The kids love mimicking their voices!įor ages 4-8 I have 'The Tell-Me Tree', which gently invites children to talk about feelings - whether happy, sad or anywhere in between - through writing, drawing or conversation. Key characters that Henry gets to meet are Gordon (a very smelly gorilla with a zoo escape plan) and Brian (a very bossy boa!). 'Henry Haynes and the Great Escape' (2014), is another fun and fast-paced illustrated chapter book, this time for ages 6-8, and is about a boy who falls inside his library book after complaining that it's boring. If you have a reluctant reader in the house - or kids who love fast-paced stories with humour - don't miss Eeek! It has a great twist too :)Īlso for ages 7-10 is 'Walter Brown and the Magician's Hat' (2016), in which magical mayhem follows when Walter inherits a magician's hat from his Great-grandpa Horace on his 10th birthday The hat, he soon discovers, has special powers and his cat 'Sixpence' is no ordinary cat. Eeek! has black and white illustrations throughout and continues to prove a huge hit with boys and girls at my school visits.

Early feedback has been wonderful, which is a huge relief, as book one was hard act to follow!įor ages 7-10 I have 'Eeek! The Runaway Alien', about a soccer-mad alien who runs away to Earth for the World Cup :-). It was such a joy to reconnect with the characters again (they had been waiting very patiently!). 'Return to the Secret Lake' (for ages 8-12 and twice the length of book one) finally came out in March 2022.

Needless to say, it really makes me smile that our children still love a traditional adventure story! It hit the UK bestseller lists in 2018-19, seven years after publication, and has now been enjoyed in print by over 400,000 children and is in translation in nine countries. In my first children's book, The Secret Lake, Stella (aged 11) and Tom (aged 8), while trying to find their elderly neighbour's missing dog, discover a time tunnel and secret lake that take them to their home and the children living there 100 years in the past.

I have two boys, George and Nick (all grown up now!) who inspired me to write when they were younger. I'm an international bestselling children's author based in London, UK and I write for children from ages 3-11.

The Secret Lake by Karen Inglis