Dylan Moore hosts this conversation about two extraordinary novels. Seven-year-old Esther must negotiate adult dysfunction, and a school environment that exposes her to further prejudice and injustice. Joso’s From Seven to the Sea is a window onto the world of a child who rejects convention and expectation. Esther embarks on a creative expedition into liberty and free-thinking; and each day, in place of school, sets out to sea. Deborah Kay Davies’ Tirzah and the Prince of Crows is set in a remote valley in Wales. It is 1974, and Tirzah is sixteen, pretty, witty and wise. Brought up in a staunchly religious family, she has lived a sheltered life. But then she meets a boy. As she begins to struggle against the confines of her community, juggling everyone’s expectations and trying to find her own way in the world, life takes an unexpected turn, ultimately teaching her that freedom springs from within.
