Here are some facts about David Almond.
- David Almond was born in Thirlmere, Felling (Tyne and Wear) on 15th May 1951.
- His father was an office manger, and his mother was a typist.
- He went to school in Hebburn, and went to the University of East Anglia in Norwich, studying English and American Literature.
- His first children’s novel was Skellig, published by Hodder Children’s Books in 1998.
- It won the Whitbread Children’s Book of the Year award, and also won the Carnegie Medal.
- Skellig was turned into a movie in 2009. The film was directed by Annabel Jankel and starred Tim Roth and Bill Milner.
- Skellig has also been turned into a play and an opera.
- My Name is Mina, published in 2010, is a prequel to Skellig.
- Other books by David Almond include: Kit’s Wilderness (1999), Heaven Eyes (2000), Secret Heart (2001), The Fire Eaters (2003), Clay (2005) and Jackdaw Summer (2009).
- He also writes plays, books for adults, short stories and essays.
- In 2010, David Almond received the Hans Christian Andersen Award, one of the most prestigious prizes for a children’s writer.
- From 2006 to 2012, he lectured on creative writing at Nottingham Trent University.
- He has a daughter called Freya.
- At school, David Almond was really good at the high jump.
- He loves to eat Japanese food.
- He enjoys long distance running, and he’s completed several Great North Runs.
- David Almond always starts to write his books by jotting down notes in a sketch book. He will then start to write the first draft of the story on his computer.
- He always wanted to be a writer.
- Before he fulfilled his dream of being a full-time writer, David Almond worked as a postman, a brush salesman, an editor and a teacher.
