Annalena McAfee facts for kids

Annalena McAfee, born around 1952, is a British writer. She writes books for children and also works as a journalist. In 2018, she became a member of the Royal Society of Literature. This is a special group for writers.

About Annalena McAfee

Early Life and Career

Annalena McAfee was born in 1952 in London, England. Her parents were from Glasgow, Scotland. She went to Essex University for her education.

McAfee has been a judge for many important awards. In 2003, she helped choose the winner of the Orange Prize for Fiction. This is a big award for books in the UK. She also judged awards for arts, political writing, and photography. She has spoken at book festivals too, like in Prague and Hay-on-Wye. In 2008, she was a judge for the Orwell Prize. This award is for political writing.

Before becoming a full-time writer, McAfee worked as an editor. From 1999 to 2006, she edited the Guardian Review. This was a special section of The Guardian newspaper. She also wrote about books for the Financial Times. And she was a theatre critic for the Evening Standard newspaper.

Her Books

Annalena McAfee has written several books for children. Some of her children's books have been translated. You can find them in French, German, and Dutch.

Her first novel for adults was called The Spoiler. It came out in 2011. Reviewers said it had funny and clever scenes. They also noted how she mixed humor with observations.

McAfee's second novel for adults was Hame (2017). People described it as a rich and playful story. It explored ideas about identity. It also looked at how people connect to places or other people.

Her next novel, Nightshade, was published in 2020. Readers found the ending exciting and satisfying. The questions in Nightshade kept people thinking.

McAfee also put together a book called Lives and Works (2002). This book is a collection of profiles. These profiles were originally published in The Guardian.

Personal Life

Annalena McAfee married the British novelist Ian McEwan in 1997. They first met in 1994. McAfee was interviewing him for an article in the Financial Times.

Selected Works

Novels for Adults

• The Spoiler (2011)
• Hame (2017)
• Nightshade (2020)

Books for Young Readers

• Kirsty Knows Best, illustrated by Anthony Browne (1987)
• The Girl Who Got to No. 1 (1991)
• Why Do Stars Come Out at Night?, illustrated by Anthony Lewis (1997)
• Dreamkidz and the Ice Cream that Conquered the World , illustrated by Tony Ross (1998)
• Busy Baby (1999)
• All the Way to the Stars (1995)
• The Visitors Who Came to Stay, illustrated by Anthony Browne (Walker, 2000, ISBN: 9780744567731) – This book won the Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis.
• Patrick's Perfect Pet, illustrated by Arthur Robins (2002)

See also

In Spanish: Annalena McAfee para niños