Teachers' Reading Challenge Ambassadors

We’re proud to introduce our Author Ambassadors – a passionate group of children’s authors who are helping to champion the Teachers’ Reading Challenge!

With the generous support of HarperCollins, these authors are joining forces with The Reading Agency and The Open University to inspire educators across the UK to explore more children’s literature, deepen their reading for pleasure practice, and discover books that truly unlock the power of reading for young people.

Let’s get acquainted…

Farhana Islam

Born and raised in Newcastle Upon Tyne and currently residing in Birmingham, Farhana Islam is a Primary School teacher with a passion for telling stories and empowering diverse voices. The Misadventures of Mina Mahmood is her brilliantly hilarious debut fiction novel. Farhana is also the author of the heart-warming picture book, Not Now, Noor and Ibraheem’s Perfect Eid.

Mel Taylor-Bessent

Mel has been writing stories for as long as she can remember. After graduating with a Creative Writing degree, she set up her own company, Little Star Writing, at the age of 22, running creative writing after school clubs for children aged 7+. The huge success of Little Star Writing inspired Mel to develop Authorfy, an online platform that brings children all over the world closer to their favourite authors. Mel is the author of The Christmas Carrolls, a fun-filled, festive series that focuses on spreading cheer 365 days a year. Her new series, Race to Imagination Island, is a fast-paced adventure series that focuses on the unlimited power of our imaginations.

Jenny McLachlan

Jenny McLachlan is the author of the bestselling Land of Roar series, as well as several acclaimed teen novels. Before Jenny became a writer, she was Head of English in a secondary school; she now loves visiting schools as an author and delivering funny and inspiring talks and workshops. When Jenny isn’t thinking about stories or writing stories, she enjoys living by the seaside, cycling and running over the South Downs.

Rob Biddulph

Rob Biddulph is an award-winning author and illustrator. His first picture book, Blown Away, published in 2014, was only the second picture book to win the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize. Since then, Rob has illustrated fifteen of his own picture books and created a range of bestselling activity books. Rob’s series of #DrawWithRob videos became a viral hit when launched in March 2020 and have been watched almost six million times on YouTube alone. Rob was also an official World Book Day author in 2024, with his book Charlie McGrew and the Horse that he Drew.