News

Leading writers join Alt-Write

Posted on November 21, 2017

I am delighted to join Ben Okri, Carol Ann Duffy and Frank Cottrell Boyce as contributors to Alt-Write, a new collection of writing from major authors intended to “debunk xenophobic myths and … help […

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Patron of Reading 2017

Posted on November 10, 2017

I am delighted to announce that I have been appointed Patron of Reading at St. Silas Primary School in Toxteth, Liverpool, for the rest of this academic year. A Patron of Reading is a school’s special…

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There May Be A Castle nominated for Carnegie

Posted on November 6, 2017

There May Be A Castle has been nominated for a CILIP Carnegie Medal 2018, one of a 121 titles nominated for this 80 year old award. The CILIP Carnegie Medal is awarded annually by CILIP for an outstan…

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Win FREE tickets to The Box of Delights!

Posted on October 31, 2017

To celebrate the world premiere of my adaptation of John Masefield’s The Box of Delights Wilton’s is running a drawing competition for Key Stage 2 (years 3-6). We would like you to draw or paint a pic…

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Costa Book Award Judges announced.

Posted on September 29, 2017

The judges for this year’s Costa Book Award have been announced…and I’m one of them. Along with Sanchita Basu De Sarkar from the Children’s Bookshop in Muswell Hill and Fiona Noble from The Booksell…

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Interviewed by John Craven on BBC Countryfile

Posted on September 18, 2017

It was a pleasure to talk to John Craven about Roald Dahl (they knew each other) about how Dahl was inspired by the countryside on a special tribute episode of BBC Countryfile.   I enjoyed a grea…

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