Jonathan Stroud facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jonathan Stroud
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Stroud at the Gothenburg Book Fair in 2016
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| Born | 27 October 1970 Bedford, England |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Nationality | British |
| Period | 1999–present |
| Genre | Children's fantasy |
Jonathan Stroud (born 27 October 1970) is a British writer who creates amazing fantasy fiction books. He is famous for his exciting series like the Bartimaeus books for young adults and the Lockwood & Co. series for children.
Many of his stories take place in a special version of London, where history is a bit different, and magic exists! His books are known for being funny and using magic to explore ideas about different social groups. The Bartimaeus series has won important awards, like the Grand Prix de l'Imaginaire and the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award. Jonathan Stroud's books are often listed among the best for children and young adults by the American Library Association. In 2020, Netflix announced they would make a TV show based on his Lockwood & Co. books, and filming started in 2021.
Contents
Jonathan Stroud's Life and Books
Jonathan Stroud was born in 1970 in Bedford, England. He started writing stories when he was very young. He grew up in St Albans and loved reading, drawing, and writing. He says that being sick between the ages of seven and nine made him love books even more. To avoid being bored, he spent his time reading and creating stories.
After studying English literature at the University of York, he worked as an editor for a publishing company in London. In the 1990s, he began publishing his own books and quickly became very successful.
The Bartimaeus Series
One of his most popular works is the Bartimaeus Trilogy. These books are known for their clever humor and how they use magic to talk about social classes. The story is told by Bartimaeus, a funny and a bit boastful djinni (a magical spirit). Through his eyes, Stroud looks at how magicians act and how they treat the magical creatures they control.
The books in this series were his first to be published in the United States. They include:
- The Amulet of Samarkand
- The Golem's Eye
- Ptolemy's Gate
- The Ring of Solomon (which tells a story that happened before the others)
The Lockwood & Co. Series
In 2013, the first book in the Lockwood & Co. series came out. This series is about a group of young ghost hunters in England, where ghosts are a big problem! The first book, Lockwood & Co.: The Screaming Staircase, was highly praised. Even famous author Rick Riordan called Stroud a "genius."
The second book, The Whispering Skull, was released in 2014. A third book, The Hollow Boy, was announced after Stroud held a competition asking readers to suggest a ghost for the story. The fourth book, The Creeping Shadow, was published in 2016, and the final book in the series, The Empty Grave, came out in 2017.
As mentioned, Netflix turned the Lockwood & Co. series into a TV show. Filming started in London in July 2021.
New Adventures: The Outlaws Scarlett and Browne
Jonathan Stroud also has a newer series called The Outlaws Scarlett and Browne. This series is about two brave outlaws and their exciting heists (big robberies). So far, there are two books in this series.
Jonathan Stroud's Personal Life
Jonathan Stroud lives in St Albans, Hertfordshire, with his wife, Gina, and their three children.
Awards and Recognitions
Jonathan Stroud's books have won many awards and have been recognized by various organizations for their excellence in children's and young adult literature.
His Bartimaeus series, especially The Amulet of Samarkand, The Golem's Eye, and Ptolemy's Gate, received honors from the American Library Association (ALA) for being notable books and audiobooks for young adults. The series also won the prestigious Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Children's Literature and the Grand Prix de l'Imaginaire for youth novels.
The Lockwood & Co. series also earned many awards. The Screaming Staircase won the Cybils Award for Speculative Fiction and the WeRead Prize. It was also a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize and nominated for the Carnegie Medal. Later books in the series, like The Empty Grave, also received recognition, including being named a Booklist Editors' Choice for Youth.
His other works, such as Heroes of the Valley, have also been listed among the ALA's Best Books for Young Adults.
See also
In Spanish: Jonathan Stroud para niños
