Nicola Skinner – författare

The extraordinarily moving, funny and original new novel from the author of the rapturously acclaimed BLOOM. “You were born raging, Frances Frida Ripley. That’s what happens when you’re born in a storm.” Frances’s parents were not prepared for her birth: they had a blanket and an easel and some paint, but not anything useful, like a car or a phone. So it’s no wonder Frankie has always had a temper. She was born on a BEACH, in a STORM.What Frances was not prepared for was dying in a freak natural disaster that wiped out her whole town.Waking up 100 years later, Frances finds a whole load of new things to be angry about. And that’s before the visitors start turning up, treating her home like it’s a tourist attraction. Which it is.Only there are worse people out there than tourists… and they’re coming for Frankie.Frankie is about to discover that there are things more important than herself – and that anger has its uses. Because when you have a storm inside you – sometimes the only thing to do is let it out…

A beautifully written, incredibly original and wickedly funny novel for readers of 10 and older – BLOOM is for everyone who has ever felt like they didn’t fit in, and for anyone who has ever wanted a little more colour and wildness in their lives… "A riotous, original and timely reminder that sometimes rules are made to be broken." – The Guardian’s Books of the Year 2019 Sorrel Fallowfield is growing up – in a REALLY surprising way… Sorrel Fallowfield is so good at being good that teachers come to her when they need help remembering the school rules – and there are LOTS.Luckily, Sorrel doesn’t have any trouble following them, until the day she discovers a faded packet of Surprising Seeds buried under a tree in her backyard.Now she’s hearing voices, seeing things, experiencing an almost unstoppable urge to plant the Seeds in some very unusual places… and completely failing to win her school’s competition to find The Most Obedient Child of the School.And all that’s before flowers start growing out of her head…

‘Spectacular. A wild, hilarious, surreal adventure of self-discovery’ Guardian ‘A fabulously entertaining, hugely inventive novel of epic adventure, friendship and bravery’ Editor’s Choice, Bookseller The extraordinarily inventive and inspiring new middle-grade novel from the rapturously acclaimed author of BLOOM. This is the story of Kirsten, an apparently happy and successful 11-year-old YouTube star who meets a ship that comes alive… and is claimed by it as its new captain as it breaks free from its dry dock.Inspired by the true history of the SS Great Britain, Starboard is about the friendship, heroism and bravery that you can find in others, whether they’re made of flesh or iron. It’s about taking control of your own life and going on epic adventures. But most of all, it’s about finding out who you really dare to be, when you’re completely out of your depth…

‘Readers will be laughing and crying all at once. This book is an astonishing, unique feat of the imagination’ i News From critically acclaimed author Nicola Skinner, her most brilliant book yet – a darkly comic story about staying true to yourself, even if it means tearing everything down … There’s absolutely nothing wrong with Minnie’s island. Nothing, that is, apart from the earthquakes, which pull buildings and schools and houses down on a regular basis.Luckily, the island’s inhabitants have found a way to fix their crumbling walls: giants. Giants look after human children, like eleven-year-old Minnie. When Minnie turns twelve, she’ll kiss her giant, turning her into a stone statue forever. The stone will be used to repair buildings. And there’s nothing wrong with that either . . . or so Minnie thinks.But when a dreadful earthquake strikes, Minnie realises she’s not quite ready to say goodbye to her giant – not forever – not yet. So Minnie goes on the run, betraying her parents and everyone she knows. The secrets she uncovers on her journey threaten to pull everything down: and so begins a desperate race against time in which she will confront the truth about her island, her giant . . . and ultimately herself.

New girl Hattie hopes a scarecrow will protect her den at school, but she soon realises she can’t control him … A darkly comic tale from acclaimed author Nicola Skinner. When lonely Hattie feels out of place at her new school, she creates a scarecrow – Crow. Hattie wants him to guard the den she finds in the playground, the only place she feels happy and comfortable.Poor Crow really just wants to have fun with the other children, but he takes his job for Hattie very seriously and his behaviour starts to get scarier and scarier.Will Hattie realise that Crow is ruining her chance to make new friends before it’s too late? Particularly suitable for readers aged 7+ with a reading age of 7.