Toppsta - Childrens Books – Reviews

Anne Fine is a much-loved British author who has been writing bestsellers for over forty years. She has won many prestigious prizes for her children’s books including the Carnegie Medal for Flour Babies and Goggle Eyes, the Whitbread Award for The Tulip Touch and the Smarties Prize for Bill’s New Frock. She was the second Children’s Laureate after Quentin Blake and has even been awarded an OBE for her services to literature.

When asked how she became an author, Anne once said “When I was young, it never occurred to me that I might be a writer. I think I must have thought that books were born on the library shelves,”. She went on to explain that she started writing books back in 1971 as she ran out of things to read, being unable to get to the library in a blizzard. Readers everywhere will be very happy about that snowstorm as her books have been entertaining children for decades, dealing with some important topics along the way.

Many of Anne’s books are recognised as modern classics now, with several TV and film adaptations having helped bring them to life – the most famous being the film Mrs Doubtfire starring Robin Williams and the BBC adaptation of Goggle Eyes. The success of Fine’s books surely lies in their wicked sense of humour. By her own admission, a lot of her books raise quite serious social or family issues such as Bill’s New Frock and Step by Wicked Step but every single book is laugh out loud funny.

With over fifty children’s books to her name, there is something for everyone aged 6 and upwards. We love the silly Diary of a Killer Cat for ages 7+ and Flour Babies for older readers but check out the full list of Anne Fine’s books below and find your own favourite.