Jennifer Rowe facts for kids

Jennifer June Rowe (born 2 April 1948) is a famous Australian author. She writes exciting crime fiction books for adults. For her popular children's fiction books, she uses the pen names Emily Rodda and Mary-Anne Dickinson.

She is best known for her amazing children's fantasy series. These include Deltora Quest, Rowan of Rin, Fairy Realm, and Teen Power Inc.. She also wrote The Three Doors trilogy and His Name Was Walter. Her adult crime books feature characters like Verity Birdwood and Tessa Vance.

About Jennifer Rowe

Early Life and Education

Jennifer Rowe was born in Sydney, Australia, on 2 April 1948. She grew up in Sydney with her two younger brothers. Her father, Jim Oswin, helped start a TV station called ATN7. He was involved in creating popular TV shows in the 1960s.

Jennifer went to Abbotsleigh School for Girls. Later, she studied at the University of Sydney. In 1973, she earned her Masters of Arts degree in English Literature.

Becoming an Author

Jennifer Rowe's first job was as an assistant editor at a publishing company. She then worked at Angus and Robertson Publishers for 14 years. During this time, she became an editor, then a managing director, and finally a publisher.

While working in publishing, she started writing children's books. She used the pen name Emily Rodda, which was her grandmother's name. Her very first book, Something Special, came out in 1984. It won a major award, the Australian Children's Book Council Book of the Year. She has won this award a record six times!

From 1984 to 1992, Jennifer also worked as an editor for the Australian Women's Weekly magazine. She wrote her novels in her free time. In 1994, she decided to become a full-time writer.

Today, Jennifer lives in the Blue Mountains in New South Wales. She lives with her husband, Bob Ryan, and their four children. She loves reading mystery novels. These stories inspire her to add puzzles and hidden clues to her own books.

Adult Crime Novels

Jennifer Rowe has written several murder mysteries for adults. These books are published under her own name. Some titles include Grim Pickings, Murder by the Book, and Death in Store. Grim Pickings was even made into an Australian TV mini-series.

She also wrote about Detective Tessa Vance in books like Suspect. These stories were used as episodes for the Australian TV show Murder Call. In 2011, she released a new mystery called "Love, Honour and O'Brien."

Emily Rodda's Children's Books

Jennifer Rowe is most famous for her children's books written as Emily Rodda. Her most popular series are Deltora Quest, Teen Power Inc., Fairy Realm, Star of Deltora, and Rowan of Rin.

The Deltora Quest Series

The Deltora Quest series is incredibly popular around the world. It has been published in many countries, including Japan, the United States, and the United Kingdom. More than 18 million copies of these books have been sold worldwide. In 2007, a Deltora Quest anime series was shown on Japanese television.

Other Popular Series

Another successful book is the 1990 science fiction novel Finders Keepers. This book was turned into a TV series called The Finder. The Teen Power Inc. series, also known as The Raven Hill Mysteries, is a mystery series. It follows six teenagers who solve mysteries together. Both of these series are written for young adults.

The Star of Deltora series is set in the same world as Deltora Quest and Rowan of Rin. It tells the story of a girl named Britta. She dreams of becoming a trader and sailing the nine seas. The first book, Shadows of the Master, was released in 2015. The final book, The Hungry Isle, came out in 2016.

Emily Rodda has also written other children's fantasy novels. The Shop at Hooper's Bend was released in 2017. Her book His Name Was Walter came out in 2018.

Awards and Recognition

Jennifer Rowe has won many awards for her writing. Here are some of them:

• 1985 – Children's Book Council of Australia (CBCA): Junior Book of the Year – Something Special
• 1987 – CBCA: Junior Book of the Year – Pigs Might Fly
• 1989 – CBCA: Book of the Year for Younger Readers – The Best-Kept Secret
• 1991 – CBCA: Book of the Year for Younger Readers – Finders Keepers
• 1994 – CBCA: Book of the Year for Younger Readers – Rowan of Rin
• 1995 – The Dromkeen Medal
• 1997 – CBCA: Honour Book for Younger Readers – Rowan and the Keeper of the Crystal
• 1999 – Dymock's Children's Choice Awards: Favourite Australian Younger Reader Book – Rowan of Rin Series
• 2000 – COOL Awards Fiction for Younger Readers Award for Bob The Builder and the Elves
• 2002 – KOALA award (NSW children's choice) – Deltora Quest series
• 2002 – Aurealis Awards: Peter McNamara Convenors' Award – Deltora Quest series
• 2002 – WA Young Reader's Book Awards: Most Popular Book – Deltora Quest – The Forests of Silence
• 2003 – YABBA award (VIC children's choice) – Deltora Quest 2
• 2003 – COOL Awards Fiction for Younger Readers Award for the Deltora Quest 2 series
• 2004 – COOL Awards Fiction for Younger Readers Award for the Deltora Quest 3 series
• 2008 – Aurealis Awards Best Children's Novel for The Wizard of Rondo
• 2012 – Children's Book of the Year Award: Younger Readers, honour, for The Golden Door
• 2013 – KOALA Award Fiction for young readers, winner, for The Golden Door
• 2014 – KOALA Award Fiction for young readers, honour, for The Third Door
• 2018 – The Goodest Prize – The Shop at Hoopers Bend
• 2019 – Companion of the Order of Australia for services to literature
• 2019 – CBCA: Book of the Year for Younger Readers – His Name Was Walter
• 2019 – Prime Minister's Literary Award for Children's literature – His Name Was Walter