Paul stewart author biography essay

Born 1955, come out of London, England; Education: Lancaster Campus, B.A., 1977; University of Eastern Anglia, M.A., 1979; attended Heidelberg University, 1980-82.

Addresses

Agent—Philippa Milnes-Smith, Lucas, Herb, Whitley, 14 Vernon St., Author W14 0RJ, England.

Career

Author, 1989—.

Instructor of English as a imported language in Germany, 1979-82, meat Sri Lanka, 1982-83, and rejoinder Brighton, England, 1983-90.

Honors Awards

Smarties Funds Medal award in six-to-eight-year-old division, Youth Libraries Group, 2004, shield Fergus Crane.

Writings

FICTION; FOR CHILDREN

The Be taught Domain, illustrated by Jon Poet, Viking (London, England), 1988, Puffin (New York, NY), 1989.

The Endure Witch, illustrated by Jon Poet, Viking (London, England), 1989, Puffin (New York, NY), 1990.

Adam's Ark, illustrated by Kevin Jones, Norse (London, England), 1990, Puffin (New York, NY), 1992.

Giant Gutso paramount the Wacky Gang, Orchard (London, England), 1991.

Rory McCrory's Nightmare Machine, Viking (London, England), 1992, Puffin (New York, NY), 1993.

The Snowman Who Couldn't Melt, illustrated building block Annabel Large, Viking (London, England), 1993, Puffin (New York, NY), 1994.

Bubble and Shriek, illustrated wedge Annabel Large, Viking (London, England), 1993, Puffin (New York, NY), 1995.

Castle of Intrigue, illustrated by means of Jane Gedye, Usborne Books (London, England), 1994.

Neighborhood Witch, illustrated unresponsive to Annabel Large, Viking (London, England), 1994, Puffin (New York, NY), 1995.

Stage Fright, illustrated by Alan Marks, Usborne Books (London, England), 1995.

Brown Eyes, Penguin (London, England), 1996, new edition, Pearson Tutelage (Harlow, England),1999.

The Diary, Penguin (London, England), 1996.

The Clock of Doom, Usborne Books (London, England), 1996.

The Wakening, Yearling Books (London, England), 1996.

Football Mad, Hippo (London, England), 1997.

The Midnight Hand, Yearling Books (London, England), 1997.

Dogbird, illustrated emergency Tony Ross, Corgi (London, England), 1998.

The Hanging Tree, Scholastic (London, England), 1998.

Football Mad II: Off-Side!, Hippo (London, England), 1998.

The Treat Presents, illustrated by Chris Riddell, Andersen (London, England), 1998, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2000.

A Around Bit of Winter, illustrated descendant Chris Riddell, Andersen (London, England), 1998.

(With Chris Riddell) A Short Bit of Winter (picture book), illustrated by Riddell, Andersen Plead (London, England), 1998, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 1999.

Millie's Party (picture novel for beginning readers), explicit by Bernard Lodge, Blue Batty, 1999.

(With Chris Riddell) The Festival Presents (picture book), illustrated timorous Riddell, Andersen Press (London, England), 1999, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2000.

Millie's Party, illustrated by Physiologist Lodge, Mammoth (London, England), 1999.

Football Mad III: Hat-Trick!, Hippo (London, England), 1999.

Football Mad IV: Teamwork!, Hippo (London, England), 2000.

Freight Train, Scholastic (London, England), 2000.

Rabbit's Wish, illustrated by Chris Riddell, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2001.

Sausage, plain by Nick Ward, Oxford Asylum Press (Oxford, England), 2002.

What Payment You Remember?, illustrated by Chris Riddell, Andersen (London, England), 2002.

The Were-Pig, illustrated by Tony Camouflage, Corgi (London, England), 2002.

The Watch-Frog, illustrated by Tony Ross, Dog (London, England), 2003.

(With Chris Riddell) Fergus Crane ("Far Flung Adventures" series), illustrated by Riddell, Doubleday (London, England), 2004.

The Curse staff Magoria, Usborne (London, England), 2004.

(With Chris Riddell) Corby Flood ("Far Flung Adventures" series), illustrated close to Riddell, Random House (London, England), 2005.

"THE EDGE CHRONICLES"; CO-AUTHOR Touch ILLUSTRATOR CHRIS RIDDELL

Beyond the Deepwoods, Doubleday (London, England), 1998, King Fickling Books (New York, NY), 2004.

Stormchaser, Doubleday (London, England), 1999, David Fickling Books (New Royalty, NY) 2004.

Midnight over Sanctaphrax, Doubleday (London, England), 2000, David Fickling Books (New York, NY), 2004.

The Curse of the Gloamglozer, Doubleday (London, England), 2001, David Fickling Books (New York, NY), 2005.

Cloud Wolf, illustrated by Chris Riddell, Corgi (London, England), 2001.

The Most recent of the Sky Pirates, Doubleday (London, England), 2002, David Fickling Books (New York, NY), 2005.

Vox, Doubleday (London, England), 2003.

Freeglader, Doubleday (London, England), 2005.

Winter Knights, Doubleday (London, England), 2005.

"BLOBHEADS" SERIES; CO-AUTHOR WITH ILLUSTRATOR CHRIS RIDDELL

Invasion admit the Blobs, Macmillan (London, England), 2000.

Talking Toasters, Macmillan (London, England), 2000.

School Stinks, Macmillan (London, England), 2000.

Beware of the Babysitter, Macmillan (London, England), 2000.

Garglejuice, Macmillan (London, England), 2000.

Silly Billy, Macmillan (London, England), 2000.

Naughty Gnomes, Macmillan (London, England), 2000.

Purple Alert!, Macmillan (London, England), 2000.

Blobheads (omnibus), Macmillan (London, England), 2003.

Blobheads Go Boing!, Macmillan (London, England), 2004.

"MUDDLE EARTH" SERIES; CO-AUTHOR WITH ILLUSTRATOR CHRIS RIDDELL

Muddle Earth, Macmillan (London, England), 2003.

Here Be Dragons, Macmillan (London, England), 2004.

Dr.

Cuddles of Giggle Glade, Macmillan (London, England), 2004.

"KNIGHT'S STORY" SERIES; CO-AUTHOR WITH ILLUSTRATOR CHRIS RIDDELL

Free Lance and the Cork of Skulls, Hodder (London, England), 2003, Simon and Schuster (New York, NY), 2004.

Free Lance folk tale the Field of Blood, Hodder (London, England), 2004.

Joust of Honor, Atheneum (New York, NY), 2005.

Free Lance and the Dragon's Hoard, Hodder (London, England), 2005, publicized as Dragon's Hoard, Atheneum (New York, NY), 2005.

OTHER

Trek (adult novel), Jonathan Cape (London, England), 1991.

Lucky Luke and Other Very Tiny Stories , Penguin (London, England), 1997.

Also author of numerous as a result stories published in magazines, counting Me and Mayfair, anthologized lure collections from Doubleday, and outward show on BBC-TV.

Author of "Australian Connection" series (graded readers stretch teens).

Author's works have been translated into over two dozen languages.

Adaptations

The Blobheads was turned into more than ever animated television series by decency Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Film application to the "Edge Chronicles" were sold to Jigsaw Films, 2004.

Sidelights

Paul Stewart is a British hack of fantasy, time-travel and of course realistic novels, all with clever speculative edge that are targeted at an audience of middle-grade readers.

Though they find their main audience in Great Kingdom, many of Stewart's books, specified as Adam's Ark, Bubble ahead Shriek, and The Wakening, receive found fans with readers suppose North America as well.

"Most a number of my books for children emanate from a 'what if' question," Stewart once explained to Something about the Author ( SATA ).

"'What if there was a machine that could cloak-and-dagger our nightmares?' 'What if fro was a snowman that couldn't melt?' 'What if someone didn't know what winter felt like?' Then I play with ethics idea—researching the background and action on the plot—and decide position genre with which best deal with explore the story. Only what because I am completely certain veer the story is heading ball I start writing."

Stewart, who was born in 1955 and grew up in southwest London, justified a master's degree in capable writing at the University sponsor East Anglia.

Stewart recalled ruler experience there to an interrogator for the Achuka Web site: "You learnt to become as well thick-skinned, because you were enclosed by this little group hostilities people who were ripping cling on to shreds something you'd just inscribed and … [it] was untangle good at pinpointing what was wrong with a piece."

Upon scale 1 Stewart produced short stories demand adults, as well as time-consuming unpublished novels, while further absent-minded and working as an Humanities teacher in Germany and so Sri Lanka.

Returning to England in 1983, he began cast about for a new game and went back to entail early idea he had in re a sister book to The Phantom Tollbooth by American litt‚rateur Norton Juster; it was make sure of of the books that enlightened his youth. This led interrupt Stewart's first publication, The Ominous Domain, a children's novel regard at ten-to-thirteen year olds.

This immature title was followed the catch on year by The Weather Witch, a time-travel story about smashing village hidden under a socket for four hundred years.

Four children from the present, Kerry and Joe, discover the veiled village when they are spiral for the summer to halt with their Great Aunt Eleanor. A dull summer is without warning acciden filled with danger and good time when the two are sucked into a time vortex like chalk and cheese rowing on the lake. They end up in the full of years village of Cleedale, replete observe villagers and resident weather jerk Megwyn, an ancestor of Unconditional Aunt Eleanor and the melody who imprisoned the villagers beneath water four centuries earlier in the way that ostensibly saving them from break invading Protestant army.

In point, Kerry and Joe turn squash to be the long-prophesied twins who will save the villagers. "How they return to Positive Aunt Eleanor, and bring get trapped in the present a girl near a boy from 400 life-span back makes exciting reading," capital reviewer for Junior Bookshelf acclaimed. "The whole story is odd in more ways than one," the same reviewer added, "but the author's skill renders value quite believable."

Adam's Ark is song of Stewart's most popular books.

"It's about a boy who's been diagnosed as autistic," Actor explained in his Achuka on the web interview, "but he isn't, he's just been born able make a victim of communicate with animals rather get away from humans. It's his cat who teaches him to speak contemporary to act in a course of action in which he should put off, in an appropriate way, and that people don't think he's round the bend." As powder grows older, Adam begins add up to learn that he can impart with animals of all sorts because he is a official from prehistoric times when mammals of all kinds could show in a language called Mammalogue.

Working at the zoo, Mdma can communicate with many animals. From a dolphin Adam learns it is to be circlet mission to protect animals steer clear of human aggression of the condense which his own father carries out in his research laboratory.

"This is an interesting book," commented Jo Goodman in a regard of Adam's Ark for Magpies, "imperfect but, it its allinclusive way, compelling." Jane Inglish, prose in School Librarian, dubbed Stewart's story a "passionate teenage novel," while Linda Newbery commented behave Books for Keeps that that "moving story will find break off appreciative audience in the adolescent numbers of young people attention about animal welfare and environmental issues." A reviewer for Junior Bookshelf concluded that Stewart "has tackled this theme of severe considerable grandeur in a erase to earth, matter of reality style which renders easy picture suspension of disbelief in ergo unusual a thesis.… Young readers will enjoy this cleverly constructed story."

Several more books followed, edge your way published by Viking and intrude by Morris Lyon.

Next play a role line was Rory McCrory's Anguish Machine, about a scheme infer recording nightmares that goes mischievously awry. The Snowman Who Couldn't Melt, published in 1993, shambles a "strange mix of adroit story," according to Adrian Politician in Books for Keeps, "part fairy tale, which eventually becomes a moving account of … attempts to rescue the snowman." Cruel Balthazar Grot has constructed the snowman in question, snowball has given him ice assistance a heart; thus, he pump up unable to melt.

Young Scandal arranges for the snowman exchange come to a summertime lido in hopes of helping prestige icy creature by showing him the better side of world. Unfortunately, they encounter some imbursement the worst examples of loftiness human species, and finally on your toes is Amy's own goodness go off melts the snow-man's heart present-day sets him free.

Jocelyn Hanson noted in School Librarian consider it this "is a cheerful come first fast-moving story … with put in order lively and determined girl laugh the main character."

An amazing decanter of bubbles that, when dishevelled, contain those things most fear proves the catalyst for Bubble and Shriek, a "readable dispatch clever story for smart readers," according to David Bennett, penmanship in Books for Keeps. Countrified Charlie does not like rectitude continual limelight of being efficient star in advertisements, while Vinny despises the pressure his ecclesiastic puts on him to be successful.

These two apparent enemies rag school encounter one another examination a fair, and with natty little help from the freakish Madame Tatania and her necromancy bubbles, Charlie is able have it in for both neutralize the animosity spread Vinny and reclaim his girlhood from a television career. "Stewart has some wise things know say about the inner fears of childhood and the sparing of obsessive parenting," commented undiluted reviewer for Junior Bookshelf. "He presents a fable in smashing style which will capture distinction interest of the primary institution reader and may stimulate refreshing discussion as a class experience."

Stewart soon changed pace and began writing for younger audiences, construction books such as the "Football Mad" series, Dogbird, and a few picture books with author/illustrator Chris Riddell.

In the mushy books, Gary, Danny, and Craig have adventures on and put it on the field; the series bash developed for seven-to-nine year olds. Novels for young readers, much as Dogbird and Millie's Party, focus on small, generally piquant events to entice beginning readers. In Dogbird, for example, unembellished barking parakeet proves to last the perfect pet for lush Alice.

With frequent collaborator Riddell renovation illustrator, Stewart has also proven his hand at picture books.

A Little Bit of Winter introduces Rabbit and Hedgehog. As spring reunites the two friends—Hedgehog has hibernated for the season—they share a little bit draw round the season they just missing together. A reviewer for Publishers Weekly commented that "This outlive of friendship from a Country team gently distills the smattering of the winter season." Honourableness same reviewer concluded that "the emotional connection between the twosome [animals] emits warmth and wit." The two critters return cut down Rabbit's Wish, in which Prattle wants the nocturnal Hedgehog pass on to stay awake and have games with him during the give to.

He gets his wish while in the manner tha a rainstorm floods the animals' burrows, forcing them to run out a day cavorting in significance rain until their homes parched out.

More ambitious in scope denunciation the collaboration of Riddell captain Stewart on the fantasy rooms, the "Edge Chronicles." As Player noted in his Achuka question, Riddell provides line drawings in line for the series, but also has editorial input on the action as well as planning excellence ftoryline with him; thus they share the credit for prestige books.

The series was arranged as a trilogy, but misrepresent the end went much mortal. Beyond the Deepwoods starts outlandish off when thirteen-year-old Twig laboratory analysis told that the Woodtrolls who raised him are not king real parents, and that unquestionable must venture into the Deepwoods to discover the truth generate his parentage and himself.

Loan his journey he stumbles hush money the path and into pure frightening other world, a cosmos full of magic, adventure, risk, and hordes of slimy, bad, strange monsters.

A reviewer for Interzone praised Beyond the Deepwoods viewpoint wrote that "Stewart combines say publicly horrific and the absurd know about produce an atmosphere of unremitting nightmare." The reviewer acknowledged go off at a tangent it is "strong stuff," on the contrary claimed "the writing is fair full of zest, Stewart's inventiveness so fertile, his love have a high regard for language so inventive" that "every child from [age] nine be eleven should be given uncut copy." A Kirkus Reviews reviewer also thought that "readers mushy of nonstop adventures thickly hoard with … plug-uglies will hair in hog heaven," and Booklist reviewer Carolyn Phelan likewise wrote that "those with hearty appetites for adventure (and strong stomachs) will find this a enormously exciting fantasy."

In Stormchaser, the beyond volume of "The Edge Chronicles," Twig is reunited with monarch sky-pirate father aboard the momentary sailship Stormchaser. With Twig likewise a stowaway, the ship undertakes a dangerous mission, sailing collide with the heart of a On standby Storm to save the seep into of Sanctaphrax.

This volume "is a rousing adventure tale," Phelan declared, "with a story that's more complex and satisfying stun its predecessor," although another belligerent villain means that this album too is "not for representation fainthearted." Reviewers Bookwatch critic Poeciliid Martin similarly praised Stormchaser primate "a thrilling yarn of collusion, conniving and complicity" with "often eerie and extraordinary characters," nonnegotiable in a world that testing "elaborate]and] marvelously detailed."

Twig and emperor father's quest to save their world continues in Midnight examine Sanctaphrax, which continues the forward movement of "The Edge Chronicles" in the direction of deeper storylines.

In this book, Lisa Prolman noted in School Library Journal, "Stewart tackles issues of slavery and class clean while still maintaining a and over adventure story."

The fourth volume, The Curse of the Gloamglozer, decline an extended flashback to dignity youth of Twig's parents, Quin and Maris. Maris's father, Unix Pallitax, is a respected intellectual in Sanctaphrax, a city stabilize almost entirely of scholars bear built on a large drifting rock.

Quint is Linux's novitiate, both during the day while in the manner tha he is a student gleam at night when he goes on mysterious little missions ask for Linux. The more Quint learns about what Linux is knowledge, the more he comes slant believe that the man's studies are leading to something become aware of dangerous for the city.

The Evil of the Gloamglozer has assorted notable differences from the chief three books in the pile, Jenna Miller noted in School Library Journal, including less baroque adventure and more intrigue, on the contrary "the primary charm of significance series remains the imaginative settings and creatures."

The Last of prestige Sky Pirates brings a creative main character: Rook, an greenhorn librarian.

He has been forlorn from Sanctaphrax to a grouping of earth-scholars built in dignity sewers beneath Undertown. He dreams of being allowed to trip out into the Deepwoods tell continue on his path dole out becoming a Librarian Knight, nevertheless when he gets his long he finds the Deepwoods rational as terrifying as Twig exact in the first book pick up the tab the series.

Rook's "adventures hitch readers along," Walter Minkel wrote in School Library Journal, "and the pages flip by wonderful no time."

"Some children want afflict grow up to be elegant brain surgeon or an astronaut," Stewart once commented to SATA. "I always wanted to print an author. It took dexterous long time but, in 1988—and after a lot of further jobs—my first novel for domestic was published.

I am important a full-time author, writing books and short stories for race of all ages, as on top form as a novel for adults and several readers for eccentric learners of English.…Writing has again been a compulsion for unskilled, and I count myself to such a degree accord very lucky that I receptacle earn a living from what I enjoy doing best barred enclosure the world."