I’m Ross Montgomery, and I write weird and wonderful books for children.
I published my first book while working as a primary school teacher. My debut ALEX, THE DOG & THE UNOPENABLE DOOR (2013) was nominated for the Costa Children’s Book of the Year and the Branford Boase Award, and selected as one of The Sunday Times “Top 100 Modern Children’s Classics”. It’s now almost ten years old!
The follow-up THE TORNADO CHASERS (2014) was chosen for the nationwide Booktrust BookBuzz scheme, and my third book PERIJEE & ME (2016) was nominated for the CILIP Carnegie Award and won the Weald Book Award. After that came CHRISTMAS DINNER OF SOULS (2017), a collection of gruesome and terrifying festive horror stories, and MAX AND THE MILLIONS (2018), which was nominated for the CILIP Carnegie Award.
My next book, THE MIDNIGHT GUARDIANS (2020) is probably is most well-known one. It was selected as the Waterstones Children’s Book of the Month and shortlisted for the Costa Children’s Book of the Year Award, and chosen as one of The Guardians Children’s Books of the Year. The next book in the series, THE CHIME SEEKERS (2021), was a scary follow-up filled with evil faeries and sinister magic, and was shortlisted for the Indie Book Award 2022. I’m currently working on the third book in the series, but I won’t tell you the title just yet!
I also write picture books for younger children. My first collaboration with David Litchfield, THE BUILDING BOY (2016) was published to critical acclaim and sold around the world. The follow-up, SPACE TORTOISE (2018), was nominated for the Kate Greenaway Award and included in Guardians Best New Children’s Books 2018. Recently, I’ve worked with Sarah Warburton on TEN DELICIOUS TEACHERS (2021) and PENGUIN HUDDLE (2022), which are far sillier!
I’ve recently also begun to write short chapter books. My first was THE FINNEY ISLAND FILES (2019), but I’ve recently started making a series of books for Barrington Stoke called “Shake-Up Shakespeare”, taking famous Shakespeare plays and messing around with them. The first was ROCK BOTTOM: A MIDSUMMER NIGHTMARE (2020), followed by TRIPWRECKED: TEMPEST TERROR (2021) and then HURLY BURLY: MACBETH MAYHEM (2022). The final book in the series, FORTUNE’S FOOLS, will be out next year!
I’ve spent the last ten years touring the country doing festivals, public readings, school visits and creative writing workshops: anything from tiny book groups to whole auditoriums! I also do virtual visits to school and class bubbles: check out my School Visits page for more information on what I do in my workshops.
If you have any questions, feel free to email me via the contact section of this site. You can also follow me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram via @mossmontmomery if you want to see pictures of my cat or explore my opinions on the weather.
FUN FACTS!
- I live in London with my wife, a cat called Fun Bobby, and a cactus on every available surface.
- I once fainted in front of the Queen. I doubt she remembers it, but I certainly do.
- I get most of my ideas while falling asleep on public transport.
- I have weird thumbs.
- I’ve been writing stories since I was at primary school.
- If you look through my pockets you’ll find empty crisp packets, lists of things to do, and that stuff you put on your nails to stop you biting them.
- My writing heroes are Terry Pratchett and Jacqueline Wilson.