Elle McNicoll | |
---|---|
Born | Elle McNicoll 5 October 1992 Edinburgh, Scotland |
Occupation | Children's Author, screenwriter |
Language | English |
Nationality | Scottish |
Alma mater | University College London |
Years active | 2020-present |
Notable works | A Kind of Spark Show Us Who You Are |
Notable awards | 2021 Waterstones Children's Book Prize 2021 Blue Peter Book Award |
Elle McNicoll (born 5 October 1992) is a Scottish and British bestselling children's writer. McNicoll has been described as "undoubtedly" an outstanding new talent in children's books [who] will inspire readers young and old for generations to come". [1]
McNicoll's debut novel, A Kind of Spark (2020) follows the efforts of an autistic [2] eleven-year-old girl, Addie, to establish a memorial to the witch trials in her Scottish hometown. McNicoll is autistic herself. [3] The book was children's book of the week in The Times and The Sunday Times , [4] [5] and won both the Overall and Younger Fiction prizes at the 2021 Waterstones Children's Book Prize. [6] It also won the Blue Peter Book Award for Best Story, voted for by children. [7] McNicoll was also nominated for the Branford Boase Award [8] and was nominated for the Carnegie Medal . McNicoll's debut was also named Overall Book of the Year by Blackwell's , beating titles in the Adult Market. [9]
Her second novel, Show Us Who You Are, was published in March, 2021, and was Children's Book of the Week in The Times . [10] It was also the Children's Book of the Month, as chosen by Blackwell's . [11] It was nominated for Best Children's Fiction in the 2021 Books Are My Bag Awards, and McNicoll was also nominated for Best Breakthrough Author. [12]
Her third novel Like A Charm was published in February 2022 by Knights Of and was also Children's Book of the Week in The Times, [13] as well as being reviewed as 'Another fiercely gripping, superbly original story' by The Guardian. [14] In 2022 McNicoll also wrote a story as part of the crime anthology The Very Merry Murder Club [15] edited by Serena Patel and Robin Stevens.
McNicoll was awarded an honour by the Schneider Family Book Award in 2022 for the US edition of A Kind of Spark.
A Kind of Spark was optioned for a CBBC television series, with McNicoll acting as co-head writer on the programme. [16] It premiered on BBC iPlayer in the UK on 31 March 2023. [17]
McNicoll's debut novel was listed as number 75 in The 100 Greatest Children's Books of All Time [18]
McNicoll also wrote and recorded an essay for BBC Radio 3's The Essay. [19] The subject was Nora Ephron, a heroine of McNicoll's.
Keedie, the prequel to A Kind of Spark was published in 2024. In an episode of In the Reading Corner [20] , Nicoll talked about her nuanced exploration of teenage bullying and the stereotyping of neurodivergent characters.
She currently lives in London.[ citation needed ]
McNicoll has been an outspoken advocate for better representations of neurodiversity in publishing. [21] She has been credited with kickstarting a revolution in publishers' attitudes to neurodiverse characters. [22] In 2022, McNicoll established The Adrien Prize, a prize for traditionally published children's books with a disabled lead character. [23] The longlist for The Adrien Prize 2022 was announced on twitter and included: The Night the Moon Went Out by Samantha Baines, The Secret of Haven Point by Lisette Auton, A Flash of Fireflies by Aisha Bushby, Wilder Than Midnight by Cerrie Burnell, The Great Fox Illusion by Justyn Edwards and The Extraordinary Adventures of Alice Tonks by Emily Kenny. [24]
Waterstones Booksellers Limited, trading as Waterstones, is a British book retailer that operates 311 shops, mainly in the United Kingdom and also other nearby countries. As of February 2014, it employs around 3,500 staff in the UK and Europe. An average-sized Waterstones shop sells a range of approximately 30,000 individual books, as well as stationery and other related products.
Neurodiversity is a framework for understanding human brain function that recognizes the diversity of human cognition as a biological fact. The neurodiversity paradigm argues that diversity in human cognition is normal and that some conditions classified as mental disorders are differences and disabilities that are not necessarily pathological.
Frances Elisabeth Rosemary Lincoln was an English independent publisher of illustrated books. She published under her own name and the company went on to become Frances Lincoln Publishers. In 1995, Lincoln won the Woman of the Year for Services to Multicultural Publishing award.
The Waterstones Children's Book Prize is an annual award given to a work of children's literature published during the previous year. First awarded in 2005, the purpose of the prize is "to uncover hidden talent in children's writing" and is therefore open only to authors who have published no more than two or three books, depending on which category they are in. The prize is awarded by British book retailer Waterstones.
BookTrust is a UK children's reading charity dedicated to getting children reading.
Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) or autism spectrum conditions (ASCs) describe a range of conditions classified as neurodevelopmental disorders in the DSM-5, used by the American Psychiatric Association. As with many neurodivergent people and conditions, the popular image of autistic people and autism itself is often based on inaccurate media representations. Additionally, media about autism may promote pseudoscience such as vaccine denial or facilitated communication.
Kiran Millwood Hargrave FRSL is a British poet, playwright and novelist. In 2023, she was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.
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Samantha Louise Baines is an English actress, author and comedian. She is best known for her appearances in Magic Mike Live London, The Crown (Netflix), Lee Nelson's Well Funny People, Hank Zipzer (CBBC) and A Royal Night Out.
The Waterstones Book of the Year, established in 2012, is an annual award presented to a book published in the previous 12 months. Waterstones' booksellers nominate and vote to determine the winners and finalists for the prize.
Patrice Lawrence MBE, FRSL is a British writer and journalist, who has published fiction both for adults and children. Her writing has won awards including the Waterstones Children's Book Prize for Older Children and The Bookseller YA Book Prize. In 2021, she won the Jhalak Prize's inaugural children's and young adult category for her book Eight Pieces of Silva (2020).
Robin Stevens is an American-born English author of children's fiction, best known for her Murder Most Unladylike series. She has spoken of the Golden Age of Detective Fiction as an influence on her work.
Onjali Qatara Raúf is a British author and the founder of the two NGOs: Making Herstory, a woman's rights organisation tackling the abuse and trafficking of women and girls in the UK; and O's Refugee Aid Team, which raises awareness and funds to support refugee frontline aid organisations.
Knights Of, also known as Knights Of Media, is a London-based independent publishing house, specialising in publishing inclusive children's books.
Queenie is a new adult novel written by British author Candice Carty-Williams and published by Trapeze, an imprint of Orion, in 2019. The novel is about the life and loves of Queenie Jenkins, a vibrant, troubled 25-year-old British-Jamaican woman who is not having a very good year. In 2023, Channel 4 announced that Queenie had been made into a television drama, created and executive produced by Carty-Williams and set to air in early 2024.
Neurodiversity Celebration Week is a worldwide initiative that challenges stereotypes and misconceptions about neurodevelopmental disorders and learning disabilities. NCW 2024 is taking place from Monday 18 March - Sunday 24 March. It aims to transform how neurodivergent individuals are perceived and supported by providing schools, universities, and organisations with the opportunity to recognise the many talents and advantages of being neurodivergent, while creating more inclusive and equitable cultures that celebrate differences and empower every individual.
A Kind of Spark is a middle grade novel by Elle McNicoll, published on 4 June 2020, by Knights of Media. The book follows Addie, "an autistic 11-year-old [who] seeks to memorialize the women once tried as witches in her Scottish village." The book was commissioned as a 2023 CBBC television adaptation, with McNicoll acting as head writer for the series
Rob Biddulph is a British children's author and illustrator.
A Kind of Spark is an Irish-British-American-Canadian children's television series created by Anna McCleery, based on the novel by Elle McNicoll. It is produced by Canadian-based 9 Story Media Group co produced with Irish-based Brown Bag Films in association with Scotland-based LS Productions and American tv channel BYU TV for the CBBC. The series follows Addie, a young autistic girl who wants a memorial in her village for the witches who were persecuted there.
Nick Walker is an American scholar, author, webcomic creator, and aikido teacher, known for coining the term neuroqueer, establishing the foundations of neuroqueer theory, and contributing to the development of the neurodiversity paradigm. She is a professor at California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS).