Reading Champion: The Mystery of the Haunted House

Katie Dale (Author)

Katie Dale had her first poem ‘The Fate of The School Hamster’ published in The Cadbury’s Book of Children’s Poetry, aged 8 and hasn’t stopped writing since. On graduating, she went travelling through South-East Asia - only to discover whilst in a Vietnam internet cafe that she was a winner of the SCBWI 2008 Undiscovered Voices competition.

Sian James (Illustrator)

I was born and grew up in Hong Kong and have been drawing ever since I was able to pick up a pen. An early medieval archaeologist by training, I bring my love for the human past, cultures, and folklore to my art. My paintings are done mostly digitally, starting with a darker background colour and gradually adding light to it. However, I find that creativity comes more naturally to me when I have a pencil in hand, so I often sketch my concepts on paper first before turning to the computer. When I am not drawing or painting, I love reading fantasy novels, volunteering in museums, and drinking too much tea. I now live in Oxford with my husband and our two affectionate cats Miso and Mochi.