No Ballet Shoes in Syria

Catherine Bruton was born in the North West, where she attended the local comprehensive before graduating with a first class degree in English Literature from Oxford.

In her twenties, she worked in Namibia and South Africa, teaching in bush schools and working with street children in the townships. Catherine then went on to teach at some of the top schools in London and the UK, as well as writing feature articles for ‘The Times’ and various other national magazines and newspapers.

Catherine's first novel for young people ‘We Can be Heroes’ was published in 2011. Described by The Sunday Times as, “Witty, wise and compelling,” and named as one of their top books of 2011, it was short and long-listed for numerous awards, including the Carnegie, and is currently being adapted for the big screen.

Her follow up ‘Pop!’ lead The Guardian to describe her as, “One of the finest teen writers of recent years,” whilst her forthcoming book ‘I Predict a Riot’ which was inspired by the UK riots, 'vividly illustrates the tensions and violence of city life from the perspective of three very different young people trying to make sense of the world they live in,' (The Bookseller)

Nowadays Catherine combines teaching English at a local secondary school with writing novels and raising a family. She lives with her husband and their two children in the countryside just outside Bath.