Kevin Crossley-Holland facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Kevin Crossley-Holland
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Crossley-Holland in 2012
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| Born | 7 February 1941 Mursley, Buckinghamshire, England |
| Occupation | Translator, poet, author |
| Alma mater | St Edmund Hall, Oxford |
| Genre | Fiction |
| Notable works | Arthur Trilogy |
Kevin Crossley-Holland (born 7 February 1941) is a famous English writer. He writes many kinds of books, including books for children, poems, and translations. He is probably best known for his exciting Arthur trilogy of books. These books won important awards, like the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize.
Kevin Crossley-Holland also won the special Carnegie Medal for his short novel called Storm in 1985. This award is given to the best children's book published in the UK. Later, for the Medal's 70th birthday, Storm was chosen as one of the top ten winning books ever!
About Kevin Crossley-Holland
Kevin Crossley-Holland was born in a small village called Mursley in England. He grew up in another village called Whiteleaf. His dad, Peter Crossley-Holland, was a composer (someone who writes music). His mom, Joan Crossley-Holland, was an artist who made pottery.
He went to Bryanston School and then to St Edmund Hall, Oxford, which is part of Oxford University. At first, he found his studies hard. But then he discovered a love for old English writings, especially from the Anglo-Saxon times.
His Writing Journey
After college, Kevin Crossley-Holland started working as an editor. He helped choose and prepare books for publishing companies like Macmillan. This helped him learn a lot about writing.
He is famous for his poems, novels, and story collections. He has also translated the very old English poem called Beowulf three times. This is a huge and important poem from long ago.
Many of his books, like the Arthur trilogy, tell old stories in a new way. He has also written books about Norse myths (stories from ancient Scandinavia) and folk tales from Britain and Ireland. One of his books, Bracelet of Bones, is an exciting Viking story.
Kevin Crossley-Holland has also written words for operas, which are plays set to music. He has worked with famous composers. He even wrote a play for the stage called The Wuffings.
Today, he lives on the coast of North Norfolk in England, where he spent some of his childhood. In 2012, he became the President of the School Library Association. This group helps school libraries.
The Arthur Trilogy
The Arthur trilogy is a very popular series of books by Kevin Crossley-Holland. It includes The Seeing Stone (published in 2000), At the Crossing-Places (2001), and King of the Middle March (2003). These books have been translated into 25 different languages!
In these books, Kevin Crossley-Holland tells the famous King Arthur legends in a fresh way. The story follows a medieval boy named Arthur. You see him grow from a young page (a servant to a knight) to a squire, and then finally to a knight.
As the medieval Arthur grows up, he faces challenges like getting engaged and inheriting land. He also has a special "Seeing Stone." Through this stone, he can watch the early life of the legendary King Arthur, who lived many hundreds of years before him. Their lives have some amazing similarities!
After the trilogy, Kevin Crossley-Holland wrote another book in 2006 called Gatty's Tale.
Awards and Recognition
Kevin Crossley-Holland has won many important awards for his books.
- He won the Carnegie Medal in 1985 for his book Storm. This is one of the top awards for children's books in the UK.
- For Arthur: The Seeing Stone, he won the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize. This is a special award judged by other children's writers.
- He also won the Tir na n-Og Award for The Seeing Stone. This award is for the best English-language book about Wales.
- The Seeing Stone was also a runner-up for the Smarties Prize and was shortlisted for the Whitbread Awards.
- His book Gatty's Tale was also shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal in 2008.
