Katie Kirby
The writer and illustrator behind the Lottie Brooks series.
Katie Kirby is an author and illustrator. The writer and illustrator behind the Lottie Brooks series. This page is a short guide for parents, teachers and young readers: who they are, which of their books are in the current top 20 and where to start.
About Katie Kirby
Katie Kirby is a writer and illustrator based in Hove, on the south coast of England. She has a degree in advertising and marketing and worked for London media agencies before starting a humour blog called Hurrah for Gin after having children.
Her best-known work is the Lottie Brooks series for tween readers, which her publisher says has been shortlisted for the British Book Awards and the Laugh Out Loud Book Awards and has sold more than a million copies in the UK.
Katie Kirby’s books in the top 20
- Lottie Brooks’s Twelve Disasters of Christmas: number 4 in the list we checked on 7 November 2026. Twelve festive stories in which Christmas plans go wrong, with Lottie telling her own most disastrous one.
- The Seriously Epic Holiday of Lottie Brooks: number 11 in the list we checked on 7 November 2026. Lottie heads off on a family ski holiday with her old friends, new friends and a mystery banana she is sure is important.
- The Catastrophic Friendship Fails of Lottie Brooks: number 16 in the list we checked on 7 November 2026. Lottie lands the lead in the spring musical, but her friendships start to unravel despite her efforts.
Other well-known books and work
- The Extremely Embarrassing Life of Lottie Brooks
- The Catastrophic Friendship Fails of Lottie Brooks
- Hurrah for Gin (her earlier blog)
Awards and recognition
- The Lottie Brooks series was shortlisted for the British Book Awards and the Laugh Out Loud Book Awards, according to her publisher
Where to start
Start with the first book, The Extremely Embarrassing Life of Lottie Brooks, then pick up the Christmas and holiday editions.
Frequently asked questions about Katie Kirby
Who is Katie Kirby?
Katie Kirby is a writer and illustrator based in Hove, on the south coast of England. She has a degree in advertising and marketing and worked for London media agencies before starting a humour blog called Hurrah for Gin after having children.
Which books by Katie Kirby are in the top 20?
Lottie Brooks’s Twelve Disasters of Christmas (number 4); The Seriously Epic Holiday of Lottie Brooks (number 11); The Catastrophic Friendship Fails of Lottie Brooks (number 16). See our Top 20 children’s books for the full list.
Where should I start with Katie Kirby?
Start with the first book, The Extremely Embarrassing Life of Lottie Brooks, then pick up the Christmas and holiday editions.
Biographical details are drawn from publisher biographies, reference works and the author’s own site, and may have changed. The illustration is our own and is not a likeness of the author. See all the authors.
Sources: About Katie Kirby (Penguin).