Sally Prue is the award-winning author of Cold Tom (Branford Boase Award 2002). She has also written for A&C Black in the White Wolves series.

Eleanor Updale is the author of the popular Mortmorency series. She has won several awards including the Blue Peter Award for 'Book I Couldn't Put Down', and has been shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal and the Nestle Children’s Book Prize. Eleanor is a trustee of various children's charities and holds a PhD in History.

Julia Golding is the award-winning author of numerous books for children and adults, including The Diamond of Drury Lane, winner of both the Waterstones Children's Book Prize and the Nestlé Smarties Book Prize.

Her Jane Austen-themed podcast 'What Would Jane Do?' offers a 19th century take on modern life.

Michael Morpurgo has an unparalleled reputation as a children's storyteller. He was Children's Laureate from 2003 to 2005, has written over 100 books and is the winner of many awards, including the Whitbread Children's Book Award, the Smarties Book Prize, the Blue Peter Award and the Red House Children's Book Award.

His books are translated and read around the world and his hugely popular novel War Horse is now both a critically acclaimed stage play and a highly successful film. Michael and his wife, Clare, live in Devon.

Geraldine McCaughrean is a multi-award-winning author of picture books, fiction and retellings for children. She has won the Carnegie Medal, the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize, the Blue Peter Book of the Year Award and the Blue Peter Special Book to Keep Forever Award.

She is also a three-time winner of the Whitbread Children's Book Award and a four-time winner of the Smarties Bronze Award. Her titles include the bestselling The Orchard Book of Greek Myths and The Orchard Book of Roman Myths. She lives in Berkshire.

Levi Pinfold studied illustration at University College, Falmouth where he developed his distinctive stylized realism.

He has won numerous awards for his picture books, which include The Django, Greenling and Black Dog, which won the Kate Greenaway Medal. He lives in Queensland, Australia.

Briony May Smith grew up in Sandhurst in Berkshire, playing in the garden with her younger brother and sister. She studied Illustration at Falmouth University and was Highly Commended for the Macmillan Children's book prize in 2013 and 2014.

She now lives in Devon, where her work day mainly consists of drawing fairies, interrupted only when her dog, Finbar, demands his walk. Briony's work is inspired by fairy tales and folklore and life in the country.

Andy Elkerton is a highly talented illustrator who has now turned his hand at writing.

He has illustrated many fabulous readers on the Franklin Watts list.

One of his recent titles, I Love this Tree, was shortlisted at the SLA awards. He lives on the west coast of Scotland with his family.