[6] Gardner recalls being badly bullied in school, even being nicknamed 'Silly Sally' on account of her then undiagnosed dyslexia.
[2][8] Her first full-length novel[2] was a breakthrough, as I, Coriander won the Nestlé Smarties Book Prize in 2005 (reader category 9–11 years).
[12] Maggot Moon (2012) won the Carnegie Medal from the CILIP, which annually recognises the best new book for children or young adults published in the UK.
[14] Kirkus says the unnamed "Motherland's distinguishing features scream "Nazi Germany"" and suggests that we "call it Auschwitz lite".
[15] Three months later it was recommended for ages 11+ by the panel of British librarians that named it to the Carnegie Medal shortlist with the comment: "A stunning book with an underdog hero, Maggot Moon offers a powerful depiction of an utterly convincing and frightening dystopia.
With clever plotting, conspiracy theory and a truly original concept at the heart of it, this is a real tour de force without a hint of sentimentality.