Monica Edwards

Monica Edwards is one of our best-loved and popular children's writers; this is the first biography to appear of her, commissioned by her family who gave Brian Parks, an expert on her books, complete access to her notebooks, diaries, letters, cuttings and photographs. He has also interviewed her family and many of her close friends and visited all the locations, and in the course of his research uncovered some surprising new facts and puzzles about her life. The many sources quoted include Monica Edwards's own diaries and notebooks, where her books first took form (and several tantalising ideas for stories that were never written); articles she wrote describing her home life; the sale brochure for Punch Bowl Farm; contemporary reviews of her books; and her letters, including several from the teenage Monica describing her reactions to the turbulent events in her life at the time.