Author Information
Hilary McKay's Latest Book

Newest Release

  • Bibliography:
    72 Books (7 Series)
  • First Book:
    March 1976
  • Latest Book:
    September 2024
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Full Series List in Order

The Casson Family

1 - Saffy's Angel (2001)
2 - Indigo's Star (2003)
3 - Permanent Rose (Jun-2005)
4 - Caddy Ever After (Jun-2006)
5 - Forever Rose (Apr-2008)
6 - Caddy's World (Mar-2012)

Charlie

Charlie and the Rocket Boy (Jan-2008)
Charlie and the Cheese and Onion Crisps (Apr-2008)
Charlie and the Haunted Tent (Jun-2008)

Exiles

1 - The Exiles (Oct-2007)
2 - The Exiles At Home (Oct-2007)
3 - The Exiles In Love (Nov-2007)

Lulu

1 - Lulu and the Duck in the Park (Sep-2012)
2 - Lulu and the Dog from the Sea (Mar-2013)
3 - Lulu and the Cat in the Bag (Sep-2013)
4 - Lulu and the Rabbit Next Door (Mar-2014)
5 - Lulu and the Hedgehog in the Rain (Sep-2014)
6 - Lulu and the Hamster in the Night (Mar-2015)

Paradise House

Echo in the Chimney (Jul-2009)
Keeping Cotton Tail (Jul-2009)
Magic in the Mirror (Jul-2009)
The Surprise Party (Jul-2009)
Treasure in the Garden (Jul-2009)
Zoo in the Attic (Jul-2009)

Pudding Bag School

A Strong Smell of Magic (Oct-2008)
Cold Enough for Snow (Oct-2008)
The Birthday Wish (Oct-2008)

The Skylarks’ War

1 - The Skylarks' War (Sep-2018)
2 - The Swallows' Flight (Oct-2021)

Multi-Author Series List

Fairytale Retellings: Rumpelstiltskin

Straw into Gold (Feb-2019)

Book List in Order: 72 titles



  • "I swing big, with everything I've got. I hit big or I miss big. I like to live as big as I can." -- Babe Ruth

    Babe Ruth is without a doubt the most famous character ever produced by the sport of baseball. A legend...



  • Meeting the four Robinson children next door, ten-year-old Robin Brogan joins in the merry mayhem that always accompanies the Robinsons and rescues an abandoned dog that he hopes he will be able to adopt...



  • In the palace a most secret and important meeting is in progress. The Queen does not know about it - indeed, so she does not suspect a thing as it is being held after her bedtime (which is very late indeed). But where can they find a suitable Prince?...



  • It's Christmas, and the inhabitants of Porridge Hall are suffering from the winter blues. The weather is horrible, Mrs Robinson's ill, and, to top it all off, the Brogan's dog, Old Blanket, dies. So when the children hear the tale of a dolphin swor...



  • Simon is desperately sad when he discovers that his favorite stuffed bear, Snowtop, is missing and a clean one has been put in his place, and begins an eager search to find his old friend and bring him home once more....





    • / General Fiction
    • Buy Buy

    Caddy is the eldest. She's on her ninety-sixth driving lesson and she's mad about her gorgeous instructor. Indigo is an outrageous cook and survives as the only boy in a pack of girls. Rose, the youngest, is a whiz at art, and knows just how to man...



  • At preschool Bella learns all about Christmas -- that Santa Claus will come in his sleigh pulled over the snow by his reindeer. And he will bring a huge brown sack full of presents. Bella tells her beloved cat, Black Jack, about it when she gets home...



    • / General Fiction
    • Buy Buy

    IT'S BACK TO SCHOOL FOR THE START OF A NEW TERM, AND THE ECCENTRIC CASSONS ARE UP TO THEIR OLD TRICKS! Indigo, having just recovered from a bout of mononucleosis, must return to school after missing an entire semester. Only his younger sister and lo...






  • A rollicking picture book follows little Sophie, who, determined to prove to her disbelieving parents that there is a dragon in the living room, faces her fears to find the truth--and gets a hilarious surprise!...



  • Saffy is still searching for her dad. Caddy adores her boyfriend, but where did she put that ring? Indigo is making friends with people who ought to be enemies. Rose has her own plan - she just needs to figure out how to get to New York....



  • There are discos at school several times a year, but the Valentine's Day disco is the one that everyone talks about. They only sell the tickets in pairs. You have to ask someone, or be asked by someone before you can go. Torture. But it won't be...



  • Nothing ever happens in the conroy family, and when something finally does, the four sisters----Ruth, Naomi, Rachel and Phoebe---are sent to stay with their grandmother for the summer. This sounds like a recipe for disaster: Big Grandma gives orders ...



  • When Ruth Conroy decides to sponsor a child in Africa, she is unprepared for the difficulties involved in finding GBP10 a month. So she enlists the help of her sisters - Phoebe, Naomi and Rachel - who are only too eager to dream up hare-brained fund-...



  • Once again, Hilary McKay has written another very funny, realistic story about the irrepressible Conroy sisters that readers of her earlier books, THE EXILES and THE EXILES AT HOME, will welcome with delight. THE EXILES IN LOVE is sure to make new fr...




  • It was Christmas time when Bear arrived. He was not invited, he just appeared. Nobody needed him. Nobody wanted him. Little did he know that his new home would be a place filled with rubbish mountains, bulldozers, blue rabbits and mad horses....




  • Rose knows that nothing stays the same forever. Still, it's hard to watch her sisters and brother growing up and moving so far ahead of her. Caddy is back, but she's not living at home. And worse -- she's broken up with Darling Michael. Saffy and ...









  • Simon has been dreading going back to school after the summer holidays. Not even his birthday can cheer him up. Ever since his parents disappeared when he was six weeks old he has been making birthday wishes. Now, with ...



  • Class 4b are kept behind for dinner ladies' detention on the day that the snow arrives. They are soon thoroughly snowed in. As the days pass, the dinner ladies' cooking becomes worse, so Madeline and Simon set off to get the help of Mr Bedwig....



  • The Special Class Prize will be awarded to the children who make the most money at the Pudding Bag School Summer Fair. With their magical teacher Miss Gilhoolie ill in bed, Class 4b despair of winning anything at all....





  • The Queen is not a happy little Queen. It's her unofficial birthday and no-one has bought her a present. All she wants is one small, very cheap present. Just because it happens to be a donkey shouldn't cause any problems - but it does....




  • There are no pets allowed in Paradise House. So when Kathy arrives with a secret rabbit there are big problems for everyone. Nathan and Anna do their best to help, but in the end it is Danny who comes up with a plan for Keeping Cotton Tail that just ...



  • Anna believes in real magic. Perhaps if she wears the mysterious old dragon coat, her wildest dreams will come true? She's determined to find out. Sneaking out of bed early one morning, Anna creates some very special, and very messy, magic of her own...






  • The children are saved from the dreaded School Holiday Club in the nick of time, they owe their escape to the Miss Kents who live in the basement of Paradise House. They hatch a plan to thank their rescuers, but will the surprise be spoilt?...




  • This series features the exploits of a group of lively youngsters whose families share the same old house. In this story, Danny sets up his own zoo, and the occupants of Paradise House could be left without a roof over their heads....



  • Charlie can't believe his big brother Max hates parties and doesn't want to celebrate his birthday. So Charlie sets out to give him a surprise birthday bash that he'll never forget. This is the eighth book in this hilarious series, which also include...



  • Hilary McKay revisits Miss Minchin's Select Seminary for Young Ladies after the events of A Little Princess and Sara Crewe's happily ever after. But Sara is much missed - and most acutely by best friend Ermengarde, who laments that 'nothing is the sa...



  • Emily's loves swops - she even swops her grandmother for a donkey! But can her swops help her and her brother escape their wicked old Aunty Bess? A charming and funny story. Barrington Stoke specialise in books for reluctant, struggling and dyslexic ...





  • It's December, and Robin, his friend Dan, and Sun Dance are laid low with chickenpox. To keep them amused, Robin's mother entertains them with memories of the summer when she was eleven and Nick and Charley stayed at her house. When they met Harriet...



  • The amazing and hilarious Casson family is back in this all-new novel from award-winning author Hilary McKay. Cadmium Casson is twelve years old the summer that everything changes. Not only are her closest friendships in jeopardy, but her mom is e...



  • Follow the life of a little boy called Oliver as he goes from being a workhouse orphan to a life with a group of young pickpockets. Will he ever manage to escape his life of crime? This wonderful retelling of the classic Charles Dickens story was ...






  • Lulu loves animals. When Lulu finds a duck egg that has rolled out of its nest, she takes it to class to keep it safe. Lulu isn't allowed to bring pets to school. But she's not really breaking the rules because it's just an egg. Surely nothing bad wi...



  • Follow the life of Pip, a poor lonely orphan in Victorian England. Everything changes when he becomes friends with the wealthy Estella. But can Pip leave his past behind? Written to celebrate the 200th anniversary of Charles Dickens’ birth, this...



  • Get to know the Casson family in this effervescent novel that “strikes a lovely balance between humor and poignancy” (Publishers Weekly, starred review).Cadmium Casson is twelve years old the summer that everything changes. Not only are her close...



  • Lulu loves animals. When Lulu goes on vacation, she finds there's a stray dog living on the beach. Everyone in the town thinks the dog is trouble. But Lulu is sure he just needs a friend. And that he's been waiting for someone just like her. The seco...



  • When she was eight, Binny’s life was perfect: She had her father’s wonderful stories and Max, the best dog ever. But after her father’s sudden death, money is tight, and Aunty Violet decides to give Max away -- he is just too big for their cram...



  • When a mysterious bag is left on Lulu's doorstep, the last thing her grandmother expects to be in it is a cat--a huge, neon orange cat. But Lulu knows this cat doesn't mean any harm. In fact, it needs a lovely new home. ...



  • When Lulu's next-door neighbor doesn't seem to be looking after his rabbit properly, Lulu and her cousin Mellie devise a scheme to make him pay more attention to his pet. ...



  • A warm, funny new story from the author of Indigo's Star and Saffy's Angel

    Tilly never has time to tidy her messy bedroom because she is always too busy helping other people. So when she leaves home to visit her far-flung relatives, ...



  • Two titles from Hilary McKay's hilarious Charlie series in one volume! ...



  • Lulu loves animals. She knows that the hedgehog she rescued isn't really a pet, but Lulu does want to make sure she's all right. And so the Hedgehog Club is born. Everyone on the street agrees to keep an eye on the little hedgehog and keep it away fr...






  • Get ready to read! LITTLE RED ROBINS are ideal for sharing and reading together. Full colour illustrations. Lulu loves animals. When Lulu finds twenty-seven unwanted caterpillars in some nettles, she takes them all home to look after. She's especiall...



  • When Lulu goes for a sleepover at her nan's house, she isn't supposed to take her new hamster. But how can she leave him behind? Lulu adopts a hamster, but she can't tell Nan about it because Nan doesn't care for most animals, especially hamsters. It...



  • From the winner of the Costa Children's Book Award 2018.

    It's tough being the youngest in the Casson family! It is nearly the end of Year 6, and Rose is preparing for Big School. With absent siblings, a perpetually-in-the-shed mother and fin...



  • School has started, and secrets and adventures await Binny and her family in this delightful sequel to Binny for Short, which Publishers Weekly called “a well-crafted story that balances moments of hilarity with poignancy” (starred review). Bi...



  • A third wonderfully warm story about the irresistible Tilly, from bestselling author Hilary McKay. Tilly is keeping a dragon in her bedroom. Tilly’s family are very worried about it, even though the dragon is very nice and can help make wonderfully...



  • Tilly’s little brother Timmy used to be as good as gold. But now he makes all sorts of chaos during the night and won’t go to sleep. It’s the fault of his imaginary friend, Naughty Morgan. He’s the boss around here now. Can Tilly find out how...



  • When Binny finds the money someone left behind at an ATM and then loses it she must play detective in this delightful romp from Hilary McKay. Binny Cornwallis is not a thief. Or is she? In one greedy moment, she snatches some bills left behind at...











  • The Penderwicks meets Warhorse in this charming story about a girl who is fighting for her independence during World War I. Clarry Penrose finds the good in everyone. Even in her father, who isn’t fond of children, and especially girls. He doesn...



  • Winner of the Costa Children's Book Award 2018. The Skylarks' War is a beautiful story following the loves and losses of a family growing up against the harsh backdrop of World War One, from the award-winning Hilary McKay. Clarry and her older brothe...



  • Award-winning author Hilary McKay reimagines your favorite fairy tales with humorous and heartfelt twists in this beautifully illustrated collection of short stories. Imagine Hansel and Gretel’s story from their teacher’s point of view, when G...




  • From award-winning author Hilary McKay comes a beautiful, enchanting story about a girl adjusting to her new family and their new house -- which just might be magical. When Abi’s father marries Max and Louis’s mom, their families start over to...



  • “A triumph.” -- Philip Pullman, bestselling author of the His Dark Materials sagaFour young lives are forever changed at the dawn of World War II in this “stirring and unforgettable” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review) novel from award-winning ...



  • Trapped and alone on the salt marshes, Jodie is troubled by a haunting presence in this eerily atmospheric ghost story from multi-award-winning author Hilary McKayTrapped and alone on the salt marshes, Jodie is troubled by a haunting presence in this...



  • From award-winning author Hilary McKay comes an enchanting illustrated middle grade novel in the spirit of Matilda about a lonely orphan who dreams of escaping her ghastly aunt and uncle.Rosa has always believed there is magic in the world. Or at lea...


Award-Winning Books by Hilary McKay

Caddy Ever After
2006 Parents Choice Award (Spring) (1998-2007) -- Silver
Saffy's Angel
2002 Costa Book Award -- Children's
2002 Parents Choice Award (Fall) (1998-2007) -- Recommended


Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Hilary McKay has published 72 books.

The next book by Hilary McKay, Rosa by Starlight, will be published in September 2024.

The first book by Hilary McKay, Babe: The Legend Comes to Life, was published in March 1976.

Yes. Hilary McKay has 7 series.