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Aidan Chambers
Chambers in 2012
Chambers in 2012
Born (1934-12-27)27 December 1934
Chester-le-Street, County Durham, England
Died 11 May 2025(2025-05-11) (aged 90)
Occupation
  • Author
  • editor
Period 1967–2020
Notable works
Notable awards
Spouse Nancy Chambers

Aidan Chambers (born December 27, 1934 – died May 11, 2025) was a British writer. He wrote many popular books for children and young adults. He won two major awards for his book Postcards from No Man's Land (1999). These were the British Carnegie Medal and the American Printz Award. In 2002, he also received the international Hans Christian Andersen Award. This award recognized his important and lasting contributions to children's literature.

Life and Writing Career

Early Life and Education

Aidan Chambers was born on December 27, 1934. His birthplace was near Chester-le-Street in County Durham, England. He was an only child. Interestingly, he found reading difficult when he was young. He did not learn to read well until he was nine years old.

After school, he spent two years in the Royal Navy. This was part of his national service. Later, he trained to be a teacher. He taught at Westcliff High School for Boys for three years. In 1960, he joined an Anglican monastery. His experiences as a monk partly inspired his young-adult novel Now I Know (1987).

Becoming a Writer

While he was still a teacher, Aidan Chambers started writing plays. His first plays included Johnny Salter (1966) and The Car (1968). He left the monastery in 1967. A year later, he became a full-time writer.

He wrote a series of six novels known as the "Dance sequence." These books were published between 1978 and 2005. They include Breaktime, Dance on My Grave, and Postcards from No Man's Land.

Aidan Chambers and his wife, Nancy, loved children's books. They started a company called Thimble Press. They also created a magazine called Signal. Their goal was to encourage reading and promote great books for young people. In 1982, they both won the Eleanor Farjeon Award. This award celebrates outstanding work for children's books. From 2003 to 2006, he was the president of the School Library Association.

Aidan Chambers passed away on May 11, 2025. He was 90 years old.

Awards and Recognition

Aidan Chambers received many important awards for his writing.

Major Book Awards

His novel Postcards from No Man's Land (1999) won two major book awards.

  • The Carnegie Medal: This British award recognizes the best children's book by a British author each year.
  • The Michael L. Printz Award: This American award is specifically for young-adult literature.

Other Honours

He also received several other awards and honours for his contributions to literature:

Books by Aidan Chambers

Novels for Young Adults

  • Cycle Smash (1967)
  • Marle (1968)
  • Snake River (1975)
  • Breaktime (1978)
  • Dance on My Grave (1982)
  • Now I Know (1987)
  • The Toll Bridge (1992)
  • Postcards from No Man's Land (1999)
  • This is All: The Pillow Book of Cordelia Kenn (2005)
  • Dying to Know You (2012)

Novels for Children

  • Seal Secret (1980)
  • The Present Takers (1984)

Aidan Chambers also put together and edited many other children's books. Some of these books were about ghosts.

Short Stories

  • The Kissing Game: Short Stories of Defiance and Flash Fictions (2011)

Books on Reading and Education

  • Introducing Books to Children (1973)
  • Tell Me: Children, Reading and Talk (1993)
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