Bill's New Frock Award-winning by Anne Fine (author)

Author/Illustrator

Anne Fine

Anne Fine is a multi award-winning novelist, and was Children’s Laureate from 2001-2003. Her novels range from the wickedly funny Diary of a Killer Cat for young readers, to the provocative_Road of Bones_ for teenage readers.

Speaking about her work, Anne says: “A lot of my work, even for fairly young readers, raises quite serious social issues. I believe that many personal decisions have a social or political resonance, and the way people try to pick their way through tricky family situations interests me. But people won’t (and shouldn’t) read books that don’t hold their interest, and I still adore funny books. So since I write for the reader inside myself, I always end up with the kind of book I would have loved to read (if only someone else had bothered to write for me.”

More about Anne: “When I was young, it never occurred to me that I might be a writer. I think I must have thought that books were born on the library shelves. But I was good at writing stories, and I had a good deal of practice.

At school, I enjoyed languages most, and took French and Spanish, along with History, for A levels. That meant there was no room for English, and so for my whole life I have been able simply to read what I want when I want, and only for pleasure or interest. I suspect that this has been really important for the way I write, making it so much easier to think always of the reader.

I studied Politics and History at University, and the interest in political issues shows up in many of the books. After university I taught in a girls’ secondary school for a year — exhausting! — and then moved with my husband to Oxford, where I worked as an Information Officer for Oxfam. Though I was only in this job for two years, it changed my attitudes to money, to ‘things’, and to what is truly important in life, for ever.

In 1971 my first daughter was born. Unable to get to the library in a snowstorm to change my library books, in desperation I sat down and started to write a novel. Clearly this was the right job for me, for I have never stopped writing for more than a few weeks since.

My husband’s job took us to California, Arizona, Michigan and Canada, where our second daughter was born. In 1981 I returned to Edinburgh, and a few years later moved to County Durham, where I now live quietly in a stone house beside a river with Richard, my partner of fifteen years.”

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What kids think

1. book777
   on 25 February 2016

   I really loved this amazing book because it is so funny! LOL!!!!!!

   5 out of 5

2. Nokaneen
   on 5 May 2014

   It was absolutely funny

   5 out of 5

3. keri001
   on 15 April 2014

   I read this in year five and it is really funny and I rate it 5 STARS cool funny good I think you should buy this book if you want to hear funny stuff

   5 out of 5

4. bee100xxx
   on 9 March 2014

   One sunny morning, Bill woke up in a pretty girls body and has to take a frock to school! He cannot lift, play football or be in a cool strong body anymore! How unfair is that! He auditions for the play and hopes to get a manly part, Unlucky for Bill he found himself playing Rapunzel who had no lines, just actions! Can this day get any worse than it already is?...

   5 out of 5

5. Prisoner01
   on 4 March 2014

   This book is hilarious!

6. lmk
   on 19 November 2013

   good but words missing out

   5 out of 5

7. lilli1234
   on 7 November 2013

   it was ok but there were some words missing out

   4 out of 5

8. Redstone
   on 28 October 2013

   Good book

   3 out of 5

9. amieschol
   on 16 August 2013

   I did this book in my class and found it good, but it would have been better if I had read it in my own time.

   3 out of 5

10. Orange82
    on 30 July 2013

    this book was OK are form in English were studding it for ages but if I read it in my time and didn’t have too study it i would rate it 5 stars :-)

    3 out of 5

11. karn123
    on 29 June 2013

    can we read them online or have we got o buy them

12. batsnrats
    on 15 May 2013

    One word.

    Hilarious.

13. Emster123
    on 7 April 2013

    This book is hilarious and left me falling off my seat constantly which was hilarious for me and my family!! It’s so unrealistic but some how you believe everything the writer says which is a very good skill in writing, I think!! This book is perfect for 7-13 year olds as it is a perfect book before going to bed! I would recommend this book to anyone though!

    This book is about an ordinary boy called Billie who one day wakes up and has a girls body! He goes into school in a frock which makes his life very different. This leads him into all sorts of adventures…...

14. Booksqueen
    on 4 April 2013

    I loved this book! I am in grade 4and this book is in our school textbook and on our reading list so I just had to read it. Since then I am reading a lot of Anne Fine books and my favourites are: The Nag Club, Bill’s New Frock and Diary of a Killer Cat.

    5 out of 5

15. TheMileLongBookshelfBlog
    on 6 March 2013

    This book is really funny and exciting :D

16. sunnyrainbow123
    on 6 March 2013

    I READ THIS BOOK IN YR 4 AS A SCHOOL TOPIC BOOK AND EVERYONE IN MY CLASS LOVED I AM NOW IN YR 7 AND I STILL READ THIS BOOK VERY YEAR JUST FOR FUN ITS HILARIOUSRATE:10/10 RECOMMEND:7+

17. Dandy1
    on 10 October 2012

    I remember doing this book in yr4… I thought it was cool and funny!!!!!

18. pepper1
    on 7 June 2012

    I LOVED BILLS NEW FROCK I THINK ITS KINDA SAD BECAUSE HE TERNS INTO A GIRL THEN HIS FRIENDS FLERT AND HE SAYS “NO” he dos’nt want to kiss and snog them so then there mean to him or i should say her then he has a day of misery and embarresing because its sports day and they dont know who he is so he now can’t take part and they make fun of him and say “haha you can’t take part!” so thats why i think its sad but thats my point of view yours may be differnt why dont you or u write about it in your review !!!!1

    4 out of 5

19. lemonade123
    on 12 May 2012

    Amazing book :)

20. bookfairy17
    on 7 May 2012

    this book is so funny

    5 out of 5

21. BonBon7
    on 20 April 2012

    It was amazing! WOOOOOOOOW!

    5 out of 5

22. kicky105
    on 6 March 2012

    This is such a funny book – Bill is the only one who seems to think he is a boy and it is touching and makes me laugh as well!

    4 out of 5

23. indigobeam
    on 6 March 2012

    Impossible to put down!

24. mouse18
    on 5 March 2012

    wow

25. www-hello-com
    on 5 March 2012

    this book is funny and you cant put it down when you’ve started reading!

    5 out of 5

26. sweethart184
    on 2 March 2012

    a lovely book sooo funny

27. aeroaeromonkey
    on 1 March 2012

    So funny.

    2 out of 5

28. flossy1998
    on 19 February 2012

    I read this book in primary school, it’s about a boy called bill that turns into a girl when he wakes up, very bizzarre!, it is a amazing read tho.

29. DramaQueen101
    on 13 January 2012

    it’s a funny book

30. coco-pop2002
    on 13 August 2011

    i love this book it is sooooooooo funny i’ve read it about 72 times

    5 out of 5

31. MissNovember2011
    on 1 August 2011

    Imagine one of the most toughest boys at your school trapped in a frock for the day.Yep.That’s right.Absolute chaos and disaster with hiliarious results.

    Read this book if you enjoy comedy and school life.

    5 out of 5

32. beauti-111
    on 20 July 2011

    haha loooool sooooooo funni i still haha very funni I dont like it

    Lily or Lucy

33. sally20
    on 11 June 2011

    i love this book because its so funny when mean malcom bulllies bill and he has to carry a bunch of things to the school office for miss bandaraina

34. Jasminecute1
    on 7 April 2011

    I read this book at school, and it is the BEST!!!!!!!!!!!!!

35. bethany98
    on 10 March 2011

    this book is a great book with loads of laughs

    5 out of 5

36. fizzpop01
    on 3 March 2011

    this book looks good i want to read this

37. cherry17
    on 3 March 2011

    I have seen this film and I have read the book and I loved it. It is about a boy called Bill who one day wakes and has become a boy, in the end he relises he should treat girls the way he would treat boys!

    5 out of 5

38. funky11
    on 3 March 2011

    this book is very weird

39. Lovingstar1234
    on 3 March 2011

    I think its very funny!

40. wimpy01
    on 2 March 2011

    I thought it was very funny imagine waking up as aboy ( if your a girl )

    4 out of 5

41. osnapitzsafa
    on 1 March 2011

    This book made me laugh so much and I couldn’t put it down. I stayed up all night reading this. I liked it, I’ll give it 4 stars.

    4 out of 5

42. Missymessy
    on 27 February 2011

    Really funny! I read this with my teacher at school and thought it was hilarious! :)

    4 out of 5

43. xxisabellatrixx
    on 27 February 2011

    being honest this book wasnt my cup of tea i found it quite immature and the humour rather dry, (this is in year 3) but the rest of my class thoroughly enjoyed it. personally i would reccommend it to much younger children.

    2 out of 5

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