Kate Pankhurst books

Kate Pankhurst is a British author and illustrator best known for the Fantastically Great Women series of non-fiction picture books celebrating overlooked women throughout history.

Fantastically Great Women Reading Order

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Fantastically Great Women Who Changed the World 2016 Buy
Fantastically Great Women Who Worked Wonders 2019 Buy
Fantastically Great Women Who Made History 2019 Buy
Fantastically Great Women Who Saved the Planet 2020 Buy
Fantastically Great Women Scientists and Their Stories 2021 Buy
Fantastically Great Women Artists and Their Stories 2022 Buy

Mariella Mystery Reading Order

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Mariella Mystery Investigates the Ghostly Guinea Pig 2013 Buy
Mariella Mystery Investigates a Cupcake Conundrum 2013 Buy
Mariella Mystery Investigates the Huge Hair Scare 2013 Buy
The Mystery of the Cursed Poodle 2014 Buy
The Spaghetti Yeti 2014 Buy
A Kitty Calamity 2015 Buy
The Disappearance of Diana Dumpling 2015 Buy
The Mystic Mustache 2016 Buy

Kate Pankhurst is a writer and illustrator based in Leeds, England, who studied illustration at the University of Central Lancashire. Her work spans two very different series for young readers: the non-fiction Fantastically Great Women books and the Mariella Mystery chapter books. She won second place in the 2002 Macmillan Prize for Picture Book Illustration before going on to build a career as a bestselling author.

The Fantastically Great Women series grew out of Kate’s interest in women whose contributions to history had been overlooked or underrepresented in books for children. The series has been translated into more than 22 languages and sold internationally, earning shortlists for the NIBBIES award in the Children’s Illustrated and Non-fiction category. The first book was later adapted into a stage production.

Her Mariella Mystery series takes a lighter tone, following a nine-year-old self-styled detective through illustrated chapter books aimed at readers just beginning to tackle longer fiction. The journal-style format, with case notes and black-and-white doodles throughout, makes it accessible to children in the seven-to-nine age range who enjoy humor alongside their mysteries.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many books has Kate Pankhurst written?

Kate Pankhurst has written fourteen books across two series.

What was Kate Pankhurst's first book?

Kate Pankhurst’s first book is Mariella Mystery Investigates a Cupcake Conundrum, published in 2013.

Is Kate Pankhurst related to suffragette Emmeline Pankhurst?

Yes, distantly. While researching women for her first Fantastically Great Women book, Kate discovered she shares a distant family connection to the famous suffragette. The link is tenuous but real and adds a personal dimension to the project.

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