The Spiral Stair

Award- winning Joan Aiken was born in Sussex in 1924 and came from a family of writers. Her father was the novelist and poet, Conrad Aiken and her sister, Jane Aiken Hodge, writes historical fiction for adults. Before joining the ‘family business’ herself, Joan had a variety of jobs, including working for the BBC, the United Nations Information Centre and then as features editor for a short story magazine. First published in l960, she went on to become one of our greatest writers for children, best known perhaps for her WOLVES OF WILLOUGBY CHASE series of ten novels. Joan Aiken died in 2004.

Quentin Blake has been drawing ever since he can remember and has always made his living as an illustrator. He has also taught, and for eight years was Head of the Illustration department at the Royal College of Art. Quentin Blake was made an OBE in 1988 and, in the words of The Guardian, was “already a national institution” when he was appointed the first Children’s Laureate in 1999.