Liz Kessler
Liz Kessler is the author of two popular children’s series: Emily Windsnap and Philippa Fisher. A Year Without Autumn was her first standalone title and was shortlisted for the Blue Peter Awards 2012. Born in 1966, Liz grew up in the seaside town of Southport in the north west of England. She studied English at Loughborough University, after which she gained a teaching qualification at Keele University. More recently, she gained a distinction in a Masters degree in Creative Writing at Manchester Metropolitan University.
Before becoming an author, Liz taught English and Media Studies and ran Creative Writing courses. She also worked as a journalist at a few local and regional newspapers in Manchester and York. After school and university, Liz lived on a narrowboat on the canal for about ten years, after which she settled briefly in Manchester before travelling round Europe in a campervan for a year. She now lives in St Ives, Cornwall.
Books
A Year Without Autumn
Author: Liz Kessler
Publisher: Orion Children's Books
Interest age: 8+
Reading age: 8+
Kessler combines a chatty tween novel with a serious dose of 'what if' in which a disused lift transports Jenni between the present and future years.
Emily Windsnap and the Land of the Midnight Sun
Author: Liz Kessler
Publisher: Orion Children's Books
Interest age: 8+
Reading age: 9+
King Neptune is having nightmares about something terrible that threatens his kingdom. He sends Emily and Aaron to the Land of the Midnight Sun to prevent impending disaster.
Emily Windsnap and the Siren's Secret
Author: Liz Kessler
Publisher: Orion Children's Books
Interest age: 9+
Reading age: 10+
If anyone can single-handedly bring peace, solve the mystery of the lost sirens, find her estranged grandparents and persuade Neptune to lift his banishment curse, it's Emily...
Has Anyone Seen Jessica Jenkins?
Author: Liz Kessler
Publisher: Orion
Interest age: 9+
Reading age: 9+
One Friday afternoon in Geography Jessica's friend, Izzy, notices Jessica turning invisible...
Haunt Me
Author: Liz Kessler
Publisher: Orion
Interest age: 12-16
Reading age: 12+
Introverted Erin has just moved to a new house and school - and finds her new bedroom is haunted by teenager Joe. With a mature and sensitive approach to bereavement, loss and teen relationships, this proves a thought-provoking read.
North of Nowhere
Author: Liz Kessler
Publisher: Orion Children's Books
Interest age: 9+
Reading age: 9+
Visiting her grandmother, Mia discovers many secrets hidden in the sleepy seaside village of Porthaven.
Philippa Fisher and the Stone Fairy's Promise
Author: Liz Kessler Illustrator: Katie May
Publisher: Orion Children's Books
Interest age: 8+
Reading age: 7+
A boy finds a piece of amber but doesn't realise it is a fairy in disguise. He tries to take it home but finds himself frozen in time with the unhappy 'stone fairy'.
Read Me Like a Book
Author: Liz Kessler
Publisher: Indigo
Interest age: 14+
Reading age: 9+
Written 15 years ago, Kessler's novel is about 17-year-old Ash, discovering her sexuality and eventually coming out.
The Tail of Emily Windsnap
Author: Liz Kessler Illustrator: Sarah Gibb
Publisher: Hachette
Interest age: 8+
Reading age: 9+
Emily Windsnap has lived on a boat her whole life but her mother has seemed strangely anxious to keep her away from the water itself.
All is explained when Emily is finally allowed to have swimming lessons and she makes a startling discovery. As she learns more about herself, and her mermaid origins, Emily explores the glorious world under the sea, where Nep…