Peter Dickinson facts for kids

Peter Malcolm de Brissac Dickinson (OBE FRSL; born 16 December 1927 – died 16 December 2015) was a British author and poet. He was well-known for his exciting children's books and clever detective stories.

Peter Dickinson won the important Carnegie Medal twice. He received it for his books Tulku (1979) and City of Gold (1980). This award recognizes the best children's book by a British subject each year. He is one of only eight writers to win this award more than once. He was also a finalist for the Hans Christian Andersen Award in 2000, which is a top international award for children's writers.

Peter Dickinson's Life Story

Peter Dickinson was born in Livingstone, which was then called Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia). He was the second of four sons. His father worked for the government, and his mother was a farmer's daughter. As a child, Peter loved adventure stories about knights and explorers, like Ivanhoe. He also enjoyed reading "anything by Kipling", who greatly influenced his own writing.

His parents moved to England so Peter and his brothers could go to English schools. After his father passed away, Peter attended Saint Ronan's prep school starting in 1936. His novel Hindsight is based on his experiences when the school moved to Devon during World War II. He then went to Eton College in 1941.

Peter Dickinson finished at Eton in 1946. After serving in the military for two years (National Service), he studied at King's College, Cambridge. He earned his degree in 1951. For 17 years, he worked as an editor and writer for Punch magazine.

His first two books were published in 1968. One was a mystery for adults, and the other was a science fiction book for children. Both were very popular. He then wrote sequels to these books and left Punch to become a full-time writer. He also continued to write poetry for fun and sometimes for special projects.

Family Life

In 1953, Peter Dickinson married Mary Rose Barnard. They had two daughters and two sons, including the author John Dickinson. Mary Rose passed away in 1988. Peter later married Robin McKinley in 1991, who is also a fantasy author. She admired his books even before they met.

Awards and Recognition

Peter Dickinson was recognized for his contributions to literature. He became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 1999. In 2009, he was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE). He also served as the chairman of the Society of Authors.

For many years, he enjoyed manual labor as a hobby. Later in life, he enjoyed playing bridge and gardening. Peter Dickinson passed away on his 88th birthday, 16 December 2015, after an illness.

Peter Dickinson's Books and Writing

Peter Dickinson wrote nearly 50 books. They generally fit into three types:

• Crime fiction for adults (like his James Pibble series).
• Speculative and supernatural fiction for older children.
• Simpler children's books, often picture books.

One of his unique books was Chance, Luck and Destiny (1975). This book explored ideas about probability and coincidence. It won an award for children's nonfiction.

The "Changes" Trilogy

His "Changes" trilogy is a series of early books for children: The Weathermonger, Heartsease, and The Devil's Children. These books were adapted into a BBC TV series called The Changes in 1975. Interestingly, the books were written in reverse order of their story's timeline. The Devil's Children is the first in the story, Heartsease is second, and The Weathermonger is third.

Award-Winning Books

Peter Dickinson's mystery novels also won awards. His first two mysteries, Skin Deep (1968) and A Pride of Heroes (1969), both won the Crime Writers' Association's Gold Dagger award.

His children's books were also very successful:

• He won the 1977 Guardian Children's Fiction Prize for The Blue Hawk.
• For Tulku (1979), he won both the Whitbread Children's Book Award and the Carnegie Medal.
• He won the Carnegie Medal again the next year for City of Gold.
• The Iron Lion was chosen as one of the New York Times Notable Books.
• Eva (1988) was highly praised for the Carnegie Medal. It later won the Phoenix Award in 2008. This award is given to excellent English-language children's books that didn't win a major award when first published.
• Dickinson also won the Phoenix Award in 2001 for The Seventh Raven (1981).

City of Gold

City of Gold and other stories from the Old Testament (1980) was a special book. It retold 33 stories from the Old Testament. The book imagined a time before these stories were written down, when they were shared by speaking them aloud. Michael Foreman illustrated this book.

Other Interesting Works

Peter Dickinson also wrote two alternative history novels: King and Joker (1976) and Skeleton-in-Waiting (1989). These stories imagine what would happen if Prince Albert Victor, a real historical figure, had lived longer and become King Victor I of England.

His last works include Earth and Air (2012) and In the Palace of the Khans (2012). Earth and Air is part of a series called "Tales of Elemental Spirits," which also includes stories by Robin McKinley.

Peter Dickinson's original writings and papers are kept at the Seven Stories National Centre for Children's Books.

Peter Dickinson's Books Adapted for Film

In 1982, Rankin/Bass Productions released The Flight of Dragons. This was an animated film made for TV. Parts of the film were based on Peter Dickinson's book of the same name. The characters in the film even looked similar to the illustrations in his book. However, the film's main plot was inspired by a different book, The Dragon and the George by Gordon R. Dickson. Interestingly, one of the main characters in the film is named Peter Dickinson, who is shown as the author trying to finish his book.

List of Peter Dickinson's Works

Short Story Collections

• Merlin Dreams (1988)
• The Lion Tamer's Daughter and other stories (1997)
• Touch and Go (1999)
• Water: Tales of Elemental Spirits (2002), by Dickinson and Robin McKinley; later, Elementals: Water
• Fire: Tales of Elemental Spirits (2009), by Dickinson and Robin McKinley
• Earth and Air: Tales of Elemental Creatures (2012), by Dickinson alone

Other Books

• Chance, Luck and Destiny (1975) — about probability and coincidence; winner of the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award, nonfiction category
• The Flight of Dragons (1979), illustrated by Wayne Anderson — a "speculative natural history" adapted by Rankin and Bass jointly with another work as the animated film The Flight of Dragons (1982)
• City of Gold and other stories from the Old Testament (1980), retold by Dickinson, illustrated by Michael Foreman — winner of the 1980 Carnegie Medal