Elle McNicoll

Last updated

Elle McNicoll
Elle McNicoll 20241203.jpg
McNicoll, in Waterstones, Kensington, 2024
BornElle McNicoll
5 October 1992
Scotland
OccupationChildren's Author, screenwriter
LanguageEnglish
Alma mater University College London
Years active2020-present
Notable works A Kind of Spark
Show Us Who You Are
Notable awards2021 Waterstones Children's Book Prize
2021 Blue Peter Book Award

Elle McNicoll (born 5 October 1992) is a Scottish children's literature writer. She 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]

Contents

Early life

McNicoll was born and raised in Scotland. [2] She earned a master's degree in publishing from University College London in 2019, with her dissertation being on why children’s publishing needs more neurodiversity. [3]

Biography

McNicoll's debut novel, A Kind of Spark (2020), follows the efforts of an autistic [4] eleven-year-old girl, Addie, to establish a memorial to the witch trials in her Scottish hometown. McNicoll is autistic herself. [5] The book was children's book of the week in The Times and The Sunday Times , [6] [7] and won both the Overall and Younger Fiction prizes at the 2021 Waterstones Children's Book Prize. [8] It also won the Blue Peter Book Award for Best Story, voted for by children. [9] McNicoll was nominated for the Branford Boase Award [10] and the Carnegie Medal. Her debut was named Overall Book of the Year by Blackwell's, beating titles in the Adult Market. [11] McNicoll was awarded an honour by the Schneider Family Book Award in 2022 for the US edition of A Kind of Spark. It was listed as number 75 in The 100 Greatest Children's Books of All Time by the BBC. [12]

Her second novel, Show Us Who You Are, was published in March, 2021, and was Children's Book of the Week in The Times . [13] It was also the Children's Book of the Month, as chosen by Blackwell's . [14] 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. [15]

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 , [16] as well as being reviewed as "another fiercely gripping, superbly original story" by The Guardian . [17] In 2022 McNicoll also wrote a story as part of the crime anthology The Very Merry Murder Club [18] edited by Serena Patel and Robin Stevens.

A Kind of Spark was optioned for a television series from CBBC, with McNicoll acting as co-head writer on the programme. [19] It premiered on BBC iPlayer in the UK on 31 March 2023. [20] In 2023, Macmillan won a five-publisher auction for the rights to two of McNicoll's young adult novels, Some Like it Cold (2024) and a novel to published in 2025. [21] [22]

McNicoll also wrote and recorded an essay for BBC Radio 3's The Essay. [23] 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, Nicoll talked about her nuanced exploration of teenage bullying and the stereotyping of neurodivergent characters. [2]

She lives in London. [24]

Advocacy

McNicoll has been an outspoken advocate for better representations of neurodiversity in publishing. [25] She has been credited with kickstarting a revolution in publishers' attitudes to neurodiverse characters. [26] In 2022, McNicoll established The Adrien Prize, a prize for traditionally published children's books with a disabled lead character. [27] 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. [28]

Works

Novel

Scripts

Related Research Articles

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neurodiversity</span> Non-pathological explanation of variations in mental functions

The neurodiversity paradigm is a framework for understanding human brain function that recognizes the diversity within sensory processing, motor abilities, social comfort, cognition, and focus as neurobiological differences. This diversity falls on a spectrum of neurocognitive differences. The neurodiversity paradigm argues that diversity in human cognition is normal and that some conditions generally classified as disorders, such as autism, are differences and disabilities that are not necessarily pathological. Neurotypical individuals are those who fall within the average range of functioning and thinking.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bernardine Evaristo</span> English author and academic (born 1959)

Bernardine Anne Mobolaji Evaristo is an English author and academic. Her novel Girl, Woman, Other jointly won the Booker Prize in 2019 alongside Margaret Atwood's The Testaments, making her the first Black woman to win the Booker. Evaristo is Professor of Creative Writing at Brunel University London and President of the Royal Society of Literature, the second woman and the first black person to hold the role since it was founded in 1820.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Madeline Miller</span> American writer (born 1978)

Madeline Miller is an American novelist, author of The Song of Achilles (2011) and Circe (2018). Miller spent ten years writing The Song of Achilles while she worked as a teacher of Latin and Greek. The novel tells the story of the love between the mythological figures Achilles and Patroclus; it won the Orange Prize for Fiction, making Miller the fourth debut novelist to win the prize. She is a 2019 recipient of the Alex Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kiran Millwood Hargrave</span> British poet, playwright and novelist (born 1990)

Kiran Ann Millwood Hargrave FRSL is a British poet, playwright and novelist. In 2023, she was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Holly Smale</span> British writer (born 1981)

Holly Miranda Smale is a British writer. She wrote the Geek Girl series. The first book in the series won the 2014 Waterstones Children's Book Prize and was shortlisted for the Roald Dahl Funny Prize 2013. The final book, Forever Geek, was published by HarperCollins in March 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Katherine Rundell</span> English author and academic (born 1987)

Katherine Rundell is an English author and academic. She is the author of Impossible Creatures, named Waterstones Book of the Year for 2023. She is also the author of Rooftoppers, which in 2015 won both the overall Waterstones Children's Book Prize and the Blue Peter Book Award for Best Story, and was shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal. She is a Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford and has appeared as an expert guest on BBC Radio 4 programmes including Start the Week, Poetry Please, Seriously.... and Private Passions.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patrice Lawrence</span> British writer and journalist (born 1960s)

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Onjali Q. Raúf</span> British author and the founder of the NGO Making Herstory (born 1981)

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.

<i>Queenie</i> (novel) 2019 new adult novel by Candice Carty-Williams

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 which aired in June 2024.

Neurodiversity Celebration Week is a worldwide initiative that challenges stereotypes and misconceptions about neurodevelopmental disorders and learning disabilities. NCW 2025 is taking place from Monday 17 March - Sunday 23 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.

<i>A Kind of Spark</i> 2020 middle-grade novel by Elle McNicoll

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rob Biddulph</span> British childrens author, illustrator (born 1972)

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.

Lizzie Huxley-Jones is a Welsh editor and author of children's literature. They are an advocate for the representation of disability in literature, and the author of the Welsh mythology-inspired Vivi Conway novels (2023–2024), among other works.

References

  1. "Waterstones prize winner Elle McNicoll: 'I never saw autistic girls in books'". TheGuardian.com . July 2021.
  2. 1 2 "Elle McNicoll: Keedie - Just Imagine". Just Imagine - In The Reading Corner podcast. 22 June 2024. Retrieved 22 June 2024.
  3. UCL (2 May 2023). "Award-winning book by UCL alumna made into TV series". UCL Alumni. Retrieved 4 December 2024.
  4. McNicoll, Elle (6 July 2020). ""I write about anything and everything, but I always write about neurodiversity": Elle McNicoll on being a neurodivergent author". BookTrust . Retrieved 29 June 2021.
  5. McNicoll, Elle. "Stories from the Spectrum: Elle McNicoll". National Autistic Society . Retrieved 29 June 2021.
  6. Alex O'Connell, Children's Book of the Week: A Kind of Spark by Elle McNicoll, The Times , 6 June 2020. Accessed 7 June 2020.
  7. Nicolette Jones, Children's book of the week: A Kind of Spark by Elle McNicoll, Sunday Times , 7 June 2020. Accessed 7 June 2020.
  8. "'A Kind of Spark' wins Waterstones Children's Book Prize". Books+Publishing. 2 July 2021. Archived from the original on 9 July 2021. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
  9. "Blue Peter Book Awards 2022".
  10. "Getten, McNicoll, Mann and Pearson feature on Branford Boase shortlist | the Bookseller".
  11. "McNicoll bags Blackwell's Book of the Year | the Bookseller".
  12. "The 100 greatest children's books of all time". www.bbc.com.
  13. O'Connell, Alex. "Show Us Who You Are by Elle McNicoll review — tween boy-meets-girl love story meets sci-fi horror".
  14. Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine : Blackwell's Children's Book of the Month, March 2021 - Show Us Who You Are. YouTube .
  15. "Rashford, Sethi and McAnulty on Books Are My Bag Readers Awards shortlists".
  16. O'Connell, Alex. "Like a Charm by Elle McNicoll review — a wildly imaginative world of secrets and spells". The Times . ISSN   0140-0460 . Retrieved 19 December 2022.
  17. "Children's and teens roundup – the best new picture books and novels". the Guardian. 25 February 2022. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
  18. "I Will Be Writing a Neurodivergent Detective Story for Crime Anthology | Blog | Elle McNicoll". I Will Be Writing a Neurodivergent Detective Story for Crime Anthology | Blog | Elle McNicoll. 16 May 2021. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
  19. "BBC orders 'A Kind Of Spark' adaptation from Canada's 9 Story Media". TBI Vision. 12 October 2021. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
  20. "A Kind of Spark to premiere on BBC iPlayer, CBBC, BYUtv and CBC!". 24 March 2023.
  21. Brown, Lauren (10 February 2023). "Macmillan Children's Books triumphs in five-way auction for award-winning McNicoll's YA debut". The Bookseller . Retrieved 1 October 2024.
  22. Hill, Amelia (14 June 2023). "Books with neurodivergent characters mark new chapter for publishers". The Guardian . Retrieved 1 October 2024.
  23. "BBC Radio 3 - Schedules, 25 September - 1 October 2023".
  24. "Sessions Details". www.londonbookfair.co.uk. Retrieved 4 December 2024.
  25. "Elle McNicoll on being a neurodivergent author | BookTrust".
  26. Hill, Amelia (14 June 2023). "Books with neurodivergent characters mark new chapter for publishers". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 31 March 2024.
  27. "Prizes for disabled writers: Four awards celebrating disability". The Bookseller. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
  28. "The Adrien Prize". Twitter. Retrieved 19 December 2022.