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The award-winning, best-selling author

Cover of The Seamaiden’s Odyssey by Berlie Doherty and Tamsin Rosewell

The Seamaiden’s Odyssey

NEW BOOK PUBLISHED 5 SEPTEMBER 2014!

The Seamaiden’s Odyssey

A strange and beautiful sea creature is held in captivity. If she tells the amazing story of her family history, will she be released to her ocean home?

Published 5 September 2024

Cover of Granny Was a Buffer Girl by Berlie Doherty

Granny Was a Buffer Girl

NEW EDITION OUT NOW!

Granny Was a Buffer Girl is set in industrial Sheffield from the 1930s to the 1980s. Three generations of Jess’s family tell her the heart-breaking and funny family stories and romances that bind them together. 11+ Carnegie medal, Boston Globe-Horn Honor.

Children of Winter by Berlie Doherty

Children of Winter

NEW EDITION OUT NOW!

Children of Winter is a historical time-slip novel set in the Derbyshire village of Eyam. Three siblings have to survive alone in a barn during the Great Plague of 1666. They long to know what is happening down in their village. Must they stay away?

Virtual school visits

Welcome to a new school year!

Ever since the pandemic I have frequently visited schools and universities all over the world by the magic of Zoom and similar video conferencing apps. I’m very pleased to say that I’ll be continuing to do so this coming school year. The way it works is that the school or college hosts the event. I spend about 40 minutes with the students, usually talking about the book they’ve been studying in class, my inspiration for it, answering questions and sometimes sharing some of the students’ own work. It’s always a lovely way to share ideas, and it’s wonderful to see how enthusiastic the children and teachers are.

I don’t ask for a fee as such, but I do suggest that participating hosts buy some of my books for classroom or library use, or prizes etc, from whatever supplier they choose.

The current calendar year has been very busy! I‘ve already made virtual visits to many schools and reading groups to talk about a variety of books at the schools’ request. The most frequently asked for titles have been Street Child and The Haunted Hills – in equal numbers – followed by Treason, Children of Winter, Blue John, Daughter of the Sea, Far From Home, Walking on Air and Tilly Mint Tales!

To contact me, visit my contact page.

Berlie Doherty is the author of the best-selling novel, Street Child, and over 60 more books for children, teenagers and adults, and has written many plays for radio, theatre and television. She has been translated into over twenty languages and has won many awards, including the Carnegie medal for both Granny Was a Buffer Girl and Dear Nobody, and the Writers’ Guild Award for both Daughter of the Sea and the theatre version of Dear Nobody. She has three children and seven grandchildren, and lives in the Derbyshire Peak District with Alan James Brown. Her new picture book The Seamaiden’s Odyssey, illustrated by Tamsin Rosewell, will be published by UCLan on 5 September 2024.

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My latest news
Cover of The Seamaiden’s Odyssey by Berlie Doherty and Tamsin Rosewell

New book The Seamaiden’s Odyssey

The Seamaiden’s Odyssey is a coming of age story inspired by the mermaid’s pool in the Derbyshire Peak District. Published by UCLan, 5 September 2024.
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The Haunted Hills, Children of Winter and Granny Was a Buffer Girl: cover images

Event appearances March 2024

In March 2024, I'm very pleased to be speaking at the 2024 Swadlincote Festival of Words and at Authors Assemble, Buxton. More details here.
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My latest blog posts
The art of writing picture books – interview with Caryl Hart

The art of writing picture books – interview with Caryl Hart

Caryl Hart, prolific and award-winning author, talks to me about the art of writing picture books that encourage empathy, learning and play.
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Cover of The Snow Girl by Sophie Anderson

Sophie Anderson on The Snow Girl and Slavic folk stories

Sophie Anderson, author of The House with Chicken Legs, talks about her new book, The Snow Girl, and her love of Slavic folk stories.
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Main photo: Richard Harland Photography

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