Tom Palmer was a reluctant reader as a child and credits articles about football with getting him into reading. He went on to become a bookseller and then worked in reader development. He is well known for his hugely successful football fiction for Puffin, and is one of Barrington Stoke's top-selling authors, writing about both sport and history with great appeal. He travels all over the UK visiting schools and working with charities, and is well loved across the book trade.