Claire Fayers’ Storm Hound wins 2020 Tir na n-Og Award

Storm Hound (Macmillan Children’s Books) was one of four books with an authentic Welsh background shortlisted for the prestigious award for children’s and young people’s literature, which is organised annually by the Books Council of Wales.

Claire Fayers was presented with a cheque for £1,000 and a specially commissioned poem by Children’s Laureate Wales, Eloise Williams.

The book tells the story of Storm of Odin, the youngest stormhound of the Wild Hunt that haunts lightning-filled skies. He has longed for the time when he will be able to join his brothers and sisters but on his very first hunt he finds he can’t keep up and falls to earth, landing on the A40 just outside Abergavenny.

Enter twelve-year-old Jessica Price, who finds and adopts a cute puppy from an animal rescue centre. In an electrifying adventure, she soon starts to see that there’s something different about her beloved dog.

Claire Fayers grew up in Newport, Gwent, and now lives in Cardiff. In 2019, she was a awarded a Literature Wales bursary to develop this novel, Storm Hound. In May 2020, Claire was one of the 10 writers commissioned during the first round of Literature Wales Writers Commissions, intended to support freelance writers to continue to receive paid work during this uncertain time. Claire’s project, Write Where You Are, is a series of creative writing videos with supporting activities and writing challenges for primary school children. 

Speaking about her win, Claire Fayers said:

“I am thrilled to have won this year’s Tir na n-Og English-language award. I have been reading books from the Tir na n-Og shortlists for as long as I can remember. They represent the best of Welsh literature for children and young people, so to actually win is an immense honour.”

The Chair of the 2020 Tir na n-Og English-language judging panel, Eleri Twynog Davies, said:

“Congratulations to Storm Hound – a magical story, with strong themes of friendship and belonging. The characters were wonderfully developed and presented us with moments of humour and poignancy.

All four books on the shortlist had their stories set against a Welsh background, where a sense of place contributed to the their overall appeal. This is one of the central criteria for this award, and one which we as judges felt was lacking in many of the other entries. It is so important that the children of Wales can see themselves reflected in Welsh literature, and that children outside Wales have a window on another culture.”

Helgard Krause, Chief Executive of the Books Council of Wales, said:

“Instilling a love of reading in our children and young people is incredibly important. Not only does it help develop their knowledge and literacy skills, it also supports their mental health and well-being. The Tir na n-Og Awards help celebrate great writing for the younger generation and ensure that stories with a distinctive Welsh setting are represented in the best of our country’s literature. Our sincere thanks and congratulations to all involved in this year’s awards, but particularly today to Claire Fayers.”

The three other titles shortlisted for the 2020 Tir na n-Og English-language award are The Secret Dragon by Ed Clarke (Puffin), Max Kowalski Didn’t Mean It by Susie Day (Puffin) and Where Magic Hides by Cat Weatherill (Gomer).

The Tir na n-Og Awards were established by the Books Council of Wales in 1976 to recognise the best books for children and young people, and to promote reading and high-quality books. The winners of this year’s Welsh-language categories will be announced on S4C’s Heno programme at 6.30 pm on Friday 10 July.