Helen Parry author page

Helen Parry biography

Helen Parry is a children’s author whose debut book is A Scrap of Moss and Magick. She studied literature at university, worked in publishing and teaches English to adults.

In 2025, Parry was a runner-up in David Fickling Books’ Search for a Storyteller open-submission competition, run in partnership with the Arvon Foundation. In March 2026, David Fickling Books announced that it had signed Parry and Jessica Mary Ellis as debut authors from the competition.

A Scrap of Moss and Magick is a middle-grade fantasy about Thirza, an eleven-year-old servant girl in a realm where charms, spells and creatures from folklore run unchecked. After uncovering a dangerous secret, Thirza has to choose between saving herself and saving her best friend.

The book is published by David Fickling Books in paperback on 8 October 2026.