Louisa Young facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Louisa Young
Louisa Young in 2018
Born	London, England
Pen name	Zizou Corder
Occupation	Novelist songwriter short-story writer biographer journalist
Alma mater	Trinity College, Cambridge
Period	1995–present
Partner	Michel Faber
Children	Isabel Adomakoh Young
Parents	Wayland Young (father) Elizabeth Adams (mother)
Relatives	Emily Young (sister) Hilton Young (grandfather) Kathleen Scott (grandmother)

Louisa Young is a talented British writer. She writes novels, short stories, and non-fiction books. She is also a songwriter and journalist. Her books have been translated into many different languages, reaching readers all over the world.

By 2023, Louisa Young had written seven novels under her own name. She also wrote five books for children with her daughter, Isabel Adomakoh Young. For these children's books, they used the special name Zizou Corder. Her most recent novel, Twelve Months and a Day, was published in 2022 in the UK and 2023 in the US.

Louisa Young is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. This means she is recognized for her important contributions to literature.

Awards and Recognition

Louisa Young's books have been nominated for many important awards. These awards show that her writing is highly respected. Some of the prizes she has been nominated for include:

• The Orange Prize for Fiction
• The Costa Book of the Year
• The Costa Novel of the Year
• The Galaxy Audiobook of the Year Prize (which she won!)
• The Booktrust Teenage Prize
• The Carnegie Medal
• The International Dublin Literary Award
• The Wellcome Book Prize
• The Folio Prize

Her books have also been chosen by the famous Richard and Judy Book Club. This helps many people discover her stories.

Early Life and Education

Louisa Young was born in London, England. Her father was Wayland Young, who was a politician and a writer. Her mother was Elizabeth Young, Lady Kennet. Louisa has several brothers and sisters, including the famous sculptor Emily Young.

Louisa went to several schools in London, including Hallfield Primary School and St Paul's Girls' School. She also studied at Westminster School. Later, she went to Trinity College, Cambridge, where she studied history.

Writing Career

Before becoming a full-time writer, Louisa Young had many different jobs. She worked as an editor for newspapers and magazines. She also wrote articles for national publications like The Guardian and the Sunday Times. She even worked as a delivery rider, a street musician (playing double bass and singing), a waitress, and a shop assistant!

Her first book, A Great Task of Happiness, was published in 1995. It was a biography about her grandmother, Kathleen Scott. Kathleen Scott was the wife of Robert Falcon Scott, a famous British explorer who went to the Antarctic.

After that, Louisa wrote three novels set in London and Egypt: Baby Love, Desiring Cairo, and Tree of Pearls. Baby Love was even considered for the Orange Prize for Fiction. In 2002, she wrote The Book of the Heart. This book explored how the heart has been seen in art, religion, and science throughout history. Her book inspired an exhibition called The Heart at the Wellcome Foundation in 2007.

Books for Young Readers

Louisa Young has written five books for children with her daughter, Isabel Adomakoh Young. They write these books together under the name Zizou Corder. Their most famous series is the Lionboy trilogy, which includes Lionboy, Lionboy: The Chase, and Lionboy: The Truth.

The Lionboy books were very popular and were translated into 36 different languages! These books were also special because they featured a mixed-race hero, which was new for UK children's novels at the time. The film rights for Lionboy have been sold three times, including twice to Steven Spielberg's DreamWorks.

A stage play of Lionboy was created by the theater company Complicité. It opened in 2013 and toured around the UK. It was also performed in New York, Hong Kong, and South Korea.

Another book by Zizou Corder, Halo, is set in ancient Greece. It was nominated for the Carnegie Medal in 2011, which is a big award for children's books.

Historical Novels

In 2011, Louisa Young published My Dear, I Wanted to Tell You. This novel is set during the First World War. It was shortlisted for the Costa Novel of the Year Award and won the Galaxy Audiobook of the Year Award in 2012. The audiobook was read by the actor Dan Stevens.

This book was also chosen for the Richard & Judy Book Club and was featured on BBC Radio Four's Book at Bedtime. It has been sold in 15 languages. Two more books followed in this series: The Heroes' Welcome (2014) and Devotion (2016).

Louisa Young has also contributed stories to various collections of writings, called anthologies.

Her novel Twelve Months and a Day was published in 2022 in the UK and 2023 in the US. It was even named People Magazine's Book of the Week.

Works

Fiction

Egypt Trilogy

• Baby Love (1997)
• Desiring Cairo (1999)
• Tree of Pearls (2000)

The First World War Trilogy

• My Dear, I Wanted to Tell You (2011)
• The Heroes' Welcome (2014)
• Devotion (2016)

Standalone Novels

• Twelve Months and a Day (2022)

Books by Zizou Corder

Zizou Corder is the special name used by Louisa Young and her daughter, Isabel Adomakoh Young, when they write books together.

• Lionboy (2003)
• Lionboy: The Chase (2003)
• Lionboy: The Truth (2005)
• Lee Raven, Boy Thief (2007)
• Halo (2009)
• "The Intrepid Dumpling's Dugong Story", in The Just When Stories (2010)

Non-fiction

• A Great Task of Happiness: The Life of Kathleen Scott (1995)
• The Book of the Heart (2002)

Radio

• Ruby Baby radio drama, BBC Radio 7, 2010
• She Wiped the Surface and Put the Kettle On, BBC Radio 4, 2012