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Laura Dockrill is a performance poet and novelist. She was named one of the top ten literary talents by The Times and one of the top twenty hot faces to watch by ELLE magazine. Laura is a young, talented writer/illustrator who is a graduate of the BRIT School of Performing Arts. She has performed her work at the Edinburgh Fringe, Camp Bestival, Latitude, Bookslam and the Soho Theatre and on each of the BBC's respective radio channels, 1-6. She has been a roaming reporter for the Roald Dahl Funny Prize, judged the BBC National Short Story Award, and has appeared on Blue Peter, Channel 4 News and Newsnight. Laura also teaches Guardian Masterclasses in writing for children and is on the advisory board at the Ministry of Stories.
Her books include Mistakes in the Background, Ugly Shy Girl and Echoes. Her first series for younger children, Darcy Burdock was shortlisted for the Waterstones Children's Book Prize. Lorali is her first novel for teenagers.
Laura is a judge on the Blue Peter Awards 2018: “I adored judging the Blue Peter Book Award, the nominated list was incredibly strong and made judging the prize so difficult. Which I think is a very good thing for the world of children’s books! I met wizards, talking toys with speech impediments, and was flown across the globe to marvellous new landscapes. I met big foot, uncovered mysteries and had my head blown off by space facts. It was a wonderful privilege and the shortlist is stunning!”
August 2020 Book of the Month | Interest Age 8+ Reading Age 8 | Laura Dockrill packs a really big story into this compact little book and though she tackles some big issues too, she keeps them specific to her set of characters, so that even quite young readers will understand. Sequin’s mum is a dressmaker, sewing gowns and fabulous outfits for the stars. She never takes any credit though, preferring to stay in the background and in fact, she’s literally hiding herself away in the family’s flat at the top of a tower block. When Sequin does a school presentation about her mum, no-one believes her. It makes Sequin angry with her mum, but then a terrible danger threatens them and they both have to face their real fears. It’s a story that readers will absolutely love, with a twist that they’ll want to return to again and again. Particularly suitable for struggling, reluctant or dyslexic readers aged 8+
One of our 2018 Books of the Year | March 2018 Book of the Month | In a Nutshell: Hearty hope-filled ode to food-love, self-love and living out loud As energising as a super food salad, as satisfying and nourishing as your favourite home-cooked meal, this delectable novel about feeling comfortable in your own skin has been prepared with sisterly love and comes served on a bed of inspiration. Meet your new favourite character, Bluebelle, also known as BB, or Big Bones. She’s a one-woman carnival of confidence and style. She likes “being big. Because there’s something of me. I feel wholesome, there alive”, but she’s super-aware of all the double-standards around size and gender. While it’s OK for boys to “want to seem big”, in contrast “it seems the world wants us girls to be tiny and petite and taken care of. What’s all that about?” BB becomes further entangled in this web of weight obsession when a nurse tells her to lose weight and keep a food diary. She gets on with her life - working in a coffee shop, exchanging top bantz with her adventurous sister, and writing the diary - until a family misfortune throws her off-course. How BB handles this situation will truly make your heart sing. Stuffed with lashings of laugh-out-loud loveliness (just wait until you read about Bum Tills...), relatable real-life truths and love in all its complicated, dizzying forms (food-love, friend-love, sisterly-love, boy-love, self-love), this is, quite simply, the best YA book about self-esteem and body image I’ve ever read. ~ Joanne Owen
A larger than life collection of poems for a middle grade audience about one wild, hysterical and hilarious Mum. Lovereading Review will follow.
A magical adventure of mermaids, pirates, myth and romance. Rory is on Hastings beach the night before his sixteenth birthday when he stumbles across a naked girl. This is Lorali, mermaid princess who has decide to forsake her underwater life to become human, a Walker as the Mer people say. Her mother will do anything to get her daughter back and sends storms and sea monsters to cause havoc, while also on Lorali’s trail are the crew of the Liberty – as dapper a group of cut-throats as you’ll find – and some even scarier types. There is much to enjoy – the romance between Lorali and Rory and a wonderful supporting cast, including those smart-suited pirates, rogue mermaid Opal - a kind of marine Kim Kardashian - even the Sea has a voice. Both worlds – salt’n’vinegar Hastings and the court under the sea - are made vivid and this is fresh, colourful, irresistible reading. ~ Andrea Reece Stop press... Laura will be appearing at the Cheltenham Festival on Saturday 3rd October. Click here to find out more. Further information from the Cheltenham Festival.
Everyone is always shouting at Gus to stop leaning back in his chair - but does he care? No way! Then sure enough, the chair falls, he cracks his head and has to spend all summer in bed. Out of the crack escape his memories, dreams and imagination ... and a beautiful little butterfly guide. Gus must follow the butterfly to recapture all he's lost, including that locked box he doesn't seem to want to touch ... Together they remember fish fingers, snapping bubble wrap, cracked pink soap and the leaky tap; they go wild, stomping around in the joy of imagination and happy dreams - but they can't go any further if Gus won't gather all of his memories. His butterfly will die unless Gus is ready to hear about his mum ... A delightful and moving exploration of grief and the joy that makes us human, from the effervescent voice of Laura Dockrill, with heartwarming full-colour illustrations from Gwen Millward.
August 2020 Book of the Month | Interest Age 8+ Reading Age 8 | Laura Dockrill packs a really big story into this compact little book and though she tackles some big issues too, she keeps them specific to her set of characters, so that even quite young readers will understand. Sequin’s mum is a dressmaker, sewing gowns and fabulous outfits for the stars. She never takes any credit though, preferring to stay in the background and in fact, she’s literally hiding herself away in the family’s flat at the top of a tower block. When Sequin does a school presentation about her mum, no-one believes her. It makes Sequin angry with her mum, but then a terrible danger threatens them and they both have to face their real fears. It’s a story that readers will absolutely love, with a twist that they’ll want to return to again and again. Particularly suitable for struggling, reluctant or dyslexic readers aged 8+
'A book to save a whole generation of women' Adele 'This moving book was a pleasure to read and I didn't want to put it down. If anyone is going through a similar experience it will make them feel less alone' Philippa Perry This is a raw, courageous and honest recovery story that breaks the silence on one of life's best-kept secrets. Written from the front-line of mental illness, this heartbreaking and uplifting memoir is about resilience, love and finding your way to the other side. Laura couldn't wait to meet her new baby. But as she went into labour things began to go wrong and Laura started to struggle. A traumatic birth, anxiety about the baby, sleep deprivation, a slow recovery - all these things piled up until Laura (like any new mum) felt overwhelmed. As many as 8 out of 10 new mums struggle in the weeks after birth. Laura had never experienced mental illness before and was reassured by family, friends and professionals that what she was feeling was 'normal.' But in Laura's case these feelings escalated scarily quickly into post-partum psychosis; a rare and debilitating illness. Within a matter of days Laura became paranoid, delusional and suicidal. And when her baby was just three weeks old, on Mother's Day, Laura was institutionalised without her baby. Throughout this time she was haunted by a sense of: 'What have I done?' It wasn't until Laura began to put her story into words (on her phone whilst her son slept) that she began to find herself again and recovery seemed within reach; these are those words. Despite this gruelling experience, Laura's story is a hopeful one. Not only has she got better, she has come out the other side stronger and more assured. Now she is determined to break the stigma around post-natal mental health, shatter the romanticised expectations of perfect motherhood, and to empower parents: you are not alone. *ONE OF STYLIST'S BEST NON-FICTION BOOKS FOR 2020 AND EVENING STANDARD'S BEST BOOKS TO LOOK FORWARD TO IN 2020* Praise for What Have I Done? 'A raw, honest, important book' Caitlin Moran 'A humbingly honest and human war report from the front lines of mothering psychosis and recovery; there is no other book like it, and it is so desperately needed' Giovanna Fletcher 'This book will give women and their families confidence that the brain and body will heal. It will encourage other women to speak out' Dr Jessica Heron, CEO of Action on Postpartum Psychosis 'An amazing read. A comfort to women recovering who read this and realise that all their crazy mad thoughts were the illness; and not themselves' Fiona Telford, postpartum psychosis survivor
A daring tale full of live music, laughter and bravery, book now for a heroic Christmas adventure. Robin Hood returns home to find the greedy Sheri of Nottingham starving the local people of Sherwood Forest. Courageous, kind and headstrong, Robin can't stand by and watch friends and family suffer. Robin, the most skilful archer in the land, vows to be braveand stand up for the local people. Join the fearless, witty hero and a host of lively friends as they set off on a mission to steal from the rich and give to the poor. This hilarious new adaptation is written by acclaimed children's author Laura Dockrill. She has written numerous bestselling books and poetry collections including the popular Darcy Burdock series.
Prepare to fall absolutely in love with this irresistible cookie, crumbly chocolate chips and all. OH NO! Barbra the cactus won't stop playing her recorder, the yummy strawberry toothpaste has run out, and now - to top it all off - Cookie has to have his hair cut! Which all makes for one VERY ANGRY little cookie... But perhaps you, the reader, can find a way to turn his grumpy frown upside down? This wildly inventive, interactive, laugh-out-loud tale brings Laura Dockrill's one-of-a-kind voice and Maria Karipidou's hilarious illustrations to the Walker list.
Prepare to fall absolutely in love with this irresistible cookie, crumbly chocolate chips and all. OH NO! Barbra the cactus won't stop playing her recorder, the yummy strawberry toothpaste has run out, and now - to top it all off - Cookie has to have his hair cut! Which all makes for one VERY ANGRY little cookie... But perhaps you, the reader, can find a way to turn his grumpy frown upside down? This is a wildly inventive, interactive, laugh-out-loud tale brings Laura Dockrill's one-of-a-kind voice and Maria Karipidou's hilarious illustrations to the Walker list.
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