Product Description
The Home Child
Author: Liz Berry
Format: Paperback
*Winner of the Writers' Prize - Book of the Year*
Inspired by a true story, The Home Child is a beautiful novel-in-verse about a child far from home
'Ground-breaking' — Benjamin Zephaniah
'Beautifully crafted' — Guardian
'Extraordinary' — Hannah Lowe
In 1908, Eliza Showell, twelve years old and newly orphaned, boards a ship that will carry her from the slums of the Black Country to rural Nova Scotia. She will never return or see her family again.
With nothing to call her own, the wild beauty of her surroundings is the only solace Eliza has - until another Home Child, a boy, arrives at the farm and changes everything.
Inspired by the true story of Liz Berry's great aunt, this spellbinding novel in verse is an exquisite portrait of a girl far from home.
'One of the outstanding books of this year. Although this is a historical tale its resonance is timeless' — Sunday Times
'Deeply moving. A graceful, delicate book, stunning in its emotional depth... I know I'll return to it many times in the future' — Megan Hunter, author of The End We Start From
About the Author
Liz Berry is an award-winning poet and author of the critically acclaimed collections Black Country (Chatto, 2014); The Republic of Motherhood (Chatto, 2018); The Dereliction (Hercules Editions, 2021) a collaboration with artist Tom Hicks; and most recently The Home Child (Chatto, 2023), a novel in verse. Liz’s work, described as “a sooty soaring hymn to her native West Midlands” (Guardian), celebrates the landscape, history and dialect of the region. Liz has received the Somerset Maugham Award, Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize and Forward Prizes. Her poem ‘Homing’, a love poem for the language of the Black Country, is part of the GCSE English syllabus. Liz is a patron of Writing West Midlands and lives in Birmingham with her family.
For custom orders and quotes: shop@schoolspace.co.za
© 2026 Schoolspace. This product description is the exclusive intellectual property of the publisher, protected under copyright law. Unauthorized use, adaption, or copying is strictly prohibited.
