Abie Longstaff facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Abie Longstaff
Longstaff being introduced at the Hay Festival in 2017
Born	Australia
Occupation	Author
Language	English
Nationality	Australian
Genre	Children's fiction
Notable works	The Fairytale Hairdresser

Abie Longstaff is a super cool author who writes amazing books for kids! She was born in Australia but now lives in Britain. You might know her best for her popular The Fairytale Hairdresser picture books, which are illustrated by Lauren Beard. She also writes books for older kids and even special books for schools.

Abie's Journey: From Law to Books

Abie Longstaff grew up in Australia. Before she became a writer, she lived in different places like Hong Kong and France. Now, she lives in England.

Before writing, Abie worked as a barrister (a type of lawyer). She also helped create legal rules, especially about policing.

Abie's Writing Adventures

Abie Longstaff is a very popular author! She is even on the British Library's list of the "Top 500 Most Borrowed Authors." That means lots of people borrow her books from libraries.

She won an award called the Never Too Young Award. This was for her book The Mummy Shop, which was chosen as the best book for children under four. She won this award with illustrator Lauren Beard.

In 2018, Abie was a judge for a special book award. It was the Amnesty (Carnegie) CILIP Commendation. The book The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas won that year. In 2019, she joined the Management Committee of the Society of Authors. This group helps support writers.

Abie's Books on TV!

Did you know one of Abie's book series became a TV show? The Sunny Day cartoon on Nickelodeon is based on her The Fairytale Hairdresser books!

Abie's Books

Abie Longstaff has written many different kinds of books for kids. Here are some of them:

Picture Books

These books are for younger readers and have lots of pictures.

• Pirate House Swap, illustrated by Mark Chambers: Random House (2011)
• The Mummy Shop, illustrated by Lauren Beard: Scholastic (2013)
• Just the Job for Dad, illustrated by Lauren Beard: Scholastic (2014)
• We’re having a Super Baby! illustrated by Jane Massey: Scholastic (2015)
• Superhero Hotel, illustrated by Migy Blanco: Scholastic (2017)

The Fairytale Hairdresser Series

This is a very popular series where fairytale characters get amazing hairstyles! All these books are illustrated by Lauren Beard.

• The Fairytale Hairdresser and Rapunzel: Random House (2011)
• The Fairytale Hairdresser and Cinderella: Random House (2012)
• The Fairytale Hairdresser and Sleeping Beauty: Random House (2013)
• The Fairytale Hairdresser and Snow White: Random House (2014)
• The Fairytale Hairdresser and Father Christmas: Random House (2014)
• The Fairytale Hairdresser and the Little Mermaid: Random House (2015)
• The Fairytale Hairdresser and the Sugar Plum Fairy: Random House (2015)
• The Fairytale Hairdresser and Beauty and the Beast: Random House (2016)
• The Fairytale Hairdresser and the Princess and the Pea: Random House (2016)
• The Fairytale Hairdresser and Aladdin: Random House (2017)
• The Fairytale Hairdresser and the Princess and the Frog: Random House (2018)
• The Fairytale Hairdresser and Thumbelina
• The Fairytale Hairdresser and Red Riding Hood

Chapter Books

These books are for kids who are ready for longer stories. They have chapters and fewer pictures than picture books. All these books are illustrated by Lauren Beard.

• The Magic Potions Shop: The Young Apprentice: Random House (2015)
• The Magic Potions Shop: The River Horse: Random House (2015)
• The Magic Potions Shop: The Blizzard Bear: Random House (2016)
• The Magic Potions Shop: The Lightning Pup: Random House (2016)
• The Magic Potions Shop: The Firebird: Random House (2017)
• The Magic Potions Shop: The Emerald Dragon: Random House (2017)

Fiction for Older Children

These books are for kids who enjoy more complex stories and adventures.

• The Trapdoor Mysteries: A Sticky Situation, illustrated by James Brown: Hachette (2016)
• The Trapdoor Mysteries: The Scent of Danger, illustrated by James Brown: Hachette (2018)
• How to Catch a Witch: Scholastic (2016)
• How to Bewitch a Wolf: Scholastic (2017)

Books for Schools

Abie also writes special books that are used in schools to help kids learn to read and enjoy stories.

• The Malice Family, illustrated by Sholto Walker: Pearson (2011)
• The Snow Queen, illustrated by Michael Foreman: HarperCollins (2013)
• Rumpelstiltskin, illustrated by Caroline Romanet: HarperCollins (2015)
• The Wizard of Oz, illustrated by Louise Pigott: HarperCollins (2015)
• We Want a Dog! Illustrated by Mar Ferrero: OUP (2017)
• Sometimes Mum is Silly, illustrated by Natalie Eldred: OUP (2017)