October loves her father and the wood they live in, in that order. Close behind are the trees, creatures and wild way the seasons change around them. October has known nothing else having grown up in the wood, but she does remember the woman that was her mother leaving them for the city when October was very young.

She has never forgiven that woman, even though her father asks her to. October believes she has all she needs at her father’s side. They get power from solar panels, food from their own gardens, milk and cheese through trade with a neighbour and anything else they need in a nearby village about once a year.

October’s father teaches her maths as they work out how much they need to grow and the area they need to grow it. He teaches science as they gaze up at the stars at night, and reading from their overflowing bookshelves. October loves stories and is a talented and imaginative story teller herself.

One day she finds a creature that has its own story – it’s a sad one, and despite a warning, she decides to help it. It is her very first real friend. Life is good.

On October’s 11th birthday, they receive an unexpected visitor – the woman that was her mother. Unhappy at the surprise, October runs…

This is the last day as she knows life, happy in their woodland home. With no other option, October must leave the wood she loves behind and go to school in London – a far cry from her solitary, but content days filled with birdsong and nature.

WINNER OF THE YOTO CARNEGIE MEDAL 2022, October, October is a beautiful story of a family caught between the wild of the woods and the loud streets of London. Katya Balen’s lyrical text captures main character October’s pure joy when she is in the wood she grew up in, and then the terror and overload of voices, noises, concrete and lack of sky in the city of London.

This is a story about the power of imagination and how October sees stories everywhere in her wood. That inner power she has is all but lost in the city, but the patience and power of love finally helps her find that wonder again. Family is the backbone of this novel, even when fractured. The love of two people (who come from different worlds) for their daughter is the most important thing to them both, and watching October navigate a strange new environment and then finally accept it is painful and beautiful at the same time.

Stunning. A feast for the heart.

Author – Katya Balen

Illustrator – Angela Harding

Age – 9+

Read more reviews of Katya Balen novels here 

(2021, Bloomsbury, Family, Betrayal, Animals, Friendship, Growing up, Grief, Love, Winner Yoto Carnegie Medal 2022, Award Winner, Nature, Trees, Wood, Running Wild, Being Free, Anger, Hurt, Owl, Moving, New School, New Home, Fitting in, City hustle and bustle, Overloading the senses, Story, Stories, Imagination, Ring, Mystery)