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Kiran Millwood Hargrave, Author
Tom de Freston, Illustrator
Imprint: Starboard
Publication date: October 8, 2026
Category: Death & bereavement
ISBN: 9781510113244
When Harry’s big sister Frankie dies, his world shatters – until a baby raven arrives and changes everything. An enthralling and heartwarming story from the bestselling, award-winning creators of Julia and the Shark, this is a deluxe hardback with dazzling purple and black illustrations.
Harry didn’t even like Frankie that much. But he really did LOVE her.
Looking after the ravens that live in the tree outside Frankie’s window makes Harry feel connected to her – makes him feel less as if he’s being sucked into a black hole. And when the big storm comes, Harry’s holding on to survival and hope for the sake of an orphaned baby raven …
An immersive story of sibling love, nature and hope, brought to life with fantastic illustrations by Tom de Freston, and suitable for readers aged 10 and up.
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 Wilson
Kiran Millwood Hargrave is an award-winning, bestselling novelist. Her debut story for children The Girl of Ink & Stars won the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize, and the British Book Awards Children’s Book of the Year. Her work has been short- and long-listed for numerous major prizes including the Costa Award and the CILIP Carnegie Award, and her novel Julia and the Shark, illustrated by Tom de Freston, was shortlisted for the Wainwright Prize and named Waterstones Children’s Gift of the Year. She’s a graduate of both Oxford and Cambridge Universities, and lives in Oxford with her husband and cats, in a house between a river and a forest.
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Kiran Millwood Hargrave and Tom de Freston met in 2009, when Kiran was a student and Tom was artist-in-residence at Cambridge University. They have been a couple and collaborators ever since, but Julia and the Shark is their first novel. Kiran is the award-winning, bestselling author of stories including The Girl of Ink & Stars, The Way Past Winter, and The Deathless Girls, and Tom is making his illustrative debut having worked as an acclaimed artist for many years. They live in Oxford with their rescue cat Luna, in a house between a river and a forest.