Sue Copsey facts for kids

Sue Copsey (born October 28, 1960) is a talented writer and editor who creates exciting books, especially for young readers! She was born in England and now lives in Auckland, New Zealand. Many of her books have won awards, like the Times Educational Supplement Best Children’s Non-fiction Book. She loves telling stories that take you on adventures, often with a spooky twist!

About Sue Copsey

Sue Copsey was born in Coventry, England, on October 28, 1960. She grew up in a town called Rugby. Before becoming a full-time writer, she worked at London Zoo as a press officer. This meant she helped share news and stories about the zoo! Later, she became an editor for children's books at a company called Dorling Kindersley in London.

In 1995, Sue moved to New Zealand. There, she continued to work as a freelance editor. This means she worked for different publishers, helping them get their books ready for printing.

When Sue was a child, one of her favorite books was Folklore, Myths and Legends of Great Britain. This book had maps and photos of places in Britain that were said to be haunted. Around Hallowe’en, she and her friends would dare each other to walk through their local churchyard. Local stories said a mysterious "Grey Lady" haunted the gravestones there! Even though she loved spooky tales, she also enjoyed the adventure stories of The Famous Five by Enid Blyton.

Her love for history, adventure, and mystery led her to write the Spooky Adventure series. These books feature ghosts and are set in real historical places in New Zealand. The first book was The Ghosts of Young Nick’s Head. This was followed by The Ghosts of Tarawera and The Ghosts of Moonlight Creek. These stories cover interesting topics like Captain Cook’s trips to New Zealand, the 1886 eruption of Mt Tarawera, and Chinese gold miners in Central Otago. Sue even created special soundtracks for these books on a platform called Booktrack. The Ghosts of Young Nick's Head was very popular on Booktrack in 2015!

Sue also helps other young writers. She runs an online writing program for children called FABO Story with other authors. She also visits schools as part of the New Zealand Book Council Writers in Schools program. This allows her to share her love of reading and writing with students.

Sue Copsey lives in Auckland with her husband and two children.

Awards and Special Mentions

Sue Copsey’s very first published book was called Children Just Like Me. This book won several big awards in 1995. It was named the Times Educational Supplement Best Children’s Non-fiction Book. It also won the Reader’s Digest Best Children’s Non-fiction Book and the Blue Peter (BBC) Best Non-fiction Children's Book.

Many of her later books have been recognized as Storylines Notable Books. This means they are considered excellent books for children and young adults in New Zealand. For example, The Ghosts of Moonlight Creek was a finalist for the Sir Julius Vogel Award in 2017. This award celebrates science fiction and fantasy.

The Ghosts of Tarawera was chosen for a special online reading event called #NZreadaloud in 2016.

In 2018, Sue won a "Pitch Perfect" competition. This led to a deal for her to write adult novels under the name Olivia Hayfield. These books are modern retellings of famous historical stories. For example, Wife After Wife is a new version of the story of King Henry VIII. Her other novels, Sister to Sister and Notorious, retell the tales of Queen Elizabeth I and Richard III.