Catherine Johnson

Catherine Johnson is a British author and screenwriter best known for her historical fiction for children and young adults. Born in London to a Jamaican father and Welsh mother, she studied film at St Martin’s School of Art before publishing her debut novel, The Last Welsh Summer (1993). She has become widely respected for writing stories that explore history through diverse perspectives, particularly focusing on Black British experiences.

Before becoming a full-time writer, she worked in television and film, including roles in production and script development. This background helped shape her storytelling style, which is often vivid, character-driven, and well-suited for adaptation. She has written around 20 novels, including works on Arctic explorer Matthew Henson, and won the 2019 Little Rebels Award for Freedom. Her breakthrough historical novel Sawbones brought her critical acclaim and was shortlisted for the Costa Children’s Book Award, and earned multiple shortlistings and the Young Quills Award. She has since written many other notable books, including The Curious Tale of the Lady Caraboo, Freedom, and Race to the Frozen North. Her novel Freedom was shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal, one of the UK’s most prestigious children’s book awards. Johnson co-wrote the screenplay for Bullet Boy (2004) with Saul Dibb, and has served as Royal Literary Fund Fellow, Writer in Residence at Holloway Prison, and judge for the Jhalak Prize. In 2019, she was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.

Catherine Johnson’s writing often focuses on historical settings, especially from overlooked perspectives, themes of identity, freedom, and resilience, strong, young protagonists facing real-world challenges and bringing hidden or lesser-known histories to life. She has also worked as a screenwriter, contributing to television and film projects, and has been involved in initiatives supporting diverse voices in literature and media. In recognition of her contribution to literature, she was awarded an MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) in 2020 for services to literature. Today, she continues to write books, scripts, and educational materials, and is an important voice in contemporary British children’s literature.