Jason Wallace facts for kids

Jason Wallace is a talented author who was born in 1969. He lives in South West London, England. He is best known for his book Out of Shadows, which won the Costa Children's Book of the Year award in 2010.

Early Life and Education

Jason Wallace was born in Cheltenham, a town in Gloucestershire, England. He comes from an interesting family background. One of his ancestors was Lord George Sanger, a famous circus owner from the Victorian era. Jason Wallace is also distantly related to the well-known author J.R.R. Tolkien, who wrote The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.

When Jason was young, he lived in London with his family. In 1983, his mother remarried, and the family moved to Zimbabwe. There, Jason attended Peterhouse Boys' School, which was a boarding school. By the time he was seventeen, he knew he wanted to be a writer. He understood it would be a difficult path, but he was determined.

As a child, Jason loved reading. He enjoyed comic books like The Adventures of Tintin and Asterix. He also liked authors such as Dr.Seuss and Richard Scarry. Some of his favorite books growing up were James and the Giant Peach and Danny the Champion of the World. Later, as a teenager and adult, he became a fan of authors like Stephen King and James Herbert.

His experiences at the boarding school in Zimbabwe were very important. This was shortly after the Zimbabwe War of Liberation (also known as the Rhodesian Bush War) had ended. These experiences became the inspiration for his first novel, Out of Shadows, which later won a major award.

Becoming an Author

Jason Wallace's journey to becoming a published author was not easy. He has shared that getting his books published "didn't happen overnight." He often had to work on his writing as a "second job" that didn't pay him, while still managing his daily life. Wallace believes his imagination has always been active. He also credits his school for helping him develop his desire to write, even through its strict rules.

About Out of Shadows

His first novel, Out of Shadows, was released on January 28, 2010, by Andersen Press. This book has gained a lot of attention around the world. Its rights have been sold to countries like the USA, Norway, Turkey, Brazil, and France. This success helped establish Jason Wallace as a well-known author.

It took Jason Wallace about a year and a half to write Out of Shadows. He wanted to write about what he saw and experienced while attending boarding school in Zimbabwe. This was a time when the political situation in Zimbabwe was becoming difficult. These events inspired him to create fictional stories based on what he was encountering. The characters in the book are not real people. However, they show the attitudes and personalities that "a very few people" held during that time. Wallace explained that he started writing Out of Shadows by asking himself, "What if...?" and then built the story from there.

In Out of Shadows, Wallace explores several important topics. These include bullying, racism, politics, and morality (what is right and wrong). The book is written for both adults and young readers aged 13 and older.

About Encounters

Jason Wallace's second novel is called Encounters. It was published on May 4, 2017, also by Andersen Press. This novel is also set in Zimbabwe. It was inspired by real events that happened there in the 1990s.

Personal Life

Jason Wallace currently lives in South West London, England.

Awards and Recognition

Jason Wallace has received several awards and honors for his writing:

• He was shortlisted for the Booktrust Teenage Prize in 2010.
• He was the WINNER of the Costa Book Awards for the Costa Book Award for Children's Book in 2010. The judges said it was "a stunning debut novel without a false note. Accomplished and powerful, it changes the way you think."
• He was the WINNER of the Branford Boase Award in 2011.
• He was shortlisted for the CILIP Carnegie Medal in 2011.
• He was the WINNER of the UKLA Children's Book Award in 2011.