Linda Newbery
Encyclopedia
Linda Newbery is a British author, who began writing as a young adult author but has now broadened her range to encompass all ages. Now a full-time writer, she published her first novel Run with the Hare in 1988, while still working as an English teacher in a comprehensive school.
Linda is a regular tutor for the Arvon Foundation
and is a member of the Society of Authors
and the Scattered Authors' Society.
She taught English in secondary schools while working on her novels, becoming a full-time writer in 2000.
(based on Copped Hall
). Greg, in the present-day story, is horrified to find himself strongly attracted to another boy. In the past, Edmund Pearson, son of the wealthy Pearson family, is looked upon to supply a son and heir, but is secretly in love with another officer, Alex. The two stories are also linked through questions of faith, belief and doubt.
Sisterland also links past and present through the story of Sarah Reubens, a Kindertransport
refugee to Northampton
, who conceals her Jewish identity. In the present-day story, her granddaughter Hilly slowly realises the truth about "Heidigran's" past, and its implications for her own identity.
Before these novels were published, Linda Newbery wrote two linked trilogies, beginning in 1914 with "Some Other War", about twins Jack and Alice who live in a quiet Essex village. On the outbreak of war, Jack joins the Epping Foresters Regiment (a fictional version of the Essex Regiment which Newbery used again in "The Shell House") and Alice becomes a VAD nurse. "The Kind Ghosts" follows the twins to the 1918 and Armistice, and a third book, "The Wearing of the Green" fits alongside, picking up a minor character in the twins' story, Patrick Leary, and following his story through the 1916 Easter Rising in Dublin. We move on a generation for the "Shouting Wind" trilogy, which begins with Kay, Patrick and Alice's daughter, who becomes a WAAF
in the Second World War, The Cliff Path follows her hippie
daughter Abigail, and A Fear of Heights completes this second trilogy with the life of Abigail's own daughter Tamsin, an engineering student in the 1980s.
Although Newbery is probably best known for her young adult novels, she also writes for younger readers. For children of about 10+, her novels include At the Firefly Gate, Lost Boy, Catcall
and Nevermore, all published by Orion. For Usborne Publishing
she has written Polly's March and Andie's Moon, part of the Historical House series for which she collaborated with Adele Geras
and Ann Turnbull
. She has also published a number of short stories and poems.
She has twice been shortlisted for the prestigious Carnegie Medal
, for The Shell House (2002) and Sisterland (2003); several of her other novels have been nominated. The Shell House was also shortlisted for the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize in 2002. She won the Costa Children's Book of the Year prize for 2006 (formerly the Whitbread Prize) with her young adult novel Set in Stone
, and Catcall was Silver Medal winner in the 2007 Nestlé Children's Book Prize. In 2010 she was awarded an IBBY Honour (International Board on Books for Young People) for The Sandfather.
Linda Newbery's younger books have been illustrated by a range of artists. "Posy", a picture book, is illustrated by the Greenaway Medal winner Catherine Rayner. "Lob", published in 2010, is illustrated by Pam Smy, a lecturer at Anglia Ruskin University.
She was a judge for the Whitbread Book Awards (now the Costa Book Awards) in 2005, and for the Guardian Children's Book Prize in 2007, and has reviewed fiction for the Times Educational Supplement, The Guardian and other publications.
Linda is a regular tutor for the Arvon Foundation
Arvon Foundation
The Arvon Foundation is a charitable organisation in the United Kingdom which promotes creative writing. It is based in the Free Word Centre for literature, literacy and free expression in London.-History:...
and is a member of the Society of Authors
Society of Authors
The Society of Authors is a trade union for professional writers that was founded in 1884 to protect the rights of writers and fight to retain those rights .It has counted amongst its members and presidents numerous notable writers and poets including Tennyson The Society of Authors (UK) is a...
and the Scattered Authors' Society.
Background
Linda Newbery was born in Essex and spent most of her childhood in Epping; she attended a grammar school in nearby Loughton. As a child, she kept her writing a secret, having been told by a headteacher that writing was "not a proper job" and filled several exercise books with her stories. As a young adult, she also experimented with writing poetry.She taught English in secondary schools while working on her novels, becoming a full-time writer in 2000.
Writing
Linda Newbery is perhaps best-known for her young adult novels, several of which have historical settings. Set in Stone is a Gothic mystery in the tradition of Wilkie Collins and the Victorian sensation novel. Set in an Arts and Crafts house on the South Downs, it partly concerns the disappearance of one of four stone-carvings, the West Wind, and the secrets hidden beneath the house's immaculate surfaces. The Shell House links two stories, one set in the present, the other during the First World War, through the setting of a now-ruined house in Epping ForestEpping Forest
Epping Forest is an area of ancient woodland in south-east England, straddling the border between north-east Greater London and Essex. It is a former royal forest, and is managed by the City of London Corporation....
(based on Copped Hall
Copped Hall
Copped Hall or Copthall is a ruined country house close to Epping in Essex, England, parts of which date from the 16th century. Copped Hall is visible from the M25 motorway between junctions 26 and 27.- History :...
). Greg, in the present-day story, is horrified to find himself strongly attracted to another boy. In the past, Edmund Pearson, son of the wealthy Pearson family, is looked upon to supply a son and heir, but is secretly in love with another officer, Alex. The two stories are also linked through questions of faith, belief and doubt.
Sisterland also links past and present through the story of Sarah Reubens, a Kindertransport
Kindertransport
Kindertransport is the name given to the rescue mission that took place nine months prior to the outbreak of the Second World War. The United Kingdom took in nearly 10,000 predominantly Jewish children from Nazi Germany, Austria, Czechoslovakia, Poland and the Free City of Danzig...
refugee to Northampton
Northampton
Northampton is a large market town and local government district in the East Midlands region of England. Situated about north-west of London and around south-east of Birmingham, Northampton lies on the River Nene and is the county town of Northamptonshire. The demonym of Northampton is...
, who conceals her Jewish identity. In the present-day story, her granddaughter Hilly slowly realises the truth about "Heidigran's" past, and its implications for her own identity.
Before these novels were published, Linda Newbery wrote two linked trilogies, beginning in 1914 with "Some Other War", about twins Jack and Alice who live in a quiet Essex village. On the outbreak of war, Jack joins the Epping Foresters Regiment (a fictional version of the Essex Regiment which Newbery used again in "The Shell House") and Alice becomes a VAD nurse. "The Kind Ghosts" follows the twins to the 1918 and Armistice, and a third book, "The Wearing of the Green" fits alongside, picking up a minor character in the twins' story, Patrick Leary, and following his story through the 1916 Easter Rising in Dublin. We move on a generation for the "Shouting Wind" trilogy, which begins with Kay, Patrick and Alice's daughter, who becomes a WAAF
Women's Auxiliary Air Force
The Women's Auxiliary Air Force , whose members were invariably referred to as Waafs , was the female auxiliary of the Royal Air Force during World War II, established in 1939. At its peak strength, in 1943, WAAF numbers exceeded 180,000, with over 2,000 women enlisting per week.A Women's Royal Air...
in the Second World War, The Cliff Path follows her hippie
Hippie
The hippie subculture was originally a youth movement that arose in the United States during the mid-1960s and spread to other countries around the world. The etymology of the term 'hippie' is from hipster, and was initially used to describe beatniks who had moved into San Francisco's...
daughter Abigail, and A Fear of Heights completes this second trilogy with the life of Abigail's own daughter Tamsin, an engineering student in the 1980s.
Although Newbery is probably best known for her young adult novels, she also writes for younger readers. For children of about 10+, her novels include At the Firefly Gate, Lost Boy, Catcall
Catcall (novel)
Catcall is a children's novel by Linda Newbery, published in 2006. It won the Nestlé Children's Book Prize Silver Award.-Plot:The story focuses on a young boy named Josh, whose family goes through a dramatic upheaval. There is a new stepdad and a new baby sister.Josh's younger brother Jamie takes...
and Nevermore, all published by Orion. For Usborne Publishing
Usborne Publishing
Usborne Publishing, often called Usborne Books, is a United Kingdom-based publisher of children's literature.Founded by Peter Usborne in 1973, Usborne Publishing uses an in-house team of writers, editors and designers and is translated into over 55 languages...
she has written Polly's March and Andie's Moon, part of the Historical House series for which she collaborated with Adele Geras
Adèle Geras
Adèle Geras Adèle Geras Adèle Geras (born 1944, Jerusalem, is an English writer for young children, teens and adults. She has written more than 74 books, that have either been published or are in waiting...
and Ann Turnbull
Ann Turnbull
Ann Turnbull is a British writer of fiction for children and young adults. Her work includes picture books as well as novels. Many of her novels are set in Shropshire, the English county where she lives...
. She has also published a number of short stories and poems.
She has twice been shortlisted for the prestigious Carnegie Medal
Carnegie Medal
The Carnegie Medal is a literary award established in 1936 in honour of Scottish philanthropist Andrew Carnegie and given annually to an outstanding book for children and young adults. It is awarded by the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals...
, for The Shell House (2002) and Sisterland (2003); several of her other novels have been nominated. The Shell House was also shortlisted for the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize in 2002. She won the Costa Children's Book of the Year prize for 2006 (formerly the Whitbread Prize) with her young adult novel Set in Stone
Set in Stone (novel)
Set in Stone is a children's fantasy novel written by Linda Newbery. It won the Costa Children's Book of the Year Prize for 2006....
, and Catcall was Silver Medal winner in the 2007 Nestlé Children's Book Prize. In 2010 she was awarded an IBBY Honour (International Board on Books for Young People) for The Sandfather.
Linda Newbery's younger books have been illustrated by a range of artists. "Posy", a picture book, is illustrated by the Greenaway Medal winner Catherine Rayner. "Lob", published in 2010, is illustrated by Pam Smy, a lecturer at Anglia Ruskin University.
She was a judge for the Whitbread Book Awards (now the Costa Book Awards) in 2005, and for the Guardian Children's Book Prize in 2007, and has reviewed fiction for the Times Educational Supplement, The Guardian and other publications.