Friday Surprise Brochura -

A great favourite for discussions in reading groups, Anne Fine's work has been published in over forty-five languages. Despite this, she remains best known in her home country, Britain, as a writer principally for children. She has twice won both the Carnegie Medal and the Whitbread Awards, the Guardian Children's Book Prize and numerous other prizes and awards. She was the second Children's Laureate from 2001-3, is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, and was awarded an OBE for services to children's literature.

Anne Fine is an entertaining and engaging speaker on the subject of books and reading, and is in demand the world over for her tireless enthusiasm, common sense approach to literacy, and for the deliciously wicked humour that permeates all her writing. Find out more about Anne's dual lives at www.annefine.co.uk

Kate Pankhurst has an MA in Children's Book Illustration. She has illustrated books by Judy Blume, Ian Whybrow, Steve Hartley and Marjorie Newman. She lives in Leeds with her partner and two rabbits.

Series consultant Nikki Gamble is the director of Just Imagine, a specialist resource and training centre for Primary English. She is Associate Consultant at the University of London, Institute of Education.