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Books By Clive Gifford - Author

Clive Gifford is an award-winning author of over 200 books specializing in engaging and entertaining non-fiction books for children and young adults. His books have garnered much praise and won Children's Choice, NAPPA Gold Star, TES Book of the Year and Smithsonian awards. Refugees was shortlisted for The British Book Awards whilst Discover the Extreme World was on the four-book shortlist for the 2012 Blue Peter Book Award. In October 2018, Clive won The Sainsbury's Children's Book Award for The Book Of Comparisons. He also won The Blue Peter Book Award 2019 for The Colours of History.

With a lifelong interest in geopolitics, ecology and the environment, Clive has authored a number of titles on ecology and global issues for Heinemann, Franklin Watts, Lonely Planet, DK and now Buster Books. Clive has contributed many articles to Encyclopaedia Britannica, appeared on radio and at live events and written hundreds of articles to a wide range of publications. He is based in Manchester.

A Q&A on This is Not a Science Book

Is your new book This is Not a Science Book a science book or what? 

Ahhh, that would be telling! I can tell you what it is not and that’s a stuffy school science textbook. It is an entertaining activities book with lots of drawing, investigating, colouring-in, project making and puzzling to be done but it does show how all around you, science is constantly happening. 

The book is packed with surprising facts and phenomena and activities to scramble your brain with visual illusions and tricks. Why not have a look yourselves, then you can tell me whether the book is out science or about fun or, a lot of both.

Where do you live?

I live in a large three-storey tumbledown house on the very edge of Manchester. It's pretty old - I think it was built in 1906 - and there always seems to be bits of it falling off! It overlooks the Mersey Valley and I can cycle through countryside and canal paths to get to the centre of Manchester.

What do you carry with you when you travel for your writing?

I always carry a notebook and several pens (I am constantly losing pens) to jot down any ideas that spring to mind. I also carry a digital camera or my smartphone to snap pictures and a tiny MP3 player to record interviews. There’s always a pack of Post-It notes in one of my pockets to mark pages of books with useful information to return to, as well.

What is your favourite children's book ever?

That is a toughie! I can give you several favourites if that is okay, starting with the ‘Golden Compass/Northern Lights’ trilogy by Phillip Pullman which I think were truly magical examples of storytelling and David Almond’s ‘Skellig’ which is a truly beautiful story.

What is your greatest extravagance?

Books. No question. Every project I work on needs lots of books to research the subject and gives me the excuse to go to the bookshop and spend, spend, spend! I haven’t counted them but I reckon I’ve got over 7,000 books all littered round my house!


Do you still buy books at shops or do you get all your facts off the internet?

The Internet is, of course, very useful especially for checking and getting the most up to date statistic or snippet but the information on there often only tells a tiny part of the whole story. For a complete picture of how or why something works or more detail, I still think books and magazines are extremely important. I visit bookshops and use libraries all the time. The libraries in my area, Trafford, are excellent and we have an amazing old bookshop over in Sharston which has more than half a million old books!

What would you like to be if you weren't a writer?

Really good question! I really would have liked to have been a rock star but was lousy at playing the guitar. The other job I would have liked was to be a documentary film-maker.

Author's Website: http://www.clivegifford.co.uk/

Follow Clive Gifford on Social Media

Computer Kids: Learning Online

Clive Gifford

Paperback

Pre-order. 13th February 2025

£8.09 £8.99

Computer Kids: Going Online

Clive Gifford

Paperback

Pre-order. 13th February 2025

£8.09 £8.99

Super Tech: Gross Tech

Clive Gifford

Hardback

Not Available

Super Tech: Robots

Clive Gifford

Hardback

Not Available

Super Tech: Dinosaurs

Clive Gifford

Hardback

Not Available

Super Tech: Big Data

Clive Gifford

Hardback

Not Available

Super Tech: Space

Clive Gifford

Hardback

Not Available

Super Tech: AI

Clive Gifford

Hardback

Not Available

The Football Encyclopedia

Clive Gifford

Paperback

Pre-order. 9th May 2024

£11.69 £12.99

Ben Stokes

Clive Gifford

Paperback

Pre-order. 11th April 2024

£5.39 £5.99

Virat Kohli

Clive Gifford

Paperback

Pre-order. 11th April 2024

£5.39 £5.99

Tudors

Clive Gifford

Paperback

In Stock

£6.29 £6.99

Incredible Golf

Clive Gifford

Paperback

In Stock

£6.29 £6.99

Ancient Greeks

Clive Gifford

Paperback

In Stock

£6.29 £6.99

1001 Really Ridiculously Silly Jokes

Clive Gifford

Paperback

In Stock

£6.29 £6.99

How the World Works

Clive Gifford

Paperback

In Stock

£11.69 £12.99

Land of Hunters

Clive Gifford

Hardback

In Stock

£15.29 £16.99

Welcome to the Mysteryverse

Clive Gifford

Hardback

In Stock

£18.00 £20.00

Incredible Rugby

Clive Gifford

Paperback

In Stock

£6.29 £6.99

Explorers

Clive Gifford

Paperback

In Stock

£6.29 £6.99

The Book of Time

Clive Gifford

Hardback

Not Available

The Book of Time

Clive Gifford

Hardback

In Stock

£13.49 £14.99

Ancient Romans

Clive Gifford

Paperback

In Stock

£6.29 £6.99

Incredible Football

Clive Gifford

Paperback

In Stock

£6.29 £6.99

Why Does Plastic Hurt the Planet?

Clive Gifford

Hardback

In Stock

£15.29 £16.99

You & Your Amazing Brain

Clive Gifford

Paperback

Not Available

You & Your Amazing Brain

Clive Gifford

Paperback

In Stock

£9.89 £10.99

Philosophy for Everyone

Clive Gifford

Hardback

In Stock

£13.49 £14.99

Ancient Egyptians

Clive Gifford

Paperback

In Stock

£6.29 £6.99

Vikings

Clive Gifford

Paperback

In Stock

£6.29 £6.99

Incredible Cricket

Clive Gifford

Paperback

In Stock

£6.29 £6.99

Sports Academy: Rugby

Clive Gifford

Paperback

Not Available

Robographics: Eco-Robots

Clive Gifford

Paperback

Not Available

Land of Giants

Clive Gifford

Hardback

In Stock

£14.39 £15.99

The Football Encyclopedia

Clive Gifford

Paperback

Not Available

Powered by Plants

Clive Gifford

Hardback

Not Available

Powered by Plants

Clive Gifford

Hardback

In Stock

£13.49 £14.99

Football Joke Book

Clive Gifford

Paperback

Not Available

Sports Academy: Tennis

Clive Gifford

Paperback

Not Available

Sports Academy: Football

Clive Gifford

Paperback

Not Available

Number Shocker

Clive Gifford

Paperback

In Stock

£7.19 £7.99

Sports Academy: Tennis

Clive Gifford

Hardback

Not Available

100 Things to Know About Inventions

Clive Gifford

Hardback

In Stock

£13.49 £14.99

A Quick History of Money

Clive Gifford

Paperback

Not Available

Wasted

Clive Gifford

Paperback

Not Available

World of Football

Clive Gifford

Paperback

In Stock

£9.89 £10.99

Myth Busters: Animal Errors

Clive Gifford

Paperback

In Stock

£6.29 £6.99

Myth Busters: Body Bloopers

Clive Gifford

Paperback

In Stock

£6.29 £6.99

Guardians of the Planet

Clive Gifford

Paperback

In Stock

£8.99 £9.99

Backward Science

Clive Gifford

Hardback

Not Available

The Football Encyclopedia

Clive Gifford

Paperback

Not Available

Football Record Breakers

Clive Gifford

Paperback

In Stock

£8.99 £9.99

Monster Trucks

Clive Gifford

Paperback

Not Available

In Focus: Tropical Lands

Clive Gifford

Paperback

Temporarily Out Of Stock

£7.19 £7.99

First Space Book

Clive Gifford

Hardback

In Stock

£11.69 £12.99

The Race to Space

Clive Gifford

Hardback

Not Available

A Robot World

Clive Gifford

Paperback

Not Available

Raise the Flag

Clive Gifford

Paperback

Not Available

Football Skills

Clive Gifford

Paperback

Not Available

The Book of Comparisons

Clive Gifford

Hardback

Not Available

In Focus: Galapagos Islands

Clive Gifford

Paperback

In Stock

£7.19 £7.99

The Colours of History

Clive Gifford

Paperback

In Stock

£11.69 £12.99

Out of This World

Clive Gifford

Paperback

In Stock

£6.29 £6.99

Hung, Drawn and Quartered

Clive Gifford

Paperback

In Stock

£6.29 £6.99

iRobot

Clive Gifford

Hardback

Not Available

So You Think You Know: Enid Blyton's Famous Five

Clive Gifford

Paperback

Temporarily Out Of Stock

£5.39 £5.99

Dreadfully Deadly History

Clive Gifford

Paperback

Not Available

Crimebusters

Clive Gifford

Paperback

Not Available

Robot's Revenge

Clive Gifford

Paperback

Not Available