Disaster Diaries: The Worst Birthday Ever

Daffodil Patterson is a small girl with BIG plans - it's really not her fault that they always seem to go wrong ... The start of a brilliantly funny new series for young readers, from the author and illustrator of The Worst Class in the World, shortlisted for the Laugh out Loud Book Awards 2024.

Soon-to-be eight-year-old Daffodil likes the dictionary, the middle bit in custard cream biscuits, and thinking BIG. She does NOT like her cousin Hugo Patterson-Dent, who has ten more gold stars than she does; the biscuit bit of custard creams (but that's OK because her friend Nirmal-Next-Door eats that); or any sort of catastrophe. The trouble is that somehow Daffodil's ambitious plans tend to go pear-shaped ...

Daffodil is hoping for the Best Birthday Party EVER. But she hasn't reckoned on Colin, the greyhound with an appetite for everything except dog food. Or the fact that her brother's band Hairy Wasp would break up before they could provide the entertainment. Or the total lack of guests.

Luckily, Daffodil has the knack of looking on the bright side and is soon planning her next absolute bobby-dazzler of an idea!

About the Author

Joanna Nadin has written more than 70 books for children, teenagers and adults, since leaving her previous jobs as a broadcast journalist and special adviser in government. Her books include the award-winning Penny Dreadful series, the Flying Fergus series with Sir Chris Hoy, the Worst Class in the World series and the Carnegie Medal-nominated Joe All Alone, which became a BAFTA-winning BBC drama. She has won the Fantastic Book Award and the Surrey Book Award, has been shortlisted for the Hearst Big Book Awards, the Roald Dahl Funny Prize, a BookTrust Best Book Award and Queen of Teen, and twice-nominated for the CILIP Carnegie Medal. Joanna has a doctorate in young adult literature and lectures in creative writing at Bath Spa University.

About the Illustrator

Rikin Parekh studied art at the Camberwell College of Arts and the University of Westminster. A major film buff and Marvel aficionado, he currently works with year fives in a London primary school inspiring children to draw their own monsters.