Published Bestsellers

ALOPECIA UK are delighted to announce children’s author Sue Hampton as an ambassador for the charity. Sue has lived with alopecia totalis for over thirty years. She has written 18 novels for 6 – 16 plus including one book in particular, ‘The Waterhouse Girl’, which draws on her own experiences with alopecia. The book has been praised by world famous author Michael Morpurgo (author of ‘War Horse’) saying it was “beautifully written”. Sue's aim is to inspire young people to both read and write. To do this she not only writes but also visits schools to run writing workshops and has already visited over 300 schools. As an ex-teacher (once nominated Teacher of the Year!) she adapts her workshops to the requirements of different schools, which even involves tailoring them to help young people in school with alopecia If you would like to read more about the work of Sue Hampton, see how to obtain a copy of her books or even see how to go about getting a school to arrange a visit for Su

Reviews "Really enjoyed these three stories written by Sue for Christmas. They all have a different theme, a nativity play where Robbie wants to be an angel not an alien, Trouble the donkey who won't do anything without a carrot - a traditional Christmas story with a twist, and a sad but ultimately uplifting story about Etta who feels lonely at Christmas but finds a tiny animal to keep her company! Nice gentle stories but thought provoking too and could really be read at any time of the year. The illustrations, by the children Sue met at schools she has visited, are warm and appealing and bring the book to life." Lesley Martin, librarian, Coventry About the book Sue Hampton captures the spirit of Christmas with three warm-hearted stories full of humour, mystery and magic – starring a boy who’d rather be an angel than a globalob, a donkey called Trouble and a girl with a cracker-sized lamb. With illustrations by children from schools Sue has visited, this is a

Reviews "I absolutely loved these stories. They all gave me that warm fuzzy Christmassy feeling. The descriptions in the stories are amazing and really help you to picture what's going on…This book deserves to be very successful. It is absolutely delightful. Heather Pretty, school librarian   "I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.  Imaginative stories and great illustrations. Well done." Jenefer Llewllyn Ferguson, Teifi Scribblers "These stories are warm and delightfully different approaches to the Christmas season, and each carries its own moral which children will easily be able to understand and appreciate.  There is also humour to be found here and each of the stories is illustrated with clear and charming drawings, which will definitely appeal to the reader.  Sue Hampton herself did the illustrations for ‘Aliens and Angels’, whilst the other two stories have drawings by children from two local First Schools. All three tales offer a perfect intro

Reviews "My reaction to reading these three stories was to marvel at the breadth of Sue's imagination. In the first story, from which the book takes its title, a young boy feels different from his classmates, he suffers from name calling and is quite unhappy with his part in the school nativity play. The story leads him through wonderful adventures of his imagination - or is it reality? I was not sure and it didn't seem to matter anyway - to a very satisfying conclusion. The second story was first published in this newsletter after Sue read it for our crib service. I was again moved by its great joy and laughed at the humour. The third story "Bootee for Etta" is a story of hope in a dark place for a young girl whose mother is rushed into hospital and she is bundled off to

Review "I have had the privilege to read Aliens and Angels by Sue Hampton before many other young readers who I am sure are anxious to read. I do not want to give away much of the stories because I don't want to disappoint anyone in any way whatsoever. What I can say is as I started reading the book I straight away started to get into the first story, and then the second story called Not without a carrot. This story is based on a donkey called Trouble who doesn't do ANYTHING without a carrot, and oh my...the third story!!!! The third story is called Bootee for Etta. WHAT A BEAUTIFUL STORY! It creates mixed emotions throughout the story. This story was based on a little girl called Etta who was left without her parents on Christmas. You will have to read the story to understand why it was such an amazing story. This book is a great book for young

Review "Sue Hampton is a well-known local writer with over 20 books for children and young adults to her name. Her latest book, Aliens and Angels, is a collection of three stories with a Christmas theme. Sue’s stories are always beautifully written with rich visual imagery, and they are full of humour and imagination. Her new collection makes us see three familiar aspects of Christmas in a different light. The first story is about a boy who wanted to be an angel in his school nativity play rather than one of the aliens, which all have to be clumsy, spotty and hop about with their legs tied together. Nobody can understand what the problem is or why he doesn't like his role. The second story is about an obstinate donkey with a passion for carrots whose owner loses patience with her and sells her to someone called Joseph. The donkey takes to her new owners at

Review "Delightful short Christmas themed stories with a deceptively light style where the very different characters are all dealing with difficult but survivable situations in a very positive way. Aliens and Aliens uses a traditional school Christmas presentation  (complete with globalobs) to casually mix multiculturalism, childhood squabbles and jealousies alongside growing excitement as Christmas draws closer. The description is gentle but so skilful. Then the slightly frightening dream leads beautifully to the neat twist which lets the main characters achieve their hearts desire so satisfactorily. Not without a carrot is a very gentle retelling of the Nativity with the addition of a troublesome but loveable donkey with a liking for carrots. The characterisation is sharp and comfortable as the situation develops into the well-known story. The description is strong but gentle and the illustration helps to develop the gentle feeling where the importance of the carrot is n

Review "Aliens and Angels' is a very beautiful and interesting story which deals with issues most children have. 'Not Without a Carrot' is so funny, it's a wonderful take on a very familiar story and from a very different point of view. I'm sure Sunday school teachers and even ministers/pastors will enjoy this as I did. 'Bootee For Etta' is another wonderful Christmas story every child would like to hear or read. The book is easy to read, beautifully written and I recommend it to children all over. It is sure to be one that will be read over and over again." Lottie Yinka, ex-minister

Review "A charming selection of three stories just like the Three Kings bearing gifts to baby Jesus. These stories are magical with a cheerful tone and will warm the hearts of young readers. Angels and Aliens is a perfect stocking filler for Christmas and adds a new dimension to children's Christmas stories. The character of Trouble the Donkey really gives the donkey who took Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem a firm place as the star of such amazing love, grace, humility and sheer joy of the Yuletide." Collette Caffrey, Stanza Poetry Group