Happy Birthday to The Clockwork Sparrow!

Can you believe it's been 10 years?

Jun 18, 2025

Hello friends,

This is a very special celebratory issue of the newsletter because my debut book, The Clockwork Sparrow, turns TEN this month. I’m still trying to wrap my head around the fact that I’ve been a published author for a decade!

An illustration of the clockwork sparrow wearing a party hat surrounded by party decorations

I remember The Clockwork Sparrow being published very vividly. Writing a book had been a dream of mine so long, and it seemed incredible that it had actually come true. June 2015 was an intensely busy time for me: I’d just come back from a belated honeymoon trip to New York, and then a friend’s wedding in Palm Springs. At work (I was then working for reading charity Booktrust), we were finishing up Malorie Blackman’s brilliant tenure as Children’s Laureate, and announcing Chris Riddell as the next to take up the role, as well as preparing for an even-bigger-and-better version of YALC (the UK’s first young adult literature convention, which at that point was still very new). Meanwhile, I was organising podcast Down the Rabbit Hole1; working on my second book, The Jewelled Moth; and doing my first ever author events.

I cannot imagine how I ever found the energy to do so many things all at once — but somehow, I did, and it was a memorable time, full of celebrations and events and new experiences. One that I will always remember is seeing The Clockwork Sparrow on display in so many bookshops, when it was Waterstones Children’s Book of the Month. If having a book published was a dream come true, then having my own window in the beautiful Piccadilly store was simply beyond imagining! I am so hugely grateful for Waterstones for that invaluable early support.

Photo of a Clockwork Sparrow window display at Waterstones Piccadilly - blue and gold and fabulous — Remember this ICONIC window?

But that wasn’t all! Publication month featured celebratory afternoon tea; a school visit to my own old primary school; an interactive mystery day with Storytellers Inc and a host of other middle grade mystery authors (I remember watching Kate Pankhurst’s amazing Mariella Mystery session in awe — little did I know that only a few years later we’d be collaborating on Rose’s Dress of Dreams!); and sharing the Starlight Stage with Robin Stevens at the Hay Festival. Of course, there was also a brilliant launch party at Daunt Marylebone, complete with dressing-up hats, bags of Sinclair’s sweets, cupcakes, and lots of friends and family in attendance.

Themed cupcakes at The Clockwork Sparrow launch in 2015

Ten years later finds me celebrating in a bookshop again — this time, the Battersea Bookshop — to mark The Clockwork Sparrow’s birthday with some of the people who have supported me (and Sophie and Lil) over the past decade. Now I can celebrate not only the exciting dream-come-true of a book with my name on the cover, but eight more books about the same characters, including the newest, Secrets on the Shore.

Celebrating with my giant banner at The Battersea Bookshop this month

I don’t know what I expected when The Clockwork Sparrow was first published but it’s safe to say I could never have imagined that ten years on, I’d still be finding it on bookshop shelves (and tables, and window displays) and in school libraries - now with its shiny new 10th birthday golden roundel. I could never have imagined that it would still be being recommended to a whole new generation of young readers by brilliant booksellers and teachers and librarians. I could never have imagined that it would be published in different continents, in a host of different languages. I could never have imagined that I’d still be receiving the loveliest letters from readers old and new — some of whom tell me amazing stories about how Sophie and Lil have helped them through difficult times, or even helped them to discover a love of reading.

It truly feels like magic.

It seems important to stop and notice that. In the book industry, we always seem to be focusing on what’s coming up — our forthcoming projects, what we’re working on next, the exciting ‘next big thing’. It’s easy to forget to take stock and to celebrate, to feel grateful for what’s already happened and the work that has already been done.

And I am very grateful indeed. I feel so lucky and thankful for everyone who has been with me on the journey including the whole team I’ve worked with at wonderful publisher, Farshore over the past decade, incredible illustrators Júlia Sárda and Karl James Mountford, and of course, my brilliant agent Louise. I’m grateful to all the authors and industry friends who have been so supportive, and to all the booksellers, librarians, reviewers, bloggers and readers who’ve taken to my books with such enthusiasm. More than anything, that’s what I want to celebrate this month.

It was such a treat to raise a glass with lots of lovely people. A particular highlight was meeting Jessica Preddy, the amazing audiobook narrator for the series, who does such a sensational job of bringing the books to life (can you believe we’ve never met before?) Through the whole evening, I was touched by how kind everyone was, and the stories and memories about the book that they brought along.

Here’s to The Clockwork Sparrow! I very much hope I get to keep doing this for another ten years, and more.

My daughter and I had a lot of fun ‘bedazzling’ these Clockwork Sparrows, for no particular purpose

A birthday gift for subscribers

To mark The Clockwork Sparrow’s 10th birthday this month, I wanted to share something special for newsletter subscribers because I am also extremely grateful to you!

Cover of a Clockwork Sparrow zine, with a collaged background

I’ve been exploring zine-making and DIY publishing recently (including the most fun trip to Morecambe Riso Press to learn about riso-printing) so I decided to make a downloadable PDF zine inspired by The Clockwork Sparrow.

The cover design partly comes from a scrapbook I’ve kept over the course of writing the Sinclair’s Mysteries and Taylor & Rose Secret Agents over the past decade. Inside you’ll find a short walking tour, covering some of the key central London locations that helped to inspire the book, and that I think have the most Sinclair’s Mysteries-like atmosphere. There are quotations, and titbits of London history, and some fun behind-the-scenes details to explore.

Download it here

If you download it — or even try out the walk — I do hope you will enjoy it! Let me know what you think in the comments. I have a lot more material like this sitting in the archives, which I’d be delighted to share if it’s of interest. (Perhaps I could even print some copies, using my new-found riso-printing know how?!)

What else I’ve been doing

Shortly after I sent the last newsletter I came down with an absolutely horrible flu which meant I had to cancel and reschedule a whole bunch of events. However, illnesses aside, I did get a lovely trip to Oxford for the Oxford Literature Festival, and I also celebrated the publication of Secrets on the Shore with my local literature festival, Lancaster Litfest.

It’s funny how quite a few things have happened this year completely by coincidence, which have turned into part of the 10th birthday celebrations. In April, I had the chance to be part of The Storey Makers exhibition at the Storey in Lancaster, exhibiting some of my books from over the past decade. Artist Carol Tarn also asked to paint my portrait after we met at an event at the Children’s Bookshop in Muswell Hill — and she decided to put The Clockwork Sparrow quite literally in the picture!

Coming up next week, in a very full-circle moment, I’ll be back in Chorley (the Lancashire town where I lived during my primary school years, where I spent many a happy hour in the local library) for the Telling Tales event hosted by Joanne Sefton. If you’re local, do come along —and for more details about upcoming events, check out the events page of my website or follow me on Instagram.

In the meantime, I’ve had a couple of fun trips to London, including going to the Oval for the Sports Book Awards: I was so delighted that Lottie the Little Wonder made the Children’s Book of the Year shortlist! Ultimately Sky Brown won the prize for her book The Life-Changing Magic of Skateboarding — but who could mind losing out to an amazing teenage Olympic medallist? (I think Lottie herself would approve!)

With fellow shortlistee Bali Rai at the Sports Book Awards

Last week, I was back again to volunteer for the Women’s Prize at Women’s Prize Live in Bloomsbury, London, where I was lucky enough to hear from lots of incredible authors, including those shortlisted for this year’s prize. The next day it was the party to announce the winners. It’s always a really lovely occasion: a wonderful celebration of women’s voices and stories. It was a privilege to witness this year’s winners Rachel Clarke and Yael van der Wouden receive their awards and give incredible speeches.

This week, it’s back home and back to the studio to get on with a fun new writing project. (I’m aware this newsletter is a little light on new book news BUT I promise there will be some coming very soon!)

A few favourites

Little Lim and the Golden Treasure by Frann Preston Gannon

My 6-year-old daughter and I really enjoyed reading this beautifully-packaged younger fiction book together. Set in a richly-coloured rockpool landscape of shells and sea-creatures, it’s a gentle but engaging story about adventurous young Limpet and her slightly-less-bold friend Kai as they set out on a quest to find a legendary golden shell and win the Best Young Explorer competition. We really liked the gorgeous artwork and appealing world-building; my daughter has already asked to dress up as Limpet for World Book Day next year!

A Box Full of Murders by Janice Hallett

Janice Hallett is known for her (adult) mysteries told through documents such as emails, letters or court documents. The same approach proves to work quite brilliantly for younger readers in this perfectly-pitched middle-grade mystery. When siblings Luke and Ava discover a mysterious box marked ‘Top Secret’ in the attic, they can’t resist and are soon working their way through a pile of documents relating to a summer camp that took place decades earlier, in the 1980s. There are newspaper-cuttings, secret recordings, incident reports and diary entries from the campers — and before long, they realise they’re looking at evidence from a real-life unsolved murder. Can they use the materials they’ve found to crack the case? Cleverly told through a combination of text messages between the siblings as well as the documents themselves, this makes for an engrossing and unique reading experience. Aspiring young detectives will love putting their investigation skills to the test trying to solve the mystery alongside Ava and Luke; and there’s some pleasing 80s nostalgia for adults to enjoy.

Evie and Maryam’s Family Tree by Janeen Hayat

Lately, I’ve noticed a few new middle-grade books which thoughtfully explore themes of family history, cultural identity and untold stories. This is one of them, following two very different girls who find themselves paired up for a school project about family trees. Evie and Maryam initially seem to have nothing in common, but then they discover something strange: they each have a copy of a mysterious folder called ‘Family Recipes’, written in a language they can’t understand. As they work together to try to decode the writing, they uncover a story which takes them many years into the past, and all the way to India in the time of Partition.

A couple of other books on similar themes I would recommend are Nate Yu’s Blast from the Past by Maisie Chan, in which a school history lesson leads to an 11-year-old boy coming face-to-face with a ghost from World War I, and The Stories that Grandma Forgot (And How I Found Them) by Nadine Aisha Jassat - a verse novel blending family history and mystery.

Darkly by Marisha Pessl

I’m a big fan of Marisha Pessl’s Special Topics in Calamity Physics, which I remember devouring when it first came out. Recently, I stumbled across her latest young adult novel in the library and was immediately intrigued. The set-up is compelling: Dia is a high school student who is fascinated by the mysterious Louisiana Veda, a legendary game designer/artist who was renowned for creating ingenious, strange and sometimes terrifying games. When Dia spots an advertisement for an internship with the Louisiana Veda Foundation, she rushes to apply; and to her astonishment she wins a spot. But what will happen when Dia is thrust into the strange, dark heart of Louisiana Veda’s legacy? Who are the other interns who will be joining her there — and why was she selected to participate? Twisty and intriguing, I found this to be a smart and different but very readable take on the young adult thriller/mystery genre.

Didion and Babitz by Lili Anolik

I loved Lili Anolik’s Once Upon a Time at Bennington College podcast and I was excited to dive into this, her new non-fiction book about the relationship between writer Joan Didion and her sometime-friend Eve Babitz. Inspired by a box of materials Anolik discovered2 , including some intimate, diary-like letters, it is an investigation of not only these two artists and their complicated friendship, but also of the fascinating historical moment and cultural scene in which they moved. I don’t read as much non-fiction as I would like — unless it’s for research purposes, I’m usually more inclined to pick up a novel — but I found this very compelling. It also introduced me to Eve Babitz’s visual art, which as a long-time collage/scrapbook enthusiast, I obviously love - next up I’m going to try reading some of her fiction.

The Modern Fairies by Clare Pollard

This is historical fiction with a difference. Set in 1680s among the opulent French court of Louis XIV, it’s the vividly-told tale of Madame Marie d’Aulnoy, and the group of (mostly female) intellectuals who gather regularly at her Parisian home to perform Contes de Fées — fairy-tales. Among this group is none other than Charles Perrault himself. But as the group continue to weave their unexpected, funny, and often dark stories of glass slippers, enchanted beasts and princesses, it becomes clear that a real-life wolf is lurking amid the salon, putting them all in danger. Inspired by real history, this is a sparkling, surprising, engrossing and provocative novel. Don’t be deceived by the fairy-tale theme — it is absolutely a book for adults! But for younger readers, author Clare Pollard has also written a children’s book, The Untameables.

From the desk of Katherine Woodfine

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