Cath Howe
About Author
Cath Howe's new book, Two is a Crowd, follows what happens when Seren moves in with Hattie's family, and how the two very different characters impact on each other's lives.
Cath is an author and teacher working in South West London writing for, and working with, Key Stage 2 primary age children. Cath runs workshops in schools on everything to do with writing and performing. She has won prizes for stories, poems and monologues and has even written a musical.
Interview
April 2026
Cath Howe explores blended families in her powerful new novel, Two is a Crowd (Nosy Crow)
In Two is a Crowd, author Cath Howe follows the experiences of two children who unexpectedly find themselves in a blended family. This highly engaging story about family dynamics and belonging is seen through the eyes of one of the girls, Hattie, and the reader sees how she experiences having another child, Seren, fit into her family.
ReadingZone asked Cath Howe to tell us more about her writing, her favourite themes to explore in her writing, and about her new book, Two is a Crowd.
More about Two is a Crowd: Hattie's life is already complicated enough. She's about to start secondary school, her best friend is going off with someone else and her dad seems to have forgotten his promise to let her have a room of her own. So when her mum's goddaughter, Seren, arrives and gets special treatment, Hattie feels pushed out. Could it be that Hattie's family actually prefers Seren?
Review: "A new book from Cath Howe is always something to celebrate and Two is a Crowd offers the same high standard of accessible, enjoyable story as those which come before it!" Sue, ReadingZone. Read a chapter from Two is a Crowd
Creative Challenge from Cath Howe
You can find free resources designed by me for all my Nosy Crow titles, including resources for Two is a Crowd: Life is like a balloon ride.
Two Is a Crowd starts with the dream of a hot air balloon ride and the story ends with a balloon too - you will need to read it to see how everything has changed.
Picture a balloon of your own starting to inflate and you taking off inside it. Describe the balloon - stripes or spots? A logo? A shape? Who is in your basket? What do you fly over? What does flying feel like? Where do you land? Draw your hot air balloon and write your thoughts inside it. If it's helpful, you can find an illustration of one by Miguel Bustos inside the book on page 242
Q&A with Cath Howe: Exploring blended families in Two is a Crowd
"Blended families are everywhere, but I don't think many stories explore the
complicated feelings children can have.."
1. Thank you for joining us on ReadingZone to talk about your new book, Two is a Crowd. Can you tell us a little about yourself, your loves and loathings, and what brought you into writing for children?
I've always enjoyed reading, taking my mind away to other worlds and ideas. Loves: I love all the arts. I do a lot of drawing and printmaking and I sing in a choir every week. Hates: I hate any unkindess to animals.
I started writing seriously for children when my own family were growing up and I began to look at the books they were bringing home from school. I had, up to this point, worked as a secondary school teacher of English and Drama. My first interest was in writing drama scripts and I still love everything to do with theatre.
2. What kinds of stories do you enjoy writing? Do any of your novels stand out for you in terms of your writing career so far? What are you writing currently?
I enjoy writing about real-world situations and characters. My first book of this type was Ella on the Outside and this set the ball rolling for five more Nosy Crow middle-grade stories, where characters face tricky situations and the messy lives of children in their families and/or in schools.
I'm currently developing a new middle grade story about siblings and blended families. I'm also working on a new idea for younger readers aged 5+.
3. You often write about misunderstood children, exploring the reasons behind their actions. Has your work in schools helped guide this in your writing?
Definitely. I work each week with Year 6 writers (ages 10+) in a local primary school. I think it's important to be around the age group you write for, if you can. I love being in school regularly and getting to know so many staff and children. It keeps the writing real.
4. What happens in your new book, Two's a Crowd, and what inspired you to write about two very different children within a blended family?
In Two Is a Crowd, Mum's god-daughter Seren has to move in and live with Hattie and her two brothers. Seren has not lived in a family in this way before. She and Hattie are very different characters and they don't initially connect. Hattie quickly starts to resent the special treatment Seren gets.
The whole written narrative is from Hattie's point of view, but we start to understand Seren from her drawings. This makes the book unusual and, I hope, intriguing for readers.
I wanted to write about how the family comes through this challenging time and how the girls begin to understand one another better. I'm always an optimist about the ways we can find strength in tricky times. Blended families are everywhere, but I don't think many stories explore the complicated feelings children can have.
5. Can you tell us more about the two main characters, Hattie and Seren, and how you develop their differences at the start of the novel? Do you have a soft spot for either character?
Hattie is warm, enthusiastic and exuberant. She has big feelings which she expresses forcefully. Seren is quiet, shy and hard to get to know. They really are like opposite extremes - well, they seem to be.
I think, as a writer, I have to develop a soft spot for both characters but, if I'm really honest, it's Hattie I identify with most because she's making a hash of things, losing her temper and jumping to conclusions which are often wrong. I love writing about someone who is messing up!
6. How well do you get to know your characters before you write them? Do you have questions about them or do writing exercises to develop their characters?
I write monologues from the viewpoints of everyone in the story, including the adults. I write scenes that take place before or after the story. I write about possessions and interests. I do lots of drawing to help me imagine the characters.
7. Hattie makes some poor choices through the novel - how do you keep the reader on her side?
I think Hattie's choices are understandable in the moment. I remember feeling like that myself. I think readers are on side if they care about her and that comes from understanding how she's thinking and feeling.
8. You also explore society's expectations of 'girls' by contrasting tomboy, loud Hattie with quiet, pretty Seren. Why did you want to explore these aspects of being a girl?
I think we are all made differently and it's often around Hattie's age that some expectations around being a girl or boy begin to have a bigger impact. I want a world where young people feel accepted for who they are. There's no better or worse way to be. I think this strong view is reflected in all my fiction. Seren struggles too. Fixed ideas about girls and boys do nobody any favours.
9. What other kinds of discussions do you hope the story will raise? And what do you hope the reader will take from Hattie and Seren's experiences?
I think there are many kinds of families that can be great places to grow up in. Sometimes we avoid the difficult conversations and things can smoulder and cause more problems.
Hattie's story shows the whole family under strain, but better times are possible. I hope readers will ask themselves how they would feel in my characters' shoes.
10. What do you most enjoy doing when you're away from your desk?
I love to walk and be in green spaces. I love singing and anything connected to art and theatre. I love junk shops and car boot sales.
Cath Howe's School Events: I offer school visits and events of all kinds. Schools can expect workshops around inspirations for writing with short fun tasks and/or interactive assembly talks about ourselves as writers, with tips on ways to get inside characters' heads. Contact me through my website www.cathhowe.com or through authorsalouduk.co.uk.
Explore Cath Howe's earlier novels
My Life on Fire The Insiders How to be Me Ella on the Outside
My Life on Fire (Nosy Crow): In My Life on Fire, author Cath Howe explores the impact of a house fire on a child, Ren, who starts to steal after the loss of her home and possessions - and how an unexpected friendship offers a way to put things right. Find out more in ReadingZone's Q&A with Cath Howe.
The Insiders (Nosy Crow Books): In The Insiders, author Cath Howe follows the lives of three children and explores what happens to their friendship when misunderstandings cause divisions between them, leading to a near-tragedy. Read a chapter from The Insiders
Two is a Crowd
My Life on Fire
The Insiders
How to be Me
Not My Fault
Ella on the Outside
