About the Author Dennis Hamley's first novel, Pageants of Despair, was first published by Andre Deutsch in 1974. Since then he has written over seventy books, mainly for children and young adults. These include The War and Freddy (shortlisted for the Smarties Prize), Hare's Choice, Spirit of the Place, Out of the Mouths of Babes, Ellen's People (published in the USA as Without Warning), which is set in World War 1, and Divided Loyalties, set in World War 2. He has published with Scholastic, OUP, Franklin Watts, Walker Books and several others. He has been published in the USA by Delacorte, SG