Malorie Blackman is acknowledged as one of today's most imaginative and convincing writers for young readers. In addition to her Reading Ladder books for Egmont, she has written novels such as the Noughts & Crosses sequence, Hacker and Thief! Her list of awards includes the Red House Children's Book Award, WHSmith Mind-Boggling Books Award and Smarties Silver Award. She has also won the Eleanor Farjeon Award, in recognition of her distinguished contribution to the world of children's books, been shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal and been honoured with an OBE for her services to Children's Literature. Malorie Blackman was the Children's Laureate from 2013-2015. Deborah Allwright has made a dramatic impact on the picture book scene since the publication of The Night Pirates. After the hugely successful She'll be Coming Round the Mountain and the critically acclaimed Don't Read this Book! Deborah is one of Egmont's most celebrated and successful illustrators. She works in a studio in Islington, stopping only to attend designer clothes sales, and to do a spot of DJing at music festivals. Series consultant Nikki Gamble is the director of Just Imagine, a specialist resource and training centre for Primary English. She is Associate Consultant at the University of London, Institute of Education.