Gillian Cross facts for kids

Gillian Cross, born on December 24, 1945, is a British author who writes exciting books for children. She is famous for her book Wolf, which won the important Carnegie Medal in 1990. She also won the 1992 Whitbread Children's Book Award for The Great Elephant Chase. Many kids know her best for the popular The Demon Headmaster book series. These books were so popular that the BBC turned them into a TV show in 1996, and a new series came out in 2019.

About Gillian Cross

Early Life and Education

Gillian Clare Arnold was born in London, England, on December 24, 1945. Her parents were James Eric and Joan Emma Arnold. As a young girl, she went to the North London Collegiate School.

She later went to Somerville College, Oxford, a famous university. She earned her first degree there in 1969. She continued her studies and received another degree from Oxford in 1972. In 1974, she earned a special advanced degree called a Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Sussex.

Gillian Cross married Martin Cross on May 10, 1967. They have four children together.

Becoming an Author

Before she became a full-time writer, Gillian Cross had many different jobs. For example, she worked as an assistant for a Member of Parliament, who is someone elected to help run the country.

In 1979, she published her very first book, called The Runaway. Just three years later, in 1982, she started her well-known The Demon Headmaster series. This series grew to include eight books, with the last one published in 2019. In 1982, she also wrote The Dark Behind the Curtain, a spooky story. This book was highly praised for the 1982 Carnegie Medal. This award celebrates the best children's book by a British author each year.

Her book A Map of Nowhere, published in 1988, was also highly praised for the Carnegie Medal. Then, in 1990, she finally won the Carnegie Medal for her book Wolf. This book was also a runner-up for another award, the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize, in 1991.

In 2014, Gillian Cross became a supporter of a charity called Cord. This charity works to help people in places like Sudan. Their work inspired her to write her novel After Tomorrow.

Gillian Cross has also been involved in local politics. In the 2024 Dorset Council election, she ran as a candidate for the Labour Party in the Beacon area.

Awards and Recognitions

Gillian Cross's books have won many awards and have been recognized for their quality.

• Three of her books were chosen by the Junior Library Guild. These include The Great American Elephant Chase (1995), New World (1995), and Pictures in the Dark (1997).
• The Horn Book Magazine, a well-known magazine about children's literature, listed two of her books as the best fiction of the year: Roscoe’s Leap (1987) and The Great American Elephant Chase (1993).

Major Awards for Her Books