Ali Sparkes

Winner of the Blue Peter Award for Frozen In Time, Ali Sparkes has published more than 60 books for children and young adults over the past decade. Her novel Car-Jacked was runner up for the UK National Children's Book Award 2017 and Wishful Thinking was nominated for the Carnegie prize.

Ali always meant to be a singer and an actress but instead found herself writing for a local newspaper, before joining the BBC as a regional broadcast journalist. After a stint writing comedy shorts for BBC Radio 4 she decided to try writing children's fiction - and in 2004 got her first book deal, for the five part Shapeshifter series, with Oxford Children's Books.

Her most beloved character is Dax Jones, who features in the Shapeshifter series and its spin-off series, Unleashed. A further Dax Jones adventure - Feather & Fang - was published in May 2016 on the 10th anniversary of her debut novel, Finding the Fox, and the latest, Settling the Score, on the 20th anniversary in May 2026.

Her Night Series (Night Speakers, Night Raiders, Night Walker, Night Terrors & Night Forever) are her darkest. Literally. Most of the action for the insomniac characters takes place in the small hours.

Her indie publications are with Stairwell Books and include 100 Summers and My Sister Is A Dog, with a third to follow in autumn 2026.

Ali's books have been translated into many languages from French and German to Latin American and Japanese. More of her books are translated for Turkey than any other country. The Turkish love Ali's books. And Ali loves their Delight, so it's all good...