Francesca Simon facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Francesca Simon
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|---|---|
| Born |
Francesca Isabella Simon
23 February 1955 St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
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| Nationality | British |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Years active | 1963–present |
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Notable work
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Horrid Henry Evil Evie |
| Children | 1 |
| Parent(s) |
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| Relatives | Anne Simon (sister) |
| Writing career | |
| Genre | Children's literature |
Francesca Isabella Simon (born 23 February 1955) is a British author. She lives in North London. She is most famous for writing the popular Horrid Henry book series. She also wrote the Evil Evie series.
Francesca is the daughter of Mayo Simon, who was a screenwriter and playwright.
Contents
About Francesca Simon
Francesca Simon was born in St. Louis, Missouri, in the U.S. She grew up in California. She went to Yale and Jesus College, Oxford. There, she studied old languages and history from the Middle Ages.
Before becoming a full-time writer, Simon worked as a journalist. She wrote for several newspapers and magazines. She is married to Martin Stamp, and they have a son named Joshua, who was born in 1989.
How Horrid Henry Began
Francesca got the idea for the Horrid Henry books from a friend. Her friend asked her to write a story about a really naughty child. Francesca also wanted to write about brothers and sisters who don't always get along. She thought about families where one child is seen as "perfect" and the other as "horrid."
Many of the Horrid Henry stories came from things that happened in Francesca's own life. She used ideas from her childhood and from people she knew. She also used her amazing imagination to create Henry's adventures.
Her Writing Career
Francesca Simon was inspired to write by another author named Anthony Trollope. She started writing children's books full-time in 1989. She is now one of the UK's most successful children's writers.
She has published over 50 different books. Her most popular series, Horrid Henry, has sold more than 25 million copies! These books have been translated into 24 different languages around the world.
Francesca lives in London with her husband, Martin. Their dog, a Tibetan spaniel named Shanti, was even featured in one of her stories. Francesca wrote a short story called "Shanti" for a book called Paws and Whiskers in 2014. This book was put together by another famous author, Jacqueline Wilson.
In 2019, the Royal Opera House created an opera based on Francesca's book The Monstrous Child. This story is about Hel, a Norse god of the dead, who is shown as an angry teenager. Francesca wrote the words for the opera herself.
Her Books
- Horrid Henry series (1994 to 2019): These books were drawn by Tony Ross and published by Orion Books.
- In 2014, the Horrid Henry series was considered for the Guardian Prize.
Awards and Recognition
In 2008, Francesca Simon won a special award called the British Book Award. She won "The Children's Book of the Year" for her book Horrid Henry and the Abominable Snowman. She was the first American writer to win this award.
In 2023, Francesca Simon was given an important honor. She was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE). This award recognized her great contributions to literature.
