Tom de Freston – illustratör

How do you save someone lost in time?

At the stroke of midnight on winter solstice, Libby disappears - vanishing from the face of the Earth. Only her older sister, Kit, and a mysterious boy named Story remember that she ever existed.

To find Libby and bring her safely home, the pair must embark on a perilous journey into the distant past, across a land steeped in ancient folklore. Together, Kit and Story will face dangers beyond their wildest imagination as they race to uncover the secret of the Twelve before Time itself runs out...

The Twelve was the 2024 winner of the Nero Prize for Children's Fiction, winner of the 2025 Tir Na N-Og award in the English-language category, and was a Financial Times and Guardian Book of the Year.

PRAISE FOR THE TWELVE:

'Reminiscent of Alan Garner' Financial Times, Best Book of 2024

'Haunting and resonant, with echoes of Susan Cooper and Alan Garner' Guardian, Best YA Books of 2024

'A beguiling tale of ancient magic, good and evil, deeply rooted in the Welsh landscape' Observer

From bestselling author Kiran Millwood Hargrave and acclaimed illustrator Tom de Freston comes an extraordinary story about family, friendship and hope. Illustrated throughout in black, white and yellow, this stunning book is perfect for 9+ fans of David Almond, Sally Gardner and Frances Hardinge.

''Stunning'' Cressida Cowell

''A book to treasure!'' Jacqueline Wilson

''A classic from cover to cover'' Eoin Colfer

''A rich, immersive and wondrous journey'' Sophie Anderson

A remote island. A stormy summer. And an adventure as big as the Great Greenland shark ...

My name is Julia.This is the story of the summer I spent living in a lighthouse.The summer I almost lost my mum, and found a shark older than trees. Don''t worry though, that doesn''t spoil the ending ...

Julia has followed her mum and dad to live on a remote island for the summer - her dad, for work; her mother, on a determined mission to find the elusive Greenland shark. But when her mother''s obsession threatens to submerge them all, Julia finds herself on an adventure with dark depths and a lighthouse full of hope...

A beautiful and uplifting story about a mother, a daughter, and love - with timely themes of the importance of science and the environment.

*Winner of the 2023 Wainwright Prize for Children''s Writing on Nature & Conservation!*''A captivating tale that glistens with wonder. Leila and Fox will always have a home in my heart'' Sophie Anderson''This is an extraordinary book - wild and beautiful and perfect'' Katya BalenCome with an Arctic fox on a breathtaking journey ... an enthralling story from the bestselling, award-winning creators of Julia and the Shark. With dazzling blue and black illustrations, this is a perfect gift for 9+ fans of The Last Bear and A Wolf Called Wander.Fox wakes, and begins to walk. She crosses ice and snow, over mountains and across frozen oceans, encountering bears and birds beneath the endless daylight of an Arctic summer, navigating a world that is vast, wild and wondrous. Meanwhile, Leila embarks on a journey of her own - finding her way to the mother who left her. On a breathtaking journey across the sea, Leila rediscovers herself and the mother she thought she''d lost, with help from a determined little fox.Based on the true story of an Arctic fox who walked from Norway to Canada in seventy-six days, a distance of two thousand miles, this compelling, emotional and beautifully illustrated story is the perfect gift for 9+ readers.Praise for Julia and the Shark:''A tale of courage, understanding and compassion'' The Observer''Julia and the Shark is deep, beautiful and true. The art shines and the writing soars. A classic from cover to cover'' Eoin Colfer''A truly beautiful book, with text and illustrations in perfect harmony. A book to treasure!'' Jacqueline WilsonKiran Millwood Hargrave is winner of the Wainwright Prize (in Sept 2023), the Waterstones Book Prize, and the British Book Awards Children''s Book of the Year.

A breathtaking new novel from the Nero Prize-winning author of The Twelve, Liz Hyder, filled with striking black & white illustrations by Tom De Freston.

You haven't seen Oma in years. Mum and Dad have kept your grandmother away, scared of something that happened when you were too young to remember. So what's made them change their minds?

Once a month, you're allowed to visit Oma at her remote cabin that feels like a dream. And once a month, she tells you a tale that transports you to a different world. To a land of possibilities - of dragons and giants, gods and monsters, of wild quests and strange adventures. Yet she refuses to share the most mysterious tale of all - the reason she has been absent from your life for so long.

As your world fractures under pressures from home and at school, could Oma's secret be the key to unlock everything?

Praise for The Teller of Tall Tales:

'Poetic, warm-hearted and raw' Frances Hardinge, author of The Lie Tree

'A book to treasure' Hannah Gold, author of The Last Bear

'Tender and powerful, this is a hauntingly beautiful ode to the power of imagination' Anna James, author of Alice with a Why

'Modern and thrilling' Sally Gardner, author of Maggot Moon