Philip Reeve facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Philip Reeve |
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Philip Reeve's author photo in the first book of his Railhead trilogy
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| Born | 28 February 1966 (age 58) Brighton, England |
| Occupation | Writer, illustrator, author |
| Language | English language |
| Residence | Dartmoor, Devon, England |
| Period | 2001–present |
| Genre | Science fiction |
| Notable works | Mortal Engines Quartet Larklight trilogy |
| Notable awards | Guardian Prize 2006 Carnegie Medal 2008 |
| Website | |
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Philip Reeve, born on February 28, 1966, is a famous English writer and artist. He creates books for children. He is best known for his exciting book Mortal Engines from 2001 and its follow-up books. This series is called the Mortal Engines Quartet. In 2007, his novel Here Lies Arthur, which is about the legendary King Arthur, won the important Carnegie Medal.
Contents
Philip Reeve's Early Life and Career
Philip Reeve was born in Brighton, England. He studied art and illustration at college. While he was a student, he drew comic strips for a student magazine. Before he became a full-time artist, he worked in a bookshop for several years.
Comedy and Illustrations
For a while, Philip Reeve wrote and performed in comedy shows. He worked with different groups and created funny sketches. He also drew cartoons for many books. These included the popular Horrible Histories and Murderous Maths series.
He also wrote and illustrated a non-fiction book called Horatio Nelson and His Victory.
The Ministry of Biscuits
With Brian Mitchell, Philip Reeve wrote a funny musical play called The Ministry of Biscuits in 1998. This play is set in a future London where a special "Ministry of Biscuits" controls all biscuits! They even ban fancy ones like the Gypsy Cream. The play has been performed many times in the UK.
Philip Reeve's Famous Books
Philip Reeve has written many popular book series for young readers.
The Mortal Engines Series
His first book for older readers was Mortal Engines. It won the Nestlé Smarties Book Prize for ages 9–11. It was also a finalist for the Whitbread Book Award. Mortal Engines is the first book in a series called the Mortal Engines Quartet. This series includes Predator's Gold, Infernal Devices, and A Darkling Plain.
These books are set in a future world after a big disaster. Cities can move around on giant wheels! Two young adventurers, Tom Natsworthy and Hester Shaw, live in this world. In 2006, Philip Reeve won the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize for the fourth book in the series.
Philip Reeve spent over ten years thinking about and writing Mortal Engines. He started getting ideas in 1989 or 1990. He worked on it part-time while also doing his illustration jobs. When he felt sure he could finish the project, he spent more time writing.
The Larklight Trilogy
The Larklight trilogy (2006–2008) is a fun series set in outer space. It's a type of science fiction called steampunk, which means it has old-fashioned technology in a futuristic setting. The first book is called Larklight. There were plans to make it into a movie.
The Fever Crumb Series
Philip Reeve also wrote a series of books that happen before the Mortal Engines stories. This series is called the Fever Crumb series. The first book, Fever Crumb (2009), was a finalist for the Carnegie Medal. However, Philip Reeve has said he does not plan to write more books in this series.
Books with Sarah McIntyre
Since 2013, Philip Reeve has worked with writer and artist Sarah McIntyre. They have created many highly illustrated books together. Their first book was Oliver and the Seawigs, which won an award. Their third book, Pugs of the Frozen North, also won an award. They have a contract to write more books together, including the Roly-Poly Flying Pony series.
Mortal Engines Film Adaptation
In 2018, the book Mortal Engines was made into a film. Philip Reeve liked the movie, saying it was a "huge, visually awesome action movie." He felt the director, Christian Rivers, did a great job. Even though there were some changes from the books, he thought it was still true to the story.
How Philip Reeve Writes His Books
Philip Reeve says he doesn't plan his stories in great detail at first. He usually starts with an idea for the beginning and the end of the story. Then he has some general ideas for what happens in between. This means he often writes a lot of material that he later changes or doesn't use. He might even abandon entire book ideas!
However, he takes good ideas from these unfinished drafts to help build the final version of his books. It usually takes him about a year to finish a novel from the first idea to being published. About six months of that time is spent actively writing, and the rest is for editing and thinking.
Philip Reeve's Works
Young Adult Novels
- Mortal Engines Universe
- Mortal Engines Quartet, also known as Hungry City Chronicles in the United States:
- Mortal Engines (2001)
- Predator's Gold (2003)
- Infernal Devices (2005)
- A Darkling Plain (2006)
- Traction City (World Book Day, 2011), a short novel
- The Traction Codex: An Historian's Guide to the Era of Predator Cities (2012), with Jeremy Levett
- Night Flights: A Mortal Engines Collection (2018), illustrated by Ian McQue, a collection of 3 short stories:
- "Frozen Heart", "Traction City Blues", "Teeth of the Sea"
- The Illustrated World of Mortal Engines (2018), with Jeremy Levett
- Thunder City (2024)
- Fever Crumb series, prequel:
- Fever Crumb (2009)
- A Web of Air (2010)
- Scrivener's Moon (2011)
- Larklight trilogy
(illustrated by David Wyatt)
- Railhead trilogy
- Railhead (2015)
- Black Light Express (2016)
- Station Zero (2018)
- Utterly Dark series
- Utterly Dark and the Face of the Deep (2021)
- Utterly Dark and the Heart of the Wild (2022)
- Utterly Dark and the Tides of Time (2023)
- Stand-alone novels
- Here Lies Arthur (2007)
- No Such Thing As Dragons (2009)
Short Stories
- "Doctor Who: The Roots of Evil" (2013)
Children's Books
Buster Bayliss series:
- Night of the Living Veg (2002)
- The Big Freeze (2002)
- Day of the Hamster (2002)
- Custardfinger! (2003)
Goblins series (page decorations by Dave Semple):
- Goblins (2012)
- Goblins vs Dwarves (2013)
- Goblin Quest (2014)
Reeve & McIntyre Production series, published in the US as A Not-So-Impossible Tale (written together with, and illustrated by Sarah McIntyre):
- Oliver and the Seawigs (2013), published in the US as Oliver and the Sea Monkeys
- Cakes in Space (2014)
- Pugs of the Frozen North (2015)
- Jinks & O'Hare Funfair Repair (2016), published in the US as Carnival in a Fix
- Pug-a-Doodle-Do! (2017), an activity book
Roly-Poly Flying Pony series with co-author Sarah McIntyre:
- The Legend of Kevin (2018)
- Kevin's Great Escape (2019)
- Kevin and the Biscuit Bandit (2020)
- Kevin vs the Unicorns (2021)
Adventuremice series with co-author Sarah McIntyre:
- Adventuremice: Otter Chaos (2023)
- Adventuremice: Mermouse Mystery (2023)
- Adventuremice: Mice on the Ice (2023)
- Adventuremice: Mice on the Moon (2024)
- Adventuremice: The Ghostly Galleon (2024)
Stand-alone children's book:
- The Angry Aztecs And The Incredible Incas: Two Books In One (2001), with Terry Deary
Non-Fiction
- Horatio Nelson and His Victory (2003), from the Dead Famous series
As Illustrator
- Awful Art (1997), by Michael Cox
- Henry Spaloosh! (1997), by Chris d'Lacey
- Murderous Maths series (from 1997), by Kjartan Poskitt
- Isaac Newton and His Apple (1999), by Kjartan Poskitt
- The Incredible Incas (2000), by Terry Deary
- Pantsacadabra! (2006), by Kjartan Poskitt
- Urgum the Axeman (2006), by Kjartan Poskitt
- Borgon the Axeboy series (from 2014), by Kjartan Poskitt
- Gawain and the Green Knight (2016), retold by Philip Reeve
Adaptations of His Work
- Mortal Engines (2018), a film directed by Christian Rivers, based on the novel Mortal Engines.
- Goblins (To Be Announced), an upcoming Laika film directed by Mark Gustafson, based on the novel Goblins.
See also
In Spanish: Philip Reeve para niños
