If I Were A Wizard

So many wizard stories are about spectacle — duels, spells, saving the world. I wanted to write something quieter for young readers: a story where magic is measured in kindness rather than fireworks.

The challenge was to make everyday care — checking the mail, sharing an umbrella — feel every bit as wondrous as any spell.

Hazel is a little mouse who imagines all the good he'd do if he were a wizard — not to show off, but to look after the people he loves. Each page begins, "If I were a wizard…" and turns a small act of love into something magical.

I wrote with the page-turn in mind, pacing each spread so the rhythm reads aloud beautifully. Illustrator Simon Howe brought Hazel to life with warmth and gentle humour — his expressive, painterly art gives the world its heart.

If I Were A Wizard reached #1 on the Apple Books children's chart, sitting above the entire Harry Potter series, with a ★★★★★ reader rating. More than a chart position, it became a bedtime favourite families return to again and again.

Watching children connect with Hazel taught me that stories don't need to be loud to be powerful. A little mouse with a kind heart outsold the wizards — and that's a kind of magic I'm proud to have made.