Every one of us is the unreliable narrator of our own life. The bucket and spade summers may not have been entirely sunny, the ice-cream not quite so delicious. But Shirley Hughes's books, with their deftly sketched figures and everyday adventures, uphold a greater, altogether more magical truth about the sequestered world of childhood. Read more
'I'm very reassuringly honest'
‘My settings of Europe and English visitors weren't really doing it for them, so we decided Scotland would be good. I thought an island would be great, because it's a small community, and it's an opportunity for my main character to get away from it all. The team at HarperCollins have been so supportive and enthusiastic... Read more