Shirley Hughes has won many prestigious awards, including the Kate Greenaway Medal twice. She began to write and design her own picture books when she had a young family and has now published more than two hundred titles, including Dogger, the Alfie series, The Christmas Eve Ghost and Daisy Saves the Day. Her first novel, Hero on a Bicycle, was published in 2012, followed by Whistling in the Dark. She lives in West London.

“Set in the aftermath of the London Blitz and VE Day, Hughes takes an evocative look at the ruins of post-war London and the conflicts impact on family life. The relationship between Ruby and her father, newly returned from war, is particularly poignant and well-drawn.”