Aidan Chambers facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Aidan Chambers
|
|
|---|---|
Chambers in 2012
|
|
| Born | 27 December 1934 Chester-le-Street, County Durham, England |
| Died | 11 May 2025 (aged 90) |
| Occupation |
|
| 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.
Contents
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:
- 1982: Eleanor Farjeon Award (shared with his wife, Nancy).
- 2002: Hans Christian Andersen Award. This is a very special international award for his entire body of work.
- 2009: He was chosen as a Fellow of the Royal Society of 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)
