Born
1969, Radlett, Hertfordshire
Died
November 28, 2022
Nationality
British
Genre
Children's Literature
Rachel Foakes (née Bladon) was a prolific writer of educational books, a committed activist and Labour town councillor who dedicated her life to education, community service and literature. Over her 30-year career, she wrote more than 80 books that reached tens of thousands of English students worldwide, while simultaneously serving her local community with extraordinary dedication.
Early Life and Education
Born in Radlett, Hertfordshire, Rachel was the daughter of Jennetta (née Kiddle), a Foreign Office secretary, and Stuart Bladon, a motoring journalist. She attended North London Collegiate School and then Somerville College, Oxford (1987-90), where she studied modern history. At Oxford, she developed her passion for the written word as news editor of Cherwell, the student newspaper, and was both sporty and cerebral, playing lacrosse for the university's second team, the Swifts.
Literary Career and Achievements
Fluent in French, Rachel began her career teaching English in Grenoble after Oxford. She returned to the UK to work in book publishing at Usborne Books and then at Heinemann's English Language Teaching Division. Her remarkable literary output included over 80 graded readers spanning all age groups, covering both non-fiction and retellings of modern and classic works. Her award-winning titles included "White Fang" (2008), "Mulan" (2017) and "The Life and Diaries of Anne Frank" (2018), all winners of the Extensive Reading Foundation Language Learner Literature award. In 2014, she became the series editor of the Oxford Bookworms Library, a role she described as having real "value." Her work was valued by readers worldwide, and she was guest speaker at the City of Westminster's Libraries Six Book Challenge in 2015.
Personal Life and Community Work
Rachel married Andrew Foakes in 1996 and they spent three years in Hong Kong, where he taught and she established herself as a freelance commissioning and managing editor. They travelled extensively in south-east Asia before returning to the UK. In 2016, the family - including their three children, Grace, Anna and Frank - moved to Chipping Norton in Oxfordshire. Rachel's deep commitment to her community became especially evident during the Covid-19 pandemic when she set up a "help your neighbour" scheme and volunteered as a vaccinator.
Political Service and Legacy
In 2021, Rachel was elected to the town council and a year later became its deputy mayor. She combined these duties - producing the council newsletter and setting up Saturday surgeries for residents - with volunteering as a teacher to Ukrainian families, while maintaining her full-time writing career and family life. Throughout her life, she combined practical action with a deep, caring intelligence. Rachel passed away unexpectedly on 28 November 2022, aged 53, and is survived by her husband Andrew, their three children, and her mother.
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