Lissa Evans still remembers writing her first joke, aged 7 (it involved a hippo). She never lost her interest in funny lines, and before becoming a novelist, she was a comedy producer for radio and TV.

Her children’s books have been shortlisted for the Branford Boase Award, the Costa Children’s Book Award and twice for the Carnegie Medal. Her books for adults include Crooked Heart, the bestselling Old Baggage, and Their Finest Hour and a Half, which was made into a film (‘Their Finest’), starring Bill Nighy.