Patrice Lawrence
Patrice Lawrence is a writer for children and young people who is passionate about social justice. Before becoming a full-time writer, she worked for charities that promoted the rights of children, families and adults that often go unheard. Her books have been shortlisted for and won a number of major prizes including the YA Prize, the Waterstones Prize for Older Children's Fiction, the Jhalak Prize for Children and Young People and the Little Rebels Children's Award. She has been awarded an MBE for Literature and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.
She is our current Writer in Residence.
Books
Diver’s Daughter: A Tudor Story
Author: Patrice Lawrence
Publisher: Scholastic
Interest age: 9-12
Reading age: 9+
This is a thrilling tale, with the expertly described Tudor world brought to hideous, harsh life with the same verve as Patrice Lawrence’s award winning teen books Indigo Donut and Orangeboy.
Eight Pieces of Silva
Author: Patrice Lawrence
Publisher: Hodder
Interest age: 12-14
Reading age: 12+
When Becks' stepsister doesn't come home after seeing their parents off at the airport, it's down to Becks to figure out where she might have gone. A brilliant read for a teenager.
Granny Came Here on the Empire Windrush
Author: Patrice Lawrence Illustrator: Camilla Sucre
Publisher: Nosy Crow
Interest age: 6-8
Reading age: 6-8
Ava must dress up as someone she admires for a school project, but can’t decide who to be, so Granny offers to help. As they search for inspiration in Granny’s trunk of clothes, Ava is intrigued when she finds a small, cardboard suitcase, containing four objects: an empty jar, a pebble, a small blue hat and a pair of delicate lace gloves. Granny shares the p…
Is That Your Mama?
Author: Patrice Lawrence and Diane Ewen
Publisher: Scholastic
Interest age: 4-5
Reading age: 2-3
Josie doesn’t look like her mum, and worries that she should. But her family show her that all families are different, and all are special. A beautiful book full of empathy and heart.
Needle
Author: Patrice Lawrence
Publisher: Barrington Stoke
Interest age: 12-13
Reading age: 8-9
How come, if there’s any kind of ‘incident’ at school, at home, at the shopping centre, it’s always the Black kid in care who gets the blame?
Our Story Starts in Africa
Author: Patrice Lawrence Illustrator: Jeanetta Gonzales
Publisher: Magic Cat
Interest age: 6-8
A perfectly pitched story of Black history that brings it back to the personal for a little girl.
Rat
Author: Patrice Lawrence
Publisher: Oxford University Press/Barrington Stoke
Interest age: 9-14
Reading age: 10+
Al's mum is back in prison again - and Al thinks it's their neighbour's fault, so he plots revenge with his beloved pet rats, Venom and Vulture. A moving insight into the world of a young boy affected by poverty, neglect and crime, who eventually learns to trust.
Rose, Interrupted
Author: Patrice Lawrence
Publisher: Hodder
Interest age: 13-17
Reading age: 10+
A dramatic, thoughtful and compelling coming-of-age novel, in which 17-year-old Rose must learn to navigate the unspoken rules of a world increasingly focused on social media.
The Elemental Detectives
Author: Patrice Lawrence
Publisher: Scholastic
Interest age: 9-11
Reading age: 8-9
A thrilling adventure, where two Black children battle Elemental spirits to save Georgian London from a sleeping sickness. Inventive and packed with adventure and accessible historical detail.
Toad Attack!
Author: Patrice Lawrence
Illustrator: Becka Moor
Publisher: Barrington Stoke
Interest age: 6-11
Reading age: 6+
Leo is astounded when he is hit on the head by a flying toad on his way to school. His best friend Rosa is excited because one of her two dads is a television presenter and plans to make a nature programme about the pale, yellow amphibians with bulging red eyes. However, the toads have an insatiable appetite and as the town of Upper Dab is besieged by these …