My Books

Ages 12+: Fiction

Raspberries on the Yangtze 2001 - Buy Online

'This was my first novel and based on a world I knew only too well because it was the world I grew up in.' KW

Shortlisted for the Guardian Fiction Prize 2002

'It is funny and moving; everything about it is gorgeous.' The Sunday Times
'Very funny and touching.' The Daily Express
'Brilliant. A Swallows and Amazons for the 21st century.' Michael Morpurgo, former Children's Laureate

Climbing a Monkey Puzzle Tree 2003 - Buy Online

'When I first came to England, I was sent to a boarding school. This is the setting for this novel. Titles are important to me. The leaves of a Monkey Puzzle tree are sharp and spiky so climbing one would be a prickly business. So you can guess the story is a prickly one, too.' KW

'a poignant novel (written) with a breezy stylishness that compels you to read on...' The Sunday Times

'I raced through this with huge enjoyment,' Jacqueline Wilson

Wendy 2004 - Buy Online

' One day I was looking at an old copy of Peter Pan on the shelves and got the the idea to write about a young girl growing up in Edwardian times. That young girl was Wendy Darling and the book is about the events in her life that make her imagine a boy who will stay young forever.' KW

'a vivid and moving account of one child's loss of innocence set amid tumultuous changes in society.' The Bookseller

'a stunningly good idea, well executed,' The Observer

'clever and original,' The Sunday Times

The Unrivalled Spangles 2005 - Buy Online

'The world of the great Victorian tenting circuses was extraordinary as indeed was the world of the East End of London. This story brings the two together and was a challenging moving book to write.' KW

Shortlisted for the Booktrust Teenage Prize 2005

'Smell the sawdust, hear the horses, feel the heat... this book bursts with energy." The Bookseller.

'Roll up and be entertained." The Sunday Times

'Read it for the sheer exuberance and supberbly drawn historical setting...' The Guardian