Tracy Darnton is a writer for children and young adults. Her latest publication is the picture book My Brother is an Avocado published by Simon & Schuster which gives a fresh twist on the excitement and anxieties of a new sibling coming along.
In her latest novel, Ready or Not, a teenage girl disappears during a game of hide-and-seek at a late-night party on holiday in Cornwall. The remaining teens return to the holiday home one year on and secrets begin to be revealed. Privilege, friendship, obsession and game-playing thread through the book.
Her YA thriller The Rules is about a girl on the run from her prepper dad. It examines the role of rules in family and society, and the perils of constantly preparing for disaster. Described by the FT as a “heart-thuddingly nervy thriller” and “chillingly believable” by The Irish Times. The Truth About Lies is a thriller set on Dartmoor about a girl who remembers everything. Described by the Guardian as “thought-provoking and crisply written…an assured and charismatic debut”, The Truth About Lies was shortlisted for the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize 2019.
Tracy won the YA Short Story Prize run by Stripes and the Bookseller and was published in I’ll Be Home for Christmas. Her short story became the basis of her novel, The Rules. Tracy also enjoys writing for much younger children and has two picture books being published shortly.
She loves engaging with young people on the pleasures and craft of writing. She has written on books and writing for a teenage magazine and been part of the #BookPenPals scheme twinning authors with schools. She has taught on the Bath Spa MA in Writing for Young People. She is a mentor for Word Space, Literature Works’ development programme.
Recent Publications
- I'll Be Home for Christmas (YA short story anthology) - Stripes, Sept 2016
- The Truth About Lies - Stripes, July 2018
- The Rules - Stripes, July 2020
- Ready or Not - Little Tiger Press, May 2022
- My Brother is an Avocado - Simon & Schuster , May 2023
Awards and residencies
- Longlisted for the Inclusive Books for Children Awards - 2024
- Runner-up in the North East Teen Book Awards - 2023
- Longlisted for the UKLA Book Awards - 2022
- Runner-up in the Hounslow Teen Read, shortlisted for the Sue Harris YA Prize (Bucks Book Award 2022) - 2022
- Winner of the Warwickshire Year 9 Book Award - 2020
- Shortlisted for the Concorde Book Award, 2020 Shortlisted for the Centurion Book Award 2019, -
- Shortlisted for the Waterstones Children's Book Prize - 2019
- Recipient of Arts Council Developing Your Creative Practice grant -
Current Events and Projects
- Bournemouth Writing Festival, CrimeFest, MCM Comic Con, Penzance Lit Fest, IcelandNoir - 2023
- Pontypridd Children's Book Festival, Wychwood Festival, YALC - 2022
- Bath Children’s Literature Festival - 2021
- Creative Writing Adjudicator at the Mid-Somerset Festival - 2020
- Selected writer for World Book Night 2020 - 23rd April 2020
- Various panels, YA groups and Workshops at Waterstones Islington, Gloucester, Cirencester, School visits and Library groups in Bath and Bristol -
