James Harris - Interview (June 2026)
Q: What was your best school visit and why?
Oh gosh, come on, they’re all good! I LOVE school visits.
Q: Where did you grow up, and how did that place influence what you write?
I grew up in a town called Saltburn-by-the-Sea on the North Yorkshire coast. It has the beach, woods, wasteground, it’s close to the moors… it was perfect for roaming and exploring and playing. My first book was pretty much set there, even though I called the town “Normalton” and it wasn’t by the sea and it was full of big orange monsters in a way that Saltburn wasn’t.
Q: You’ve said the 1970s “is a faroff mystical land”, is there anything from the 1970s that should be in the UK today?
Boredom. We’re not allowed to be bored anymore, and boredom is the mother of an active imagination, and the urge to DO things and create things rather than just consume things. It’s still possible, but it’s so much harder to be bothered when you can scroll through videos of other people having fun instead.
Q: If you were in charge of a school library, which book would you insist on having, and why?
I’d definitely need The Dummies’ Guide to Being in Charge of a Library. I think that would be quite useful.
Q: If a few book-writing giants moved to Middlesbrough, how would you update your title of “Middlesbrough’s tallest author”?
I will always be Middlesbrough’s tallest author (as well as its premier hula-hooper, pole vaulter, wizard and exaggerator). No so-called “facts” will ever change that.
Q: You’ve worked in theatre, standup, and TV writing. Which of those made you laugh the most each day?
There is definitely something deep inside me that craves the sound of laughter. I did give stand up a go, and sometimes it went well, and sometimes it went so badly that… well, you had to laugh, really.
Q: Winning the Hachette Children’s Novel Award for The Unbelievable Biscuit Factory was a huge moment. What was the first interesting thing you did after hearing you’d won?
I wasn’t allowed to tell anyone I had won! So I read and reread the email a few times to check I’d read it right, then I trotted off to drag my partner out of a meeting she was having. I whispered the news to her, we did a little dance, then we had to try and act normal for 6 weeks until the official announcement.
Q: You’re a big advocate of imagination and creativity. What do you wish every school did to help pupils unlock their creative potential?
Schools have it hard, having to prioritise teaching for exams, but teaching improvisational and storytelling skills, and encouraging a “yes, and” attitude when making stuff up, would give kids confidence in their own innate storytelling ability. Storytelling is a key human attribute – we’re the only animals that do it! Drama skills are super useful too – if you can pretend to be a sheep, or a superhero, or a Danish prince, you can also pretend to be a useful member of society if need be.
Q: You’ve read lots of books about writing. Which one book would you recommend to a young person who wants to become a writer?
Ooh, I think I’d probably just let them get on with it, freestyle, at least to start with. Read what you love! And read lots. And then copy (or “magpie”) the best bits. That way, you can write stories that you love, too. The best way to learn is to do it. Studying the craft can come later, I reckon.
Q: Your school visits are famously high energy - with songs and monster mayhem. What’s the most memorable reaction you’ve ever had from a teacher?
I do enjoy the look that says “where is this going?”, for example when I introduce myself as Julia Donaldson or I claim to be 30 metres tall. I try to send them back a look that says “I have no idea, let’s find out together.”
Q: When you start a new story, what usually comes first - the character or the world they inhabit?
I always start with a mad situation, something that seems interesting and surprising, which has the potential to be thematically about something I care about. Then I work out who would be the absolute worst person to have to deal with that situation – hey presto, I’ve got my hero!
Q: What are you working on at the moment?
I’ve got various picture books on the go, and I’m also working on a Chapter book about… well, I’m not sure what it’s about exactly, but it sure has a lot of unicorns in it.