The Valley of Lost Secrets

With echoes of Carrie's War, and Goodnight Mister Tom, Parr brings her own fresh voice to what already feels like a wartime classic. This story is quietly brutal and brilliantly heartfelt. I absolutely ADORED it. ― Emma Carroll, author of Letters from the Lighthouse

Evocative and heartfelt, The Valley of Lost Secrets already reads like a classic. A celebration of kindness and friendship at a time of upheaval, it's gripping, heart-breaking and yet full of hope. I loved it with all my heart ― Liz Hyder, author of Bearmouth

An evacuee story with all the makings of a classic. ― Anna Fargher, author of The Umbrella Mouse

A story of friendship, love, loss and belonging; of looking at people deep past their exterior, and of the love and pain in a human heart. There's a cracking mystery at the centre of it, but it was the Welsh backdrop and Jimmy's journey to acceptance that stayed in my heart long after I'd closed the book. ― Nizrana Farook, author of The Girl Who Stole an Elephant

A gripping mystery, overflowing with heart - The Valley of Lost Secrets is one of the very best books I've read this year. ― Carlie Sorosiak, author of I, Cosmo

What a wonderful book. A brilliant debut - warm and tender, simple in the best way, historical fiction with a light touch. ― Ross Montgomery, author of The Midnight Guardians

Lesley Parr's The Valley of Lost Secrets (Bloomsbury), follows Jimmy in wartime, evacuated with his brother to a Welsh mining village, as he slowly acclimatises to his new surroundings. But when Jimmy finds a hidden skull, he unearths a secret that has haunted the community for years. Atmospheric, direct and gripping, with a superbly assured narrative voice, this book is woven through with powerful themes: grief, belonging and making peace with the past. ― Guardian

An absolute triumph of warm, tender-hearted, timeless storytelling - Lesley Parr has created a story that feels like it has always been here. and one that I'm sure will still continue to be read many years from now. ― Sophie Kirtley, author of The Wild Way Home

The Valley of Lost Secrets vividly evokes the uncomfortable reality of being an evacuee in a new place very different from home, as experienced by 12- year-old Jimmy. This warm, sensitive story celebrates the Welsh community at its heart, but also shows the complexities of living in a small mining town where everyone knows everyone else. I particularly loved the way Lesley describes the landscape and its people. The story moves along at a compelling pace, the historical background is lightly touched in, the characters are memorable. And the ending is truly satisfying. ― Julia Green, author of The Children of Swallow Fell

Beautifully written, this story of two brothers from London struggling with homesickness and the mysteries of their new surroundings is one of the best books I've read this year. Human, warm, funny, thrilling, and above all, compelling, The Valley of Lost Secrets leads the reader effortlessly into a convincing world of wartime Wales. We follow Jimmy as he makes sense of his new surroundings and uncovers a secret that relates to the lovely couple who have taken him and his little brother into their home. Along the way, he has to deal with new realities that challenge all the things he thought he knew. Friends that become foes, and old foes that become friends. I massively recommend this for ages 9+. ― Fleur Hitchcock, author of The Boy Who Flew