Philip Reeve

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Biography

Philip Reeve was born and brought up in Brighton, and has since lived in Devon and Dartmoor. He worked for many years in a bookshop, while involved with amateur film making and theatre.

Since 1994, he has earned his living as a cartoonist. His drawings are well known from three series of books for school children: Murderous Maths; Horrible Histories; and Dead Famous. He has provided illustrations and jokes for over forty books.

His first novel was Mortal Engines (2001), a thrilling fantasy adventure story with traditional elements and moral conundrums, set in a futuristic landscape where cities move across the globe, gobbling other towns and cities as they go. It opens: 'It was a dark, blustery afternoon in spring, and the city of London was chasing a small mining town across the dried-out bed of the old North Sea.' Mortal Engines won the Nestlé Smarties Book Prize (Gold Award) in 2002 and was also shortlisted for the Whitbread Children's Book Award. Its sequel, Predator's Gold, was published in 2003, followed by the third and fourth books in the series, Infernal Devices (2005) and A Darkling Plain (2006). A Darkling Plain won the 2006 Guardian Children's Fiction Prize.

Philip Reeve has also had short stories published in various magazines, and is the author of the children's series of books about Buster Bayliss - far-fetched but hilarious tales for younger readers. He has also written a musical with Brian P Mitchell, 'The Ministry of Biscuits'.

Larklight (2006), is a Victorian space adventure for children. Its sequel, Starcross, was published in 2007, and a third book in the same series is due for publication in 2008. His novel Here Lies Arthur (2007), was shortlisted for the 2007 Booktrust Teenage Prize, and winner of the 2008 Carnegie Medal.

His latest novel, Fever Crumb (2009), is a prequel to the Mortal Engines quartet.

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Genres (in alphabetical order)

Children

Bibliography

Mortal Engines   Scholastic Press, 2001

Buster Bayliss 1: Night of the Living Veg   Scholastic Hippo, 2002

Buster Bayliss 2: The Big Freeze   Scholastic Hippo, 2002

Buster Bayliss 3: Day of the Hamster   Scholastic Hippo, 2002

Buster Bayliss 4: Custardfinger   Scholastic Hippo, 2003

Horatio Nelson and His Victory   (and illustrator)   Scholastic Hippo, 2003

Predator's Gold   Scholastic Press, 2003

Infernal Devices   Scholastic Press, 2005

A Darkling Plain   Scholastic Press, 2006

Larklight   Bloomsbury, 2006

Here Lies Arthur   Scholastic, 2007

Starcross   Bloomsbury, 2007

Mothstorm   Bloomsbury, 2008

Fever Crumb   Scholastic, 2009

Read about books by Philip Reeve at encompassculture.com - the British Council's book database and global online book club

Buy books by Philip Reeve at Amazon.co.uk

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Prizes and awards

2002   Nestlé Smarties Book Prize (Gold Award)   (9-11 Years category)   Mortal Engines

2002   Whitbread Children's Book Award   (shortlist)   Mortal Engines

2003   Blue Peter Book Award: The Book I Couldn't Put Down   (shortlist)   Mortal Engines

2004   WH Smith People's Choice Award   (shortlist)   Predator's Gold

2006   Guardian Children's Fiction Prize   A Darkling Plain

2007   Booktrust Teenage Prize   (shortlist)   Here Lies Arthur

2008   Carnegie Medal   Here Lies Arthur

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Contact information

Publisher (General enquiries) Scholastic Ltd Euston House 24 Eversholt Street London  NW1 1DB England Tel: +44 (0)20 7756 7756 E-mail: SCBenquiries@scholastic.co.uk www.scholastic.co.uk

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