She was shortlisted for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award (Sweden) in 2007 for her contributions to children's literature.
Her book, "The Sign of the Black Dagger" was shortlisted in 2006 for the Royal Mail Award for Scottish Children's Books.
Her novel "Tug of War" was awarded the Sheffield Children's Book Award in 1990, and was runner-up for the Lancashire County Library Children's Book of the Year Award in the same year.
She was shortlisted in 1989 for the Carnegie Medal for her book, "Tug of War.".
She was shortlisted in 1988 for the Federation of Children's Book Groups Award for her novel, "The Guilty Party" and won the award in 1989 for her book, "Tug of War.".