Elle McNicoll (born 5 October 1992) is a Scottish and British bestselling children's literature 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]
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 |
Biography
editMcNicoll'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 the Carnegie Medal. McNicoll's debut was named Overall Book of the Year by Blackwell's, beating titles in the Adult Market.[9] 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.[10]
Her second novel, Show Us Who You Are, was published in March, 2021, and was Children's Book of the Week in The Times.[11] It was also the Children's Book of the Month, as chosen by Blackwell's.[12] 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.[13]
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,[14] as well as being reviewed as "another fiercely gripping, superbly original story" by The Guardian.[15] In 2022 McNicoll also wrote a story as part of the crime anthology The Very Merry Murder Club [16] edited by Serena Patel and Robin Stevens.
A Kind of Spark was optioned for a CBBC television series, with McNicoll acting as co-head writer on the programme.[17] It premiered on BBC iPlayer in the UK on 31 March 2023.[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, Nicoll talked about her nuanced exploration of teenage bullying and the stereotyping of neurodivergent characters.[20]
She currently lives in London.[citation needed]
Advocacy
editMcNicoll 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]
Works
editNovel
edit- —— (2020). A Kind of Spark. London: Knights Of.
- —— (2021). Show Us Who You Are. London: Knights Of.
- —— (2022). Like a Charm. London: Knights Of.
- —— (2023). Like a Curse. London: Knights Of.
- —— (2024). Keedie. Knights Of.
Scripts
edit- A Kind of Spark. 2023.
References
edit- ^ "Waterstones prize winner Elle McNicoll: 'I never saw autistic girls in books'". TheGuardian.com. July 2021.
- ^ 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.
- ^ McNicoll, Elle. "Stories from the Spectrum: Elle McNicoll". National Autistic Society. Retrieved 29 June 2021.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Nicolette Jones, Children's book of the week: A Kind of Spark by Elle McNicoll, Sunday Times, 7 June 2020. Accessed 7 June 2020.
- ^ "'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.
- ^ "Blue Peter Book Awards 2022".
- ^ "Getten, McNicoll, Mann and Pearson feature on Branford Boase shortlist | the Bookseller".
- ^ "McNicoll bags Blackwell's Book of the Year | the Bookseller".
- ^ "The 100 greatest children's books of all time".
- ^ O'Connell, Alex. "Show Us Who You Are by Elle McNicoll review — tween boy-meets-girl love story meets sci-fi horror".
- ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: Blackwell's Children's Book of the Month, March 2021 - Show Us Who You Are. YouTube.
- ^ "Rashford, Sethi and McAnulty on Books Are My Bag Readers Awards shortlists".
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Children's and teens roundup – the best new picture books and novels". the Guardian. 25 February 2022. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "BBC orders 'A Kind Of Spark' adaptation from Canada's 9 Story Media". TBI Vision. 12 October 2021. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
- ^ "A Kind of Spark to premiere on BBC iPlayer, CBBC, BYUtv and CBC!". 24 March 2023.
- ^ "BBC Radio 3 - Schedules, 25 September - 1 October 2023".
- ^ "Elle McNicoll: Keedie - Just Imagine". Just Imagine - In The Reading Corner podcast. 22 June 2024. Retrieved 22 June 2024.
- ^ "Elle McNicoll on being a neurodivergent author | BookTrust".
- ^ Hill, Amelia (14 June 2023). "Books with neurodivergent characters mark new chapter for publishers". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 31 March 2024.
- ^ "Prizes for disabled writers: Four awards celebrating disability". The Bookseller. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
- ^ "The Adrien Prize". Twitter. Retrieved 19 December 2022.