Author+and+Storyteller+Visits

Any authors or storytellers you would like to recommend? //**Posted by Neil, NIS, 31 May 06 =From Alex Goh=

With our earlier success in bringing Duncan Ball to Bangkok, Shanghai, Beijing and Tianjin, we are pleased to announce our next set of authors for 2006/2007.

Author – Jenny Nimmo (Confirmed) Period – 6-10 November 2006 (Thailand) and 13-17 November 2006 (China)

Author – Michael Morpurgo (Planning) Period – February to March 2007

Attached please find the author’s profile and the school response sheet for your perusal.

We would appreciate if you can reply to us on or before 31st May 2006 if the school is interested to host the author at the fee indicated. Once we received your response sheet, we will send you the final proposal and you can come back to us with the date that your school would like to host the author. Once payment received, your booking for the author will be considered as confirmed. Dates are on a first-come-first-serve basis.

From our experience with Duncan Ball’s visit, children are still borrowing, reading and discussing his books 6 months after his visit. One parent had sent us an email saying “…it was an unforgettable memory for him…” We are certain such event will enhance children’s learning experience, and making his/her stay in your esteemed school an unforgettable memory, if we may quote.

Please feel free to contact us if you have any query and looking forward to hearing your favourable reply.

Thank you and best regards. Yours faithfully Alex Goh A Star Distributor Pte Ltd alex@siriusbookclub.com

Jenny Nimmo
Jenny Nimmo was born in Windsor, Berkshire. On leaving school she became a drama student and then taught English in Italy. She then joined the BBC and worked as a photographic researcher, assistant floor manager and director/adaptor for children's programmes. Her first novel, THE BRONZE TRUMPETER, was published in 1975. This was followed by THE SNOW SPIDER which was published in 1986 and won the Nestle Smarties Prize. This prize-winning novel and its sequels, EMLYN'S MOON and THE CHESTNUT SOLDIER were successfully adapted for television. Some of her other titles include, THE STONE MOUSE which was Highly Commended for the Carnegie Medal and GRIFFIN'S CASTLE which was shortlisted for the Whitbread Award, the Carnegie Medal, the Nestle Smarties Prize and the WH Smith's Mind-Boggling Books Award. THE OWL TREE, published by Walker Books in 1996 won the Nestle Smarties Prize. Jenny is currently working on the fifth book in THE CHILDREN OF THE RED KING series. The first title, MIDNIGHT FOR CHARLIE BONE, and its sequels, THE TIME TWISTER, THE BLUE BOA and THE CASTLE OF MIRRORS, have enjoyed much success, not only in the UK and abroad (Chinese, Croatian, Czech, Dutch, French, German, Greek, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Thai and Vietnamese editions have been sold) but especially in the USA where the most recent titles have been New York Times Bestsellers. Jenny lives in Wales with her husband David Wynn Millward.

The Castle of Mirrors Charlie and his friends are back in danger, and the balance of power between the Children of the Red King has never been more dangerous. Billy finally gets his longed-for parents, but he soon wishes he hadn't when the oaths he's forced to sign come flying through the air at him. Charlie is haunted by a ghostly horse, mad with rage over an ancient wrong that happened in the sparkling Castle of Mirrors. The castle was petrified from stone into glass by the sorcerer Yorath in a terrible fire. Charlie's good friend Olivia is haunted too - but no one knows her new secret. Even with the power of Tancred's storms and Lysander's ancestors, Charlie Bone is running short of allies - just when he needs them most. Jenny Nimmo has always loved reading and writing. She read all the books in the junior school library and had to beg permission to join the senior school library when she was only nine. Before becoming a full-time writer she was an actress, a stage manager and a floor manager for the BBC. She nows lives in a remote part of Wales and is probably best known for the Award winning Snow Spider Trilogy, stories that combine Welsh myth, the supernatural and family conflict. These stories have been made into an HTV series starring Sian Phillips. She says she enjoys writing about magic because it is inexplicable and unpredictable, and anything can happen. She is currently working on a series of five books called the Children of the Red King. The first of these 'Midnight for Charlie Bone' was published in 2002 and the latest installment, the third in the series is called 'The Blue Boa' and was published in April 2004.. There is a great interview with Jenny Nimmo on the web [|here]
 * Category**: Children
 * UK** **Publisher**: Egmont
 * UK** **Publication Date**: 06/06/05
 * Film Rights**: Warner Bros
 * Selected Bibliography**

We are introduced to nine year old Gwyn who is told he has inherited the power of magic. Gwyn is troubled because his father blames him for the death of his sister, Bethan. On Gwyn's birthday his grandmother presents him with five symbolic gifts. He must use his gifts wisely to restore the natural order. Charlie is a happy child until one day he discovers he can hear voices when looking at photographs. His family send him to a school for the gifted under the care of the evil Dr Bloor where he becomes involved in the mystery of a stolen baby. Eliot, grieving for his dead mother, is sent to stay with his cousins. There he is haunted by Mary-Ellen, who was once kept prisoner in his room when it was thought that the loss of her fiance in the First World War threatened her sanity. Drawn to her story, Eliot has to right a terrible wrong.
 * The Snow Spider by Jenny Nimmo**
 * The Snow Spider by Jenny Nimmo**
 * Midnight for Charlie Bone by Jenny Nimmo**
 * Midnight for Charlie Bone by Jenny Nimmo**
 * The Rinaldi Ring by Jenny Nimmo**
 * The Rinaldi Ring by Jenny Nimmo**

Michael Morpurgo
Michael Morpurgo is the author of many books for children, five of which have been made into films. He also writes his own screenplays and libretti for opera. Born in St Albans, Hertfordshire, in 1943, he was evacuated to Cumberland during the last years of the war, then returned to London, moving later to Essex. After a brief and unsuccessful spell in the army, he took up teaching and started to write. He left teaching after ten years in order to set up 'Farms for City Children' with his wife. They have three farms in Devon, Wales and Gloucestershire, open to inner city school children who come to stay and work with the animals. In 1999 this work was publicly recognised when he and his wife were awarded an MBE for services to youth. He is also a father and grandfather, so children have always played a large part in his life. Every year he and his family spend time in the Scilly Isles, the setting for three of his books. Morpurgo has a gift for magical storytelling, and his books also often tackle social issues. //Out of the Ashes// (2001), for example, is about the foot and mouth crisis. His most popular books include //Why the Whales Came// (1985), which was made into a film starring Helen Mirren; //King of the Cloud Forests// (1988), which won the Cercle D'Or Prix Sorciere (France); and //My Friend Walter// (1988) and //Out of the Ashes// (2001), which were both adapted for television. //The Wreck of the Zanzibar// (1995) won the 1995 Whitbread Children's Book Award. //The Butterfly Lion// (1996) draws on the author's own unhappy experiences at boarding school, and is the story of a young boy who rescues an orphaned lion club from the African bush. It won the 1996 Nestlé Smarties Book Prize (Gold Award). //Kensuke's Kingdom// (1999) tells the tale of a boy who survives on an island after falling from his parents' yacht and learns how to survive with the help of the mysterious Kensuke. This book won the Children's Book Award in 2000. //Private Peaceful// (2003) is set during the first world war and telling the story of two brothers, Charlie and Tommo. It won the 2005 Red House Children's Book Award and the Blue Peter Book of the Year Award and was shortlisted for the 2004 Whitbread Children's Book Award. In 2003 Michael Morpurgo became the third Children's Laureate, a scheme he had originally helped to set up with poet Ted Hughes. The Laureateship rewards a lifetime contribution to children's literature and highlights the importance of the role of children's books. Morpurgo firmly believes that 'literature comes before literacy' and wants all children '... to discover and rediscover the secret pleasure that is reading, and to begin to find their voice in their own writing ...'
 * Biography**

Children, Libretto, Poetry, Screenplay
 * Genres (in alphabetical order)**

**Bibliography**
 * It Never Rained: Five Stories** Macmillan, 1974
 * Living Poets** (compiler with Clifford Simmons) John Murray, 1974
 * Long Way Home** Macmillan, 1975
 * Thatcher Jones** Macmillan, 1975
 * The Story-Teller** (compiler with Graham Barrett) Ward Lock, 1976
 * Friend or Foe** Macmillan, 1977
 * Do All You Dare** Ward Lock, 1978
 * What Shall We Do with It?** Ward Lock, 1978
 * All Around the Year** (with Ted Hughes) John Murray, 1979
 * Love at First Sight** Ward Lock, 1979
 * That's How** Ward Lock, 1979
 * The Day I Took the Bull By the Horn** Ward Lock, 1979
 * The Ghost-Fish** Ward Lock, 1979
 * The Marble Crusher and Other Stories** Macmillan, 1980
 * The Nine Lives of Montezuma** Kaye and Ward, 1980
 * Miss Wirtle's Revenge** Kaye and Ward, 1981
 * The White Horse of Zennor: And Other Stories from below the Eagle's Nest** Kaye and Ward, 1982
 * War Horse** Kaye and Ward, 1982
 * Twist of Gold** Kaye and Ward, 1983
 * Little Foxes** Kaye and Ward, 1984
 * Why the Whales Came** Heinemann, 1985
 * Words of Songs** (libretto, music by Phyllis Tate) Oxford University Press, 1985
 * Tom's Sausage Lion** A&C Black, 1986
 * Conker** Heinemann, 1987
 * Jo-Jo, the Melon Monkey** Deutsch, 1987
 * King of the Cloud Forests** Heinemann, 1988
 * Mossop's Last Chance** (with Shoo Rayner) A&C Black, 1988
 * My Friend Walter** Heinemann, 1988
 * Albertine, Goose Queen** (with Shoo Rayner) A&C Black, 1989
 * Mr. Nobody's Eyes** Heinemann, 1989
 * Jigger's Day Off** (with Shoo Rayner) A&C Black, 1990
 * Waiting for Anya** Heinemann, 1990
 * And Pigs Might Fly!** (with Shoo Rayner) A&C Black, 1991
 * Colly's Barn** Heinemann, 1991
 * The Sandman and the Turtles** Heinemann, 1991
 * Martians at Mudpuddle Farm** (with Shoo Rayner) A&C Black, 1992
 * The King in the Forest** Simon & Schuster, 1993
 * The War of Jenkins' Ear** Heinemann, 1993
 * Arthur, High King of Britain** Pavilion, 1994
 * Ghostly Haunts** (editor) Pavilion, 1994
 * Snakes and Ladders** Heinemann, 1994
 * The Dancing Bear** Young Lion, 1994
 * Blodin the Beast** Frances Lincoln, 1995
 * Muck and Magic: Tales from the Countryside** (editor, foreword by HRH The Princess Royal) Heinemann, 1995
 * Mum's the Word** (with Shoo Rayner) A&C Black, 1995
 * Stories from Mudpuddle Farm** (with Shoo Rayner) A&C Black, 1995
 * The Wreck of the Zanzibar** Heinemann, 1995
 * Beyond the Rainbow Warrior: A Collection of Stories to Celebrate 25 Years of Greenpeace** (co-editor with Michael Foreman) Belitha Press, 1996
 * Robin of Sherwood** Pavilion, 1996
 * Sam's Duck** Collins, 1996
 * The Butterfly Lion** Collins, 1996
 * The Ghost of Grania O'Malley** Heinemann, 1996
 * Farm Boy** Belitha Press, 1997
 * Cockadoodle-doo, Mr Sultana!** Scholastic Hippo, 1998
 * Escape from Shangri-La** Mammoth, 1998
 * Joan of Arc** Belitha Press, 1998
 * Red Eyes at Night** Hodder Children's Books, 1998
 * Wartman** Barrington Stoke, 1998
 * Animal Stories** (editor) Kingfisher, 1999
 * Kensuke's Kingdom** Heinemann Young Books, 1999
 * The Rainbow Bear** Doubleday, 1999
 * Wombat Goes Walkabout** Picture Lions, 1999
 * Billy the Kid** Belitha Press, 2000
 * Black Queen** Corgi Childrens, 2000
 * Dear Olly** Collins, 2000
 * From Hereabout Hill** Mammoth, 2000
 * The Kingfisher Book of Classic Boy Stories: A Treasury of Favourites from Children's Literature** (editor) Kingfisher, 2000
 * The Silver Swan** Doubleday, 2000
 * Who's a Big Bully Then?** Barrington Stoke, 2000
 * More Muck and Magic** Egmont, 2001
 * Out of the Ashes** Macmillan, 2001
 * Toro! Toro!** Collins, 2001
 * Because a Fire Was in My Head: 101 Poems to Remember** (editor) Faber and Faber, 2002
 * Cool!** Collins, 2002
 * Mr. Skip** Collins, 2002
 * The Kingfisher Treasury of Classic Stories** (co-editor with Rosemary Sandberg) Kingfisher, 2002
 * The Last Wolf** Doubleday, 2002
 * The Sleeping Sword** Egmont Books, 2002
 * Gentle Giant** Picture Lions, 2003
 * Private Peaceful** Collins, 2003
 * Cock Crow** (editor with Jane Feaver; illustrated by Quentin Blake) Egmont Books, 2004
 * Orchard Book of Aesop's Fables** (editor; illustrated by Emma Chichester-Clark) Orchard, 2004
 * Sir Gawain and the Green Knight** (illustrated by Michael Foreman) Walker, 2004
 * I Believe in Unicorns** (illustrated by Gary Blythe) Walker, 2005
 * The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips** Collins, 2005
 * War: Stories of Conflict** (editor) Macmillan Children's Books, 2005
 * Albatross** Corgi, 2006
 * It's a Dog's Life** (illustrated by Judith Allibone) Egmont, 2006

1991 **Carnegie Medal** (shortlist) //Waiting for Anya// 1993 **Prix Sorciere (France)** //King of the Cloud Forests// 1995 **Carnegie Medal** (shortlist) //Arthur, High King of Britain// 1995 **Whitbread Children's Book Award** //The Wreck of the Zanzibar// 1996 **Carnegie Medal** (shortlist) //The Wreck of the Zanzibar// 1996 **Nestlé Smarties Book Prize (Gold Award)** (6-8 years category) //The Butterfly Lion// 1999 **Prix Sorciere (France)** //Wombat Goes Walkabout// 2000 **Red House Children's Book Award** (Overall Winner) //Kensuke's Kingdom// 2001 **Prix Sorciere (France)** //Kensuke's Kingdom// 2002 **Nestlé Smarties Book Prize (Bronze Award)** (6-8 years category) //The Last Wolf// 2002 **WH Smith Award for Children's Literature** (shortlist) //Out of the Ashes// 2003 **Blue Peter Book Award: The Book I Couldn't Put Down** (shortlist) //Cool!// 2003 **Carnegie Medal** (shortlist) //Private Peaceful// 2003 **Children's Laureate** 2004 **Red House Children's Book Award** (Overall Winner) //Private Peaceful// 2004 **Whitbread Children's Book Award** (shortlist) //Private Peaceful// 2005 **Blue Peter Book of the Year Award** //Private Peaceful//
 * Prizes and awards**