Toby Ibbotson is the eldest son of award-winning author Eva Ibbotson, whose novel, The Abominables, he edited with her first publisher, Marion Lloyd, after his mother's death. Mountwood School for Ghosts is his debut novel, and is based on an idea conceived with Eva, and planned out in detail by the two of them before her death. Containing all the warmth, humour and spark of Eva's novels for younger readers, Mountwood School for Ghosts marks Toby out as an exciting new storytelling talent in the children's book world.
He lives in Sweden with his family and writes whenever he can.
Alex T. Smith has drawn and written stories since he could hold a pencil. After considering several career options (space traveller, cake maker, professional rabbit), Alex decided to train to do the job he'd wanted to do since he was five - an illustrator specializing in the world of children's publishing. Alex graduated with a first-class degree in Illustration in 2006 and also won second place in the Macmillan Prize for Illustration in his final year.
Since then Alex has gone on to work for a wide variety of clients, not just in the publishing industry, as well as writing and illustrating his own picture books, many of which have won prizes and have been read on TV during the Bedtime Hour on the CBeebies channel. Alex is also the creator of the bestselling Claude series for early readers, now an animated TV series on Disney Junior. His wonderful Christmas adventure How Winston Delivered Christmas is his first title for Macmillan.
When not working, Alex enjoys doodling in his sketchbook, reading, people-watching and eavesdropping. He is also a big fan of cake and a nice cup of tea. He lives with and under the constant 'supervision' of his canine companions in Warwickshire.
