To me, family is everything. I want children to realize how important their families are and what a support system a family is.

To me, family is everything. I want children to realize how important their families are and what a support system a family is.

All of my books are based in some way on my personal experiences, or the experiences of members of my family, or the stories kids would tell me in school.

Revision is the heart of writing. Every page I do is done over seven or eight times.

Outside of family, writing is essential. To me, it's like breathing.

What I think of sometimes, as I read the new books - do kids really need to see such a seamy side of life? I'm in the minority, such an old woman, perhaps. I love the books that have given kids joy, that give them hope at the end. Sometimes it seems to me the books right now are very depressive.

I myself was terrified during the Second World War. The war started when I was six, and I was so sure that we were going to be bombed and killed. My imagination is my biggest plus and my worst minus.