Moray children’s author wins honour for her debut novel

AN AUTHOR who grew up in Moray was yesterday presented with an award for her first children’s book.

Lari Don, 40, who grew up at Dufftown, won the Young Readers (8-11) category in the Royal Mail awards for her debut novel, First Aid for Fairies and Other Fabled Beasts.

Award winners are determined entirely by votes cast by children and libraries across Scotland.

Ms Don’s novel tells the story of a vet’s daughter growing up in the Borders who makes friends with a variety of creatures from myth and legend.

They travel from Orkney to Edinburgh, as they attempt to solve riddles to recover the lost Book of Wisdom before the Winter Solstice. The sequel, Wolf Notes and Other Musical Mishaps, was published in June.

Although she was born in Chile, Ms Don moved to the north-east as a child when her father worked at Balvenie Distillery at Dufftown.

She attended Mortlach Primary and Speyside High School at Aberlour. She left to study maths at Glasgow University, and is now based in Edinburgh.

She collected the award at a ceremony at Edinburgh’s Queen’s Hall, which was attended by 700 pupils from across Scotland.

Ms Don said her childhood at Dufftown inspired her writing. She said that her books are set in the outdoors, where she spent much of her time while growing up. She added: “This is such a special award because it is voted for by the people who count. The fact that children enjoyed reading my book, particularly since it is my first book, is the best prize possible.”