Robert Leeson facts for kids

Robert Arthur Leeson (31 March 1928, Northwich, Cheshire – 29 September 2013) was an English author, mainly known for his children's books. Before becoming a writer, he worked as Literary Editor of the left-wing British newspaper the Morning Star.

Leeson was a prolific writer, having had more than 70 books for young people published between 1973 and 2003. His books include several historical novels, such as Beyond the Dragon Prow, about a crippled Viking boy. Leeson produced a trilogy about a British family in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries: Maroon Boy (1974), Bess, and The White Horse (1977). The White Horse revolves around a young man who fights on the Roundhead side during the English Civil War. Leeson also wrote The Third Class Genie (1975) (a humorous fantasy novel), and the science-fiction Time Rope (1986) and Zania Experiment (1993) series. Leeson wrote social realist novels such as It's My Life (1980), about a teenage girl who has to look after her family after her mother walks out on them. Silver's Revenge is a humorous sequel to Treasure Island, and Candy for the King is a fairytale about a giant influenced by Voltaire's Candide. Leeson's Reading and Righting: the past, present and future of Fiction for the young (1985) is a history of children's literature. He also wrote for radio, television and the theatre.

• United We Stand (1971)
• Strike (1973)
• Beyond the Dragon Prow (1973)
• Maroon Boy (1974)
• The Third Class Genie (1975)
• The Demon Bike Rider (1976)
• Children's Books and Class Society (1977)
• The White Horse (1977)
• The Cimaroons (1978)
• Challenge in the Dark (1978)
• Silver's Revenge (1978)
• Travelling Brothers (1979)
• It's My Life (1980)
• Harold and Bella, Jammy and Me (1980)
• Bess (1983)
• Candy for King (1983)
• The People's Dream (1983)
• Mum and Dad's Big Business (1983)
• Genie on the Loose (1984)
• The Adventures of Baxter and Co. (1984)
• Reading and Righting: The Past, Present and Future of Fiction for the young (1985)
• Time Rope (1986)
• Wheel of Danger (1986)
• At War With Tomorrow (1986)
• Three Against the World (1986)
• The Metro Gangs Attack (1986)
• The Reversible Giant (1986)
• Slambash Wangs of a Compo Gormer (1987)
• Never Kiss Frogs (1988)
• Burper (1989)
• How Alice Saved Captain Miracle (1989)
• Hey Robin (1989)
• Right Royal Kidnap (1990)
• Jan Alone (1990)
• Fire on the Cloud (1991)
• Coming Home (1991)
• One Frog Too Many (1991)
• Pancake Pickle (1991)
• Landing in Cloud Valley (1991)
• April Fool at Hob Lane School (1991)
• Never Kiss Frogs (1992)
• No Sleep for Hob Lane (1993)
• Karlo's Tale (1993)
• Hide And Seek (1993)
• The Last Genie (1993)
• Ghosts at Hob Lane (1993)
• Smart Girls (1993)
• Deadline (1993)
• Danger Trail (1993)
• Blast Off! (1993)
• The Dog Who Changed the World (1994)
• The Story of Robin Hood (1994)
• Swapper (1994)
• All the Gold in the World (1995)
• Red, White and Blue (1995)
• The Amazing Adventures of Idle Jack (1995)
• Smart Girls Forever (1996)
• Lucky Lad! (1997)
• Doomwater (1997)
• Geraldine Gets Lucky (1997)
• Tom's Private War (1998)
• Trwco (1998)
• Why's the Cow on the Roof? (1999)
• Liar (1999)
• The Song of Arthur (2000)
• Ruth (2000)
• My sister Shahrazad: Tales from the Arabian Nights (2001)
• Tom's War Patrol (2001)
• Tom's War (2003) (Omnibus of Tom's Private War and Tom's War Patrol).
• Partners in Crime (2003)
• Onda, Wind-Rider (2003)

TV tie-ins

• Grange Hill Rules OK? (1980).
• Grange Hill Goes Wild (1980).
• Grange Hill for Sale (1981). Novel
• Grange Hill Home and Away (1982).
• Forty Days of Tucker J., 1983.