Writing
What I’m doing now
Fox on BBC Woman’s Hour
On 30 September I had the pleasure of launching Fox: A Circle of Life Story with a discussion on BBC Woman’s Hour, where I talked about the experiences that inspired the book – discussions with my own children about the science of death, and how nature helped me cope after my own mum died at […]
MOTH: An Evolution Story
I was over the moon to see the most beautiful review for Moth: An Evolution Story in the Times Literary Supplement. In the US, Moth recieved starred reviews from Foreword, Booklist and The Horn Book, and was recommended by the Wall Street Journal. I’ve collected some excerpts from these and other reviews below! Winner of […]
Self-Destructing Science around the world!
I’m thrilled that Self-Destructing Science has been translated into seven languages, taking the hands-on #STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and maths) approach into homes and schools around the world! I’m particularly taken with these Chinese editions of SPACE and ANIMAL ACTIVITY!
Animal Activity in The Phoenix Comic
My sons love The Phoenix comic, so I’m over the moon that Animal Activity is their Book Club pick for Issue 280!
Poppy Presents
I was honoured to be interviewed for Pop’s Quiz, a YouTube series by 12-year-old science communicator and budding TV presenter Poppy. She’s so inspiring! Watch the interview here and subscribe to Poppy’s YouTube channel Poppy Does Science for great hands-on science videos.
Science: Not Just For Scientists
I was really pleased to take part in the British Science Association’s new campaign Science: Not Just for Scientists: 100, which is collecting 100 ideas to make science a more fundamental part of culture and society. My idea focuses on engaging families by creating a culture of ‘science for pleasure’ in primary schools, to mirror […]
ASE Book of the Year Awards
Much excitement when Self-Destructing Science: Space was a finalist in the Association of Science Education’s first Book of the Year Award! The prize was announced during a special ceremony at the ASE Annual Conference in January 2017. I went with the brilliant and very lovely Emily Lunn from Bloomsbury, who’s editing the next FOUR books […]
Five fantastic things at The Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize ceremony
I’m still buzzing after a brilliant day at the Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize ceremony! Five fantastic things… 1) The faces of 150 children let loose in Techniquest Cardiff – a MASSIVE interactive science centre. I joined them to invent Moon landers in a workshop based on How To Change the World. 2) The videos […]
Five ways to join in with National Non-Fiction November!
It’s National Non-Fiction November – the annual celebration of adventures in the real world. Here are five ways to join in with the fun! 1) Win 100 non-fiction books in the mammoth non-fiction giveaway organized by the Federation of Children’s Book Groups and World Book Day. Nominate a local school or youth organisation to win […]
STEM education: why are we still waiting for change?
There is lots of buzz about changing the nature of science education this week – at the STEM across Europe conference that I was lucky enough to attend; with the launch of BBC Learning’s Terrific Scientific, and at today’s Cambridge Primary Review Trust Conference (find out more: #euroSTEM, #CPRT2016, #terrificscientific). Just over 100 years ago, […]
Whizz Pop Bang!
I’m delighted to have joined the Whizz Pop Bang team! This awesome science magazine is aimed at 6 to 11 year olds, delivering news, features and experiments in a beautifully designed monthly package. My children were hooked from the moment they saw a copy – and so was I! Sunglasses at the ready for my […]
Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize
I’m thrilled that How To Change the World has been shortlisted for the Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize 2016, for the best science books for under-14s. Living with chimps, experimenting with exploding eggs and delving into dinosaur dung… Do you have what it takes to become a scientist? How to Change the World looks […]
The countdown begins!
Next week we publish this super-duper new book by @raisingchimps @imakedocs https://t.co/OpAG9F28vY Be warned … pic.twitter.com/12osM2MovO — Bloomsbury Kids UK (@KidsBloomsbury) May 11, 2016 I’ll be launching Self-Destructing Science: Space at Linton Children’s BookFest on 21 May!
Dementia Explained
I was proud to be involved in writing the information pages for Dementia Explained, a new children’s website created by Alzheimer’s Research UK. The resource is a much-needed initiative from this fantastic charity, addressing the lack of free, engaging content for children and young people who have a relative with dementia. It’s estimated that 2.3 […]
Fairy tales at Cheltenham Literature Festival
I had a fairy tale time at Cheltenham Literature Festival, running Fairy Tales with a Twist for a brilliant bunch of 4-7 year olds. Three plucky volunteers helped me to tell the story of Hansel and Gretel, and we found out what happens when you pop traditional fairy tale props into a time machine set […]
Science writing for children
My recent guest blog for Oxford Today, featured by Glamour Magazine. A career as a science writer can feel like a perpetual essay crisis. The regular deadlines. The lengthy excursions through JSTOR. The challenge of chiselling that mountain of knowledge into a perfectly structured narrative. The big difference is that I no longer present the […]
The perils of going with the flow…
This weekend, I threw a party for 30 five-year-olds. Call me naive (and many parents did) but this was the plan: The reality was less Oranges and Lemons, and more like riot control. At least I had plenty of time to think about this blog, as I re-rolled 105 metres of toilet tissue (first rule […]
Procrastinate – it’s good for you!
Procrastinate – it’s good for you! – click to read my latest blog for Author Allsorts. The theme was how to be healthy when you spend all day writing. Top tip – watch how much butter you put on your toast…
14 and a half minutes of fame
Our local paper carried a little article about me last week. Quite a few people got in touch to say congrats, all very exciting. A few days later I met the headteacher of my son’s new academy, and we got chatting about the fact I write children’s books. “I’ve been looking for a local children’s […]
Why do you want to be a writer?
Author – officially the 156th best job in the world! This was the verdict of a recent survey comparing 200 occupations – their physical demands, work environment, income, stress and outlook. The 155 jobs considered more relaxing, profitable and pleasant than writing books include: funeral director (116) pest control worker (95) sewage plant operator (87) […]