Hilary Mckay Popular Books

Hilary Mckay Biography & Facts

Hilary McKay (born 12 June 1959) is a British writer of children's books. For her first novel, The Exiles, she won the 1992 Guardian Children's Fiction Prize, a once-in-a-lifetime book award judged by a panel of British children's writers. Biography McKay was born in Boston, Lincolnshire, the eldest of four daughters. She studied English, Zoology and Botany at St Andrews University before becoming a public protection scientist. She currently resides in Derbyshire with her husband, Kevin. McKay says of herself as a child "I anaesthetised myself against the big bad world with large doses of literature. The local library was as familiar to me as my own home." The Casson Family books The Casson Family series comprises the Whitbread Award-winning Saffy's Angel (2001) and four sequels: Indigo's Star (2004), Permanent Rose (2005), which was shortlisted for the 2005 Whitbread awards, Caddy Ever After (2006), Forever Rose (2007), and prequel Caddy's World (2011). The series focuses on an English family of artists, the Cassons. The first three books are written in the third person but focus on the point of view of the character in the title, whilst Caddy Ever After is written in the first person and is narrated by each of the children in turn, and Forever Rose is written in the first person. The Porridge Hall books The Porridge Hall series (1994-1998) features Robin Brogan and his mother, who live in Porridge Hall on the Yorkshire coast. Once Porridge Hall was Mrs Brogan's family home, now it has been split into two houses, and she and Robin live in one half, from which Mrs Brogan also runs a bed and breakfast. The Robinson family live in the other half, and the two families are firm friends. The books have been published as audiobooks, with the first two read by Nigel Lambert, The Amber Cat also by Ron Keith, and Dolphin Luck by Judy Bennett. Dog Friday has been adapted into a German film, Ein Hund namens Freitag. Besides German, the trilogy has been translated into Dutch and Estonian, and Dog Friday has also been translated into Czech, Danish, Greek, Polish, Spanish, and Thai, and The Amber Cat into French. Awards The Exiles won the 1992 Guardian Children's Fiction Prize The Exiles At Home won the 1994 Nestlé Smarties Book Prize in ages category 9–11 years and overall Saffy's Angel won the 2002 Whitbread Children's Book Award Permanent Rose was shortlisted for the 2005 Whitbread Award The Skylarks' War (2018) won the 2019 Costa Children's Book Award Selected works References Citations Hilary McKay wins top kids' books prize, BBC, 8 January 2003. CBBC Newsround chats to Hilary McKay, BBC, 8 January 2003. External links Official website Hilary McKay at British Council: Literature Hilary McKay at Library of Congress Authorities — with 26 catalogue records. Discover the Hilary Mckay popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Hilary Mckay books.

Best Seller Hilary Mckay Books of 2024

  • Things Were Different in Those Days synopsis, comments

    Things Were Different in Those Days

    Hilary McKay

    Here are the twelve dancing princesses, who drove the Old King to distraction by wearing through their slippers every night. (Which sounds like something he could have made less fu...

  • The Paper Bag Baby synopsis, comments

    The Paper Bag Baby

    Ruth Thomas

    Edward is the school wheelerdealer with dreams of becoming a millionaire by the time he's twenty. When he finds a mysterious package in the park, he ropes two schoolmates into ...

  • Straw into Gold synopsis, comments

    Straw into Gold

    Hilary McKay

    Rumpelstiltskin all my life I have been troubled by the injustice with which he was treated . . . Straw into Gold is an imaginative retelling of the classic fairy tale Rumpelstilt...

  • The Tower and the Bird synopsis, comments

    The Tower and the Bird

    Hilary McKay

    Here is lovely Rapunzel, free from her tower, although perhaps not so free from her fears . . . The Tower and the Bird is an imaginative retelling of the classic fairy tale Rapunze...

  • Chickenpox and Crystal synopsis, comments

    Chickenpox and Crystal

    Hilary McKay

    I asked myself lots of questions, like how could Snow White have left those seven kind dwarves? Perhaps she never quite did.Chickenpox and Crystal is an imaginative retelling of th...

  • The Time of Green Magic synopsis, comments

    The Time of Green Magic

    Hilary McKay

    Five starred reviews! “An instant classic.” The New York Times Book ReviewFrom awardwinning author Hilary McKay comes “a memorable family story” (Booklist, starred review) about a ...

  • Nina and the Magical Carnival synopsis, comments

    Nina and the Magical Carnival

    Madhvi Ramani

    Nina has to take part in the school talent show in a few days, and she still doesn’t know what to do!When her teacher mentions a magical fantasia that could help, Nina sets off to ...

  • A Sea of Stars synopsis, comments

    A Sea of Stars

    Kate Maryon

    Two girls with two very different lives come together in this beautiful and moving story of friendship and family, by a major new voice in girls’ fiction.Meet Maya. She has a cosy,...

  • The Whisperling 2 synopsis, comments

    The Whisperling 2

    Hayley Hoskins

    From the author of the Branford Boase longlisted debut The Whisperling, comes the next twist in the legacy.Gloucestershire, 1918.We whisperlings are the living voice for the dead. ...

  • Sweet William by Rushlight synopsis, comments

    Sweet William by Rushlight

    Hilary McKay

    Here is brave, loyal Elsa, who wove the nettles in silence for seven long years.Sweet William by Rushlight is an imaginative retelling of the classic fairy tale 'The Swan Brothers'...

  • The Roses Round the Palace synopsis, comments

    The Roses Round the Palace

    Hilary McKay

    Here is Cinderella, who so much deserved her fairy godmother.The Rose Round the Palace is an imaginative retelling of the classic fairy tale Cinderella. Originally featured in Hila...

  • Rooftoppers synopsis, comments

    Rooftoppers

    Katherine Rundell

    “The beauty of sky, music, and the belief in ‘extraordinary things’ triumph in this whimsical and magical tale” (Publishers Weekly) about a girl in search of her past who discovers...

  • The Whisperling synopsis, comments

    The Whisperling

    Hayley Hoskins

    When you're dead, you're dead. When you're gone, you're gone.Unless, of course, you're not.And that's where I come in.The year is 1897, and Peggy Devona can speak with ghosts.She h...

  • What I Did in the Holidays. . . synopsis, comments

    What I Did in the Holidays. . .

    Hilary McKay

    I asked myself lots of questions, like what did Hansel and Gretel say to their father when they finally made it home? What I Did in the Holidays . . . is an imaginative retelling o...

  • Over the Hills and Far Away synopsis, comments

    Over the Hills and Far Away

    Hilary McKay

    I asked myself lots of questions, like why did the Piper’s son steal the pig? Over the Hills and Far Away is an imaginative retelling which weaves together two classic stories in t...

  • The Fountain in the Market Square synopsis, comments

    The Fountain in the Market Square

    Hilary McKay

    I asked myself lots of questions, like what happened in Hamelin after the children vanished? The Fountain in the Market Square is an imaginative retelling of the classic fairy tale...

  • Fairy Tales of Fearless Girls synopsis, comments

    Fairy Tales of Fearless Girls

    Susannah McFarlane

    An emboldening, exquisitely illustrated picture book of reimagined fairy tales with a feminist twist, perfect for fans of the classic stories, Disney lovers, and readers of Goodnig...

  • Finding Wonder synopsis, comments

    Finding Wonder

    Lauren St John

    'Superb storytelling.' Phil Earle'Absolutely brilliant!' Abi Elphinstone, author of Sky Song'Completely enthralling. A masterclass in mystery adventure.' Piers Torday'Utterly mag...

  • The Prince and the Problem synopsis, comments

    The Prince and the Problem

    Hilary McKay

    Often, I found things were not quite as they first seemed. Not all princesses are content to marry the prince, no matter how charming, or how carefully the queen arranges the peas....

  • Nina and the Kung-Fu Adventure synopsis, comments

    Nina and the Kung-Fu Adventure

    Madhvi Ramani

    Nina’s schoolfriend Lee is in trouble, so she must borrow her aunt’s travelling spice shed and head to Beijing. Now they are both on a great adventure involving a kung fu master, a...

  • The Tale of Truthwater Lake synopsis, comments

    The Tale of Truthwater Lake

    Emma Carroll

    On one side of the underwater street is the remains of a house . . . It's beautiful here, and eerie, a lost kingdom, a ghost village . . .It's the nearfuture and Britain is having ...