Margaret McDonald (writer)

Author Margaret McDonald

Margaret McDonald is a Scottish author who lives in Glasgow. In 2025, she became the youngest winner of the Carnegie Medal for Writing for her young adult novel Glasgow Boys.

Early life and education

Margaret McDonald was born in Glasgow, Scotland.[1] She was raised in East Kilbride, South Lanarkshire.[2] She is from a working-class background and her family speaks Scots.[3]

McDonald became passionate about creative writing through writing fan fiction and short stories as a teenager.[2] She went on to graduate from the University of Strathclyde with a Bachelor's degree in Creative Writing with English, followed by a Master's degree in English Literature from the University of Glasgow.[4][5]

Career

McDonald began writing her debut novel Glasgow Boys in 2017 while recovering from an operation related to her Crohn's disease.[6] She began to work seriously on the novel after graduating from the University of Strathclyde in July 2020; the Covid-19 lockdown was underway, and McDonald used the time to focus on her writing as she was shielding due to being high-risk.[2] She contacted approximately 60 agents before finding representation.[6]

Glasgow Boys was published by Faber & Faber in 2024. It won McDonald the Carnegie Medal for Writing, making her, at 27 years old, its youngest ever winner. She donated her £5000 winnings to Action for Children.[7] She also won the Branford Boase Award and UKLA Book Award that year, and was shortlisted for the YA Book Prize and the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize.[8][9][10]

McDonald's upcoming novel is about four friends volunteering at a summer Bible camp.[11] It is set in the Scottish Highlands.[12][13]

McDonald has previously worked in the NHS as a vaccine assistant and administrative assistant.[2][14]

References

  1. ↑ "The Carnegies". Retrieved 2026-03-05.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Interview with Margaret McDonald, Carnegie and Branford Boase winner". ALCS. Retrieved 2026-03-05.
  3. ↑ Tarczynska, Ida (2024-04-25). "Glasgow Boys by Margaret McDonald". Books from Scotland. Retrieved 2026-03-05.
  4. ↑ "Author: Margaret McDonald". Scottish Book Trust. Retrieved 2026-03-05.
  5. ↑ Connell, Sarah (2023-08-29). "Faber to publish coming-of-age debut from Margaret McDonald". Faber. Archived from the original on 2024-08-14. Retrieved 2026-03-05.
  6. 1 2 "'My award-winning book was ignored by 60 agents'". BBC News. 2025-06-29. Retrieved 2026-03-05.
  7. ↑ Creamer, Ella (2025-06-19). "Carnegie medal for writing: Margaret McDonald named youngest ever winner". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2026-03-05.
  8. ↑ amy.penrose@publishingscotland.org (2025-07-10). "Margaret McDonald and her editors win 2025 Branford Boase Award". Publishing Scotland. Retrieved 2026-03-08.
  9. ↑ June 2025, LoveReading4Kids | 12th. "YA Book Prize 2025 Announces 2025 Shortlist". www.lovereading4kids.co.uk. Retrieved 2026-04-09.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  10. ↑ "Waterstones Children's Book Prize 2025 shortlist revealed". The Bookseller. Retrieved 2026-04-09.
  11. ↑ "Books of my Life by Margaret McDonald". University of Glasgow. Retrieved 2026-03-05.
  12. ↑ Canning, Rosie (2024-06-22). "A Conversation with Margaret McDonald". Orphans & Care Experience in Literature. Retrieved 2026-03-05.
  13. ↑ "Margaret McDonald discusses debut novel Glasgow Boys". The Bookseller. Retrieved 2026-04-09.
  14. ↑ Northridge, Jessica (2025-04-01). "Margaret McDonald: The Author Behind 'Glasgow Boys'". Glasgow Guardian. Retrieved 2026-03-01.
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