Geraldine McCaughrean facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Geraldine McCaughrean
Born	Geraldine Jones (1951-06-06) June 6, 1951 (age 74) London, England
Occupation	Author of children's books
Notable awards	Whitbread Award for Children's Book (1987, 1994, 1996, 2004) Carnegie Medal (1988, 2018) Guardian Children's Fiction Prize (1989) Blue Peter Book Award (2000, 2001) Michael L. Printz Award (2008)
Spouse	John McCaughrean
Children	1

Geraldine McCaughrean (/məˈkɔːkrən/ mə-KAWK-rən; born 6 June 1951) is a British author who writes books for children. She has written over 170 books. One of her most famous works is Peter Pan in Scarlet (2004). This book is the official sequel to Peter Pan. It was specially asked for by Great Ormond Street Hospital, which owns the rights to Peter Pan.

McCaughrean's books have been translated into 44 different languages around the world. She has won many important awards for her writing. These include the Carnegie Medal (which she won twice) and the Michael L. Printz Award.

About Geraldine McCaughrean

Early Life and Education

Geraldine McCaughrean was born on June 6, 1951, in London, England. She was the youngest of three children. She grew up in North London.

She studied at Southgate Technical College and later at Christ Church College, Canterbury. She earned a degree in education in 1977.

Family Life

Geraldine McCaughrean is married to John McCaughrean. They have one daughter named Ailsa.

Her Writing Career

Becoming an Author

Even though Geraldine McCaughrean studied teaching, she discovered that her real passion was writing. She says she loves writing because it lets her escape into different worlds. Her advice for writers is: "Don't write about what you know, write about what you want to know."

Retelling Classic Stories

McCaughrean has written many books that retell classic stories for younger readers. Some of these include famous tales like The Odyssey, El Cid, The Canterbury Tales, The Pilgrim's Progress, Moby Dick, One Thousand and One Arabian Nights, and Gilgamesh. She makes these old stories exciting and easy to understand for kids.

The Peter Pan Sequel

The author J. M. Barrie gave all the rights to his famous story Peter Pan to Great Ormond Street Hospital in 1929. In 2004, to celebrate 100 years of Peter Pan, the hospital held a competition. They wanted to find someone to write an official sequel.

Geraldine McCaughrean won this competition! She sent in a summary of her idea and a sample chapter. Her sequel, Peter Pan in Scarlet, was released around the world on October 5, 2006. It was published by Oxford University Press in the UK and Simon & Schuster in the US.

Other Popular Books

Besides Peter Pan in Scarlet, McCaughrean has written many other popular children's books. These include The Kite Rider, The Stones Are Hatching, and Plundering Paradise. Her stories often take readers on exciting adventures to different times and places.

Awards and Recognitions

Geraldine McCaughrean has received many awards for her amazing contributions to children's literature.

In 2004, she was nominated by Britain for the Hans Christian Andersen Award. This is a very important international award for children's book creators. She was also made an Honorary Fellow of Canterbury Christ Church University in 2006. In 2010, she became a Fellow of the English Association and the Royal Society of Literature.

Several of McCaughrean's books have been chosen as Junior Library Guild selections. These include Not the End of the World (2005), The White Darkness (2007), The Glorious Adventures of the Sunshine Queen (2011), and Where the World Ends (2020).

In 2002, The Horn Book Magazine listed The Kite Rider as one of the best children's fiction books of the year. In 2020, Booklist included Where the World Ends on their "Top 10 Historical Fiction for Youth" list.