About the Author

JESSICA TOWNSEND sometimes lives in London, and sometimes on the Sunshine Coast in Australia, where she grew up. She was previously a copywriter and the editor of a children's wildlife magazine for Steve Irwin's Australia Zoo. Her pet fascinations include public transport and secret societies, ancient cities and underground places, hotels and museums, Halloween and Christmas, old maps and giant cats - all of which have weaselled their way into her books. She is the author of the Nevermoor series and won the Waterstones Children's Book Prize Younger Fiction Category with her debut novel: Nevemoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow.

Reviews

Extraordinary world-building * Guardian *

Praise for NEVERMOOR: THE TRIALS OF MORRIGAN CROW:

Exciting, mysterious, marvellous and magical . . . quite simply one of the best children's books I've read in years

* Robin Stevens, author of Murder Most Unladylike *
An extraordinary story full of magics great and small, from the Hotel Deucalion to the Magnificat . . . Townsend has created a book of wunders. In Morrigan Crow I've found a heroine I'm willing to step boldly after, and follow her wherever her adventure takes her next * Kiran Millwood Hargrave, author of THE GIRL OF INK AND STARS *
Endlessly inventive, with a fresh delight on every page, Nevermoor rewrites the genre of the Chosen Child novel. This is a special book. * David Solomons, author of MY BROTHER IS A SUPERHERO *
Townsend's intensely cinematic writing, quirky humour and superior world-building conjure a genuinely fresh take on magical fantasy * Fiona Noble - The Bookseller *
There is more extraordinary world-building, as well as tough ethical decisions, in Wundersmith (Orion), Jessica Townsend's superlative follow-up to the unmissable Nevermoor. Once accepted into the Wundrous Society, Morrigan Crow believes life will be filled with excitement and new skills - instead, as a rare and dreaded Wundersmith, she is taught to shun her powers and see herself as corrupt. Meanwhile, the evil Ezra Squall, the only other Wundersmith she knows, tempts her with his forbidden knowledge * The Guardian *
Wundermith has masterful storytelling, twisty plotting, a thrilling magical world and universally important themes. There are magnificats and magnificubs, brolly rails and celestial beings, creepy Bonesmen and the dreaded Hunt of Smoke and Shadow... Ideal reading for anyone who loves Harry Potter. * BookTrust *
Fans of Harry Potter won't be able to resist this fast-paced, funny and inventive series, which will sweep you away into the enchanting magical world of Nevermoor. * The Week Junior *
This has light and dark, twists, inventiveness and big themes of prejudice and resistance. * The Sunday Times *
The perfect series for young Harry Potter fans. * Irish Independent *
Townsend is a brilliantly suspenseful storyteller who never lets the pace slacken. * The Daily Telegraph *