In a small Welsh village, the fair folk are stirring under the mountain; the fair folk who lure children into the underworld. When Cassie's brother Byron disappears, Dad says he's just out late. Mam worries he's dead in a ditch. Everyone is looking for Byron, but no-one is looking in the right place. Except Cassie. She knows if they are ever going to get Byron back, then she'll have to follow him down into the dark. Blending ancient myths and contemporary family drama, The Blackthorn Branch shows that we need love most when we deserve it least A contemporary novel for fans of Susan Cooper Elen Caldecott is the winner of the Tir-na-Nog Award and has been longlisted for the Carnegie medal Themes of mental health, grief and environmental damage Set on a council estate in Wales and featuring Welsh-speaking characters.