Abiola Bello

Abiola Bello

Middle-grade/ YA author

Also writes as

A. Bello
www.a-bello.com
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Booking enquiry
Abiola Bello - author tools

Available for

Workshop, Talk, Reading, Interview, Commission a book

Audiences

Age 7 to 11, Age 11 to 14, Age 14 to 16, Age 16 to 18+, University

Genres

Adventure, Fantasy, Fiction, Magical realism, Mystery, Romance, Short story

Book types

Alphabet, Anthologies, Fiction 5-9, Fiction 8-13, Fiction for young-adults, Young Adult

Awards

Organisations

Event feedback

Abiola Came as a guest to our Black history month event. She was kind courteous and generous with her time with other guests an absolute joy of a lady.

 Sorcha Power (Office of the Speaker of the house of Commons)

A fantastic event, Abiola was great with the audience and they loved it. Thank you for coming to our first ever festival, it was a pleasure to have you here!

 Louise Ashmore (Holmfirth Book Festival CIC)

Abiola was fantastic on World Book Day, working with both with our Secondary and Primary students. She's engaging, relatable and hugely entertaining and her books flew off the shelves for the book signing. Many thanks!

 Hannah Parker (St Richard Reynolds Catholic College)

Absolutely brilliant visit that both students and staff appreciated Abiola is warm and friendly and her talk to year 10 was interesting and engaging. Her workshops were fun and the students really enjoyed them. We would love for her to come back in the future!

 Emma Cannon (Bishop Ramsey Church Of England School)

Event took place on 26 April. The talk was well planned and engaged the students. I will definitely recommend Abiola to my local network of school librarians.

 Fiona Kirk (The Petchey Academy)

Outstanding visit. A perfect match for our diverse school. An inspiring talk and reading and lively, engaging workshops. The whole school is still buzzing about the visit. A huge thank you to Abiola, she has inspired the next generation of young authors.

 Rhian Huxtable (Braintcroft E-ACT Primary Academy)

Details

Hey! My name is Abiola Bello. I'm a Nigerian-British children's YA author from North London. I wrote my first novel at aged 8, where I fought monsters and dragons daily and was first published at aged 12 for a poem I wrote in school called 'Fireworks.'

​I wrote my first book Emily Knight I am at aged 12, because I wanted to read books like that but couldn't find one, so I wrote one. That ended up being my first book published. 

My English teacher told me I should be an author back when I was secondary school after she read a short story I wrote. I remember asking, 'Is this a real job?' Since I decided to become an author ​my book journey has been a rollercoaster. I've done radio, TV, magazines and countless speaking events. 

I'm now a bestselling, award winning author with twelve books and more on the way! ​I'm also the co-founder of a tiny publishing house Hashtag Press, The Diverse Book Awards and the Ink Book Prize. 

On 26th March 2018, I was announced as the winner of the Trailblazer Award 2018 which is ran by The London Book Fair. I'm the first black person to win! I also was one of the Society of Young Publishers mentors for three years. ​I was on the advisory group for World Book Day UK and am now chairing lots of great book events for The London Book Fair, Waterstones and the National Literary Trust to name a few.  

​If you want to book me for an event do get in touch! I live in London and willing to travel. For schools I offer a range of things from readings, inspirational talks to creative sessions. 

'Abiola had 200 children absorbed in her warrior world and author journey. They loved her and Emily Knight'

Kate Manning, Children's Director of The Stoke Newington Literary Festival

Books by Abiola Bello

Hi! My name is Abiola and I am an award-winning, bestselling author. I have written a range of books from young fiction to YA. Children's - a new series Wild Magic: Legend of the Black Lion, illustrated by Emma McCann. Middle grade books - The Emily Knight I am series, The Very Merry Murder Club and The Super Sunny Murder Club YA books - Love In Winter Wonderland, Only For The Holidays and The Love Dare. I'm a Waterstones and Blackwell's Children's Book of the Month. Fun fact! I was a professional street dancer and have been in a movie and TV.
IBSN: 978-0995780606
Author's website
Emily Knight I am
How does it feel to be different and misunderstood? And who cares? Emily Knight is young and famous, self-aware and intelligent. But what if the one thing that makes Emily different also makes her a target for evil? Can she defend herself...and everything she loves? A.Bello breaks boundaries with this gritty and gripping fantasy novel.
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Waterstones Amazon
IBSN: 978-0995780644
Author's website
Emily Knight I am...Awakened
Dark times are upon us. Neci is back and she is more dangerous than ever. The warriors are forced to pick a side and to stand up for what they believe in. The race is on to find the missing warrior first. It's the only way to prevent a war from happening and to stop Neci from destroying everything. Emily Knight has to get sharper, stronger and faster because Neci has made her a target and someone is going to great lengths to hurt her. Can Emily win the race? Or will Neci take her down once and for all?
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Waterstones Amazon
IBSN: 978-1-9161617-8-8
Author's website
Emily Knight I am...Becoming
The Knights are finally reunited and ready to defeat Neci once and for all. But Neci is one step ahead and is targeting them one by one. When one of Emily's best friends is kidnapped, Emily leads the elite team on a rescue mission but nothing can prepare them for what Neci has planned...
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Waterstones
IBSN: 9781913835286
Emily Knight I am...Power
As the chosen one to battle the powerful Neci, the stake of the warrior world is on Emily's shoulders but with family betrayals and super powers being stolen, everything is falling apart. Can Emily rise above it all and defeat her toughest opponent? Will she live up to the expectations of being number one? Win or lose - this is the final battle.
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Waterstones Amazon
IBSN: 9781398516878
Author's website
Love In Winter Wonderland
Trey Anderson is popular and handsome, and he works at his family’s beloved Black-owned bookshop, Wonderland. Ariel Spencer is quirky, creative, and in need of a holiday temp job to cover her tuition for The Artists’ Studio. An opening at Wonderland is the answer . . . and the start of a hate-to-love journey for Trey and Ariel. When Trey and Ariel learn that Wonderland is on the brink of shutting down, can they get over their differences and team up to stop the doors from closing before the Christmas Eve deadline?
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Waterstones
IBSN: 9781398516908
Author's website
Only For The Holidays
City girl Tia Solanké is dreading the festive period. She’s on a break with her boyfriend and the last thing she wants to do is spend Christmas away from London. Arriving at Saiyan Hedge Farm, Tia takes an instant disliking to it. She falls in horse manure, is chased by sheep and the Wi-Fi sucks. How is she meant to stalk her ex now and concoct a foolproof plan to win him back? Country boy Quincy Parker and his family run the farm, and this year they’ve been selected to host the biggest event in the town's calenda...
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Waterstones Amazon
IBSN: 978-1398516939
Author's website
The Love Dare
Can a dare made at Notting Hill Carnival turn into true love? He’s All That meets How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days in this trope-filled sizzling summer romance, perfect for fans of Joya Goffney and Lynn Painter. Popular girl Eva Òjó is used to boys falling for her without her even trying. So when her friend dares her to dance with a random guy at Notting Hill Carnival, she meets Saint. Comic obsessed Saint Rowe-Falade thinks Eva is cute, but he's not interested in her in that way. He’d rather get lost in stories t...
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Waterstones
IBSN: 9780755503704
The Very Merry Murder Club paperback
Waterstones Children's Book of the Month for November 2022 A wintery middle grade mystery collection of short stories by thirteen of the most exciting children's authors! Sleuthing through the snow, on a merry mysterious day, in disguise we go, investigating all the way... This gorgeous Christmas gift of a collection brings together thirteen of the bestselling, award-winning and exciting debut authors: Abiola Bello, Annabelle Sami, Benjamin Dean, E.L. Norry, Elle McNicoll, Dominique Valente, Joanna Williams,...
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Waterstones
IBSN: 978-0755503681
Author's website
The Very Merry Murder Club
wintery middle grade mystery collection of short stories by thirteen of the most exciting and diverse authors in children’s books today! Co-edited by Serena Patel, the award-winning author of the Anisha: Accidental Detective series and by Robin Stevens, author of the bestselling Murder Most Unladylike series. Sleuthing through the snow, on a merry mysterious day, in disguise we go, investigating all the way . . . This gorgeous Christmas hardback gift of a collection brings together thirteen of the bestsel...
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Waterstones Amazon
IBSN: 978-0008651763
Author's website
The Super Sunny Murder Club
A collection of sizzling summer-themed crime and mystery stories by thirteen of the most popular, exciting and diverse children’s book authors! Co-edited by Serena Patel, the award-winning author of the Anisha: Accidental Detective series and by Robin Stevens, author of the bestselling Murder Most Unladylike series. This gorgeous summery collection brings back together thirteen bestselling, award-winning and exciting authors: Abiola Bello, Annabelle Sami, Benjamin Dean, E.L. Norry, Elle McNicoll, Dominique Vale...
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Waterstones
IBSN: 9781398520486
Author's website
Wild Magic: Legend of the Black Lion, illustrated by Emma McCann
Discover your wild side! Join twins Misha and Ziggy as they put their extraordinary animal powers to the test in this new illustrated wildlife adventure series for readers 6+. Misha and Ziggy are no ordinary twins. They have a secret that no one else knows: Misha can speak to animals and Ziggy can shapeshift into them! The siblings couldn’t be happier to be joining their wildlife presenter father on a trip to Ethiopia, and they’re determined to help him bag the best footage of the legendary Black Lion. When...
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Waterstones Amazon
IBSN: 9781398520516
Wild Magic: Journey of the Lost Elephant
Misha and Ziggy are super excited to be joining their wildlife presenter father on a trip to India, where they’ll be able to test their magical powers all over again. Misha can’t wait to talk to all the fascinating animals she meets and Ziggy is eager to shapeshift into all the amazing animals he sees! When they plan to map the migration route of an elephant herd, they discover that the elephant calf has gone missing. Can Misha and Ziggy find the baby elephant and reunite it with its family before its lost fore...
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Waterstones Amazon
IBSN: 9781035082070
The Breakfast Club Adventures: The Movie Monster
Marcus is excited to show off his football skills in a video for new students. But whenever he gets in front of the camera, a creepy creature ruins the shot! With the deadline fast approaching the Breakfast Club Investigators are in a race against the clock to catch the monster and save the film!
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Waterstones Amazon

Photos

Abiola Bello - first image

Keywords

BLACK CHILDREN'S CHRISTMAS DIVERSE DIVERSITY FANTASY FEMALE FICTION HEROINE LONDON LOVE MAGIC MIDDLE-GRADE ROM-COM SUPERHERO SUPERPOWERS YA YOUNG ADULT