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ENTRY TYPE: new
WORK TITLE: HAVE YOU SEEN MY SISTER?
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: https://www.kirstymckay.com
CITY: Boston
STATE:
COUNTRY: United States
NATIONALITY:
LAST VOLUME:
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Born in England; married; children: a daughter.
EDUCATION:Studied at Guildhall School of Music and Drama.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Writer and actor. Has directed a children’s touring theatre company.
MEMBER:Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators
WRITINGS
Author of stage plays; contributor to Undiscovered Voices anthology, 2008.
SIDELIGHTS
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Kirkus Reviews, August 15, 2013, review of Unfed; May 15, 2016, review of The Assassin Game; July 1, 2023, review of Have You Seen My Sister?.
Publishers Weekly, July 10, 2023, review of Have You Seen My Sister?, p. 59.
School Librarian, September 22, 2011, Lesley Martin, review of Undead, p. 180; December 22, 2015, Michael Fitzgerald, review of Killer Game, p. 253.
School Library Journal, December 1, 2013, Jennifer Prince, review of Unfed, p. 117; October 1, 2023, Carol Youssif, review of Have You Seen My Sister?, p. 84.
Voice of Youth Advocates, August 1, 2012, Rebecca Denham, review of Undead, p. 282; August 1, 2016, Lucy Schall, review of The Assassin Game, p. 78.
ONLINE
David Higham Associates website, https://www.davidhigham.co.uk/ (April 3, 2024), author profile.
Kirsty McKay website, https://www.kirstymckay.com (April 3, 2024).
Kirsty McKay
Kirsty McKay is the author of UNDEAD, a wickedly funny zombie-comedy for teens.
Now a full time writer, Kirsty originally started out as an actress. She went on to write for the theatre and has written extensively for commercial theatre both in the UK and North America.
Kirsty recently turned her hand to writing childrens fiction. In 2008, Kirstys work was included in SCBWI's Undiscovered Voices anthology as part of their annual competition to find new writers.
Kirsty was born in the North East of England, but currently lives with her husband and small daughter in the United States.
Genres: Young Adult Fantasy
Series
Undead
1. Undead (2011)
2. The Unfed (2012)
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Ogden the Ogre
1. Ogres Don't Dance (2014)
2. Ogres Do Disco (2016)
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Novels
Killer Game (2015)
The Assassin Game (2016)
Have You Seen My Sister? (2023)
Kirsty trained as an actor at the Guildhall and enjoyed a varied and rewarding theatrical career playing Shakespeare, selling mobile phones and appearing as the Nesquik bunny. She co-founded and ran one of the UK’s leading children’s touring theatre companies and has written several plays and pantomimes which have been produced in the UK and North America. The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators named her a winner of their search for new writers in 2008 and published her work in their inaugural anthology, Undiscovered Voices.
Originally from the north east of England and having spent most of her adult life in London, Kirsty is currently based in Boston, Massachusetts – which is much more difficult to spell. She lives with her husband and young daughter, who give her all her best ideas.
Her first novel The Undead was published by Chicken House in September 2011, with the follow-up, Unfed, published in 2012. Her books for younger children, Ogres Don’t Dance and Ogres Do Disco are published by Andersen.
Her next novel, Killer Game, will be published by Chicken House in July 2015.
I grew up in the North East of England, but I don't sound like it (except when shouting at the footy). Now I live in the North East of the USA, another place full of crazy sports fans with mad accents. In between the two I lived in London - mainly in the North East of London, actually - do we see a pattern here..?
I trained as an actor at Guildhall School of Music and Drama and trod the boards for a few years, then became a producer, running my own touring theatre company. It was during this time that I started writing plays for children and pantomimes, some of which are still being performed today. In fact, if you watched a panto at a school in England any time over the last twelve years, there's a pretty good chance that I wrote it. (That's if it was any good. If not, then it was definitely not one of mine.)
In 2008 the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators named me a winner of their search for new writers, and published my work in their inaugural anthology, Undiscovered Voices.
My first novel UNDEAD will be published by Chicken House on 1st September 2011. Order now Waterstones and Amazon
I'm represented by Veronique Baxter at David Higham Associates.
You can find out more about me and UNDEAD on my Facebook page, and my Twitter.
60 Second Interview
UNDEAD is coming out in September 2011. Why write a book about zombies?
Because they're scary - obviously - but it's more than that. They're deceptive. By that I mean that they're slow, stupid and quite easy to escape from ... but you can never get cocky. As long as you keep moving, don't get cornered and never let your guard down, you can generally get the better of them. But they are relentless. They'll never give up, and they'll always keep coming. And there are loads of them. You can never, ever relax.
So are you really into horror, then?
I love anything that keeps me on the edge of my seat, whether it's a horror, sci-fi, thriller, romance, drama, whatever. My favourite thing is to read a book or watch a movie and think, 'OK, so what would I do in that situation..?'
This is the first horror book I've written, and one of my intentions was to write a zombie book for people who maybe would never normally read a zombie book. It's a 'horror-thriller-drama-comedy-with-a-hint-of-romance' story about a bunch of ordinary teenagers. So I hope all the horror fans like it, but I also want to make a lot of new converts too!
And there are some funny bits...?
Totally. At least, I think so ;) But it's a kind of dark, nervy humour. When the apocalypse happens, you've gotta have some comic relief.
What other things have you written?
I've always made up stories. Other people call it daydreaming. Then you put it down on paper, someone prints it and suddenly it's a career...
I started by writing plays and pantomimes, because I used to be an actor and that's what I knew best. I found really enjoyed writing for young people in particular. Then I started writing books. I've written some fairy tales, action adventures, and also some chick-lit stuff - all with a sense of humour, a little edge, all a little bit off. Some of it will be published in the future, and some is gathering dust on my shelf (or on my hard drive).
What do you like doing when you're not writing?
Eating good food and watching bad TV! Listening to great music. Walking for hours. Chilling out with my family and friends. Ordering random things on the internet. Killing zombies. You know, your everyday kind of stuff...
You can find out more about me and UNDEAD on my Facebook page, and my Twitter.
McKay, Kirsty
Undead
The Chicken House, 2011, pp294, 6.99 [pounds sterling]
978 1 906 42787 0
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
Of all the horror genres, the zombie story is the one most reliant on its traditions. What is a zombie but a walking (or rather shambling) collection of cliches? The outstretched arms, the moaning, the decomposition and the desire to eat your brains--take any of these away and the zombie loses its power. Wisely, Kirsty McKay has chosen not to subvert the cliches of the genre but to embrace them, producing a horror comedy with a decided edge. Our heroes also fit the mould: misfit new kid Bobby, would-be bad boy Smitty, geeky loser Pete and queen bee cool girl Alice are thrown together when the rest of their school party, returning from a ski trip in Scotland, visit a roadside cafe and return transformed.
Bobby, the narrator of the story, has a cool wisecracking delivery but despite the one liners, McKay allows us to see the underlying panic kept just at bay. Trapped in their school bus, the teenagers are resourceful and brave, coming to depend on each other in the face of multiplying zombie hordes. The plot zips along taking the action from school bus to castle by way of the snowy and inhospitable countryside and the explanation for the zombie plague taps in satisfyingly to conspiracy theory territory.
It's a page turner, but the characters are also well done, being rounded, fallible and vulnerable. As you'd expect from a zombie novel, there's gore and mayhem aplenty, and several characters die. Or rather, become undead. This book is a lot of fun and a bit scary, and a sequel is already on the way.
Martin, Lesley
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2011 The School Library Association
http://www.sla.org.uk/school-librarian.php
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Martin, Lesley. "McKay, Kirsty: Undead." School Librarian, vol. 59, no. 3, autumn 2011, p. 180. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A268222627/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=682884b5. Accessed 16 Feb. 2024.
4Q * 4P * J * S McKay, Kirsty. Undead. Chicken House/ Scholastic, 2012. 272p. $17.99. 978-0-5453-8188-8.
On the way home from a school-sponsored ski trip in the wilds of Scotland, a small group of high school students is faced with the ultimate test when their classmates and teachers mysteriously drop dead, only to reanimate into flesh-craving zombies. Roberta, Alice, Smitty, and Pete must put aside their differences and think fast if they want to survive.
The typical school-centered zombie story is given a fabulous reboot in McKay's debut novel. The rural, mountainous setting provides its own set of challenges for the characters, as does the fact that the students were traveling via bus so are unable to barricade themselves in a nice, solidly built cabin or vault. McKay has done a fine job of using the actual resources available to her characters while keeping the reader on edge with fast-paced plotting and witty dialogue. She has also created the perfect balance of humor and horror so that Undead will have readers alternately biting their nails and snorting with laughter. This novel is told from the perspective of a female narrator, but Roberta is refreshingly pragmatic and capable, unlike many current heroines, so the point of view should not be a problem for male readers. Some American teens may find certain phrases strange, but the difference in culture should not change readers' enjoyment of the novel. Overall, this is a fun, pulse-pounding addition to the zombie genre, sure to be a hit with teens looking for an entertaining read.--Rebecca Denham.
4Q Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses.
4P Broad general or genre YA appeal.
J Junior High (defined as grades 7-9).
S Senior High (defined as grades 10-12).
Denham, Rebecca
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2012 E L Kurdyla Publishing LLC
http://www.voya.com
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Denham, Rebecca. "McKay, Kirsty. Undead." Voice of Youth Advocates, vol. 35, no. 3, Aug. 2012, pp. 282+. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A304172106/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=62aecdec. Accessed 16 Feb. 2024.
MCKAY, Kirsty. Unfed. 278p. Scholastic/ Chicken House. 2013. Tr $17.99. ISBN 9780545536721. LC 2012040707.
Gr 6 Up--This book picks up six weeks after the final events of Undead (Scholastic, 2012). Roberta, the 15-year-old reluctant but capable heroine, wakes up in a military hospital in Edinburgh, her head shaved and criss-crossed with scars. The hospital is teeming with zombies. In minutes, she is reunited with two of her classmates from the first novel: mean-girl Alice and geeky Pete. Together, they want to rescue their missing pal, Smitty. Told from Bobby's point of view, the story taps into the teen mind-set with acuity. In between fighting matches with hoards of the undead, she and her crew worry about crushes, personal appearances, and relationships. For instance, can Bobby trust the clues left by her mother, who may or may not be dead, and who may or may not be in cahoots with the pharmaceutical company that leaked the zombie virus? Grisly fight scenes, narrow escapes, and encrypted messages play off one another at a don't-blink-or-you'll-miss-it pace. In addition to fighting the zombies, the teens stay one step ahead of the government agents who are trying to capture Bobby so they can study her virus-resistant DNA. The intensely gory interactions between the kids and the zombies (including undead cows and one undead goat) are foiled by Bobby's touching and funny soliloquies: This book has it all-action, adventure, suspense, engaging characters, and a smidgen of romance. One whizbang of a read.--Jennifer Prince, Buncombe County Public Libraries, NC
Prince, Jennifer
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2013 A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/
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Prince, Jennifer. "McKay, Kirsty. Unfed." School Library Journal, vol. 59, no. 12, Dec. 2013, p. 117. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A354086342/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=74151ce6. Accessed 16 Feb. 2024.
McKay, Kirsty UNFED Chicken House/Scholastic (Children's Fiction) $17.99 9, 1 ISBN: 978-0-545-53672-1
The undead are shambling all over Scotland in this bitingly funny sequel to Undead (2012). The last thing Bobby remembers is fleeing the zombie apocalypse in a school bus full of nascent undead. She wakes up in a top-secret medical facility fairly teeming with zoms. With her are snotty Alice and geeky Pete, along with strong and capable Russ, the only survivor from that fateful school bus. Missing is Smitty, the maddening boy she lost her heart to in the first book. Following cryptic clues left in her cellphone by her scientist mother--the one who formulated the zombie-creating concoction in the first place and the person who may have the key to its cure--Bobby, Alice, Pete and Russ break out and flee, hoping to find Smitty and Bobby's mom and, possibly, safety. Punctuated by many zombie battles that have almost a Keystone Kops feel to them for all their undeniable menace, their escape is fueled by desperation and snark. The kids carp at one another constantly (the mutual hostility between Bobby and Alice is particularly fizzy), and Bobby's narration maintains the razor's-edge balance between humor and horror. "Oh, fudmukker," Bobby remarks, as they try to flee Edinburgh by rail. "Zoms on a Train." A gleefully revolting romp, it ends on a cliffhanger; here's hoping it'll be resolved soon. (Horror. 14 & up)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2013 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
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"McKay, Kirsty: UNFED." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Aug. 2013. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A339393401/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=8b2776b7. Accessed 16 Feb. 2024.
McKay, Kirsty
Killer Game
Chicken House, 2015, pp369, 6.99[pounds sterling]
978 1 909489 11 0
This book was a fantastic read from page one through to the very end. A different angle on suspense and dirty deeds as pupils in a boarding school become invited members of a cult. The idea is that a game is played in which members are metaphorically killed. This so called death removes them from the game. One of the members has already being selected as the killer and it is for the rest of the cult membership to work out who the killer is. The lead character Cate is believable and fully gets the readers support. She tries to work out the cult and its traditions as well as track the killer down.
The plot thickens when Vaughan, an old friend of Cate's from childhood, joins the school and indeed the game of killer. The plot thickens and the game expands as real harm comes to some of the contestants. The great thing about this book is that it is not easy to predict from one chapter to the next. The ending has more than one twist which keeps the suspense rocking throughout.
By far and away I would recommend this book as a great read!
Michael Fitzgerald
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2015 The School Library Association
http://www.sla.org.uk/school-librarian.php
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Fitzgerald, Michael. "McKay, Kirsty: Killer Game." School Librarian, vol. 63, no. 4, winter 2015, pp. 253+. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A438688845/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=2737df80. Accessed 16 Feb. 2024.
McKay, Kirsty THE ASSASSIN GAME Sourcebooks Fire (Children's Fiction) $10.99 8, 1 ISBN: 978-1-4926-3275-7
A girl joins a traditional secret murder game in her snooty boarding school only to find that the game might be more real than anyone had intended.Cate attends the elite private academy located on the Welsh island that her nouveau riche parents have inherited. The white teen's not at the genius level of so many of the other students, but she makes it into the Game anyway. Every year the Assassins' Guild holds a game in which one member secretly becomes the Killer and stages fake murders of the other players. It's all completely secretive and elaborate, and Cate is proud to be in it. But when biracial (part-Jamaican, part-Irish) Vaughan, a childhood friend, shows up as a new student and manages to gain late acceptance into the Guild, Cate begins to worry. Computer-whiz Vaughan sets up an undetectable social network in the school, and someone Cate knows only by the screen name Skulk begins to taunt her. When an actual death occurs in the Game, things become all too real. What is Vaughan really up to, and why has he apparently followed Cate to the school? Through Cate's present-tense narration, McKay keeps things ambiguous so that readers will continue guessing until the true culprit is revealed in the climactic scene. Her witty, self-deprecating voice captures the thrill of belonging and the complicated emotions that come with new money.Smart, edge-of-the-seat thrills. (Thriller. 12-18)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2016 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
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"McKay, Kirsty: THE ASSASSIN GAME." Kirkus Reviews, 15 May 2016. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A452197989/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=bb728bca. Accessed 16 Feb. 2024.
McKay, Kirsty. The Assassin Game. Sourcebooks, 2016. 336p. $10.99 Trade pb. 978-1-4926-3275-7.
Admitted to her school's exclusive Assassin Guild, Cate cannot wait to participate in the group's traditional fantasy-kill game and soon becomes a real-life target. She has attended Umfraville Hall on an island off the coast of Wales for three years. She considers herself a student of normal ability who has been admitted to this exceptional school because her parents own the island. Each year, the Assassin Guild carries out a game in which a secret "killer" creatively and secretly eliminates the rest of the members. Traditionally, old members vote in the new, but this year, Cates childhood friend, Vaughn, enrolls in the school and crashes a Guild meeting. He negotiates his membership by offering a computer program that protects both individual and group secrecy. Each member adopts an online mystery name, but an extra, hostile name appears. The kills become real. Cate and Vaughn scramble to discover the murderer. Vaughn disappears, and Cate places herself in more danger to find him.
Red-herrings abound in this page-turner. Each gifted, thin-skinned, self-centered, selfish Guild member is a suspect. Even Cate's favorite teacher may be guilty. The fast-moving plot will motivate readers to sort through the many characters, guess at their motives, and spot the real criminal. Vaughn may make this a cross-gender read, but narrator star Cate will draw enough female readers to require more than one library copy.--Lucy Schall.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2016 E L Kurdyla Publishing LLC
http://www.voya.com
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Schall, Lucy. "McKay, Kirsty. The Assassin Game." Voice of Youth Advocates, vol. 39, no. 3, Aug. 2016, pp. 78+. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A461445214/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=7247456a. Accessed 16 Feb. 2024.
Have You Seen My Sister?
Kirsty McKay. Sourcebooks Fire, $11.99 paper (352p) ISBN 978-1-7282-6845-3
A teenager's half-sister goes missing during a family trip to a ski resort in this riveting mystery by McKay (The Assassin Game). Almost-16-year-old British Esme Gill and her parents are vacationing at the Moon Mountain Resort in New Hampshire, where her 19-year-old sister Gaia has been working. Chaos ensues at the resort when Gaia disappears the day after she and Esme attend a party. Because of her dyspraxia, Esme has difficulty remembering where and with whom she last saw Gaia: "Time, dates, names--it's all a mash-up," she says of her diagnosis. As authorities search for Gaia, Esme embarks on her own investigation, along the way befriending Bode, a local boy whose uncle works at the resort. But as she delves deeper into her sister's disappearance, Esme unearths new-to-her secrets about Gaia and learns that everyone at the resort might have something to hide--even Bode. While the resolution feels convoluted, there's no shortage of possible suspects with varying motives for Esme to puzzle through, leading to a packed-to-the-gills mystery laden with surprises. Esme's tenacity and her whipsmart first-person perspective is the driving force behind this stimulating thriller. Most characters are white; Gaia is biracial (Black and white). Ages 12-17. (Sept.)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2023 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
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"Have You Seen My Sister?" Publishers Weekly, vol. 270, no. 28, 10 July 2023, p. 59. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A758336772/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=9ea796d7. Accessed 16 Feb. 2024.
McKay, Kirsty HAVE YOU SEEN MY SISTER? Sourcebooks Fire (Teen None) $11.99 9, 5 ISBN: 9781728268453
When her sister goes missing, British teen Esme sets out to find her.
Esme Gill and her parents have spent the last week at the New Hampshire ski resort where Gaia, Esme's older sister, has been working. The girls share a mother, but Gaia's late father was a U.S. soldier stationed at a military base in England. When it's time for Esme and her parents to leave, Gaia is nowhere to be found. Esme had been at a party with her the night before, but Esme left first. Complicating her efforts to put together a timeline or remember whom she last saw Gaia talking to is the fact that Esme has the sensory processing condition dyspraxia. As she attempts to figure out what happened to her sister, Esme learns that not only was Gaia keeping secrets, but almost everyone else at the resort is hiding something too. At the same time, Esme is becoming closer to Bode, a boy whose uncle works at the resort, but the more she investigates her sister's disappearance, the more she questions whether she can trust him. Esme is an appealing protagonist who finds hidden reserves of strength and bravery as she explores the woods, interrogates suspects, follows clues, and persistently seeks her sister. Gaia is White and African American; Esme, her parents, and most supporting characters are White.
This fast-paced mystery will keep readers guessing until the very end. (Mystery. 12-18)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2023 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
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"McKay, Kirsty: HAVE YOU SEEN MY SISTER?" Kirkus Reviews, 1 July 2023, p. NA. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A754971881/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=e9835e49. Accessed 16 Feb. 2024.
MCKAY, Kirsty. Have You Seen My Sister? 352p. Sourcebooks/Fire. Sept. 2023. pap. $11.99. ISBN 9781728268453.
Gr 8 Up--A missing girl, many suspects, and a desperate sister looking for answers. Esme Gill is almost 16, and she's finishing her trip to the U.S. before going back to England. Her beautiful and popular sister Gaia works at a ski resort in New Hampshire, and she's gearing up to start college. The day before the girls' family returns to the UK, Gaia goes missing. Esme and her parents are frantically tracing back her steps, and hidden secrets start coming out to the light. She befriends local boy Bode, who helps her do their own sleuthing while the adults work with the police. The two go on a wild chase that takes them through the mountains, a cabin in the woods, a slowly thawing forest, and many other places around Moon Mountain to pick up clues for Gaia's whereabouts. Can Esme and Bode find her before it's too late? Small-town life, family secrets, and a host of diverse characters make this book a compelling read. Gaia is biracial, Black and white, in a majority-white community, which is discussed frankly and matter-of-factly. The romantic friction between Esme and Bode adds to the overall tension of the plot, and despite a few far-reaching plot points, readers will fall in love with the witty main character, who is also open about her dyspraxia. VERDICT This is a fast-paced, twisty read that will keep readers guessing until the very end. A great addition to YA collections; hand it to readers who enjoy the works of Karen M. McManus, Jessica Goodman, and Holly Jackson.--Carol Youssif
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2023 A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/
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Youssif, Carol. "MCKAY, Kirsty. Have You Seen My Sister?" School Library Journal, vol. 69, no. 10, Oct. 2023, p. 84. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A766727757/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=582cc0ef. Accessed 16 Feb. 2024.