The Light in Everything cover art

The Light in Everything

Shortlisted for the Yoto Carnegie Medal 2023

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The Light in Everything

By: Katya Balen, Sydney Smith
Narrated by: Danielle Nott, Louis Hill
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Bloomsbury presents The Light in Everything by Katya Balen, read by Louis Hill and Danielle Nott.

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'Original, compulsive, uplifting: this is another triumph for Balen' – Alex O'Connell, The Times Children's Book of the Week

'Balen's best book yet: ambitious, funny, spirited, moving, heartfelt and bold all at once. She's a force to be reckoned with' – Ross Montgomery
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From the author of October, October, winner of the Yoto Carnegie Medal 2022, comes a life-affirming story about blended families and learning to find room in your heart for new life and new love.

Tom is still quiet and timid, even though his dad has been gone for nearly two years now.

Zofia is the opposite. Inside her there’s a raging storm that makes her want to fight the whole world until she gets what she wants.

And what she wants is for scaredy-cat Tom to get out of her life. Tom hates loud, unpredictable Zofia just as much, but he’s moving into Zofia’s house. Because his mum and Zofia’s dad are in love … and they’re having a baby.

Tom and Zofia both wish the stupid baby had never happened. But then Tom’s mum gets ill, and it begins to look horribly like their wish might come true …

A story of learning to trust, trying to let go and diving into the unknown with hope in your heart, with a stunning cover illustrated by CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal winner Sydney Smith.
_______________©2023 Katya Balen (P)2023 Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Fiction Growing Up Growing Up & Facts of Life Literature & Fiction Blended Family Heartfelt Health
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Critic reviews

I love Katya Balen’s clear-eyed, poetic writing style, first encountered in The Space We’re In and October, October. She has a special ability to dig deep into the emotional lives of the children she writes about; she is always privy to their darkest thoughts, always on their side. Original, compulsive, uplifting: this is another triumph for Balen. (Alex O'Connell)
This is Balen's best book yet: ambitious, funny, spirited, moving, heartfelt and bold all at once. She's a force to be reckoned with
This story literally took me by storm. A brave heart-dive into the deep emotions of Tom and Zofia, it’s beautifully told with care and tenderness
I loved this book. The deftness with which Katya creates such passionate, funny, broken, brave characters. What an achievement. Katya Balen can break your heart and make you snort with laughter in the same sentence
Katya Balen is rapidly becoming one of my favourite writers. This is a beautiful book that will capture you from the first page. An incredible book by an incredible writer. I loved it
A bold, bright story of blended families, and how two remarkable children cope when their lives change dramatically. Katya Balen’s writing fizzes with her trademark originality and voice. This is another stunningly good read from one of my favourite authors
I loved this book
Heartbreaking and heart-warming in equal measure – warm, compassionate, insightful, lyrical, beautiful and uplifting
I absolutely LOVE all Katya's writing and I adored reading this book. It's such a beautiful, subtle story which just transported me into the worlds of Zofia and Tom and like all the very finest stories, it has left a little shard of those lives within it lodged deep in my heart
A sensitive story about stitching a new family together from frayed pieces. So vividly imagined you can taste the salt in the air
The Light in Everything is a moving, truthful, unflinching close up of a story, that proves how difficult it can be being a human among other humans, but how rewarding too when you allow yourself the space to breathe
Katya Balen’s October, October is a very special new addition to the shelf and deserves classic status
Quite simply one of the most beautiful books I've ever read
October, October is fierce with a wild love. It draws you in to its heart, shakes you with a fury, wraps you in a spell of storytelling. In lyrical prose, Katya Balen gives us a modern day heroine filled with courage. I loved every page
Wise and bright - I loved it.
It's EXQUISITE. Read it. Wild yourself. Open your heart to it. Written with the pen of a poet and the soul of Mother Earth. Glorious. It's like nothing else I've ever read. Liz Hyder on OCTOBER, OCTOBER
The most wonderful, original treasure of a story
All stars
Most relevant
I didn't expect to like this as much as I did. From the first few pages, it's abundantly clear where the narrative is going, but by the end it didn't matter. Just as one can enjoy a walk one always takes, the predictability of the end point in no way detracted from the pleasure derived from reaching it. Well written and beautifully performed.

Predictable, but enjoyable notwithstanding

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I enjoyed how Katya navigated through difficult themes and the blending of two very different families into one beautiful and diverse one. At first, just like Zofia and Tom, I had no hope that this was going to work at all..there's a special thing that happens when a common adversity brings unlikely characters together. This book made me understand things differently, especially in children with special educational needs (from my perspective as a primary school teacher). Well written and well performed!!

Absolutely loved this book!!

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Loved it as much if not more than October October 👏👏👏👏. The performance of the narrators chosen to read Tom and Zofia were very believable. I love how the author really tells the story from the children's perspective. Looking forward to the next one already!

Katya Balen does it again!

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I simply cannot wait to read this to my seven year old. I am going to read Zofia's section and Daddy (who is also called Tom) will read for Tom. We are reading October October at the moment and we are loving it. My son Alex has his own little Owl teddy who is now called Stig and sleeps with him every night. Thank you for your beautiful words Katya x

A stunningly beautiful read

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What a fantastic book! The descriptive language made me feel like I was there. I can’t wait to share this book with my class. They loved October October and are waiting in anticipation.

Loved it!!

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