Chris D'Lacey (born 15 December 1954) is an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

writer of

children's fiction Children's literature or juvenile literature includes stories, books, magazines, and poems that are created for children. Modern children's literature is classified in two different ways: genre or the intended age of the reader. Children's ...

, he is best known for writing '' The Last Dragon Chronicles''. He has also written many other books including ''A Dark Inheritance''.

Biography

Chris D'Lacey was born in

Valletta Valletta (, mt, il-Belt Valletta, ) is an Local councils of Malta, administrative unit and capital city, capital of Malta. Located on the Malta (island), main island, between Marsamxett Harbour to the west and the Grand Harbour to the east, i ...

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

, but as a child moved first to

Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands. The city l ...

and then to

Bolton Bolton (, locally ) is a large town in Greater Manchester in North West England, formerly a part of Lancashire. A former mill town, Bolton has been a production centre for textiles since Flemish people, Flemish weavers settled in the area i ...

. After gaining a degree in biology from the

University of York , mottoeng = On the threshold of wisdom , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £8.0 million , budget = £403.6 million , chancellor = Heather Melville , vice_chancellor = Charlie Jeffery , students ...

, he returned to Leicester and got a job at the

University of Leicester , mottoeng = So that they may have life , established = , type = public research university , endowment = £20.0 million , budget = £326 million , chancellor = David Willetts , vice_chancellor = Nishan Canagarajah , head_labe ...

in the Pre-Clinical Sciences department.Oration for Chris d'Lacey at University of Leicester
Le.ac.uk (2002-08-29). D'Lacey is his wife's surname but he liked it so much he wanted to keep it. Retrieved on 2012-04-23. Originally his writing was confined to songs and he didn't turn to fiction until he was 32.Chris d'Lacey interview at Leicester Review of Books
Leicesterreviewofbooks.wordpress.com. Retrieved on 2012-04-23. His first piece of work was a 250,000 word story about polar bears for his wife, Jay, to accompany a stuffed polar bear he had bought her as a Christmas present.Chris d'Lacey biography at Scholastic
. Content.scholastic.com. Retrieved on 2012-04-23. He didn't write another story for seven years, until he heard about a competition to write a story for young children with a prize of £2,000. The resulting book, ''A Hole at the Pole'', also about polar bears, didn't win – but he sent it off to a publisher, who accepted it. His first children's novel, ''Fly, Cherokee, Fly'', was published in 1998 and subsequently shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal.The CILIP Carnegie & Kate Greenaway Children's Book Awards
Carnegiegreenaway.org.uk. Retrieved on 2012-04-23. It was inspired by the time he found an injured pigeon in

Victoria Park Victoria Park may refer to: Places Australia * Victoria Park Nature Reserve, a protected area in Northern Rivers region, New South Wales * Victoria Park, Adelaide, a park and racecourse * Victoria Park, Brisbane, a public park and former golf ...

and nursed it back to health at home.University of Leicester press release about Fly, Cherokee, Fly
Le.ac.uk (1999-05-24). Retrieved on 2012-04-23. After recovering, it lived another 14 years freely coming and going from a nest box attached to the back of the house. All of its offspring were given the names of different Native American tribes, which is where the title of the book comes from. He has since written over twenty children's books, including ''Pawnee Warrior'' (a sequel to ''Fly, Cherokee, Fly''), a collaborative novel with fellow children's author

Linda Newbery Linda Iris Newbery (born 12 August 1952) is a British writer known best for young adult fiction—where she entered the market, although she has broadened her range to encompass all ages. She published her first novel ''Run with the Hare'' in 1 ...

(''From E To You''), and the best-selling, award-winningRotherham Children's Book Award at Booktrust
/ref> The Last Dragon Chronicles and "The Erth Dragons." His books often contain environmental themes and events based on things that have happened to him. In July 2002 he was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Leicester for his contributions to children's literature.Chris d'Lacey's Honorary Graduate speech at University of Leicester
Le.ac.uk (2002-07-26). Retrieved on 2012-04-23. Although writing is now his main source of income, he still works at the university as the operator of the

confocal microscope Confocal microscopy, most frequently confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) or laser confocal scanning microscopy (LCSM), is an optical imaging technique for increasing optical resolution and contrast of a micrograph by means of using a sp ...

. His favorite children's books are the

Paddington Bear Paddington Bear is a fictional character in children's literature. He first appeared on 13 October 1958 in the children's book ''A Bear Called Paddington'' and has been featured in more than twenty books written by British author Michael Bond, a ...

series and ''

The Hobbit ''The Hobbit, or There and Back Again'' is a children's fantasy novel by English author J. R. R. Tolkien. It was published in 1937 to wide critical acclaim, being nominated for the Carnegie Medal and awarded a prize from the '' ...

'', and his favorite children's authors are

Allan Ahlberg Janet Ahlberg (21 October 1944 – 15 November 1994; née Hall) and Allan Ahlberg (born 5 June 1938) were a British married couple who created many children's books, including picture books that regularly appear at the top of "most popular" lis ...

and

Roald Dahl Roald Dahl (13 September 1916 – 23 November 1990) was a British novelist, short-story writer, poet, screenwriter, and wartime fighter ace of Norwegian descent. His books have sold more than 250 million copies worldwide. Dahl has be ...

Awards and nominations

* 1998 ''Fly, Cherokee, Fly'' shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal * 2002 ''

The Fire Within ''The Fire Within'' (french: Le Feu follet , meaning "The Manic Fire" or "Will-o'-the-Wisp") is a 1963 drama film written and directed by Louis Malle, based on the 1931 novel ''Will O' the Wisp'' by Pierre Drieu La Rochelle, which itself was in ...

'' won the Rotherham Children's Book Award * 2002 Honorary doctorate from the

* 2005 ''Horace'' shortlisted for the

Bolton Children's Book Award The Bolton Children's Book Award is an annual award given to works of children's literature published in paperback during the previous year. The award is sponsored by Bolton Literacy Trust, The University of Bolton and Page Nation. List of prize w ...

* 2005 ''Horace'' shortlisted for the

Hampshire Book Award The Hampshire Book Awards are an annual series of literary awards given to works of children's literature. The awards are run by Hampshire County Council's School Library Service. There are three awards: Hampshire Book Award, Hampshire Illustrat ...

* 2006 Icefire shortlisted for the

Angus Book Award The Angus Book Award is a literary award for UK authors of teenage fiction. It is awarded by Angus Council in Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great B ...

Angus Book Award
. Angus.gov.uk. Retrieved on 2012-04-23. *2010 ''Gruffen'' won the Books Factor Award.

References

External links

Chris d'Lacey's official website

Chris d'Lacey at Fantastic Fiction
{{DEFAULTSORT:d'Lacey, Chris English children's writers Living people 1954 births Alumni of the University of York People associated with the University of Leicester People from Valletta English male novelists