Maggie Hartley

Author

Maggie Hartley is the pen name of a British foster carer whose bestselling memoirs chronicle her experiences caring for vulnerable children. Writing under a pseudonym to protect the privacy of the children and families she works with, Hartley has published numerous books that offer an honest, compassionate, and often heartbreaking window... into the world of foster care. Hartley has been a foster carer for over twenty years, taking in babies, toddlers, and older children, many of whom have experienced abuse, neglect, or trauma. Her books tell the stories of individual children — with details changed to protect identities — from their arrival in her care through the challenges and breakthroughs of their time with her. Her books include Tiny Prisoners, Too Scared to Cry, The Little Ghost Girl, A Family for Christmas, Battered Broken Healed, Sold to Be a Wife, Denied a Mummy, and many more. Each book focuses on a different child or sibling group, exploring the specific circumstances that brought them into care and the often difficult process of building trust, addressing trauma, and finding permanence — whether through reunification with birth families, long-term fostering, or adoption. Hartley's writing is warm, direct, and emotionally honest. She does not shy away from the difficult realities of the children's experiences, but her books are ultimately hopeful — focused on resilience, healing, and the transformative power of patient, loving care. She also writes candidly about the emotional toll fostering takes on carers themselves and the complexities of working within the care system. The audiobook editions of Hartley's memoirs are deeply moving listens, with narrators conveying the emotional weight and warmth of these stories. Her books and audiobooks are important reading for anyone interested in the realities of foster care — and they are a tribute to the resilience of children and the people who open their homes to them. Read more Show less