Nizrana Farook was born and raised in Colombo, Sri Lanka, and the beautiful landscapes of her home country find their way into the stories she writes. Her first book, The Girl Who Stole an Elephant, was the UK’s biggest selling MG debut of the year and a Waterstones Children’s Book of the Month. It was nominated for the CILIP Carnegie Medal and longlisted for the Blue Peter Award and Jhalak Prize. Three more books followed, all set in the same fictional world of Serendib. Nizrana has a master’s degree in writing for young people and lives with her family in Hertfordshire.
Her next middle-grade book, a brand new fantasy series, will be out in June 2026.
Q&A
I get many requests from school children writing book reports for further information about me. Here are some of the questions I’m asked.
May I know something about your family?
I’m one of four sisters, me being the third. I grew up in Sri Lanka and my parents still live there, so I try to visit once a year. We lived in Colombo, which is the main city, and I went to school within walking distance. My father was a civil engineer and he worked for the railways. I have a big extended family, with 38 first cousins!
What’s your favourite colour?
Blue. Chaya in my first book loves blue too.
How long have you been a writer?
I’ve been a published author since 2020. But I’ve loved reading and writing since my childhood.
What made you become an author?
It was all the books I read as a child. They made me want to write my own someday!
What book made you a reader?
It was a book called Five on a Treasure Island by Enid Blyton. It’s a very old book, and it was an old book when I read it too, but it made me fall in love with reading instantly. It was about four English children (and a dog called Timmy) with lives very different from my own, but I was gripped.
What are your favourite books or authors now?
There are so many wonderful books now and my favourites keep changing. But some of my current must-read authors are Hana Tooke, AM Dassu, Hannah Gold, Rashmi Sirdeshpande, Sophie Kirtley, Nicola Penfold and many more.
Can you give me some writing advice?
The best advice, and one I do a lot myself, is to read a lot. In addition, try to find something you’re actually interested in to write about. So if you’re writing a story use a place you’re interested in, or a character based on a real person that intrigues you, or a premise that you’d love to explore. Once you bring in something personal to you, that makes your story easier to write and also more interesting to your reader.
What’s a typical working day like for you?
I drop my daughter off at school, have a quick breakfast and am at my desk around 9.30 am. I then work for about 3 to 4 hours before breaking for lunch. I incorporate a walk into my afternoon as it’s valuable thinking time for whatever plot or character I’m trying to figure out at that moment. I get my best ideas when I’m not actively writing.
What is the funniest question children ask you at school visits?
Have you stolen an elephant?
(Answer: no)
Also, are you famous? Are you rich? Do you drive a Lamborghini?
(No, no and no)