Oisín McGann facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Oisín McGann
Guest at Octocon, Ireland
Born	Oisín McGann 1973 Ireland
Occupation	Writer, illustrator
Nationality	Irish

Oisín McGann (born in 1973) is an Irish writer and artist. He writes exciting stories for children and teenagers. His books are often in the science fiction and fantasy styles. Oisín also draws pictures for many of his own short story books. These books are usually for younger readers. His latest book, released before September 2022, is about climate change.

About Oisín McGann

Oisín McGann was born in Dublin, Ireland, in 1973. He grew up mostly in Dublin and Drogheda, County Louth. From a young age, he loved writing and drawing.

Early Life and Career

In 1990, Oisín studied art at Ballyfermot Senior College in Dublin. He then joined a course in animation in 1991. But he left college in 1992 to work as a freelance artist.

Later, in 1997, he became a Background Layout Designer for Fred Wolf films. In 1998, he moved to London. There, he worked in an advertising company for over four years. He was an art director and copywriter.

After that, he came back to Ireland. He first worked as a freelance illustrator. Now, he is a full-time author and illustrator. Oisín is married and has three children.

Oisín McGann's Books

Oisín McGann started his publishing journey in 2003. His first books were part of the Mad Grandad series. These were for younger readers.

First Books and Series

The Mad Grandad books were released by O'Brien Press in Dublin. In 2004, his first book for young adults came out. It was called The Gods and their Machines. More Mad Grandad books followed soon after.

He also wrote two more young adult novels. These were The Harvest Tide Project and Under Fragile Stone. Together, these books are known as the Archisan Tales. The Harvest Tide Project was actually the first novel Oisín wrote. But his publishers decided to release The Gods and their Machines first.

New Adventures in Reading

In 2006, a new illustrated book series began. It was called the Forbidden Files. These books were for kids who liked to read a lot. In the same year, Random House bought the rights to publish his next book. This book was a futuristic thriller called Small-Minded Giants.

In May 2007, Small-Minded Giants was recommended. It was on a special list of Top 160 Books For Boys in the UK. This list was made by the Education Secretary and the School Library Association. In November 2010, a part of Small-Minded Giants was used. It was in an English exam paper in Northern Ireland.

More Exciting Stories

Since 2006, Oisín has continued to publish with Random House. In July 2007, he released Ancient Appetites. This was a steampunk story set in Ireland in the 1800s. It was the first book in his Wildenstern Saga series.

Strangled Silence, a mystery story set in London, came out in September 2008. The second Wildenstern Saga book, The Wisdom of Dead Men, was published in 2009. The third book in the series, Merciless Reason, was released in March 2012.

In 2012, he wrote a young children's book. It was called "The Wolfling's Bite". This book was part of "The Nightmare Club" series. He wrote it under the name "Annie Graves". His novel, Rat-Runners, came out in March 2013. It is a crime thriller set in a future world with lots of cameras. In 2014, he wrote two more novels. These were "War's Harvest" and "Cruel Salvation". They were written to go along with the online game "Kings of the Realm".

Awards and Recognition

Oisín McGann's books have won many awards. These awards show how much people enjoy his stories.

• 2005: The Gods and Their Machines won a Bisto Children's Book of the Year Merit Award.
• 2005: The Gods and Their Machines and The Harvest Tide Project were both chosen for the Reading Association of Ireland Award. This was the first time an author had two books on the same list.
• 2006: The Gods And Their Machines was chosen for Locus Magazine's Best First Novel Award in the United States.
• 2006: Under Fragile Stone was chosen for the Bisto Children's Book of the Year Award.
• 2008: Ancient Appetites was chosen for the Waterstone's Children's Book of the Year Award.
• 2008: Small-Minded Giants was chosen for the Coventry Inspiration Book Award.
• 2009: Strangled Silence was chosen for Falkirk Council's 2010 RED Book Award.
• 2011: The French version of Ancient Appetites, called Voraces, was chosen for le Grand Prix de l'Imaginaire.
• 2011: Voraces was also chosen for the Prix Imaginales 2011.
• 2012: Voraces was chosen for les Mordus du Polar. This is a French award for mystery stories.
• 2012: "The Wildenstern Saga" series was chosen for the Grand Prix de l'Imaginaire.
• 2012: "The Wolfling’s Bite" was chosen for a special reading program. This was part of the UNESCO Dublin City of Literature.
• 2014: "Rat Runners" was chosen for Falkirk Council's 2015 RED Book Award.
• 2014: Oisín McGann won the European Science Fiction Society Award. This award is for the Best Creator of Children's Science Fiction and Fantasy Books.
• 2014: The book "Stories of WW1" included Oisín's story, "The Murder Machine". This book was chosen for a program to help kids enjoy reading.
• 2015: The book "Beyond the Stars" included Oisín's story, "Across the Cold Ground". He also drew pictures for it. This book was chosen for the CBI Book of the Year Award.
• 2015: The book "Once Upon a Place" included Oisín's story, "Stream Time". This book was chosen for the Bord Gáis Energy Irish Book Awards.
• 2015: The Centre for Literacy in Primary Education chose "Once Upon a Place" as one of their best books of the year.