29 Oct 2026
Harpenden journalist Charlotte Bateman, 25, has published her first children’s book, a Halloween baking mystery about a blind boy who solves clues using Braille. Released on Amazon this week, Alfie and the Code Bakers is raising money for two sight loss charities, with all royalties from the first week’s sales being donated. Here, Charlotte explains what inspired her to write it and why representation in children’s fiction matters.
Ever since I was little, I’ve loved reading. From Roald Dahl and Jacqueline Wilson t0 Harry Potter, I spent hours listening to audiobooks or reading Braille, completely absorbed in the adventures of my favourite characters.
But growing up blind, there was one thing I always wished for: a character like me.
On the rare occasions I encountered visually impaired characters, they often seemed to fall into one of two extremes: either helpless and dependent on others, or so extraordinarily capable that they were difficult to relate to. Then, as a teenager, I discovered Marcus Sedgwick’s She Is Not Invisible, a mystery with a blind girl at the heart of the action. It was one of the first positive portrayals that really stayed with me, and I couldn’t help wondering what reading something like that earlier might have done for my confidence.
As well as reading, I loved making up stories, and from a young age I dreamed of having a book of my own published.
But life took me down a slightly different writing path. At 18, I was accepted onto a journalism apprenticeship with Sky News.
I went on to become a junior reporter at MyLondon before moving into women’s magazines, writing about everything from miracle babies and rare health conditions to psychic mediums. I even interviewed a woman who claimed to be a witch, but that’s a story for another day.
Despite loving journalism, the idea of writing a children’s book never quite went away. So when I returned to freelancing in May 2025, I decided it was finally time to give it a go.
I enrolled on a children’s writing course with the Golden Egg Academy, and began turning that childhood dream into reality.
And now, Alfie and the Code Bakers, my first children’s book, is officially available on Amazon.
A spooky mystery adventure for children aged seven to 11, it follows Alfie, a 10-year-old blind boy who loves baking and can’t wait for Halloween. But when a mysterious Braille message appears on a biscuit from his favourite bakery, he and his two best friends find themselves racing to uncover a long-lost secret recipe before the bakery closes for good.
Readers can also join in the adventure with riddles, Braille puzzles and even recipes to try at home.
I wanted to write the kind of adventure I would have loved growing up. Alfie is like any other 10-year-old, funny, curious and still figuring things out.
His blindness is part of who he is, but it doesn’t define him. I also wanted sighted children to have fun learning about Braille without it feeling like a lesson.
When it came to publishing, I had a big decision to make. Several people suggested trying the traditional route, which I did consider, but with other career ambitions I want to pursue, I eventually decided self-publishing was the best option for me.
Finding a literary agent is incredibly competitive, and even if you’re successful, there’s no guarantee of securing a publishing deal. And if you do, it could still be another year or more before you’re holding a physical copy. I knew I didn’t want to wait that long.
It’s certainly been a learning curve. I’ve self-funded the project, working with a professional editor and designer, and there were moments when I wasn’t sure I’d manage to meet my target release date.
But holding the finished paperback in my hands for the first time made it all worthwhile.
To celebrate its launch, I’m donating all royalties from the first week’s sales to VICTA, which supports blind and partially sighted young people, and the Braillists Foundation, which promotes Braille literacy.
I hope sighted children will enjoy cracking the codes alongside Alfie, but most of all, I hope a visually impaired child somewhere will discover his story and realise they can be the hero of an adventure too.
Alfie and the Code Bakers is available now in paperback on Amazon.
