Anne Fine read Politics and History at Warwick and then became a teacher. Her first novel was published in 1975 and today she is one of the UK's most successful children's writers.

She has won many awards including two Carnegie Medals, the Guardian Fiction Prize and the Whitbread Prize. Goggle-Eyes was serialised on TV and Madame Doubtfire was made into a hit Hollywood movie.

Anne lives in County Durham.

Mark Beech has been a freelance illustrator for the last ten years, and nowadays works a great deal in the world of children’s publishing.

From picture books for early readers, to education and fiction books for older readers, he has even made a picture book for the ipad, which allows him to animate illustrations.

He also designs greeting cards, and has even been known to work in the world of advertising from time to time.