Lisa Thompson | |
|---|---|
 from LitFest 2024 in UAE | |
| Born | 5 May 1973 Hornchurch, London, England |
| Occupation | Children's writer |
| Spouse | Stuart[1] |
| Children | Ben, Isobel[1] |
| Website | http://www.lisathompsonauthor.com/ |
Biography
editThompson was born and raised in the London Borough of Havering (Hornchurch, Upminster), England.[1] After leaving school at age 16, she worked in insurance for a couple of years. In 1991, she joined the BBC, eventually becoming a radio broadcast assistant.[1] She left the BBC in 2002 and later became a freelance radio broadcast assistant with an independent production company.[1] At age 43, Thompson debuted her first book.[1]
Writing
editThompson's debut novel, The Goldfish Boy, was published by Scholastic in 2017.[2] A review in Kirkus wrote that the book "strikes the perfect balance, seemingly without compromise, between an issue-driven novel and one with broad, commercial appeal." The Goldfish Boy was a national bestseller[3] and was shortlisted for the Waterstones Children's Book Prize.[4]
The following year, Thompson published The Light Jar. The book was described in The Guardian as a "a thoughtful and hugely empathetic book".[3] It was followed by The Day I Was Erased (2019)[5] and The Boy Who Fooled the World (2020).[6]
Thompson's first novella, Owen and the Soldier (2019), was published by Barrington Stoke and became the first dyslexia-friendly title to be shortlisted for the Blue Peter Book Awards.[7] That same year, Thompson contributed a short story to Return to Wonderland, a collection of new stories set in Lewis Carroll's fictional world.[8]
Her second novella, The House of Clouds, was published in 2020, and in 2021 The Graveyard Riddle (which revisited characters from her first novel, The Goldfish Boy) was followed by her third novella, The Small Things.
The Rollercoaster Boy and The Treasure Hunters were released in 2022 and 2023 respectively, as were Sidney Makes a Wish and Carrie and the Roller Boots, two stories for younger children with illustrations by Jess Rose, which were her fourth and fifth titles for Barrington Stoke.
Further books followed.
.
Personal life
editThompson is married to Stuart and they have two children, Ben and Isobel.[1]
Published works
editNovels
edit| Title | Year | Publisher |
|---|---|---|
| The Goldfish Boy | 2017 | Scholastic |
| The Light Jar | 2018 | |
| The Day I Was Erased | 2019 | |
| The Boy Who Fooled the World | 2020 | |
| The Graveyard Riddle | 2021 | |
| The Rollercoaster Boy | 2022 | |
| The Treasure Hunters | 2023 | |
| The Mystery of the Forever Weekend | 2024 |
Novellas
edit| Title | Year | Publisher |
|---|---|---|
| Owen and the Soldier | 2019 | Barrington Stoke |
| The House of Clouds | 2020 | |
| The Small Things | 2021 |
For younger children
edit| Title | Illustrations | Year | Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sidney Makes a Wish | Jess Rose | 2022 | Barrington Stoke |
| Carrie and the Roller Boots | 2023 | ||
| Sidney and Carrie Have a Party | 2024 | ||
| Worry Boots | Aysha Awwad | 2024 | Scholastic |
Short stories
edit| Title | From | Year | Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Knave of Hearts | Return to Wonderland (Various authors) | 2019 | Macmillan Children's Books |
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g Russell, Steve (29 January 2017). "I made tea for Benedict Cumberbatch!". IPSWICH STAR. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
- ^ "THE GOLDFISH BOY". KIRKUS. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
- ^ a b Donaldson, Sarah (16 January 2018). "The Light Jar review – bleak but thoughtful page-turner". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 March 2020.
- ^ Gibbons, Amy (7 February 2018). "Hadleigh author shortlisted for prestigious Waterstones Children's Book Prize for her book The Goldfish Boy". East Anglian Daily Times. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
- ^ Jones, Nicolette (20 January 2019). "Children's book of the week: The Day I Was Erased by Lisa Thompson, illustrated by Mike Lowery". THE TIMES. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
- ^ Russell Williams, Imogen (25 January 2020). "Children's and teens roundup: the best new picture books and novels". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
- ^ Cowdrey, Katherine (7 November 2019). "Blue Peter Book Awards reveals shortlists for 2020". THE BOOKSELLER. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
- ^ Various (27 June 2019). Return to Wonderland – By Various. Pan Macmillan. ISBN 9781529006865. Retrieved 19 March 2020 – via Google – Books.