Writer's File

Anne Ingram

Wellington - Te Whanganui-a-Tara

In brief

Anne Ingram is a children’s writer who writes mainly Middle Fiction for readers aged 8-15. She is the author of the Lucy Bee trilogy which follows Lucy from the ages of 10-15 through the many challenges and adventures she faces while growing up. Anne’s first novel for young readers was Sea Robbers, about a young New Zealand boy and his Malaysian friend who are taken captive by modern-day pirates off the coast of Borneo. This was followed by three collections of Asian legends which were released in Asia, the UK and New Zealand. Her short stories have been broadcast on RNZ and published in the School Journal. She has worked as a newspaper columnist, a freelance journalist, a publisher’s editor, and teacher, and had her own specialist children’s bookstore.

Primary publisher

White Gull Press
Rights enquiries

info@whitegullpress.co.nz

Anne’s books (3)

Lucy Bee & Soline

Bonjour Lucy Bee

Lucy Bee and the Secret Gene

Bio

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ingram, Anne was born in Auckland and spent her childhood years in Dunedin, Te Kuiti and Orewa. She’s lived and worked in Wellington, London, Christchurch, Singapore, Hamilton, and France, but has spent the longest time where she lives now, in Waikanae on the Kāpiti Coast.

Her most recent novel, Lucy Bee & Soline, the third in the Lucy Bee trilogy, is about having a place to stand and finding a role for oneself in the world. It begins in Waikanae where Lucy’s family is hosting French exchange student, Soline, who, thoroughly conversant with her own French history, awakens Lucy to her New Zealand history. They travel to Soline’s home in Burgundy where Lucy, while trying to unravel an historical mystery, discovers a forgotten New Zealand heritage which opens the way to an exciting and fulfilling career.

David Hill, who endorsed the novel, says ‘Teenage girls especially will like the idealism, energy and intensity of Lucy & Soline’.

The second in the Lucy Bee series, Bonjour Lucy Bee (One Tree House 2019), is set in France and explores the issue of Europe’s refugee crisis. It s about identity and belonging. For Lucy, this means getting along with her French family while also standing up for what she believes is right. For young Afghan refugee Qasim, whose entire family has been killed by the Taliban, his dream is to find a place where there is peace and where he can belong amongst a family of people. Mandy Hager described the novel as “A deceptively gentle story about family and identity that also explores the issue of Europe’s refugee crisis with great empathy and compassion.”

Lucy Bee & the Secret Gene (White Gull Press 2014), the first Lucy Bee novel, is about identity, family, school, bullying and friendship. Eleven-year old Evie’s review said, “I really enjoyed this book. It is about a young girl called Lucy Bee. Lucy was a quiet girl who got bullied because of her fuzzy hair. She began to wonder if she was adopted because she looks different from the rest of her family. The story follows her as she digs up her family history. The story kept me guessing until the end. I can’t wait for Anne’s next book.”

Pam Coleman, Youth Services Coordinator of Kāpiti Libraries said: “I really enjoyed this book. It’s beautifully written. It’s funny. I loved it. And what I really liked was that is looked at bullying from both sides. It had real insight.”

Sea Robbers (Mallinson Rendel, 1995) is set in Borneo where, Ben, on holiday, dreams of meeting modern-day pirates. He wonders what they are really like, and where they live. When he accidentally stumbles on a pirate camp, he gets the chance to find out. His adventure brings him friendship with Mahmood, a Malaysian boy his own age. Their cultural differences provide a window into a world other than their own, and each becomes richer for it.

A Dominion Post review described it as “...an exciting adventure about piracy and kidnapping in Borneo.” The Chronicle wrote, “At 86 pages, the author manages to pack a lot of action into the tale, interspersed with an obvious knowledge of the country she writes about... she does a ripping job.”

Golden Legends of Korea, Golden Legends of the Philippines, and Golden Legends of Vietnam (Heinemann Asia, 1996) are collections of traditional tales - creation myths, animal stories, ‘how and why’ stories, stories of heroism, adventure and romance. Such legends and folktales are the attempts of ordinary people to explain the nature of the world around them. Each book has 60 pages, is illustrated in full colour, has 12-15 stories, an introduction to the country’s history and culture, and a glossary.

As a committed advocate for books and reading, Anne has taken part in a number of community projects to promote reading. She has been coordinator of the Kāpiti Children’s Book Festival and convenor of the Kāpiti Schools’ Mastermind competitions. For Coast Access Radio she produced and hosted a weekly storytime programme for children. She has also mentored young writers and given workshops.

For the Kāpiti Children’s Writers’ Group Charitable Trust, of which she is deputy-chair, she edited and published Shortz – Stories from Kāpiti, a collection of 21 stories set in Kāpiti by Kāpiti writers (KCWG, 2012) and produced Shortz – Stories from Kāpiti : 2 CDs (KCWG, 2013). In 2015, Ingram edited and published Flying High (KCWG), a collection of stories, poems and illustrations by local children.

Currently, she is convenor of a skills-based writing group.