Paul Fleischman, like Wesley, made up his own alternative world as a child. "My friends and I invented our own sports, ran an underground newspaper, and created our own school culture," he says. One of America's leading writers for young people, he has won many awards, including a Newbery Medal. His books include the picture book City Circus (9780744573657) and the teen novel A Fate Worse Than Death (9781844286089).

Kevin Hawkes is the illustrator and author of a number of books for children including Library Lion (9780744598599), Me, All Alone, at the End of the World (9781406304824) and City Circus. He lives with his family on an island off the coast of Maine, USA.