386 ratings | 166 reviews | avg rating:4.02

more photos (2)

Philippa’s Year In Books

Philippa’s 2025 Year in Books

Take a look at Philippa’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.

Go to Philippa’s 2025 Year in Books

Philippa Dowding’s Followers (68)

Philippa’s Bookshelves

to-read (25)
currently-reading (4)
read (417)

Philippa’s Friends (80)

Deborah Kerbel

148 books | 1,363 friends

Marsha

2,182 books | 1,589 friends

Rebecca Upjohn

2,240 books | 130 friends

Catherine Austen

466 books | 62 friends

Shannon

4,649 books | 1,238 friends

Joanne

483 books | 590 friends

Sarah Kemp

284 books | 89 friends

House of Anansi and Groundwood Books

1,831 books | 1,296 friends

More friends…

Philippa Dowding

Goodreads Author

Website

http://www.pdowding.com

Twitter

phdowding

Genre

Children's, Fantasy, Fiction

Member Since

August 2011

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/phdowding

edit data

Philippa Dowding is an author, poet, and composer/musician based in Toronto. She is the winner of the Governor General's Literary Award, Young People's Literature, Text, and the Ruth & Sylvia Schwartz Children's Book Award, for her book FIREFLY.

Philippa was a writer early in life, and began writing poetry and short stories at age nine. She studied English Language & Literature at Western University in London, Ontario, and completed an M.A. in English at The University of Toronto. Soon after graduating, she began her professional writing life as a copywriter in the magazine and newspaper industry, where she won many industry awards.

When she had a family, she began telling bedtime stories to her children. One story, about a lost gargoyle liv ...more

Learn more
Ask the Author

To ask Philippa Dowding questions, please sign up.

Combine Editions
Philippa Dowding’s books

Average rating: 3.97 · 1,199 ratings · 293 reviews · 21 distinct works • Similar authors

	Firefly really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 266 ratings — published 2021 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Strange Gift of Gwendolyn Golden: The Night Flyer's Handbook 3.64 avg rating — 244 ratings — published 2014 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Oculum (The Children of Oculum, 1) 3.93 avg rating — 174 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Gargoyle at the Gates 4.23 avg rating — 79 ratings — published 2012 — 6 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Myles and the Monster Outside (Weird Stories Gone Wrong #2) 4.11 avg rating — 63 ratings — published 2015 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Gargoyle Overhead (Lost Gargoyle #2) 3.93 avg rating — 59 ratings — published 2010 — 7 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Carter and the Curious Maze (Weird Stories Gone Wrong #3) 3.93 avg rating — 57 ratings — published 2016 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Gargoyle in My Yard (Lost Gargoyle #1) really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 55 ratings — published 2009 — 10 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Jake and the Giant Hand (Weird Stories Gone Wrong #1) 4.11 avg rating — 47 ratings — published 2014 — 7 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Everton Miles Is Stranger Than Me: The Night Flyer's Handbook 4.07 avg rating — 42 ratings — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Philippa Dowding…

170 posts
Philippa Dowding's Blog

The BOOK TRAILER for The Love Song of Mr. Byrd

The Love Song of Mr. Byrd by Philippa Dowding

The Love Song of Mr. Byrd is now out in the world! Welcome new book!

This story in ten short chapters follows Bat and Mr. Byrd one summer as they learn about the delicate nature of friendship. It's my publisher's first chapter book and mine too, aimed for readers ages 6 -9, although it makes a thoughtful, gentle read-aloud for all ages. Thank you to my publisher, DCB Young Readers, for bringin Read more of this blog post »

1 like · Like • 0 comments • flag

Published on November 05, 2025 09:16 • Tags: caroline-clarke-illustrator, dcb-young-readers, philippa-dowding, the-love-song-of-mr-byrd

View all 170 posts »

Series by Philippa Dowding

Weird Stories Gone Wrong (4 books)
by

Philippa Dowding (Goodreads Author)

4.08 avg rating — 214 ratings

Lost Gargoyle (3 books)
by

Philippa Dowding (Goodreads Author)

4.09 avg rating — 200 ratings

Philippa is Currently Reading

Philippa Dowding is currently reading

What We Can Know

by Ian McEwan (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Dec 29, 2025 02:02PM

Philippa Dowding is currently reading

Pick a Color

by Souvankham Thammavongsa

bookshelves: currently-reading

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Dec 29, 2025 02:01PM

Philippa Dowding is currently reading

Rogue Protocol (The Murderbot Diaries, #3)

by Martha Wells (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Feb 13, 2025 08:55AM

rss
Philippa’s Recent Updates

Philippa Dowding rated a book it was amazing Weird Stories Gone Wrong 2-Book Bundle: Jake and the Giant Hand / Myles and the Monster Outside by Philippa Dowding (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jan 11, 2026 08:00PM · like
Philippa Dowding rated a book it was amazing Book of Lives: A Memoir of Sorts by Margaret Atwood (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
What a feat, to write a memoir of one's life with a career like Margaret Atwood's. Moving, revelatory, fascinating, expansive, a balance of both the gentle and the ferocious, and in true Atwood style, fittingly sly (who writes a tome of 599 pages, th ...more
Jan 03, 2026 09:33AM · 2 likes · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Book of Lives by Margaret Atwood. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Book of Lives by Margaret Atwood <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Philippa Dowding rated a book really liked it Prophet Song by Paul Lynch (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
A gut-wrench of a present-day dystopia in which a wealthy western, democratic country slides overnight into political anarchy and war. Eilish's husband vanishes, then she becomes a mother alone, in charge of a family in modern wartime, with four chil ...more
Jan 01, 2026 02:10PM · 3 likes · like · see review
Philippa Dowding is currently reading What We Can Know by Ian McEwan (Goodreads Author) Goodreads Choice Awards Nominee in Readers' Favorite Fiction	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Dec 29, 2025 02:02PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of What We Can Know by Ian McEwan. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — What We Can Know by Ian McEwan <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Philippa Dowding is currently reading Pick a Color by Souvankham Thammavongsa	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Dec 29, 2025 02:01PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Pick a Color by Souvankham Thammavongsa. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Pick a Color by Souvankham Thammavongsa <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Philippa Dowding rated a book it was amazing Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Dec 29, 2025 01:59PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Philippa Dowding finished reading Beast by Richard Van Camp (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Dec 16, 2025 05:49AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Beast by Richard Van Camp. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Beast by Richard Van Camp <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Philippa Dowding is currently reading Beast by Richard Van Camp (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Dec 10, 2025 08:57AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Beast by Richard Van Camp. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Beast by Richard Van Camp <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Philippa Dowding is currently reading Book of Lives: A Memoir of Sorts by Margaret Atwood (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Dec 08, 2025 08:26AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Book of Lives by Margaret Atwood. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Book of Lives by Margaret Atwood <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Philippa Dowding is now following Monica Kulling's reviews
Dec 01, 2025 02:26PM · like

More of Philippa's books…

Quotes by Philippa Dowding (?)

“You -have- to love your monster.”
― Philippa Dowding, Everton Miles Is Stranger Than Me: The Night Flyer's Handbook

tags: antagonist, authors, evilness, monster, monsters, psychology, psychopath, villian, writing, writing-inspiration

10 likes

Topics Mentioning This Author

topics	posts	views	last activity
Cozy Mysteries : 2016 Spring Challenge	135	174	Jun 23, 2016 10:25AM
Crazy Challenge C...: A-Z Characters Male - 2015	119	100	Nov 12, 2016 07:41PM
NetGalley Readers: Books read in 2016 - Target 50,000	1059	431	Jan 12, 2017 01:11PM
Crazy Challenge C...: 2016 Namedroppers	283	216	May 10, 2017 08:37AM
Crazy Challenge C...: A-Z Locations Challenge 2015	126	127	Jul 28, 2017 05:26PM

More…

Philippa’s Quotes

“If I had my life to live over again, I would focus on the getting and eating of ice cream.”
― Bob Odenkirk, A Load of Hooey

6 likes

“I have spent a good many years since―too many, I think―being ashamed about what I write. I think I was forty before I realized that almost every writer of fiction or poetry who has ever published a line has been accused by someone of wasting his or her God-given talent. If you write (or paint or dance or sculpt or sing, I suppose), someone will try to make you feel lousy about it, that's all.”
― Stephen King, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft

tags: critics, writing, writing-life

350 likes

“I've been all over the world and I've never seen a statue of a critic.”
― Leonard Bernstein

tags: creativity, criticism, critics

77 likes

“Genius is more often found in a cracked pot than in a whole one.”
― E.B. White

237 likes

“You -have- to love your monster.”
― Philippa Dowding, Everton Miles Is Stranger Than Me: The Night Flyer's Handbook

tags: antagonist, authors, evilness, monster, monsters, psychology, psychopath, villian, writing, writing-inspiration

10 likes

More of Philippa’s quotes…

Philippa’s Friend Comments

Comments (showing 1-1) post a comment »

date

newest »

message 1: by Kristin

Mar 22, 2017 08:06PM

Hi Philippa,
Hope all is well in your world. I haven't fallen off the face of the earth; just left the social network. (It's been a year and a half already.) It wasn't a a healthy fit for me. New book coming out next spring. In the meantime, I'm honing my painting skills. Who knows? Perhaps I can become an illustrator. To catch up on my activity or to get in touch, please visit me at my website: www.kristinbutcher.com

reply | flag

Philippa’s Year In Books

Philippa Dowding’s Followers (68)

Add New
Videos

Philippa’s Bookshelves

Philippa’s Friends (80)

Philippa Dowding

Goodreads Author

Learn more
Ask the Author

Popular Answered Questions

Combine Editions
Philippa Dowding’s books

170 posts
Philippa Dowding's Blog

The BOOK TRAILER for The Love Song of Mr. Byrd

Series by Philippa Dowding

Philippa is Currently Reading

rss
Philippa’s Recent Updates

See a Problem?

Preview — Book of Lives by Margaret Atwood

See a Problem?

Preview — What We Can Know by Ian McEwan

See a Problem?

Preview — Pick a Color by Souvankham Thammavongsa

See a Problem?

Preview — Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan

See a Problem?

Preview — Beast by Richard Van Camp

See a Problem?

Preview — Beast by Richard Van Camp

See a Problem?

Preview — Book of Lives by Margaret Atwood

Topics Mentioning This Author

Philippa’s Quotes

Philippa’s Friend Comments

Philippa Dowding’s Followers (68)

Philippa Dowding

Goodreads Author

Popular Answered Questions

rssPhilippa’s Recent Updates

See a Problem?

Preview — Book of Lives by Margaret Atwood

See a Problem?

Preview — What We Can Know by Ian McEwan

See a Problem?

Preview — Pick a Color by Souvankham Thammavongsa

See a Problem?

Preview — Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan

See a Problem?

Preview — Beast by Richard Van Camp

See a Problem?

Preview — Beast by Richard Van Camp

See a Problem?

Preview — Book of Lives by Margaret Atwood

Topics Mentioning This Author

rss
Philippa’s Recent Updates