Gillian Cross is the bestselling author of The Demon Headmaster , and has won the Carnegie Medal, Whitbread (now Costa) Children's Book Award and Nestlé Smarties Prize. She also spent eight years on the committee advising the government about public libraries, and she enjoys orienteering and playing the piano. Alan Snow is the award-winning author of Here Be Monsters , which was adapted into the animated film The Boxtrolls and nominated for an Oscar for Best Animated Feature. As well as writing and illustrating books for children, Alan has designed an ice cream parlour, drawing décor inspiration from Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory.