Last week I put on something slightly very rock and roll and headed to Hays Gallery for a party. Not just any party: a 15th birthday party for Tom Gates, the boy with the doodled homework diary who has been making children (and their parents) laugh for a decade and a half. And at the centre of it, looking exactly as she always does, creative, warm, and genuinely delighted to be there, was Liz Pichon.
It is always a pleasure to see Liz. My son Diego and I have interviewed her a few times over the years, and every single time she has been everything you’d hope a children’s author would be: generous with her time, funny, and completely without airs. She is one of those rare people who seems genuinely surprised and delighted that children love her books, even after selling millions of them.
A full-circle moment
For our family, this anniversary feels personal.
Diego learned to read with Tom Gates. Not in a formal, sitting-at-a-desk way, but in the way that matters: he wanted to read them. The doodles, the jokes, the fact that every page looked different from the last, it hooked him. And then he used those books to practise, returning to them again and again until the words came easily.
He even won a best costume award on World Book Day in primary school, wearing a T-shirt he had illustrated himself (with a little help from his mummy). It was a Tom Gates original. Liz saw it, loved it, and signed it for him. That T-shirt has a special place in the house. I’m not sure I could ever bring myself to part with it.
Diego is now at UCL studying to become a mechanical engineer. When I told Liz, she was truly impressed and I could see she meant it. There is something lovely about an author who remembers the little boy who interviewed her, and who is genuinely chuffed to hear what he’s become.
15 Facts for 15 years
To mark the milestone, here are some things you might not know about Liz and her most famous creation:
- The series officially turns 15 in 2026. The Brilliant World of Tom Gates was published in 2011, and the milestone is being celebrated all year.
- There’s a special anniversary edition of the first book, with a brand-new cover and bonus story content.
- The series is still going strong. Book 24, Pesky Pets and Parties (Hopefully), came out in 2025 and book 25, Tom Gates Is Not Famous (Yet), is out now. More on that in a moment.
- It’s a global phenomenon. Over 16.5 million copies sold worldwide, translated into 47 languages.
- Liz writes and illustrates every single page by hand. Every doodle, every wonky letter, every joke, all hers.
- Her signature style was shaped by her own experience of dyslexia. She has said she wanted to create books that would engage reluctant readers, because she was one herself.
- Tom is based on Liz as a child. She has said he’s “based on what I was like as a kid”, which explains why he feels so real.
- She didn’t start writing until her mid-40s. Despite always loving drawing and comics, she lacked the confidence to write until later in life.
- The first book was written in a school exercise book. Her agent sent copies to publishers and got seven offers in two weeks.
- She worked in the music industry before becoming an author, designing album covers at Jive Records for artists like Billy Ocean and Samantha Fox.
- The first book won major awards, including the Roald Dahl Funny Prize, a Red House Children’s Book Award, and a Waterstones Children’s Book Prize.
- The fourth book won a Blue Peter Award for Best Story.
- Tom Gates has been adapted for the stage –Tom Gates Live on Stage! toured in 2019, and an “EPIC Stage Show” has toured since.
- There’s an award-winning TV series. The Brilliant World of Tom Gates won a Scottish BAFTA for Entertainment.
- The anniversary has been celebrated with events all year, including a summer takeover at Kew Gardens and appearances at festivals including Hay and Brighton.
The new book: Tom Gates Is Not Famous (Yet)
Book 25 arrives at a very fitting moment. The story is set at Oakfield School, where rumours are flying that the local theatre group, brilliantly named ‘DramaLamaDingDong’, are coming to visit with a real-life celebrity. The whole school is buzzing. Tom has written a comedy with roles for all his friends, but limelight-hogging Marcus is more annoying than ever. Will everyone realise that friendship is more important than being famous?
It is classic Tom Gates: diary form, every page stuffed with laughs, doodles and creative fun. And it’s a lovely full-circle moment for a series that has always understood that the funny, messy, ordinary stuff of childhood is what children actually want to read about.
The reviews have been strong, too. The Guardian called the first book “10 out of 10.” BookTrust called it “wickedly funny and engaging.” And Books For Topics said Liz’s “instantly recognisable doodle style makes this a really enjoyable and accessible book that quickly hooks children in”, which is exactly what happened to Diego.
Why this series matters
There is a lot of talk in publishing about “reluctant readers,” and a lot of books designed to hook them. But Tom Gates did something simpler and more effective: it made reading feel like fun. It made a generation of children, my son included, feel like books were for them.
Fifteen years on, Liz Pichon is still doing it. Still drawing every page by hand. Still making children laugh. Still turning up to parties to celebrate with the readers who made it all happen.
Happy 15th birthday, Tom Gates. And thank you, Liz – for the books, for the doodles, and for a World Book Day T-shirt that my son will never, ever throw away.
Tom Gates Is Not Famous (Yet) (Book 25) by Liz Pichon is out now (Scholastic, £12.99). The 15th-anniversary edition of The Brilliant World of Tom Gates is also available. For more information, visit lizpichon.com.
For more of our interviews and reviews with Liz Pichon, visit londonmumsmagazine.com.
Monica Costa founded London Mums in September 2006 after her son Diego’s birth together with a group of mothers who felt the need of meeting up regularly to share the challenges and joys of motherhood in metropolitan and multicultural London. London Mums is the FREE and independent peer support group for mums and mumpreneurs based in London https://www.londonmumsmagazine.com and you can connect on Twitter @londonmums
