David Almond: Facts and Information

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.

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