Alexandra Sheppard

YA author

Booking enquiry

Available for

Workshop, Talk, Reading, Interview, Commission a book

Audiences

Age 11 to 14, Further Education

Genres

Comedy, Fiction, Humour, Magical realism, Mythology

Book types

Fiction 8-13, Fiction for young-adults, Young Adult

Awards

Shortlisted for Waterstones Children's Book Prize 2024
Longlisted for Jhalak Prize 2024
Shortlisted for Bristol Teen Book Award 2019

Details

I'm currently accepting bookings from May 2025 onwards.

KS3 SESSIONS

Since my debut YA novel OH MY GODS was published, I've had the pleasure of visiting KS3 classes at schools and bookshops around the country - it's the best part of the job! My workshops and talks are highly interactive, drawing answers from the most reticent of pupils. As my books OH MY GODS and FRIENDSHIP NEVER ENDS are aimed at readers aged 11+, my workshops are best suited for Years 7/8:

Assembly:

So You Want to Be a Writer? - A talk about the childhood experiences that shaped the writer I am today, plus practical tips for any budding writers.

Creative Writing Workshop:

21st Century Gods - From the goddess of hunting to the god of winemaking, the worship of deities in the ancient world gives us insight into their values and way of life. I invite your pupils to imagine how this system of deities could be transferred to their lives today - god of memes or goddess of music streaming, for example! - and what that says about our values.

I'm based in North London but I'm happy to travel around the south-east. I'm also available for virtual author visits via Zoom. For information on my availability and fees, send me an email.

KS2 SESSIONS

My MG duology ALYSSA & THE SPELL GARDEN features themes of community, gentrification, identity and heritage. As the book is aimed at 9+, it is perfect for years 5/6:

Creative Writing Workshop:

Making Plant Magic - In this interactive workshop, pupils will learn about the magic of the plant kingdom and be inspired to design their own magical plant that helps the community, as well as write a spell poem that incorporates their plant.

If you would like me to visit your primary school, please email me for more info on my availability and fees.

TESTIMONIALS

"The children thoroughly enjoyed the session and I truly appreciate the time you took to go around and really speak to the individual children about their ideas for their poem. Despite myself popping in and out of the session, it did not go unnoticed how attentive you were to them all. You made writing the spell poems really fun and the session engaged all the children with them all having a poem that they created to share afterwards." - Ms N. Matthews, Chalkhill Primary School

"It was a wonderful event and fantastic to see the pupils engaging so well with the concepts surrounding Greek gods and teen fiction. You had them enraptured – who knew we had so many mythologists in our midst?!" - Ms S. Hayden, Graveney School

"The students were incredibly engaged and absolutely loved your visit - I've had glowing reviews this morning from staff and students!" - Miss L. Allen, Chelsea Academy

"It's sometimes hard to know what to expect with an author visit but I had every confidence that Alex's visit was going to be a one to remember. The assembly was interactive, fast-paced and included some great writing tips. The 21st Century Gods workshop was well thought out and planned which engaged our students from the moment they walked in the door. Since your visit, there have been so many copies of Oh My Gods being read. Thank you for encouraging our students to read!" - Mr D McLaughlin, Walker Academy

"We really enjoyed the workshops because it gave us a chance to extend our writing and to be creative with our story concepts. We would love to do it again and Alex was great fun. Thank you for this opportunity." - Cecilia, Year 8

PRAISE FOR OH MY GODS

Buzzfeed's 31 YA Books by Black Authors You Can't Miss This Year

Guardian's 100 best holiday books for 2019

Refinery 29's Best YA Books Written By Black Women That You Haven't Read Yet

"The intelligent, laugh-out-loud book noticeably sets itself apart from other young adult novels in that it’s not solely focused on trauma, despite the protagonist losing her mother at the tender age of 10." - i News

"Oh My Gods is Alexandra Sheppard’s debut YA novel and a formidable introduction to a writer to watch." - Refinery 29

"Although the book is essentially witty and slightly absurd, it deals with challenges and experiences that many teens can identify with and celebrates diversity and individuality." - BookTrust

Books by Alexandra Sheppard

I am the author of YA novels OH MY GODS and FRIENDSHIP NEVER ENDS, which was shortlisted for the Waterstones Children's Book Prize 2024. My MG duology ALYSSA & THE SPELL GARDEN was released in 2024 and the follow-up, ALYSSA & THE ENCHANTED FOREST, is out in Summer 2025.

0571377467

Alyssa & The Enchanted Forest

In this stunning sequel to the critically acclaimed Alyssa and the Spell Garden, Alyssa is transported to Jamaica and must rediscover the magic of her ancestors. The air felt dense with magic, even more than in the spell garden back home. And not in a good way . . . When Alyssa accidentally transports herself, her cousins and Leon to the Jamaican spell garden, Golden Falls, they have to work out a way back home before the end of the summer holidays and the all-important Bloom Trials. But the magical plants are inexplicably hostile and they will need to win the garden over. Can they connect to the ancient magic of the forest? And when the very essence of the garden is threatened will their magic be enough to protect it?

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Waterstones Amazon

0571377424

Alyssa & The Spell Garden

When 11-year-old Alyssa is forced to spend the summer holiday with her mum's family, who she's never met before, her latent magical powers explode into life. Her great aunt runs a secret school in her spell garden where local kids can hone their power. The garden grows spell ingredients that have protected their family and the wider neighbourhood for decades - ever since they arrived from Jamaica with their mother Effie in the 1960s. But something is going wrong and the magic is running out! Can Alyssa use her new, unpredictable powers to set things right?

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Waterstones Amazon

1913311414

Friendship Never Ends

SHORTLISTED FOR WATERSTONES CHILDREN'S BOOK PRIZE 2024 LONGLISTED FOR THE JHALAK PRIZE 2024 When you're figuring it all out, there are some friendships that mean the most. Meet Sunita, Gifty, Dawn and May. They're each about to have a summer they'll never forget, but does growing up have to mean growing apart? Funny, relatable and heart-warming, get ready to laugh, cringe and cry with these four besties!

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Waterstones Amazon

978-1407188737

Oh My Gods

Life as a half-mortal teenager should be epic. But, for Helen Thomas, it's tragic. She's just moved in with her dorky dad and self-absorbed older siblings - who happen to be the ancient Greek gods, living incognito in London! Between keeping her family's true identities secret, trying to impress her new friends, and meeting an actually cute boy, Helen's stress levels are higher than Mount Olympus. She needs to rein in her chaotic family before they blow their cover AND her chances at a half-normal social life. Or is Helen fated for an embarrassment of mythical proportions?

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Waterstones Amazon

1913311163

On author's website

Happy Here

With an introduction from bestselling author Sharna Jackson, HAPPY HERE features stories and poems by 10 Black British authors for readers aged 7+. Exploring themes of joy, home and family through a wide range of genres and styles, each author has been paired with a different illustrator to spotlight Black British artistic talent. With stories by Dean Atta, Joseph Coelho, Kereen Getten, Patrice Lawrence, Theresa Lola, E.L. Norry, Jasmine Richards, Alexandra Sheppard, Yomi Sode, and Clare Weze.

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Waterstones Amazon

0702306452

The Day We Saved the Future

When billionaire satellite tycoon Noel Riche announces his latest project, the whole world tunes in - including brothers Cass and Micah. But Riche's scheme is to rain asteroids on the planet until he is given absolute power - and there's nothing anyone can do to stop him. Or is there? As the brothers flee a hail of meteors which demolishes their school, they are intercepted by an amazing time-travelling supercar, sent back from the future by their older selves to recruit them for a crucial mission. They must travel back to the 1990s, befriend Noel Riche as a child their own age, and put right what once went wrong - all the while pursued by sinister agents from Riche's dystopian future.

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Waterstones Amazon

9780702306440

Fly High Crew

An action-packed, laugh-out-loud, high-energy story for boys and girls featuring adults taken over by aliens and a brave group of kids who must work together as a team to stop them! From TV personalities and Diversity street dance superstars, brothers Ashley and Jordan Banjo. Brothers Trey and Jax spend after-school hours rehearsing with their street dance collective the Fly High Crew, until the evening they see a green beam of light flash out of the sky and are thrown into an out-of-this-world adventure! Aliens have landed and are mind-controlling all the teachers and adults: can the Fly High Crew work together as a team and save the day? Written in collaboration with Alexandra Sheppard.

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Keywords

AFRO-CARIBBEAN BAME BEREAVEMENT BLACK BLACK BRITISH CONTEMPORARY FICTION DIVERSE FAMILY FEMINISM FRIENDSHIP FUNNY GIRLS GREEK MYTHOLOGY GRIEF HUMOUR IDENTITY INCLUSIVE LONDON MIXED RACE MYTHOLOGY MYTHOLOGY MYTHS RACE RELATIONSHIP TEEN TEENAGE YA YOUNG ADULT