Abie Longstaff


Abie Longstaff is an Australian-born British author of children's fiction known for The Fairytale Hairdresser picture book series, illustrated by Lauren Beard, as well as books for older children and educational books for schools.

Early life and career

Longstaff was raised in Australia and lived in Hong Kong and France before relocating to England, where she resides today. She lives in Hove. Before becoming a writer Longstaff was a barrister and a legal policy analyst with an interest in policing.

Writing career

Longstaff appears in the British Library’s current list of the "Top 500 Most Borrowed Authors" at number 192.
Along with illustrator Lauren Beard, she is the winner of the Never Too Young Award for the best book for children under four for The Mummy Shop.
Longstaff was a judge for the Amnesty CILIP 2018 Commendation which was eventually won by Angie Thomas’s The Hate U Give. In 2019 she was elected to the Management Committee of the Society of Authors

Television

The Nickelodeon children’s television series Sunny Day, produced by Silvergate Media, is based on Longstaff’s The Fairytale Hairdresser books.

Critical reception

Longstaff’s fiction incorporates the genre and associated tropes of fairy tales and magic, frequently offset with modern settings and humour.
Her Fairytale Hairdresser books have been described as giving ‘a new spin on a traditional fairy tale’ and as ‘fairy tale with a twist'. The Guardian called them considerably more nuanced and subversive than they appear on the surface and they are known for their positive representation of diversity and multiculturalism.
Longstaff’s books for older children make use of historical references, and complex literary elements such as footnotes and non-fiction material, alongside characters who are ‘brave and smart and inspirational’''.

Books

[Picture Books]