Shadow Pony

Olivia Wakeford is the author of My Dog. She has worked in film and television, been a scriptwriter, dog-walker, PA and more, but her favourite job is writing novels for children. Olivia graduated with distinction from the MA in Writing for Children at Bath Spa University. She was born in Wales and now lives in London with her husband and their socially awkward Labrador, Obi.@livvywivvy | @wakefordwrites

‘Wakeford is incredibly good at weaving emotional layers into stories of ordinary life … A powerful and moving story, written with real heart’ BookTrust‘This heartfelt story touches on the important relationship between grandchildren and grandparents, and the bond between people and animals’ The Week Junior, Book of the Week‘Wakeford’s moving novel explores memory, family and the powerful bond between humans and animals’i, Best New Children's Books for Spring Praise for My Dog: ‘An incredibly moving, tender and heartfelt story. Beautifully and sensitively told, My Dog is a stunning debut novel by a very talented author’ Hannah Gold, author of The Last Bear‘This is a book about a boy and a dog, but it’s about so much more. A heart-melting book that shows us there’s always hope and love to be found even in the midst of grief’ Nizrana Farook, author of The Girl Who Stole an Elephant‘A lyrical, magical adventure … At its heart this is not so much a book about grief as a testament to the perennial power of a child’s imagination’ Daily Telegraph‘A gorgeous, heart-wrenching story of love, loss and healing. This stunning tale of a remarkable boy and his dog will break your heart, then piece it back together again’ Aisling Fowler, author of Fireborn‘This beautifully written debut is both heartbreaking and heartwarming in equal measure, giving us a sensitive and nuanced portrait of a young boy coping with grief’ LoveReading4Kids, Debut Book of the Month‘My Dog is a warm and very readable treatment of a difficult subject. Full of tenderness and understanding, it’s perfect for dog lovers and non-dog lovers alike’ Adam Baron, author of Boy Underwater‘If ever there is a story to encourage empathy in readers, this is it. Beautifully written, with stunning inside illustrations by David Litchfield, this is an ode to pets and their unconditional love, but also to extended family … This would be a good class reader as it could start lots of valuable conversations’ BookTrust