Jim Beckett

Jim Beckett is a writer specialising in children’s fiction. The Caravan at the Edge of Doom (HarperCollins, 2021) is an exciting, funny and heartwarming fantasy adventure for 8-12-year-olds. It is the story of one girl’s epic rescue mission into the land of the dead, through her grandparents’ caravan toilet. A sequel, Foul Prophecy, was released the following year. An engaging public speaker and former teacher, Jim regularly visits schools, inspiring staff and pupils with his dynamic and entertaining assemblies and workshops. He is currently working on a series for younger children with Hachette. 

For many years, Jim wrote and performed comedy as one half of critically acclaimed double act Bob and Jim. The duo hosted several London residencies and were regulars on the circuit and at festivals, appearing at Underbelly, Soho Theatre and on BBC Radio Four. Jim’s stage comedies and musicals have been performed in London, Edinburgh and Milan, and his short stories have been published in magazines. 

Jim taught English and Media in a south London secondary school for 17 years where he ran extracurricular activities that included poetry slam, filmmaking, school magazine, literature masterclass and creative writing club. He has also worked as a pest control administrator, census collector, bank clerk, seasonal elf and bookseller. Jim grew up in Chandler’s Ford and studied English Literature at the University of Sheffield before living in London for over two decades. He now lives in West Sussex.