Liz Kessler author page

Liz Kessler biography

Liz Kessler is an English author of children’s and young adult fiction, born on 15 October 1966. She grew up in Southport, Lancashire, and later lived in Manchester and Cheshire. Kessler studied English at Loughborough University, completed a teaching qualification at Keele University, and earned a Master’s in Creative Writing from Manchester Metropolitan University. She has worked as a teacher, journalist, and creative writing tutor, and has been a full-time author for over two decades.

Kessler is best known for her internationally bestselling series, The Emily Windsnap books, which follow a half-mermaid girl navigating life between land and sea. The first book, The Tail of Emily Windsnap, was published in 2003 and has been translated into multiple languages. The series has sold over five million copies worldwide and has appeared on the New York Times Best Seller list. The latest installment, Valley of the Vikings, was published in May 2025.

In addition to the Emily Windsnap series, Kessler has written over twenty other books for children and young adults, including the Philippa Fisher series, the Poppy the Pirate Dog series, and standalone novels such as When the World Was Ours (2021), which was nominated for the 2023 Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis. Her works often explore themes of identity, friendship, and self-discovery.

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Book lists featuring Liz Kessler