How do you save someone lost in time?

At the stroke of midnight on winter solstice, Libby disappears - vanishing from the face of the Earth. Only her older sister, Kit, and a mysterious boy named Story remember that she ever existed.

To find Libby and bring her safely home, the pair must embark on a perilous journey into the distant past, across a land steeped in ancient folklore. Together, Kit and Story will face dangers beyond their wildest imagination as they race to uncover the secret of the Twelve before Time itself runs out...

The Twelve was the 2024 winner of the Nero Prize for Children's Fiction, winner of the 2025 Tir Na N-Og award in the English-language category, and was a Financial Times and Guardian Book of the Year.

PRAISE FOR THE TWELVE:

'Reminiscent of Alan Garner' Financial Times, Best Book of 2024

'Haunting and resonant, with echoes of Susan Cooper and Alan Garner' Guardian, Best YA Books of 2024

'A beguiling tale of ancient magic, good and evil, deeply rooted in the Welsh landscape' Observer



Liz Hyder has been making up stories ever since she can remember. She has a BA in drama from the University of Bristol and, in early 2018, won the Bridge Award/MoniackMhor's Emerging Writer Award. Her first novel, Bearmouth, won the Waterstones Children's Book Prize for Older Readers, the Branford Boase Award, and was TheTimes's Children's Book of The Year. Tom De Freston is an artist based in Oxford with his wife, Kiran Millwood Hargrave. His practice is dedicated to the construction of multimedia worlds, combining paintings, film and performance into immersive visceral narratives.



The ancient past is rendered vividly in this book that is ideal for tweens and teens who love beachcombing for fossils



Dark, dreamy, surreal and beautiful. Liz Hyder is a sublime writer.



What a fabulous book. Hauntingly beautiful, this is such a special time slip story with themes of bullying, coming of age and courage. It's also a true love song to nature. With breathtaking art by Tom de Freston.



An intense, timeless work that's both literary and inviting



An absolutely mesmerising, unputdownable text is enhanced by the beautiful atmospheric illustrations by Tom de Freston. The whole book oozes quality from the moment you pick it up



Eerie and beautiful, moving and magical - I loved it



Another stunning book by [Liz Hyder]. Drawing deeply on folklore and ritual and with mystery, time travel, history a missing sister, exquisite descriptions of nature and wildlife, and set in (my most beloved) Pembrokeshire. Also highlighting the undeniable climate emergency but leaving room for hope. Beautiful illustrations throughout by Tom de Freston gave me the feeling of reading something ancient, deliciously dark, and magical, recently unearthed. Happy sighs here. Wonderful stuff! All the Story (Musgrave) stars for this one.



Channelling the dark menace of classic British fantasy writers such as Susan Cooper and Alan Garner, this is a beguiling tale of ancient magic, good and evil, deeply rooted in the Welsh landscape



This is another can't put down story from Liz Hyder. I was hooked at once. Liz you are a natural born story teller, shades of Alan Garner here!



The Twelve reads like a modern classic, with echoes of Alan Garner, Marcus Sedgwick, and C.S. Lewis. A remarkably compelling story which will appeal on many levels- filled with mysteries, wonders, and wisdom



A fantastic, dazzling adventure, equally fluent in folklore and science, The Twelve has a magical, irresistible gravity that sets the mind happily marvelling. This energetic story whirls the reader on a journey through time and space and imagination towards wholeness and positive transformation. One of the best YA novels I've read this or any other century. Twelve out of ten!



Just in case you were in any doubt, Liz proves herself the undisputed heir to Susan Cooper and Alan Garner with this utterly entrancing and haunting YA time slip adventure as Kit looks for a sister who appears to have not just vanished but never even existed, with magnificent illustrations by Tom de Freson. Liz's deep knowledge of folklore and uncanny ability to summon a sense of magic, unease and mystery from the most unexpected corners of the British landscape is so beautifully and deflty handled here, a masterclass in dark fantasy.



Liz Hyder spins a vivid tale full of ancient magic and folklore. You will find yourself drawn into Kit's daring adventure where there are challenges to be overcome, evil to be fought, and hearts to be broken. With time going haywire and our very existence under threat, the stakes couldn't be higher. In the end, this is an uplifting story with a message of hope: our world can be saved when we choose to be a bit braver.



Love the deep earth magic of the Pembrokeshire landscape woven through this beautifully written tale of family and friendship



It's wonderful..a new classic



Absorbing, propulsive, poignant, full of dreamy deep magic. Perfect for fans of The Dark is Rising or The Whispering Knights.



Marvellously wild and brilliant... A story about kindness and care, for each other and the planet, all wrapped up in a gripping, can't-put-it-down story. Glorious! I loved it!'



Liz Hyder spins a vivid tale full of ancient magic and folklore



The Twelve is an extraordinary teen novel filled with beautiful writing, incredible relationships, old world mysticism, timeslips and the storytelling of a master. Brought to life by Tom de Freston's atmospheric artwork, this is an autumnal must-read. Hyder's sense of place and ability to play on the mind is unmatched, and I will forever be haunted by this gorgeous book!



The Twelve is that wonderful combination of a story you don't want to put down, but will also never want to come to an end!



Prepare to be spellbound by this brilliant story of loss, resilience, and the enduring quest for truth in a universe where anything is possible. This is one of the best books showing ways to enlighten the plight of nature and friendship that will shape many readers to come.



The Twelve is captivating [with] sublime art by Tom de Freston.



The Twelve feels like a work of classic children's literature, while simultaneously being hugely modern and fresh.