Magical new children's book by beloved Irish writer to be published this month

A magical new children's book by the bestselling author of Under the Hawthorn Tree is set to be published this month.

Marita Conlon-McKennas long-awaited new book, Fairy Hill, is inspired by Irish mythology and follows a girl who encounters strange happenings when she is sent to stay with her dad's new family in Ireland.

The blurb reads: "Thirteen-year-old Anna is upset when she is sent to stay with her dad and his new family at Fairy Hill in the west of Ireland. Hearing whispers in the wind, Anna senses she is being watched, but nobody believes her except the mysterious boy down by the lake. When her little half-brother, Jack, nearly gets lost, Anna suspects that someone is trying to steal him away. She wonders if the stories about the old house and the fairies are true. And if they are, could Jack be in real danger?"

In a blog post on her website, Conlon-McKenna said, "Fairy Hill has been in my heart and mind for the longest time… perhaps even since I was a kid when I first read about the Children of Lir, selkies, and fairy rings. What I love about legends and mythology is the magic and mystery of things not being what they seem… This is a really important element in Fairy Hill."

According to the author, the main inspiration for the book was a poem called The Stolen Child by W.B. Yeats which she first read when she "must have been about twelve".

"I was immediately enchanted by it and the idea of a child being stolen away by the fairies to live with them forever… that enchantment has lasted most of my life," she said.

The paperback of Fairy Hill will be released through O'Brien press on February 27, 2023.

It will be available to purchase for €12.99.