Dawson's notable works include This Book Is Gay, Mind Your Head, Margot & Me, The Gender Games, Clean, Meat Market, and the series, "Her Majesty's Royal Coven".

[4] While working as a teacher, she began writing books aimed at young adults and became successful enough to leave her job.

[citation needed] In January 2025, it was announced that Dawson had joined the writing team of the fifteenth series of Doctor Who.

[16] This Book Is Gay, illustrated by Spike Gerrell, was first published in the UK in September 2014 with subsequent publication in the US in June 2015.

[17] The book is a "manual to all areas of life as an LGBT person"[18] and "is meant to serve as a guidebook for young people discovering their sexual identity and how to navigate those uncomfortable waters.

"[22] Ultimately, it tied for the tenth-most banned and challenged books in the United States that year, according to the American Library Association's Office for Intellectual Freedom.

[26][27] In 2014 Dawson won the 'Queen of Teen' award, a biennial prize (discontinued in 2016) for young adult fiction writers.