Elen Caldecott
Children's Author
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Biography
My favourite stories are ones where very ordinary people do very extraordinary things. These are the kind of stories I set out to write: real life, but with the promise of adventure.
I recently graduated with an MA in Writing for Young People from Bath Spa University. Before becoming a writer, I was an archaeologist, a nurse, a theatre usher and a museum security guard. It was while working at the museum that I realised there’s a way to steal anything if you think about it hard enough. I either had to become a master thief, or create some characters to do it for me – and so I began my debut novel, How Kirsty Jenkins Stole The Elephant.
Prizes
OPERTION EIFFEL TOWER was shortlisted for the 2013 Red House Children’s Book Awards.
Elen won the Lennox Author Award (November 2010), and was longlisted for a 2013 UK Literacy Association Book Award.
THE SHORT KNIFE won the Tir na n-Og Awards 2021 for children’s and young people’s literature in the English Language category
Longlisted for the Carnegie Medal for THE SHORT KNIFE
The Blackthorn Branch (2022)
Longlisted for The Yoto Carnegie Medal for Writing 2023
Cassie’s older brother Byron has fallen in with the wrong crowd – it’s soon clear these boys are wild, reckless and not human at all. They are tylwyth teg – Fair Folk, who tempt humans down into the dark places of the world. And Byron is tempted.
When he goes missing, Cassie and her cousin, Sian, follow his trail to an old abandoned railway tunnel which goes down and down into Annwn, the underworld. Here they find that the tylwyth teg are restless – and angry. Their leader, Gwenhidw, wants to protect Annwn from the damage humans are doing to the world. Byron is part of her plan. But Cassie won’t let her big brother be part of anyone’s plan. Can she rescue her brother before it is too late?
Publications
Selected Publications
Meet Piotr, Minnie, Andrew, Flora and Sylvie – true friends and even better mystery-solvers!
Hollywood sensation, Betty Massino, has come to star in the theatre down the road and Piotr and his friends Andrew and Minnie couldn’t be more excited! But when the famous actress’s hugely expensive diamond necklace goes missing, Piotr’s dad, a security guard at the theatre, is a prime suspect. Soon, Piotr faces the very real threat of being sent ‘home’ to Poland. With the help of Sylvie and her twin sister Flora, can Piotr, Andrew and Minnie solve the crime or will they lose Piotr forever? The first in a fantastic new series filled with friendship, adventure and mystery!
‘Those McIntyres are nothing but trouble!’ When the McIntyre family moves in next door, Eva is intrigued – it is the first interesting thing to happen for ages. But her ever protective Dad – even more protective since Eva’s mum died – does not agree. And the McIntyres are certainly noisy! But Eva is curious about Jamie, who she often sees on the roof of his garden shed, escaping the family chaos.
Then Eva gets to know Jamie a bit better. And when he is accused of vandalising the local park, Eva is sure he didn’t do it. It is up to Eva to stick up for him – but then Jamie disappears. Eva is now in a race against time, which snowballs into a helterskelter race with a ‘borrowed’ ice cream van, lots of irate keep-fit enthusiasts and lashings of ice-cream!
Lauren, Jack, Ruby and Billy live by the seaside with their mum and dad. But their parents are always arguing, and then their dad moves out. Lauren and Jack decide they have to get them together again. And so begins Operation Eiffel Tower . . . in which the four children try to raise money to give their mum and dad a treat in an attempt to make them happier. First they want to send their parents to Paris, but quickly realise they can never afford that, so instead they set up a dinner for two under the Eiffel Tower in the local crazy golf attraction. But will it get their parents talking again?
A funny and very moving story that tackles important issues with a light touch.
