The Boy Who Lost His Spark
A magical book and a new modern classic for children aged 5, 6, 7, 8 from the award-winning author of HAMNET, about moving house, managing big feelings and discovering your spark
Published on 28. August 2025
Book
Paperback/Softback
112 pages
978-1-5295-2978-4 (ISBN)
Description
From Maggie O'Farrell, the best-selling and award-winning author of Hamnet - now a Bafta and Golden Globe-winning film starring Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal - comes a stunningly illustrated picture book about a boy who overcomes the unhappiness of moving house and, through the power of storytelling, regains his inner spark.
- An ideal gift and a truly enchanting read.
- Perfect for children aged 5-8 with themes of family bonds, dyslexia, moving house, myth and folklore.
When Jem and his family move to the countryside, he doesn't like his new home one bit. It's an old cottage on the side of a hill, where strange things keep happening: shoes are filled up with conkers, the stairs become tangled in a woollen maze. Jem's sister Verity is certain it is the work of a "nouka", an ancient creature from local folklore that lives deep down inside the hill. Jem, however, is adamant that there is no such thing...
But this small mythical creature, so attuned to the hearts and minds of others, does exist. And, what's more, it is determined, through mischief and mayhem, to help Jem reignite the spark within himself once more.
- WINNER of the KPMG Children's Books Ireland Honour Award for Fiction
- Longlisted for the Carnegie Medal for Illustration
- Best Children's and YA Books of 2022, Guardian
- RTE.ie Best Irish Children's Books of 2022
The second book in a trilogy of modern fairy tales by Maggie O'Farrell and Daniela Jaglenka Terrazzini featuring children with real life problems and the mythical creatures that attend to them. Look out for Where Snow Angels Go and When the Stammer Came to Stay.
"An autumnal balm for anyone in need of a little magic in their lives." - Alex O'Connell, Children's Book of the Week, the Times
"A glorious book, perfect as a gift." - LoveReading4Kids
"This beautiful book will tug at the heart of any reader regardless of age. [...] No one would be unhappy after seeing the stunning illustrations that accompany this extraordinary story." - Sunday Times
"A gentle, empowering tale with entrancing illustrations." - Daily Mail
"Wonderfully magical" - Mariella Frostrup, Times Radio
"Dramatic, incredibly evocative and full of atmosphere this is a stunning read." - Armadillo Magazine
"The Boy Who Lost His Spark, undeniably has a magical, timeless quality to it, reminiscent of those ancient Celtic legends. [...] timeless" - Irish Independent
"Exploring how we deal with pain, loneliness and tough emotions when we face changes and challenges, it's a beautiful book for everyone." - Pick Me Up's Book of the Week
"An enchanting book. The stunning illustrations are such a treasure, creating an atmosphere and sense of wonder about the story." - The School Librarian
"A really delightful story for 7-9 years. The story is beautifully told and the full colour illustrations are just gorgeous and really enhance the text. I loved it and it is an ideal book for an adult to read to a child or class or for a child to read alone." - Read for Good
- An ideal gift and a truly enchanting read.
- Perfect for children aged 5-8 with themes of family bonds, dyslexia, moving house, myth and folklore.
When Jem and his family move to the countryside, he doesn't like his new home one bit. It's an old cottage on the side of a hill, where strange things keep happening: shoes are filled up with conkers, the stairs become tangled in a woollen maze. Jem's sister Verity is certain it is the work of a "nouka", an ancient creature from local folklore that lives deep down inside the hill. Jem, however, is adamant that there is no such thing...
But this small mythical creature, so attuned to the hearts and minds of others, does exist. And, what's more, it is determined, through mischief and mayhem, to help Jem reignite the spark within himself once more.
- WINNER of the KPMG Children's Books Ireland Honour Award for Fiction
- Longlisted for the Carnegie Medal for Illustration
- Best Children's and YA Books of 2022, Guardian
- RTE.ie Best Irish Children's Books of 2022
The second book in a trilogy of modern fairy tales by Maggie O'Farrell and Daniela Jaglenka Terrazzini featuring children with real life problems and the mythical creatures that attend to them. Look out for Where Snow Angels Go and When the Stammer Came to Stay.
"An autumnal balm for anyone in need of a little magic in their lives." - Alex O'Connell, Children's Book of the Week, the Times
"A glorious book, perfect as a gift." - LoveReading4Kids
"This beautiful book will tug at the heart of any reader regardless of age. [...] No one would be unhappy after seeing the stunning illustrations that accompany this extraordinary story." - Sunday Times
"A gentle, empowering tale with entrancing illustrations." - Daily Mail
"Wonderfully magical" - Mariella Frostrup, Times Radio
"Dramatic, incredibly evocative and full of atmosphere this is a stunning read." - Armadillo Magazine
"The Boy Who Lost His Spark, undeniably has a magical, timeless quality to it, reminiscent of those ancient Celtic legends. [...] timeless" - Irish Independent
"Exploring how we deal with pain, loneliness and tough emotions when we face changes and challenges, it's a beautiful book for everyone." - Pick Me Up's Book of the Week
"An enchanting book. The stunning illustrations are such a treasure, creating an atmosphere and sense of wonder about the story." - The School Librarian
"A really delightful story for 7-9 years. The story is beautifully told and the full colour illustrations are just gorgeous and really enhance the text. I loved it and it is an ideal book for an adult to read to a child or class or for a child to read alone." - Read for Good
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Target group
Children/juvenile
Interest Age: From 5 to 8 years
Dimensions
Height: 252 mm
Width: 211 mm
Thickness: 12 mm
Weight
409 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-5295-2978-4 (9781529529784)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Maggie O'Farrell is an award-winning Irish-British author. Her books for adults have received international acclaim; she has won the Betty Trask Award for her debut novel After You'd Gone, the Somerset Maugham Award in 2005 for The Distance Between Us, the 2013 Costa Novel Award for The Hand That First Held Mine, the 2020 Waterstones Book of the Year Award and the 2020 Women's Fiction Prize for Hamnet, and her non-fiction book I Am I Am I Am reached number 1 on the Sunday Times bestseller list. Where Snow Angels Go was her first book for children, and it won the Indie Book of the Month. Find her online at maggieofarrell.com.
Daniela Jaglenka Terrazzini studied Fine Art in Milan and moved to London to study Photography at the London College of Printing. She is now an illustrator of both detailed paintings and graphic surface patterns. She has illustrated Where Snow Angels Go by Maggie O'Farrell, The Night I Met Father Christmas by Ben Miller and The Seeing Stitch by Jane Yolan. Follow her on Twitter as @DJTerrazzini and Instagram as @danielajterrazzini.
Daniela Jaglenka Terrazzini studied Fine Art in Milan and moved to London to study Photography at the London College of Printing. She is now an illustrator of both detailed paintings and graphic surface patterns. She has illustrated Where Snow Angels Go by Maggie O'Farrell, The Night I Met Father Christmas by Ben Miller and The Seeing Stitch by Jane Yolan. Follow her on Twitter as @DJTerrazzini and Instagram as @danielajterrazzini.