Young Quills 2025
Each year, the Historical Association runs Young Quills, a competition for published historical fiction for children and young adults (14+). The Young Quills books for each year must be published for the first time in English in the year preceding the competition – so 2023 for this year’s selection.
Our aim is to seek out books that:
- are a ‘good read’, engaging the imagination of the young reader
- have good historical content and factual information
- have history as a component of the story, and not just a convenient backdrop or setting
- inspire young readers to find out more about that historical period or people.
Divided by age suitability, the books are given to schools on the condition that the children and young people there write a review of the book, following our criteria. Those reviews are used as the basis for us to create the shortlist from which the winners are selected.
This year, over 50 books were sent to schools across England, sparking historical curiosity across the schools.
All the books will have a review on the HA website from May 2025.
For readers aged 5-8 years
|
Title |
Author |
|
Blitz – One Family’s War* |
Martin Impey |
|
City of Spies* |
Iszi Lawrence |
|
Cobweb |
Michael Morpurgo |
|
Delta and the Lost City* |
Anna Fargher |
|
Fia and the Last Snow Deer* |
Eilish Fisher (illus. Dermot Flynn) |
|
King Alfred and the Ice Coffin* |
Kevin Crossley-Holland (illus. Chris Riddell) |
|
Mo’s Best Friend |
Bridget Marzo |
|
The Stone Age Clash |
Josh Lacey (illus. Garry Parsons) |
|
Super Sleuth |
David Walliams |
|
The Time Machine Next Door: Rule Breakers and Kiwi Keepers |
Iszi Lawrence |
*also in the 8–11 category
For readers aged 8-11 years
|
Title |
Author |
|
Angel of Grasmere* |
Tom Palmer |
|
The Angel Player |
Andrew Beattie |
|
Birdie |
J. P. Rose |
|
The Boy, the Witch and the Queen of Scots |
Barbara Henderson |
|
Circus Maximus: Return of the Champion* |
Annelise Gray |
|
Cosima Unfortunate Foils a Fraud |
Laura Noakes (illus. Flavia Sorrentino) |
|
Fablehouse: Heart of Fire |
E.L. Norry |
|
The Great Phoenix of London |
Lindsay Galvin |
|
Hide and Seek: A Bletchley Park Mystery* |
Rhian Tracey |
|
The Houdini Inheritance* |
Emma Carroll |
|
I Am Rebel |
Ross Montgomery |
|
The Last Boy |
Eve McDonnell |
|
The Millicent Quibb School of Etiquette for Young Ladies of Mad Science |
Kate McKinnon (illus. Alfredo Caceres) |
|
My Brother Plato |
George Myerson |
|
Nine Girls* |
Stacy Gregg |
|
Nush and the Stolen Emerald |
Jasbinder Bilan |
|
Relic Hamilton, Genie Hunter |
Joseph Coelho (illus. Song We) |
|
The River Spirit |
Lucy Strange |
|
The River Thief |
Hannah Peck |
|
Roman Boy |
Tony Bradman |
|
Rosie Raja: Undercover Codebreaker |
Sufiya Ahmed |
|
Shadow Creatures* |
Chris Vick |
|
Star of the Show |
Jacqueline Wilson |
|
The Storming of Cirencester |
Various young writers |
|
The War of the Heavenly Horses |
Roland Chambers |
|
Witchspark |
Dominique Valente |
*also in the 11–13 category
For readers aged 11-13 years
|
Title |
Author |
|
Beyond the Secret Lake |
Karen Inglis |
|
Black History for Every Day of the Year |
David Olusoga, Yinka Olusoga and Kemi Olusoga |
|
The Bletchley Riddle* |
Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin |
|
A Drop of Golden Sun* |
Kate Saunders |
|
Fallout* |
Lesley Parr |
|
Feather |
Manon Steffan Ros |
|
The Fights That Make Us* |
Sarah Hagger-Holt |
|
The Hampstead Terror |
Kate Wiseman |
|
Kirin of the Dobunni |
Anne Buffoni |
|
The Prisoner of Bhopal |
Tim Walker |
*also in the 14+ category
For readers aged 14 years and above
|
Title |
Author |
|
The Bronte Girl |
Miriam Halahmy |
|
Cobalt |
Sue Klauber |
|
The Djinn’s Apple |
Djamila Morani |
|
I Shall Never Fall in Love |
Hari Conner |
|
Not for the Faint of Heart |
Lex Croucher |
|
Where the Heart Should Be |
Sarah Crossan |