TREE BY FRANCES HARDINGE
NAMED
2015 COSTA BOOK OF THE YEAR
Costa Short Story Award won by Daniel Murphy, a retired headteacher
from Stirling

Only the second children’s book in the prize’s history to win Book of the Year
 The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman won in 2001
 A Victorian murder mystery the judges said ‘will grip readers of all ages’
London, 20.30pm 26th January 2016: Children’s book The Lie Tree, a Victorian
murder mystery by Young Adult fiction and children’s author Frances Hardinge, has
been named the 2015 Costa Book of the Year.
The announcement was made this evening (Tuesday 26th January) at an awards
ceremony held at Quaglino’s in central London.
The Lie Tree (Macmillan Children’s Books) is only the second children’s book to take
the overall prize, and the first since Philip Pullman won with The Amber Spyglass in
2001.
Hardinge beat bookmakers’ favourite, debut author Andrew Michael Hurley, for his
first novel The Loney, novelist Kate Atkinson for A God in Ruins, Scottish poet Don
Paterson for 40 Sonnets, and historian and writer Andrea Wulf for The Invention of
Nature: The Adventures of Alexander Von Humboldt, The Lost Hero of Science to
win the overall prize and a cheque for £30,000 at the awards ceremony.
The Lie Tree, the author’s seventh novel, tells the story of Faith Sunderly whose
family have shipped out from England to a remote island to escape scandal. When
Faith’s father is found dead under mysterious circumstances, she is determined to
untangle the truth from the lies. Searching through his belongings for clues she
discovers a strange tree that feeds off whispered lies. It will take all Faith's courage
to discover the truth behind the curious events on the island of Vane, and what, or
who, killed her beloved father.
www.costabookawards.com
@CostaBookAwards
James Heneage, chair of the final judges, said: “Part horror, part detective, part
historical, this is a fantastic story with great central characters and narrative tension.
It’s not only a fabulous children’s book but a book that readers of all ages will love.”
Heneage chaired a final judging panel that included comedian, writer and actor Katy
Brand, actress and author Jane Asher, broadcaster, writer and actress Janet Ellis,
writers Louise Doughty, Matt Haig, Penny Junor, Martyn Bedford and poet and
children’s author, Julia Copus.
The Costa Book Awards is the only major UK book prize that is open solely to
authors resident in the UK and Ireland and also, uniquely, recognises the most
enjoyable books across five categories – First Novel, Novel, Biography, Poetry and
Children’s Book - published in the last year.
Originally established in 1971 by Whitbread Plc, Costa announced its takeover of the
sponsorship of the UK's most prestigious book prize in 2006. 2015 marks the 44th
year of the Book Awards.
Since the introduction of the Book of the Year award in 1985, it has been won eleven
times by a novel, six times by a first novel, five times by a biography, five times by a
collection of poetry and twice by a children’s book.
The 2014 Costa Book of the Year was H is for Hawk by writer Helen Macdonald
which has sold over 200,000 copies since its publication.
Daniel Murphy wins 2015 Costa Short Story Award
Also announced at the ceremony was the winner of the Costa Short Story Award.
Retired headteacher Daniel Murphy from Stirling won the public vote and £3,500 for
his story, Rogey. Two runners-up, writer Erin Soros and writer and part-time gym
instructor Annalisa Crawford, received £1,000 and £500 respectively.
Established in 2012, the new Award - run in association with the Costa Book Awards
but judged independently of the main five-category system – is unique in that it was
judged anonymously (ie without the name of the author being known throughout the
process). It is for a single, previously unpublished short story of up to 4,000 words
www.costabookawards.com
@CostaBookAwards
written in English by an author aged 18 years or over, and is open to both published
and unpublished writers.
A shortlist of six stories was selected by a panel of judges – Raffaella Barker,
Richard Beard, Fanny Blake, Sarah Franklin and Simon Trewin - and then made
available on the Costa Book Awards website for the public to download and vote for
their favourite. Costa Managing Director, Christopher Rogers, announced the winner
and runners-up and presented them with their cheques.
For more information please visit www.costabookawards.com.
- Ends For further press information or to request an interview with Frances Hardinge
please contact:
Amanda Johnson
Costa Book Awards Press and Publicity
Telephone: 07715 922 180
Email: amanda@amandajohnsonpr.com
or
Beatrice Cross
Macmillan Children’s Books
Email: b.cross@macmillan.co.uk
Telephone: 0207 014 6279
Notes for Editors:
About the Costa Book Awards:

The Costa Book Awards, formerly the Whitbread Book Awards, were established in 1971 to
encourage, promote and celebrate the best contemporary British writing.

The total prize fund for the Costa Book Awards – including the Costa Short Story Award - stands at
£60,000.

The award winners from the five categories - Novel, First Novel, Biography, Poetry and Children’s
Book - each receive £5,000.

The overall Costa Book of the Year is selected from the five category Award winners with the
winner receiving a further £30,000.

The winner will be announced at an awards ceremony in central London on 26th January, 2016.

The 2014 Costa Book of the Year was H is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald (Jonathan Cape).
About Costa:
Founded in London by Italian brothers Sergio and Bruno Costa in 1971, our quality coffee was the premium choice
for boutique hotels and restaurants across the city. Today we continue to roast the original Mocha Italia recipe in Old
Paradise Street, London with our 100% Rainforest Alliance certified coffee remaining at the core of our quality coffee
credentials.
With 2,000 coffee shops in the UK and more than 1,200 in 30 overseas markets, we are the fastest growing coffee
shop business in the UK. We’re proud to be the UK’s favourite coffee shop, having been awarded “Best Branded
Coffee Shop Chain in the UK and Ireland" by Allegra Strategies for six years running (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
& December 2015).
www.costabookawards.com
@CostaBookAwards
Our people are the heart of our business and we employ over 30,000 people, creating around 1,500 jobs this year
alone and over 4,500 jobs in the next three years in the UK. We continue to be part of the Sunday Times Best
Companies To Work For list, providing skills and training to develop the leaders of the future.
We care about the communities we operate in, which is why we’ve signed up to Keep Britain Tidy’s Litter Prevention
Commitment (Sept 2015) with over 650 stores across the UK taking part in the Big Tidy Up event. Our paper cups
and lids are 100% recyclable and have an insulated design, eliminating the need for paper sleeves to hold hot drinks.
We’re also committed to tackling the UK’s literacy challenge, continuing our partnership of Save the Children’s Born
to Read initiative that aims to ensure that children aged 11 leave primary school with the necessary reading skills to
continue to learn through education.
Looking after coffee growers is extremely important to us, which is why we established The Costa Foundation, a
registered charity with the aim to relieve poverty, advance education and the health and environment of coffeegrowing communities around the world. So far, The Costa Foundation has funded the building of 53 schools and
improved the social and economic welfare of coffee-growing communities.
Further Background
The Lie Tree by Frances Hardinge
Macmillan Children’s Books
About the book:
When Faith’s father is found dead under mysterious circumstances, she is
determined to untangle the truth from the lies. Searching through his belongings for
clues she discovers a strange tree. A tree that feeds off whispered lies and bears
fruit that reveals hidden secrets. But as Faith’s untruths spiral out of control, she
discovers that where lies seduce, truths shatter....
About the author:
Frances Hardinge was brought up in a sequence of small, sinister English villages,
and spent a number of formative years living in a Gothic-looking, mouse-infested
hilltop house in Kent. She studied English Language and Literature at Oxford, fell in
love with the city's crazed archaic beauty, and lived there for many years.
Whilst working full-time as a technical author for a software company, she started
writing her first children's novel, Fly by Night, and was - with difficulty - persuaded by
a good friend to submit the manuscript to Macmillan. Fly by Night 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.
Frances lives in Isleworth, is seldom seen without her hat and is addicted to
volcanoes. The Lie Tree was shortlisted for the 2015 Independent Bookshop Week
Book Awards (Children’s Fiction) and Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize, and is
nominated for the 2016 CILIP Carnegie Medal.
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.”
Judges:
Martyn Bedford
Melissa Cox
Writer
Head of Children’s Buying for Waterstones
www.costabookawards.com
@CostaBookAwards
Managing Editor, Books for Keeps; Children’s Books
Reviewer and Specialist
Andrea Reece
Shortlist, selected from a total of 149 entries:
Hayley Long
Sally Nicholls
Andrew Norriss
Sophie Someone
An Island of Our Own
Jessica’s Ghost
Hot Key Books
Scholastic
David Fickling Books
Previous Children’s Book Award winners include:
Kate Saunders
Chris Riddell
Sally Gardner
Moira Young
Jason Wallace
Patrick Ness
Michelle Magorian
Ann Kelley
Linda Newbery
Kate Thompson
Geraldine McCaughrean
David Almond
Five Children on the Western Front
Goth Girl and the Ghost of a Mouse
Maggot Moon
Blood Red Road
Out of Shadows
The Ask and the Answer (Chaos Walking, Book Two)
Just Henry
The Bower Bird
Set in Stone
The New Policeman
Not the End of the World
The Fire-Eaters
Previous Books of the Year
2014
2013
2012
2011
2010
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
2003
2002
2001
2000
1999
1998
1997
1996
1995
1994
1993
1992
1991
H is for Hawk
Helen Macdonald
The Shock of the Fall
Nathan Filer
Bring Up the Bodies
Hilary Mantel
Pure
Andrew Miller
Of Mutability
Jo Shapcott
A Scattering
Christopher Reid
The Secret Scripture
Sebastian Barry
Day
A.L. Kennedy
The Tenderness of
Stef Penney
Wolves
Matisse: the Master
Hilary Spurling
Small Island
Andrea Levy
The Curious Incident
Mark Haddon
of the Dog in the
Night-Time
Samuel Pepys:The
Claire Tomalin
Unequalled Self
The Amber Spyglass
Philip Pullman
English Passengers
Matthew Kneale
Beowulf
Seamus Heaney
Birthday Letters
Ted Hughes
Tales from Ovid
Ted Hughes
The Spirit Level
Seamus Heaney
Behind the Scenes at the Kate Atkinson
Museum
Felicia's Journey
William Trevor
Theory of War
Joan Brady
Swing Hammer Swing!
Jeff Torrington
A Life of Picasso
John Richardson
www.costabookawards.com
@CostaBookAwards
Biography
First Novel
Novel
Novel
Poetry
Poetry
Novel
Novel
First Novel
Biography
Novel
Novel
Biography
Children’s Book
Novel
Poetry
Poetry
Poetry
Poetry
First Novel
Novel
Novel
First Novel
Biography
2014
2013
2012
2011
2010
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
2003
1990
1989
1988
1987
1986
1985
Hopeful Monsters
Coleridge: Early Visions
The Comforts of
Madness
Under the Eye of the
Clock
An Artist of the Floating
World
Elegies
Nicholas Mosley
Richard Holmes
Paul Sayer
Novel
Biography
First Novel
Christopher Nolan
Biography
Kazuo Ishiguro
Novel
Douglas Dunn
Poetry
Daniel Murphy – Winner of the Costa Short Story Award 2015
for Rogey
About the story:
Our lives unfold in stories, their meaning revealed at the last, in their endings. And
Rogey’s story? And me?
About the author:
Danny Murphy gave up teaching and headteaching in 2010 to concentrate on his
writing, but after a spell as a volunteer Adviser in the Cambodian Ministry of
Education, he got sidetracked into publishing three books on education to help with
training teachers and headteachers - Dealing with Dilemmas (2013), Schooling
Scotland (2014) and Everyone's Future (2015).
Having got these off his chest, and off his desk, he is now spending more time on his
creative writing, with a book of interlinked short stories and a psychological thriller
underway. He lives in Stirling and works part-time in Moray House School of
Education at the University of Edinburgh.
www.costabookawards.com
www.costabookawards.com
@CostaBookAwards