6 wonderful books set in Wales for St David's Day

Wales is awash with centuries-old myths and legends from King Arthur to The Lady of The Lake, so it is surprising that, as a child and an avid reader at that, I don’t recall reading many books set in Wales. 

It was a thrill then, to discover that my voice as a writer was vividly Welsh, the settings so clear to me that I couldn’t not write about them. Both my novels to date have been set in places that I grew up in, places that still feel like home despite not having lived there for many years. 

Writing about home gives me a sense of connection to the past that no longer exists, but it also gives Welsh readers the opportunity to see themselves in the pages of my books, to empathise with the characters, and to feel that their stories matter too. 

Here is a list of some of my favourite books set in Wales, by some of my favourite Welsh children’s authors. 

The Valley of Lost Secrets, Lesley Parr’s debut book, beautifully captures a Welsh voice, and I found myself reading it and imagining the characters speaking in my grandmother’s strong valleys accent! 

This historical middle-grade novel focusses on two brothers, Jimmy and his younger brother Ronnie, who are evacuated from London to the valleys during the Second World War. When Jimmy discovers a skull hidden in a tree, he sets out to discover the story behind it and put to bed a mystery that has affected the community for years. 

Gaslight by Eloise Williams is everything I love about a Victorian novel but even more so because it’s set in Victorian Cardiff in 1899. 

Full of mystery and adventure, it’s the story of orphaned Nansi who, at fourteen years old, works for sometime-thief Sid at a theatre in the city centre. When a new act joins the theatre, secrets around Nansi’s missing mother emerge – and Nansi’s life is put in danger. 

I hugely admire the way Manon Stefan Ros writes with such brevity but still manages to capture a whole gamut of emotions. 

Set in West Wales, Me and Aaron Ramsey is the story of Sam and his dad and their shared love of football and dreams. Sam’s dad gets scouted for a local team, but an accident puts paid to his dreams. As his dad’s recovery brings a change in family dynamics, Sam finds himself thinking more and more about his footballing idol, Aaron Ramsey. 

What I particularly loved about this book was that it showed not only children with dreams and aspirations for their lives, but adults too. It also touches on adult literacy in a gentle and tactful way. 

This middle-grade fantasy novel by Lee Newbery is about twelve-year-old Charlie Challinor who discovers a hilarious flammable fox, Cadno, and vows to keep him safe from a hunter from another world. 

Charming, funny and heart-warming, The Last Firefox is the first in a series of three and features beautiful familial relationships and touches on themes of bravery and friendship. 

Heading back to the Victorian era again with this recommendation, but now it’s a wintry gothic manor house full of secrets, another orphaned girl, and a mysterious talking clockwork crow. 

I read this book when it first came out in 2017, and it utterly mesmerised me. The writing is beautiful, the setting evocative, and the mythical, magical story hooked me from start to finish. 

Comprising of nineteen individual stories, Welsh Fairytales, Myths and Legends by Claire Fayers is engaging and accessible for all ages and makes a perfect bedtime read.

My favourite story, and this will probably come as no surprise given the canine connection, is about Gelert the Brave, the hunting hound who protected Prince Llewelyn’s child from a wolf, only to lose his life in the process.

The tragic loyalty of Gelert captured my heart many years ago, and I like to think all of the dog characters in my novels have a little bit of Gelert’s bravery in them. 

The Shadow Pony by Olivia Wakeford is out now.