Tracey Corderoy & Steven Lenton

Shifty McGifty and Slippery Sam: The Robber Ghost

About Author

Tracey Corderoy grew up in South Wales, on a council estate firmly sandwiched between the steel and chemical works. She’s a trained teacher, but now writes full-time in an old damp cottage in a valley in the woods. Her first book was published in 2010, and she has now written more than 80!. You can find Tracey on X @TraceyCorderoy

Steven Lenton grew up in Cheshire and now works from his studio in Brighton, creating an array of charming characters for his books. Best known for illustrating Shifty McGifty series, he has illustrated many lovely books and written his own Genie & Teeny series. You can find Steven on X @StevenLenton

Interview

September 2026

A ghostly adventure for Tracey Corderoy's Shifty McGifty & Slippery Sam!

Detective dogs Shifty McGifty and Slippery Sam are back with a new spooky adventure, The Robber Ghost, just in time for Halloween! Look out for ghostly appearances, strange noises, and a few frights along the way!

ReadingZone caught up with bestselling author Tracey Corderoy to find out what inspired the series, how she creates the Shifty McGifty and Slippery Sam picture books with illustrator Steven Lenton, and what else she has planned for the detective duo!

More about The Robber Ghost: Dog detectives Shifty McGifty and Slippery Sam are baking for a party at a posh hotel. But a ghost thief has been robbing the hotel guests, and there's something FRIGHTfully familiar about that phantom. Can Shifty and Sam solve the mystery and save Halloween?

Review: "Tracey's brilliant, bouncy rhyming text and Steven's delightful, detailed illustrations always combine to create the best stories - and this is no exception!"

Q&A with Tracey Corderoy, creator of Shifty McGifty & Slippery Sam!

"They are fun, adventurous, determined and not perfect - and that's why I love to write for them.
They try hard, do their best and learn from their mistakes."

1. Hello Tracey, it's great to have you back on ReadingZone to talk about your Shifty McGifty and Slippery Sam picture books. Are these two your favourite children's characters?

Yes, they are absolutely two of my favourites. We've been together for over 13 years so I feel they are rather like good old friends now! They are fun, adventurous, determined and not perfect - and that's why I love to write for them. They try hard, do their best and learn from their mistakes. Each of them has their own personality and I feel I will never tire of offering Shifty and Sam adventures.

2. What was the original inspiration for these two doggy detectives - and of course their arch nemesis, Kitty Le Claw!? How did their characters develop?

I had a beautiful Golden Retriever called Dylan. On one routine trip to the vet's, Dylan took a fancy to a teddy bear in the window. He grabbed it, (with his mouth, obviously because he was a dog!) and his long, swishy tail (very waggy too) resulted in a spontaneously swift destruction of the display.

But Dylan was (eventually) very sorry. I could see it in his eyes. He just 'didn't think'. It can happen to us all. And therein was the gem of an idea for a story. Cue Shifty and Sam, and their robbing shenanigans until they did think a little more about the consequences of their actions and thereafter turned their lives around!

Now, Kitty is different. She has zero remorse, which makes her a superb arch enemy. She's fast and cheeky and, as of yet, she has not changed one bit. Of course, though, Shifty and Sam always catch her. Because they are totally PAWsome.

Illustrations by Steven Lenton from Shifty McGifty & Slippery Sam: The Robber Ghost

3. There aren't many detective picture books for young children - how do you go about setting the scene for each story, and pacing the clues - and surprises?

Well now, my aim by the time I finish the story is to make it all look super smooth. No extra fuss we do not need. No self-indulgent superfluous 'rhyming extras' just for fun. But to reach this smooth, unbumpy synthesis there are reams and reams of messy 'try outs' that bit by bit I work through, or let go of, to allow me to finally reach an end point I'm happy with. This, of course, can take some time because I'm a massive perfectionist.

As for clues and pacing, I have many conversations with the team at Nosy Crow who help me refine the story and make it invitingly captivating (I hope) in terms of plot and drawing young readers (and those who read the stories to them) into the world of our robber dogs turned baking detectives.

4. How closely do you work with illustrator Steven Lenton in creating the books?

After all this time of working together, I tend to know how Steven might think and vice versa I believe. He also brings wonderful surprises to the stories and heaps of energy and fun. I trust Steven completely to make the stories sparkle. Steven knows the boys as well as I do and so we often chat through ideas. We are always hugely excited about the stories as we create for the boys, and love bringing them to life in shows and events around the country.

5. How many adventures have Shifty McGifty and Slippery Sam had so far - do you have any favourites?

This is our eighth picture book and we have also created four fiction titles. It's so tricky to choose a favourite because they are all so different really. We just tend to love them all. I think you really have to in order to want to create more and more for Shifty and Sam, as we do!

6. These picture books are fun adventures - but are there also more serious messages within their pages, perhaps about friendship and consequences?

Yes, but these are not laboured because children are clever and they don't need to be told, they will work it out. I once had a great chat with a group of Year 3s who were interested in Kitty from a 'pre-meditated crime' angle. So much fun!

7. Can you tell us what happens in Shifty McGifty and Slippery Sam's new picture book adventure, The Robber Ghost?

So! Shifty and Sam are off baking for a Halloween party at a posh hotel. Shifty is nervous, Sam not so much (he's so feisty, you see!). Anyway, guests are saying that they have been robbed by a ghost (a real one). Ah, but have they? Then an alligator in a very posh dressing gown raises the alarm yet again and it's Shifty and Sam to the rescue. WHoooOOOooo! (And that's all I'm saying or I'll spoil it!)

8. There is a strong Halloween vibe to the new book, and we love all the Halloween details in the new story - any favourite spreads or moments? What do you hope young children will spot in its pages?

Oh, there is SO much to spot. The vertical cross section of all the floors of the hotel is an absolute budding detective's DREAM! And there are so many colourful characters all dressed up in wonderful costumes. Oh, and don't get me started on all the spooktacular cakes and gory trifles. (Yes! Trifles SO can be gory!) Also please do try and spot our normal spider. Do you know, maybe we should give him a name. Normal spider? Hmm, Norman the normal spider? Answers on a postcard please!

9. Can you suggest any follow-on activities for things children can make or do after reading The Robber Ghost?

Maybe they could design menus full of spooky party creations. They might make up new guests and give them costumes. Also they could make up spooky music - and party games. They could act out the story - and change it up a bit! Oh, and make bunting, I love a bit of bunting. How about using candles to draw ghosts that only show themselves when you paint over them? Honestly, don't get me started. The opportunities for fun (in my head at least) are endless!

10. You've also written longer young fiction stories for children who love these characters - can you tell us a little about them? Do you have more Shifty McGifty and Slippery Sam picture books planned?

We've done four young fiction books so far, with three stories in each. They are mysteries with Shifty and Sam in their Bakemobile-detective-lab always off to the rescue! In the young fiction we bring in more characters and a slightly more sophisticated plot. The vocabulary is carefully selected to help emerging readers and it's lovely for them to embark on their own reading journey with characters they already know and hopefully love. I feel that would be super-comforting.

And yes! We certainly do have more Shifty and Sam picture books coming, so watch this space!

Creative Challenge from Tracey Corderoy: I think a super-fun creative challenge would be to make a game that could be a springboard for making up a story. It would start as a funny Mix-and-Match the party guest. The young readers could draw different characters on pieces of card, all dressed up in spooky costumes, then cut each of their drawings into top, middle and bottom sections. They could then place all the card pieces face down (so as not to see the drawings), in top, middle and bottom sections on the table. Next, they'd turn over one card from each section and put the three mismatched Heads, Middles and Legs together to create their next (funny) Halloween thief. But what would this new thief choose to steal? And would Shifty and Sam catch them? Whatever, it's sure to be fun! Or perhaps they could also try out a portrait with moving eyes idea. Behind it would be another robber! Ah, but whOOOoo?

Enjoy a school visit from Tracey Corderoy: I LOVE doing school visits. These are fun and super-colourful sessions with lots of interaction to hopefully leave the children inspired and keen to read more - or write their own story adventures. I bring props, do drawing with them (Steven has shown me how to draw Sam, thankfully!) and there will be games too. So it's such a happy time and if anyone would like to get in touch to enquire further, they can reach me through my website: www.traceycorderoy.com. Thank you!

Tracey Corderoy introduces an earlier adventure, Shifty & Slippery Sam: Train Trouble (Nosy Crow)

Author Tracey Corderoy celebrated ten years of Shifty McGifty and Slippery Sam with picture book Train Trouble! When Shifty McGifty and Slippery Sam board the Pawrient Express, they soon realise that all is not well; a thief is on board, and it will demand all their special skills to solve this case!

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