Monthly Archives: November 2016

The Monstrous Child shortlisted for Costa Children’s Book of the Year

Francesca’s novel has been shortlisted for a highly prestigious book award. The news was announced on 22nd November on BBC Radio 4’s Front Row, when The Monstrous Child was described as a Nordic saga come Greek tragedy. The winner of each of the categories in the Costa will be announced on 3rd January.

Francesca – and Louis too – join Libraries March

Francesca joined over 2000 people including the Children’s Laureate, Chris Riddell, former Children’s Laureate Michael Rosen and many fellow writers and children’s authors at a march to protest about library closures. She took her dog Louis with her. Louis looks as if he’s enjoying his trip into central London!

Francesca joins the BBC’s Love to Read campaign on Radio 4 Front Row

Francesca was recently invited by the BBC to read a classic book she’d never read before as part of the broadcaster’s ‘Love to Read’ season. You can listen to her reading a book which she bought for the grand sum of 75p back in 1981 and which had been languishing on her bookshelves until asked […]

The Monstrous Child nominated for the Carnegie Medal

Francesca’s novel The Monstrous Child has been nominated for the prestigious CILIP Carnegie Medal. Every year children’s librarians award the Carnegie Medal for an outstanding book written in English for children and young people. The Carnegie Medal, and the Kate Greenaway Medal, which is given to an outstanding illustrated book for young people, are rightly […]

Fabulous Francesca Facts

"Families are great sources of comedy because they are about people trapped together. Only the parents chose to be there and the rest of you are stuck with these people that you might not necessarily like"

"Nobody feels emotions like children and with Henry, the war is constant and total. Anyone who has lived in a family has these shared experiences - the car journey from hell, nits or vomiting"

"I’ve never met a child who doesn’t love hearing stories. It’s a good way of introducing them to books and it’s a great way of getting them to understand stories that they might not be able to read themselves"

"We all love stories, it all helps making sense of the world"

"Horrid Henry speaks to the impish, rebellious child in all of us"

"My first book was called Papa Forgot and was published in 1993"

"I’ve written over fifty books"

"My birthday is 23rd February"

"I’m a bit scared of the dark"

"My hobbies are reading, cooking and going to the theatre"

"My favourite author is Anthony Trollope"

"My most disliked food is beetroot"

"My favourite colour is aquamarine"

"My favourite food is scallops"