Adèle Geras was born in Jerusalem in 1944. She went to boarding school in England before studying at Oxford University, where she acted as much as she possibly could, and was in two shows that transferred to the West End. In fact, her first ambition was to be the next Judy Garland!

Adèle moved to Manchester in 1967, where she worked as a French teacher and where she still lives now with her husband. Her first book was Tea at Mrs Manderby's. She writes for all ages, from picture books to teenage novels.

When she's not writing, she's reading or talking to her friends about books and writers. Adèle is addicted to libraries and bookshops. Writing runs in the family, her daughter is the poet Sophie Hannah.