Road to London

Barbara Mitchelhill was born in Rochdale and trained as a teacher. While she was teaching, she began writing for BBC children's TV and went on to write for educational publishers, before writing novels for children. She makes school visits all over the country, and enjoys appearing at literary festivals and talking to teachers and librarians, some as far away as the Caribbean. Her hobbies include reading, theatre, music, gardening and walking her border terrier, Ella. She lives in Staffordshire and has two grown-up daughters.

"Recommended for the Carnegie Medal and short-listed for the Young Quills Award, and one can understand why." HNSR "Mitchelhill has reinvigorated the tale of a young would-be actor falling in with Shakespeare. Impeccably researched and full of arresting detail." Telegraph "The world of Shakespeare and his theatre sparkles with life in this fast-paced historical novel ... A thrilling story full of theatrical flourish." Julia Eccleshare, Lovereading "The best history lesson you could imagine! You feel as though you are really there: inhaling the smells, listening to the noise and clatter of the time and meeting the characters - good and bad." We Love This Book "Mysteries, plots and conspiracies abound ... A colourful and thought-provoking story." The Bookbag