Gillian Avery facts for kids
Gillian Elise Avery (born September 30, 1926 – died January 31, 2016) was a British author. She wrote many books for children. She also studied the history of childhood education and children's books. In 1972, she won the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize for her book A Likely Lad. This book was even made into a TV show in 1990.
Gillian Avery's Life Story
Gillian Avery was born in Reigate, Surrey, England. She went to Dunottar School there. She started her career as a journalist for the Surrey Mirror newspaper. Later, she worked for Chambers's Encyclopaedia and Oxford University Press.
In 1952, she married A. O. J. Cockshut, who was a scholar of literature. They moved to Manchester together. In 1966, they returned to Oxford.
Gillian Avery wrote several books about the history of education and children's literature. This interest in history shows up in her own children's books. Her stories are often set in Victorian England.
Her first children's book was The Warden's Niece (1957). It's a funny adventure story. In the book, a girl named Maria runs away from her strict boarding school. She goes to live with her great-uncle. He is the head of an Oxford college. Maria wants to become a Professor of Greek. Her great-uncle is impressed by her goals and lets her stay. Maria then shows how good she is at research. She uncovers a hidden piece of history from the English Civil War.
Some characters from The Warden's Niece also appear in her other books. These include The Elephant War (1960) and The Italian Spring (1962). The Elephant War is about trying to stop the famous elephant Jumbo from being sold by the London Zoo to P. T. Barnum.
Besides winning the Guardian Prize for A Likely Lad, Gillian Avery was also recognized for other books. She was a runner-up three times for the Carnegie Medal. This award is given by the Library Association for the best children's book by a British writer. Her books The Warden's Niece (1957), The Greatest Gresham (1962), and A Likely Lad (1971) were all commended.
Gillian Avery passed away in January 2016. She was 89 years old.
Books by Gillian Avery
Gillian Avery wrote many books for young readers. She also wrote non-fiction books about history.
- Children's Books
- The Warden's Niece (1957) ‡
- Trespassers at Charlcote (1958)
- James Without Thomas (1959)
- The Elephant War (1960), illustrated by John Verney ‡
- To Tame a Sister (1961), illustrated by John Verney
- The Greatest Gresham (1962)
- The Peacock House (1963)
- The Italian Spring (1964), illustrated by John Verney ‡
- Call of the Valley (1968)
- A Likely Lad (1971), illustrated by Faith Jaques
- Ellen's Birthday (1971)
- Ellen and the Queen (1972), illustrated by Krystyna Turska
- Huck and her Time Machine (1977)
- Mouldy's Orphan (1978), illustrated by Faith Jaques
- ‡ The Warden's Niece and its follow-up books, The Elephant War and The Italian Spring, were published in the U.S. several years after they first came out in the UK. The first and third books were later re-released with new titles: Maria Escapes (1992) and Maria's Italian Spring (1993).
- A famous reviewer named Naomi Lewis wrote about The Elephant War. She said it was "the fourth of this author's witty and exhilarating stories about children and their elders living in Victorian Oxfordshire." She also mentioned that "the dialogue alone would make them a pleasure to read."
- Non-fiction Books
- Mrs Ewing (1961) — This book is about another author named Juliana Horatia Ewing.
- Childhood's Pattern: A Study of the Heroes and Heroines of Children's Fiction, 1770–1950 (1975)
- The Best Type of Girl: A History of Girls' Independent Schools (1991)
- Behold the Child: American Children and Their Books, 1621–1922 (1994)
- Cheltenham Ladies: An Illustrated History of the Cheltenham Ladies' College (2003)
