Thanks to the good folk at Usborne Publishing, readers in the UK can pick up the first two Train to Impossible Places Adventures for just £1.99 each on Kindle.
I’ve joined forces with the National Literacy Trust, The Postal Museum and Usborne Publishing to launch an exciting new letter writing project, inviting children to share their experiences of the Coronavirus pandemic with future generations.
Delivery to the Lost City, the third and final Train to Impossible Places Adventure, was released in the UK this week, and I’m really excited by the reception it’s been getting.

Cover of The Train To Impossible Places as a Children’s Category Finalist in the 2019 Independent Bookshop Week Awards


Last of all, and as I’m sure many of you are already aware, the winner of Waterstones Children’s Book Prize was announced on 21st March. Onjali Rauf scooped the prize for her book The Boy At The Back of the Class, and even though neither Train nor The House With Chicken Legs won, it was a tremendous pleasure to be shortlisted. The whole evening was a fantastic experience in wonderful company, and I’m very grateful to the Waterstones booksellers who put Train forward for the award. So congratulations to Onjali on a well-deserved win, and here’s to all my fellow nominees. We had a blast, and you can read more about the category winners, and see a few more photos from the event, here.




As if that weren’t good enough, Sophie and I have both made the longlist of this year’s Branford Boase award. The award jointly celebrates debut authors and their editors and, by a happy coincidence, Sophie and I are both edited by the wonderful duo of Rebecca Hill and Becky Walker. Rebecca and Becky won the award last year, along with author Mitch Johnson, for his novel Kick. Sophie and I hope that, between us, we can make it two wins in a row for them.

The Branford Boase Award logo
Our publishers Usborne are fantastically well represented on this year’s longlist, with no fewer than four titles – a fifth of the total! Click here to see the full longlist.
Keep your fingers crossed for me!