Lancashire Book of the Year shortlist 2024
Here are the books that were shortlisted for the 2024 award:
Bad Influence by Tamsin Winter
A powerfully real and funny new story, about first kisses, learning to be true to yourself and how one click can last for ever... Amelia Bright wants to be the best at everything. But when it comes to popularity, she is dead last.
Every Word A Lie by Susan Wallman
Two friends plan revenge on their prankster friend by catfishing her as her crush. They only mean to do it for a day or two - but then she ends up dead. And the catfish continues to strike others - who is in control of the catfish, and who is telling the truth?
Five Survive by Holly Jackson
Eighteen-year-old Red and her friends are on a road trip in an RV, heading to the beach for Spring Break. It’s a long drive but spirits are high. Until the RV breaks down in the middle of nowhere. And as the wheels are shot out, one by one, the friends realise that this is no accident.
Girl, Goddess, Queen by Bea Fitzgerald
Thousands of years ago, the gods told a lie: how Persephone was a pawn in the politics of other gods. How Hades kidnapped Persephone to be his bride. How her mother, Demeter, was so distraught she caused the Earth to start dying.
The real story is much more interesting.
HappyHead by Josh Silver
When Seb is offered a place on a radical retreat designed to solve the national crisis of teenage unhappiness, he is determined to change how people see him and make his parents proud. But as he finds himself drawn to the enigmatic Finn, Seb starts to question the true nature of the challenges they must undergo. The deeper into the programme the boys get, the more disturbing the assessments become, until it's clear there may be no escape.
Let's Play Murder by Kesia Lupo
Veronica wakes up trapped with four strangers in a sprawling manor house in a snow storm with a dead body, a mystery right out of an Agatha Christie novel. It feels so real - but it isn't. This is VR and this is the Game; a rumoured Easter Egg hidden in other VR games that draws you into a competition for a prize beyond your wildest dreams. And there's no escaping the VR world until the Game is won.
Lies We Sing To The Sea by Sarah Underwood
In the cursed kingdom of Ithaca, each spring brings the hanging of twelve maidens, a gift to the vengeful Poseidon. But when Leto awakens from her death on the shore of a long-forgotten island, its enigmatic keeper Melantho tells her that there's only one way the curse can be broken.
Murder On A School Night by Kate Weston
There's never a good time to find a dead body. But finding a dead body while you're trying to kiss your crush? Dead awkward.
Ravencave by Marcus Sedgwick
On holiday in Yorkshire, James is bored out of his mind being dragged around various old ruins as his dad tries to trace his family's roots. Then one day as his parents bicker and his moody teenage brother ignores him, James hears mischievous laughter and the ghost of a young girl appears to him at Crackpot Hall. When the girl first urges James to follow him, he's afraid and runs away. But when she appears again after another argument between James and his brother, he goes after her, leading to a gruesome discovery that reveals a terrible truth about his family
Stateless by Elizabeth Wein
It is 1937 and tensions are high. A spectacular air race around Europe seeks to promote unity among a group of young pilots, but distrust and animosity are rife. The British and sole female contestant, Stella North, is determined to prove not only her skill, but also her identity as her Nansen passport declares her 'stateless'. However, barely a few hours in, Stella is witness to a horrifying attack when a contestant's plane is forced out of the air and crashes. Was this the work of another competitor desperate to win? Was the attack random or premeditated and, most importantly, will it happen again? With the competition heating up and the death ruled an accident, Stella is left to form her own investigation. Can she find allies among her fellow competitors or will suspicion and deceit bring them all down?
The Midnight Game by Cynthia Murphy
When a group who have met on a creepy Deddit thread decide to meet in real life, they only have one plan in mind: they are going to summon the Midnight Man. And once you start the Midnight Game, you must finish it - there's no other way out! Six strangers. One night. But how many survivors?
This Book Kills by Ravena Guron
When Hugh Henry Van Boren, one of the most popular and richest kids in Jess Choudhary's school, is found dead, the student body is left reeling and wondering who the murderer could be. Jess, a student under strict instructions to keep her record clean or risk losing her scholarship, finds herself at the centre of the investigation when it's revealed that Hugh died in the exact same way as a character in a short story she wrote.
Lancashire Book of the Year
- Lancashire Book of the Year winners
- Lancashire Book of the Year shortlist
- How to get involved with Lancashire Book of the Year