Introduction, Nigel Hall; the ladybird letters, Jean Price; bookspeak, Mike Robinson; young letter writers as authors, Vivienne Rowcroft; Dear Mrs Duffy, Rose Duffy; writing rules OK, Jill Pauling; an author is a rat, Susan McCaldon and Linda Jones; how much do children notice?, Janette Shearer; but we still believe in Father Christmas, Anne Robinson; shared writing, Georgina Herring; authors review authors, Susan Williams; a journey into authorship, Nancy Pearson; collaborative authorship, Mary Greaves.