Family tragedy behind ‘new Tolkien’: Waterstones book by 2023 winner Katherine Rundell, 36, says losing her sister when she was 10 is the reason she writes for young people

The author dubbed ‘the new Tolkien’ after winning multiple awards, including this week’s 2023 Waterstones book, says a family tragedy still defines her work.

Katherine Rundell, 36, has published six children’s books and is proving to be a formidable force in children’s literature: she started writing for children at the age of 21 and won the Costa Prize in 2017 at the age of 30 for her book Explorers.

She describes her work as ‘wildly unlikely adventure stories’; Bea Cavarhlo, CEO of Waterstones, said this week that the book that won the booksellers’ prize, Impossible Creatures, is ‘as perfect as fiction can be’.

Warhorse writer Michael Morpurgo has said of her work, “There was Tolkien, there’s Pullman, and now there’s Katherine Rundell.”

Behind her success lies a childhood tragedy that, according to the writer, who shares her life with film and literary agent Charles Collier, has shaped the literature she writes.

She said last year BBC Radio 4’s Private Passions that the loss of her foster sister when she was ten had a huge influence on her decision to write for children.

Born in Kent, the 36-year-old author spent much of her childhood in Zimbabwe, where her father was a diplomat; she grew up with an older brother and two foster sisters.

This week she said The Telegraph: ‘She had an inherited genetic disease, which meant she died when she was 16.

“I’m always wary of talking about it too much because it’s so important to me and so private, but I loved her very much, and losing her has taught me that the things you love, could be lost.’

The 36-year-old author was 10 when she lost her foster sister to an inherited genetic disease, calling it “the great, lasting tragedy of my life.” She began writing children’s books at the age of 21 and was named the youngest ever fellow at All Souls College, Oxford

She told the Radio 4 program in 2022 that the grieving process was “the great, lasting tragedy of my life”, and said it was no coincidence that she lost her sister at the age of ten and that she now writes for ten-year-olds.

The author describes her books as ‘wildly unlikely adventure stories’

Rundell also praised her own parents for letting her and her siblings run “wild and free” during their childhood, describing it as “the greatest gift.”

The author has also been vocal about her views on famous authors, telling The Times this week that she is unhappy with the stranglehold that famous faces have on the children’s book market.

Rundell said the likes of David Walliams, Dermot O’Leary, Rochelle Humes and other famous authors are shading other writers and saying children need to see “a wide range of books”.

She said The times: ‘I think what children need most urgently is access to a huge amount of books, and our current ecosystem of children’s fiction means that what is readily available tends to be the Walliams of the world.’

She added that they “need access to a wide variety of books so they can see characters like themselves; It’s no mystery how to get kids to read; There is very good evidence that you can make a child fall deeply in love with books.

“It just requires a small shift in our current market from the way it currently works.”

Walliams in particular has had huge success in this area, having first written The Boy In The Dress in 2008, followed by fourteen more children’s novels, including Mr Stink, Ratburger and Billionaire Boy, which have sold more than 35 million copies worldwide.

Rundell said research data has proven that offering a wide range of options is the best way to get children interested in reading and fears that famous authors such as David Walliams (pictured) are dominating the market

At more than £100 million, his book earnings outweigh his showbusiness earnings, and when WH Smith listed the most popular children’s books of 2020, three of his were in the top ten, beating even JK Rowling.

His output is enormous: he publishes at least two books a year, including picture books for younger children and short story collections.

Seven novels have been adapted for television – which he also produces and in which he plays the leading role – and five have been made into stage performances.

His success reflects a growing trend in which bookstore shelves are increasingly filled with novels written by household names – with experts pointing out that a bit of literature, often written with a ghostwriter, can be a lucrative sideline for stars in any field.