Audiobooks by Polly Ho-Yen

An out-of-this-world middle-grade adventure about finding friendship in the most unlikely of places. From the bestselling and Waterstones Children's Book Prize shortlisted author of BOY IN THE TOWER. Perfect for fans of Stranger Things and authors, such as Ross Welford and Lisa Thompson. Something strange is happening in Ana's city . . . she's the only one awake. Confused and curious, Ana sets off to explore, bumping into the one other person who's been able to rouse themselves - her ex-best friend, Tio. On a mission to discover what's happening, Ana and Tio journey through the city looking for clues, their friendship mending with every step. When a mysterious creature suddenly materialises in front of them, Ana realises they've found the answer they've been looking for. But one question still remains: Why them? Praise for How I Saved the World in a Week: 'This tense, haunting zombie thriller perfectly balances terrifying peril with emotional depth.' - Guardian 'A fabulous page-turner' - Abi Elphinstone, author of Sky Song 'A compelling and timely survivalist journey' - Sita Brahmachari, author of Where the River Runs Gold 'A brave and powerful story' - Jasbinder Bilan, author of Asha & the Spirit Bird Praise for Boy in the Tower: 'An unusual and very impressive debut' - Fiona Noble, The Bookseller

Polly Ho-Yen (Author), Katie Leung (Narrator)

Audiobook

How I Saved the World in a Week

A brilliantly imagined new 8+ adventure about resilience, family and hope. From the bestselling and Waterstones Children's Book Prize shortlisted author of BOY IN THE TOWER. Perfect for fans of Ross Welford, Lisa Thompson and Onjali Rauf. Rule number one: Always be prepared . . . Billy's mum isn't like other mums. All she wants is to teach him the Rules of Survival - how to make fire, build shelter and find food. She likes to test Billy on the rules until one day she goes too far, and Billy is sent to live with a dad he barely knows. Then the world changes forever as people begin to be infected with a mysterious virus that turns their skin grey. As chaos breaks out, Billy has to flee the city. Suddenly he realises that this is what his mum was preparing him for - not just to save his family, but to save the whole world. Praise for How I Saved the World in a Week: 'A fabulous page-turner' - Abi Elphinstone, author of Sky Song 'A compelling and timely survivalist journey' - Sita Brahmachari, author of Where the River Runs Gold 'A brave and powerful story' - Jasbinder Bilan, author of Asha & the Spirit Bird Praise for Boy in the Tower: 'An unusual and very impressive debut' - Fiona Noble, The Bookseller

Polly Ho-Yen (Author), Waleed Akhtar (Narrator)

Audiobook

Dark Lullaby

For fans of Black Mirror and The Handmaid's Tale, in Dark Lullaby a mother desperately tries to keep her family together in a society where parenting standards are strictly monitored. Kit is an 'out', she doesn't want children. Infertility is universal and she has witnessed the agonies of her friends and sister going through the painful and dangerous fertility treatment, Induction, and then struggling to keep their babies, and cannot face going through it herself. But then she meets Thomas, and gradually the idea of a baby becomes more and more important. She and Thomas go through Induction and have a baby girl, Mimi. At first everything goes well but then the small mistakes, ISPs (Insufficient Standard of Parenting), build up and suddenly Kit is face to face with the idea of losing Mimi, and she is forced to ask herself how far she will go to keep her family together. "A heart-wrenching and beautifully told novel, absolutely compelling, and scarily plausible. This is the best kind of speculative fiction: thoughtful, committed, alert to the outlines of a possible near-future, that inhabits your mind long after reading. One of the most important books to be published this year." MARIAN WOMACK, author of The Golden Key "An expertly crafted exploration of love and loss, with a truly haunting conclusion. Intimate, often poetic prose shines bright through the encroaching dread. Bleak, beautiful and bittersweet at every turn. I loved it." MARTYN FORD, author of Every Missing Thing "Polly Ho-Yen masterfully balances eerie, dream-like prose with a distressingly realistic portrayal of a world where reproductive right has become reproductive responsibility. To be a parent is to live with your heart outside your body and, through smart world-building, memorable characters and sharp insight, Dark Lullaby perfectly encapsulates the power and terror of that love." DAVE RUDDEN, author of The Wintertime Paradox "Dark Lullaby is hard-hitting, mournful and deeply affecting, reading like the offspring of Never Let Me Go and 1984, and it addresses universal fears about early parenthood without providing easy answers. I raced through it and when I'd finished, it made me hug my own children tight." TIM MAJOR, author of Hope Island "With fabulous world-building and a plot so tight you could bounce a quarter off of it, Dark Lullaby is a Handmaid's Tale for the modern world, about the ways our human need for love can serve as both society's salvation, and its undoing." SARAH LANGAN, author of Good Neighbors "This gripping thriller has everything: beautiful writing, shedloads of tension, family drama. It made me grateful for my fragile freedoms." EMILY KOCH, author of If I Die Before I Wake

Polly Ho-Yen (Author), Eva Feiler (Narrator)

Audiobook

Where Monsters Lie

NOMINATED FOR THE CARNEGIE MEDAL The children of Mivtown have grown up hearing the legend of the monsters of the loch. But it's only a story - a warning to stay away from the water. Then strange things start happening in the village. Effie's rabbit Buster escapes from a locked hutch, her mum disappears without trace and slugs start to infest her home. Along with her best friend Finn, Effie begins to hunt for clues to solve the mysteries of Mivtown. Could this all be connected to the legend? Is it really just a story or is there something lurking in those deep, dark waters? "One of the most unusual and distinctive new voices in children's fiction." THE BOOKSELLER

Polly Ho-Yen (Author), Cathleen Mccarron (Narrator)

Audiobook

Boy in the Tower

When they first arrived, they came quietly and stealthily as if they tip-toed into the world when we were all looking the other way. Ade loves living at the top of a tower block. From his window, he feels like he can see the whole world stretching out beneath him. His mum doesn't really like looking outside - but it's going outside that she hates. She's happier sleeping all day inside their tower, where it's safe. But one day, other tower blocks on the estate start falling down around them and strange, menacing plants begin to appear. Now their tower isn't safe anymore. Ade and his mum are trapped and there's no way out . . . "An unusual and very impressive debut." THE BOOKSELLER Nominated for the Carnegie Medal and shortlisted for the Blue Peter Book Award and the Waterstones Children's Book Prize.

Polly Ho-Yen (Author), Jervis Amfo-Gyamera (Narrator)

Audiobook

Fly Me Home

NOMINATED FOR THE CARNEGIE MEDAL Feeling lost and alone in a strange new city, Leelu wishes she could fly away back home - her real home where her dad is, thousands of miles away. London is cold and grey and the neighbours are noisy and there's concrete everywhere. But Leelu is not alone; someone is leaving her gifts outside her house - wonders which give her curious magical powers. Powers which might help her find her way home . . . Fly Me Home is an incredibly moving portrait of one family's struggle to adjust to life in a new country. Full of friendship, family and magic. "One of the most unusual and distinctive new voices in children's fiction." THE BOOKSELLER on Where Monsters Lie

Polly Ho-Yen (Author), Tania Rodrigues (Narrator)

Audiobook