Francesca Simon Popular Books

Francesca Simon Biography & Facts

Francesca Isabella Simon (born 23 February 1955) is an American-British author who resides in North London. She is most famous for writing the Horrid Henry series of children's books. She is the daughter of screenwriter and playwright Mayo Simon (not to be confused with Simon Mayo, a British radio DJ). Biography Simon was born in St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. She grew up in California and studied at Yale and Jesus College, Oxford, where she majored in medieval studies and Old English. Simon worked as a journalist, writing for the Sunday Times, Guardian, Mail on Sunday, The Daily Telegraph and Vogue (US). She is married to an English husband, and has one son called Joshua (born 1985). She often states that many of her Horrid Henry stories were inspired by her son. Simon was inspired to write by Anthony Trollope. She began to write children's books full-time in 1989. Simon is one of the UK's best-selling children's writers; she has published over 50 different books, including her most popular series Horrid Henry series, which has sold over 25 million copies, and has been translated into 24 languages. Simon lives in London with her husband, Martin. Their Tibetan spaniel, Shanti, is memorialized in the short story "Shanti" that Simon wrote for inclusion in the Paws and Whiskers anthology by fellow author Jacqueline Wilson published in February 2014. In the spring of 2019 the Royal Opera House staged an opera based on Simon's book The Monstrous Child, about the Norse god of the dead, Hel, as an angry teenager. The opera is composed by Gavin Higgins with libretto by Simon. Selected works Horrid Henry series, illustrated by Tony Ross, Orion Books, 1994 to 2015 Simon, Francesca (1995). The Topsy Turvies. Illustrated by Keren Ludlow (1st ed.). Dial Press. ISBN 978-0803719699. Simon, Francesca (2012). The Topsy-Turvies (Early Reader). Illustrated by Emily Bolam. Orion Children's. ISBN 978-1444005127. Simon, Francesca (2014). The Lost Gods. Profile Books. ISBN 978-1846685668. – longlisted for the Guardian Prize, 2014 Simon, Francesca (2017). The Monstrous Child (Paperback ed.). Faber & Faber Children's. ISBN 978-0571330270. Simon, Francesca (2017). Hack and Whack. Illustrated by Charlotte Cotterill. Faber & Faber Children's. ISBN 978-0571328710. Honours and awards In 2008, Simon won the British Book Award for British Book Award The Children's Book of the Year with Horrid Henry and the Abominable Snowman. She is the first American to win this award. Simon was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2023 New Year Honours for services to literature. References External links Official website Francesca Simon at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database Francesca Simon at Library of Congress. Discover the Francesca Simon popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Francesca Simon books.