Heaven Eyes
Coming-of-Age Young Adult Fiction Literary Fiction British Fiction Magical Realism Social Realism Contemporary Fantasy
David Almond’s Carnegie Medal-winning Heaven Eyes (first-edition paperback, 2000) is the haunting, lyrical novel that collectors of modern British YA fiction most frequently request. Only 216 pages, this slim 1st printing is already scarce in clean, unmarked condition, making every copy a genuine vintage find for booksellers and readers who want the earliest text state before later reprints trimmed the margins and softened Almond’s cadence.
Set on the ink-black waters of the River Tyne, the story follows runaway orphans Erin, January and Mouse as they escape their care home and drift into a derelict printing works where the mysterious, web-fingered Heaven Eyes lives among the “mud ghosts.” Almond blends gritty social realism with fable-like magic, crafting a narrative that speaks as powerfully to adult nostalgia for abandoned places as it does to teens searching for identity and belonging. The result is a timeless parable about memory, loss and the families we choose—themes that have kept the book on GCSE syllabi and book-club lists for two decades.
This particular copy shows only light cover wear and one corner crease—remarkably tidy for a 24-year-old paperback that was passed enthusiastically between teen readers. Pages are bright, supple and free of markings, so the poetic prose remains crisp and immersive. For collectors, the first-edition status is the key value driver; for readers, it is the chance to experience Almond’s Whitbread-winning storytelling in its original, unaltered form before the text was re-set for later mass-market runs.
Refer to our eBay listing for a full condition report and many more high-quality pictures of this item.
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