Iqbal Hussain has been writing since he could hold a pencil. As a boy, he churned out Famous Five and Hardy Boy pastiches. In his teens, he appeared on Blockbusters, Countdown and The Crystal Maze. He studied Maths at Bangor University, then worked as a journalist for the Guardian, the Young Telegraph and the children's magazine Aquila . Originally from Blackburn, Lancashire, he lives in north London, by Epping Forest, with his partner and uber-friendly labradoodle. His debut adult novel, Northern Boy , about being a butterfly among the bricks, was published in 2024. This is his debut children's novel.