Robin Stevens (author) facts for kids

Robin Stevens, born on January 15, 1988, is a popular author who writes exciting mystery books for kids. She was born in America but grew up in England. She is most famous for her Murder Most Unladylike series. Her books are inspired by classic detective stories from a time called the Golden Age of Detective Fiction.

About Robin Stevens

Early Life and Education

Robin Stevens was born in California, USA. When she was three years old, her family moved to Oxford, England. She has citizenship in both the US and the UK.

She went to The Dragon School and Cheltenham Ladies College. Her father, Robert Stevens, was in charge of Pembroke College at Oxford University. Her mother worked at the Ashmolean Museum, which is part of Oxford University.

Robin studied English at the University of Warwick. Later, she earned a master's degree in crime fiction from King's College London. She even appeared on a TV show called University Challenge as the captain of her university team!

Becoming an Author

Before she became a full-time author, Robin Stevens worked in bookshops. She was a bookseller at Blackwell's in Oxford. She also worked as an editor at a publishing company called Egmont.

Robin started writing her first book, Murder Most Unladylike, in November 2010. She wrote it during an event called National Novel Writing Month. It took her two years before she sent her book to literary agents.

Robin has said that she was inspired by detective writers from the "Golden Age of Detective Fiction." Some of her favorite authors from that time include Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, Margery Allingham, and Dorothy L. Sayers.

The Murder Most Unladylike Series

Robin Stevens is best known for her Murder Most Unladylike series. This series has eleven books. It follows two schoolgirl detectives, Hazel Wong and Daisy Wells. They solve mysteries and deal with their own personal adventures. For example, Hazel falls in love with an American boy named Alexander Arcady.

The stories are set in the 1930s. This time period is known for the "Golden Age of Detective Fiction." The series also explores how people faced racism during that time.

New Adventures

In November 2020, Robin Stevens announced a new book called Once Upon a Crime. It was released in August 2021. She also shared exciting news about a brand new series. The first book in this new series, The Ministry of Unladylike Activity, came out in 2022. This series stars Hazel Wong's younger sister and two new characters, Eric and Nuala. The new series takes place during World War II.

Awards and Recognition

Robin Stevens's books have won several awards:

Books by Robin Stevens

Series Books

• The Murder Most Unladylike Series
  • Murder Most Unladylike (2014)
  • Arsenic For Tea (2014)
  • First Class Murder (2015)
  • Jolly Foul Play (2016)
  • Mistletoe and Murder (2016)
  • Cream Buns and Crime: Tips, tricks and tales from the Detective Society (2017)
  • A Spoonful of Murder (2018)
  • Death in the Spotlight (2018)
  • Top Marks for Murder (2019)
  • The Case of the Drowned Pearl (2020)
  • Death Sets Sail (2020)
  • Once Upon a Crime (2021)

• The Ministry of Unladylike Activity Series
  • The Ministry of Unladylike Activity (2022)
  • The Body in the Blitz (2023)

Other Books

• The Guggenheim Mystery (2017), a sequel to The London Eye Mystery by Siobhan Dowd

Books She Contributed To

• Mystery and Mayhem: Twelve Deliciously Intriguing Mysteries (2016)
• Return to Wonderland: Stories Inspired by Lewis Carroll's Alice (2019)