Latest Book Reviews
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This is a beautiful board book that cleverly takes the introduction of colour a little further than most board books for young children. In Tim Hopgood's...
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Prepare to fall head over heels in love with Ruffles and his little puppy friends in David Melling's latest picture book series for young readers. Beautif...
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Percy the Park Keeper has been a common addition to libraries and book collections for over 30 years and this latest release is aimed at the youngest of P...
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What a joyful approach to counting, I can see fun-loving youngsters really enjoying this journey on the 'Numbers Train'! In this space-themed counting boo...
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A great introduction to non-fiction books, this lovely pop-up book tells children about a variety of different animal homes. From mice to arctic foxes, each...
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This book is similar to the nursery rhyme of the same name, and uses the same structure to wake up different animals - bunnies, lambs, chicks, kittens and du...
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When an ice age mammoth finds himself in a modern city, he's not sure what to make of this huge gleaming 'forest'. Strange birds in the sky, strange beetl...
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What Happened to You? is the story of Joe, a little boy with only one leg, and his experiences with other children asking "What happened...
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This beautiful touching picture book is even more relevant and essential during these uncertain times. Young readers are no doubt struggling with loneline...
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Pig is kind and popular and especially thoughtful. The trouble is that Pig has a secret; he is a terrible worrier. One day, Pig organises a party for his...
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From children’s favourite and award-winning author of 'I am NOT an elephant' and 'I am a Tiger', comes a more emotional and thought-provoking story about...
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The main themes of How to Mend a Friend are empathy, sadness and supporting a friend. It was written by the author Karl Newson whilst he...
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I really liked Move, Mr. Mountain and resonated hugely with the sorts of challenge we face with children every day. The story is about Mr. Mountain, a gre...
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This is a lovely story about an unlikely friendship between a little girl called Lily and a mountain in her village. Lily is a sassy and opinionated young...
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This is an absolutely delightful book to start a discussion about a number of current issues. Stella is a little girl who befriends a seagull and is then...
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Grow, Forage and Make - Fun Things to do with Plants is a fantastic non-fiction book that easily shows children how to design, create and...
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This is a brilliantly appealing book of exciting STEM experiments using a range of easily sourced, inexpensive items. The book itself is a whopping A4 siz...
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Mammoth, an amusing, poignant, fish-out-of-water picture book, is the first in a new author/illustrator partnership by the author of Dogs Don't Do Ballet...
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I absolutely fell in love with this modern but classic feeling magical, fantastical adventure. 11 year old Edie Winter helps out with Dad's job at the Lon...
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Kate on the Case starts with some lovely pictures to introduce the characters, as well as pictures of different carriages in the train. I...
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In a medieval land where dinosaurs still roam, Henry is destined to be more than a stable boy. Henry Fairchild, a common stable boy, has a unique u...
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First of all, this incredible book has bits of all kinds of genres, including: bits of sadness, bits of happiness, loads of funny bits and sci-fi. There a...
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How to Survive Without Grown-Ups is a very funny story about a brother and sister who explore a mystery of what happened when mum and dad went to space. A...
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Vashti Hardy has done it again! Harley Hitch and the Iron Forest is an absolute triumph and a joy to read, in fact this book has not seen the shelf since...
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It is a well-known fact (in his family) that Noah breaks everything he touches. But, when he stows away in the back of the school mini-bus on his sister's...
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This dazzling picture book has 15 watery environments for the reader to explore, each with a double page spread with an introduction describing the habita...
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Escape the Rooms is a laugh-out-loud, surrealist tale that leads our two main characters through a journey that is so much more than it seems. It starts w...
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The Girl in Wooden Armour is a vividly written fantasy story, jam-packed with exhilarating action. The pace and suspense created by Conra...
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Skyborn is a tumbling, twisting and turbulent adventure akin to that of Peter Bunzl's Cogheart series. Alice, who has a 'firemark' on her cheek, has turne...
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Otherland by Louie Stowell is an excellent adventure, fantasy story that opens up a whole new realm of magical fairies, gods and creatures where things ar...
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Ajela is hungry for adventure. While life at home is Seville, helping in the family taverna and trying to escape from her loving family's ladylike expecta...
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Happy Girl Lucky is the first book in the Valentines trilogy, and what a great read it is. Hope is 15 and the youngest daughter of a very famous film star...
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A Gathering Midnight is the sequel to <a href="https://www.readingzone.com/books/midnight-s-twins-a-dark-new-fantasy-that-will-invade-you...
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A Susin Nielsen book is a real joy. A wry smiling, head nodding, frequent chuckling, joy. And that's not an easy thing to create. Susin Nielsen, you are t...
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Burning Sunlight is a brilliant read on many levels. Firstly, the author has caught the emotional mood swings of a teenager extremely wel...
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The Swallows' Flight is a companion novel to The Skylarks' War, which I would urge you to read first if...
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A book billed as 'The Handmaid’s Tale for LGBTQ+ YA' was never going to be a comfortable read but nothing can quite prepare the...
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On the face of it who would think that Natalie in Dover, and Sammy in Eritrea, have any common ground? Certainly not the right wing groups protesting abou...
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This is a story of new friendships, love, alcohol and trust. It is filled with emotion and has some references of a sexual nature. Set in Ireland,...
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Raising Hell is based in London and is a story with magic, love, friendship and trying to right the wrongs. It begins with Ivy Mann in her late teens work...
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Raising Hell is an action packed fantasy adventure. A very compelling read suited to fans of Charlie Higson, Darren Shan, The Red Eye Ser...
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In We Were Wolves, Boy lives in a caravan on his own in the woods. His dad, John, is in prison and promises to get out soon. All the boy...
ReadingZone Authors of the Month
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Anna Kemp
Anna Kemp's latest picture book, Mammoth (illus Adam Beer), explores trying to fit in - when your really st...
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Karl Newson
Karl Newson creates picture books and his new book, How to Mend a Friend, describes all th...
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Steve Small
Steve Small has worked in animation for over 30 years as a director, designer, and animator. The work has v...
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Sally Anne Garland
Sally Anne Garland grew up in a small town called Alness in the Highlands of Scotland. According to her parents, her first r...
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Peter Brown
Peter has always loved telling stories. Growing up in New Jersey, he told stories by drawing characters and scenes from his...
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Sean Taylor & Alex Morss
SEAN TAYLOR is a British children's author, storyteller and teacher. Sean has taught in three continents an...
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Naomi and James Jones
Naomi has loved stories for as long as she can remember and has always wanted to write books. She w...
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David Melling
David grew up in London with various siblings and a selection of animals (the dog is probably worth a mention). His father w...
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Barry Timms & Ged Adamson
Barry Timms grew up in Cornwall. He spent his early years mending pop-up books brought home from the librar...
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Anne Booth, David Litchfield
ANNE BOOTH had always wanted to be a children's writer, but on the way to becoming one has worked in many j...
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Sheryl Webster and Helen Shoesmith
Sheryl Webster was born in Liverpool, and studied at Liverpool Hope University. With a degree in En...
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Catherine Barr; Steve Williams
Catherine Barr worked at Greenpeace International for seven years as a wildlife and forestry campai...
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Rebecca Colby
REBECCA COLBY started 'writing' before she learned the alphabet, creating songs from her imagination and memorising the lyri...
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Jenni Spangler
Jenni Spangler writes children's books with a magical twist and her new book, The Incredible Talking Machine, has plenty of...
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Efua Traoré
Efua Traoré's Children of the Quicksands draws on her childhood in Nigeria and the mythology of the regions. Efua gre...
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Phil Earle
Phil Earle's new book, When the Sky Falls, set in London during WWII, and starring an angry teenager and an awe-inspiring si...
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Pippa Curnick
Pippa Curnick has always written her own stories and loves illustrating, so it's no surprise that she has now written and il...
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Ben Bailey Smith
Ben Bailey Smith - who has written his first novel for children, Something I Said - began his career as a r...
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Sinéad O'Hart
Sinéad O’Hart's latest book Skyborn is the prequel to her earlier title, The Eye of the North, a dramatic adventure with dan...
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Ella Risbridger
Ella Risbridger is a journalist, anthologist and cookery writer. In a former life she was a beauty columnist fo...
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Julia Golding
Julia Golding grew up on the edge of Epping Forest. After reading English at Cambridge, she joined the Foreign Office and se...
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Kirsty Applebaum
Kirsty Applebaum is the award-winning author of books including The Middler, Troofriend and her latest nove...
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Jenny Pearson
Jenny Pearson is a primary school teacher based in north east England. She loves her job and her debut book, The Miraculous...
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Clare Weze
Clare Weze was raised in London and Yorkshire and has British and Nigerian heritage. She writes for adults and children and...
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Ros Roberts
Ros Roberts’ amazing teachers encouraged her love of writing, setting her daily challenges to create poems to read to the cl...
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Tim Tilley
Tim Tilley grew up on the outskirts of Leicester, and studied Illustration at Anglia Ruskin University and Central Saint Mar...
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Cath Howe
Cath Howe is an author and teacher working in South West London writing for, and working with, Key Stage 2 primary age child...
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Louie Stowell
Louie Stowell started her career writing carefully-researched books about space, Ancient Egypt, politics and science but eve...
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Melissa Harrison
Melissa Harrison is an award-winning novelist and nature writer. Her books have w...
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Charlie P Brooks
Charlie Brooks left Eton to become a stable lad for racing legend Fred Winter. After riding in the Grand National, and winni...
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Jenny Valentine
Jenny Valentine grew up on different army bases in Germany and Cyprus. She studied English Literature at Goldsmith College a...
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Jess Kidd
Jess Kidd wanted to be a writer before she could even write. She comes from a big...
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Nicola Skinner
Nicola Skinner worked as a copywriter and journalist for the likes of the Guardian and the Pool before being inspired to wri...
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Efua Traoré
Efua Traoré's Children of the Quicksands draws on her childhood in Nigeria and the mythology of the regions. Efua gre...
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Phil Earle
Phil Earle's new book, When the Sky Falls, set in London during WWII, and starring an angry teenager and an awe-inspiring si...
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Jason Cockcroft
Jason Cockcroft was born in New Zealand and raised in Leeds, West Yorkshire. He graduated from Falmouth School of Art and i...
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Ben Bailey Smith
Ben Bailey Smith - who has written his first novel for children, Something I Said - began his career as a r...
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Sinéad O'Hart
Sinéad O’Hart's latest book Skyborn is the prequel to her earlier title, The Eye of the North, a dramatic adventure with dan...
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Ella Risbridger
Ella Risbridger is a journalist, anthologist and cookery writer. In a former life she was a beauty columnist fo...
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Fleur Hitchcock
Born in Chobham, by an airfield, and raised outside Winchester on the banks of the river Itchen, Fleur Hitchcock grew up as...
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Jonathan Stroud
Jonathan Stroud's new series, The Outlaws Scarlett and Browne, is published by Walker Books, where he wrote his first novel...
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Hilary McKay
Hilary McKay is an award-winning author, having won the Guardian Fiction Prize for her first novel, The Exiles, and going on...
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Holly Bourne
Holly Bourne is the bestselling author of books including The Manifesto On How To Be Interesting, Am I Normal Yet? and Are W...
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Clare Weze
Clare Weze was raised in London and Yorkshire and has British and Nigerian heritage. She writes for adults and children and...
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Geraldine McCaughrean
Geraldine McCaughrean was born and educated in Enfield, North London, the third and youngest child of a fireman and a teache...
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Anthea Simmons
Anthea Simmons lives in Devon with her polydactyl cat, Caramac. After a successful career in the City and a spell of teachi...
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William Hussey
William Hussey's The Outrage, set in a future England that has become a fascist state, is published this mo...
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Susin Nielsen
Susin Nielsen's new book, Tremendous Things, explores the life of a teenaged boy who already feels as if he's a loser. Niel...
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Bryony Pearce
Bryony Pearce's books often tackle the darker side of things and her new book, Raising Hell, gives us a glimpse of a very da...
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Jonathan Stroud
Jonathan Stroud's new series, The Outlaws Scarlett and Browne, is published by Walker Books, where he wrote his first novel...
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Hilary McKay
Hilary McKay is an award-winning author, having won the Guardian Fiction Prize for her first novel, The Exiles, and going on...
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Holly Bourne
Holly Bourne is the bestselling author of books including The Manifesto On How To Be Interesting, Am I Normal Yet? and Are W...
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Geraldine McCaughrean
Geraldine McCaughrean was born and educated in Enfield, North London, the third and youngest child of a fireman and a teache...
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Anthea Simmons
Anthea Simmons lives in Devon with her polydactyl cat, Caramac. After a successful career in the City and a spell of teachi...
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Elen Caldecott
Elen Caldecott graduated with an MA in Writing for Young People from Bath Spa University. At the end of the course she was h...
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Wibke Brueggemann
Wibke Brueggemann grew up in northern Germany and the United States, but London is now her home.<br /...
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Efua Traoré
Efua Traoré's Children of the Quicksands draws on her childhood in Nigeria and the mythology of the regions. Efua gre...
-
Pippa Curnick
Pippa Curnick has always written her own stories and loves illustrating, so it's no surprise that she has now written and il...
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Ella Risbridger
Ella Risbridger is a journalist, anthologist and cookery writer. In a former life she was a beauty columnist fo...
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Gianna Pollero
Gianna Pollero was born and raised in Kent but also spent a considerable amount of her childhood in northern Italy, where th...
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Hannah Gold
Hannah Gold worked in the film and magazine industries before taking time out to pursue he...
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Em Norry
Emma (she also writes as EL Norry) has a BA (Hons) in Film and an MA in Screenwriting and has written a number of short stor...
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Clare Weze
Clare Weze was raised in London and Yorkshire and has British and Nigerian heritage. She writes for adults and children and...
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Ros Roberts
Ros Roberts’ amazing teachers encouraged her love of writing, setting her daily challenges to create poems to read to the cl...
-
Tim Tilley
Tim Tilley grew up on the outskirts of Leicester, and studied Illustration at Anglia Ruskin University and Central Saint Mar...
-
Charlie P Brooks
Charlie Brooks left Eton to become a stable lad for racing legend Fred Winter. After riding in the Grand National, and winni...
-
Anna Kemp
Anna Kemp's latest picture book, Mammoth (illus Adam Beer), explores trying to fit in - when your really st...
-
Jenni Spangler
Jenni Spangler writes children's books with a magical twist and her new book, The Incredible Talking Machine, has plenty of...
-
Efua Traoré
Efua Traoré's Children of the Quicksands draws on her childhood in Nigeria and the mythology of the regions. Efua gre...
-
Phil Earle
Phil Earle's new book, When the Sky Falls, set in London during WWII, and starring an angry teenager and an awe-inspiring si...
-
Jason Cockcroft
Jason Cockcroft was born in New Zealand and raised in Leeds, West Yorkshire. He graduated from Falmouth School of Art and i...
-
William Hussey
William Hussey's The Outrage, set in a future England that has become a fascist state, is published this mo...
-
Pippa Curnick
Pippa Curnick has always written her own stories and loves illustrating, so it's no surprise that she has now written and il...
-
Susin Nielsen
Susin Nielsen's new book, Tremendous Things, explores the life of a teenaged boy who already feels as if he's a loser. Niel...
-
MG Leonard
MG Leonard's bestselling series include Beetle Boy and Adventures on Trains - and her new book, Twitch, takes us into the wo...
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Karl Newson
Karl Newson creates picture books and his new book, How to Mend a Friend, describes all th...
-
Ben Bailey Smith
Ben Bailey Smith - who has written his first novel for children, Something I Said - began his career as a r...
-
Sinéad O'Hart
Sinéad O’Hart's latest book Skyborn is the prequel to her earlier title, The Eye of the North, a dramatic adventure with dan...
-
Ella Risbridger
Ella Risbridger is a journalist, anthologist and cookery writer. In a former life she was a beauty columnist fo...
-
Bryony Pearce
Bryony Pearce's books often tackle the darker side of things and her new book, Raising Hell, gives us a glimpse of a very da...
-
Steve Small
Steve Small has worked in animation for over 30 years as a director, designer, and animator. The work has v...
-
Jonathan Stroud
Jonathan Stroud's new series, The Outlaws Scarlett and Browne, is published by Walker Books, where he wrote his first novel...
-
Hilary McKay
Hilary McKay is an award-winning author, having won the Guardian Fiction Prize for her first novel, The Exiles, and going on...
-
Michelle Paver
Michelle Paver is an international bestselling author with over 3 million copies of her books sold across the globe. She was...
-
Kirsty Applebaum
Kirsty Applebaum is the award-winning author of books including The Middler, Troofriend and her latest nove...
-
Jenny Pearson
Jenny Pearson is a primary school teacher based in north east England. She loves her job and her debut book, The Miraculous...
-
Holly Bourne
Holly Bourne is the bestselling author of books including The Manifesto On How To Be Interesting, Am I Normal Yet? and Are W...
-
Sally Anne Garland
Sally Anne Garland grew up in a small town called Alness in the Highlands of Scotland. According to her parents, her first r...
-
Clare Weze
Clare Weze was raised in London and Yorkshire and has British and Nigerian heritage. She writes for adults and children and...
-
Ros Roberts
Ros Roberts’ amazing teachers encouraged her love of writing, setting her daily challenges to create poems to read to the cl...
-
Tim Tilley
Tim Tilley grew up on the outskirts of Leicester, and studied Illustration at Anglia Ruskin University and Central Saint Mar...
-
Cath Howe
Cath Howe is an author and teacher working in South West London writing for, and working with, Key Stage 2 primary age child...
-
Louie Stowell
Louie Stowell started her career writing carefully-researched books about space, Ancient Egypt, politics and science but eve...
-
Geraldine McCaughrean
Geraldine McCaughrean was born and educated in Enfield, North London, the third and youngest child of a fireman and a teache...
-
Melissa Harrison
Melissa Harrison is an award-winning novelist and nature writer. Her books have w...
-
Peter Brown
Peter has always loved telling stories. Growing up in New Jersey, he told stories by drawing characters and scenes from his...
-
Charlie P Brooks
Charlie Brooks left Eton to become a stable lad for racing legend Fred Winter. After riding in the Grand National, and winni...
-
Jenny Valentine
Jenny Valentine grew up on different army bases in Germany and Cyprus. She studied English Literature at Goldsmith College a...
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Jessie James & Tamara Anegon
Tamara Anegon attained a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 2008. Following this, she studied for a masters d...
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Naomi and James Jones
Naomi has loved stories for as long as she can remember and has always wanted to write books. She w...
-
David Melling
David grew up in London with various siblings and a selection of animals (the dog is probably worth a mention). His father w...
-
Jess Kidd
Jess Kidd wanted to be a writer before she could even write. She comes from a big...
-
Barry Timms & Ged Adamson
Barry Timms grew up in Cornwall. He spent his early years mending pop-up books brought home from the librar...
-
Anthea Simmons
Anthea Simmons lives in Devon with her polydactyl cat, Caramac. After a successful career in the City and a spell of teachi...
-
Nicola Skinner
Nicola Skinner worked as a copywriter and journalist for the likes of the Guardian and the Pool before being inspired to wri...
-
Wibke Brueggemann
Wibke Brueggemann grew up in northern Germany and the United States, but London is now her home.<br /...
-
Catherine Barr; Steve Williams
Catherine Barr worked at Greenpeace International for seven years as a wildlife and forestry campai...
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Chris Naylor-Ballesteros
Chris Naylor-Ballesteros's early career was as a drummer in a band before he trained in illustration and gr...
