1989 Leaver

Polly Faber

I am a children's author. Before that I was a stay at home mother. Before that I was a midwife for ten years, and before that I read English Literature at Oxford; making my career path more roundabout than motorway. I'm hoping that there won't be too many other swerves now but I've enjoyed each stage of the journey to get here.

I live with my husband and two sons in North London. The whole family enjoys running a tiny library/book swap box outside our house. It's like having a bird table; watching people come and browse and choose or leave books. I volunteer in a local school with children's reading charity Beanstalk two days a week and have also recently become a 'Patron of Reading' for another local school.

I look back on my years at the Stephen Perse with great fondness and cherish the friendships I made there. I was fortunate to be taught by some inspirational women and self belief and an ability to argue a corner was certainly as much a part of the lessons I learned from them as their ostensible subjects. Those skills have stood me in good stead throughout all my "careers"!

If you'd like to find out more about my current series of books for 5-8 year olds please visit mangoandbambang.com