When someone is missing the really hard thing is that you never really do give up hope, even though the inquest says that she is dead, even though right from the beginning we already knew that we wouldn't see her again.

Very much in my books people find not surrogate families because they are real families. We've got families that we're related to by blood but we've also got families that we acquire. And those too I think are pretty much part of my books.

The song and dance didn't stop us dying. It just stopped the fear of death swallowing us up while we were still alive.

There is still in many schools complete misapprehension that children with reading difficulties are stupid. It is so easy to teach a child that they're dumb. There needs to be a recognition that you need different ways to teach children who have got reading problems.

For me books have always been an incredibly solid part of my life, both as escapism and simply as resource.

Often the true hero and heroines of my books are the houses, the places, the communities where people find a home.

Books aren't like broccoli. You don't have to eat it because it's good for you. Books drag you in because they are fascinating.