Children's author Frances Hardinge wins 2015 Costa Book of the Year

The Lie Tree, a Victorian murder mystery, is only the second children's book to take the £30,000 prize
The last time a children's book was awarded the Costa Book Prize was in 2001, when Philip Pullman won with The Amber Spyglass.
James Heneage, chair of the final judges, said: ‘Part horror, part detective, part historical, this is a fantastic story with great central characters and narrative tension.  It’s not only a fabulous children’s book but a book that readers of all ages will love.’
The Lie Tree, Frances' seventh novel, beat category winners Andrew Hurley, The Loney (debut novelist and the bookies' favourite), Kate Atkinson, A God in Ruins (novel), Don Paterson, 40 Sonnets (poetry) and Andrea Wulf,  The Invention of Nature: The Adventures of Alexander Von Humboldt, The Lost Hero of Science (biography).
• The Costa Short Story Award 2015 winner is Daniel Murphy with Rogey. Daniel is a former head teacher who left teaching in 2010 to concentrate on his writing, but got sidetracked into writing three books on education.

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