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Bestselling author Neil Gaiman has long been one of the top writers in modern comics, as well as writing books for readers of all ages. He is listed in the Dictionary of Literary Biography as one of the top ten living post-modern writers, and is a prolific creator of works of prose, poetry, film, journalism, comics, song lyrics, and drama.
Gaiman was the creator/writer of monthly cult DC Comics horror-weird series, Sandman, which won nine Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards. Norman Mailer said of Sandman: "Along with all else, Sandman is a comic strip for intellectuals, and I say it's about time."
A self-confessed “feral kid who was raised in libraries”, Author of the Month Neil Gaiman, spent much of his childhood devouring the books of J.R.R. Tolkein, Edgar Allan Poe, C.S. Lewis, Michael Morcock and a host of others. Once the biographer of Douglas Adams and Duran Duran, he has achieved cult status in the world of Science Fiction with his award winning, unpatronising writing for young people.
Born and raised in England, Neil Gaiman now lives near Minneapolis, Minnesota. He has somehow reached his forties and still tends to need a haircut.
See Neil speaking about his new novel, Fortunately, the Milk, a time-travelling adventure for young readers featuring aliens, dinosaurs, volcano gods and a pint of milk that saves the universe!
To download a teachers' guide to the Fortunately, the Milk... - of interest to parents too! - click here!
Author photo © Kimberley Butler
What a witty feast of sing-song verse and visuals this is. Chris Riddell’s vibrant characters whish and whoosh in rhythm with Neil Gaiman’s rambunctious rhymes to create a hearty banquet befitting a pirate crew. The swaggering story begins when a brother and sister are introduced to their babysitter, a certain scar-faced, grey-haired, peg-legged ship’s cook called Long John Mc Ron. Moments after their parents have left, Long John opens the door to an entire crew of hungry pirates, and so he does what any respectable ship’s cook would do – he cooks up “Pirate Stew! Pirate Stew! Eat it and you won’t be blue. You can be a pirate too!” With a rib-tickling twist that will send readers into fits of giggles, Pirate Stew is buccaneering blast of a book that demands to be read aloud, acted out and treasured like ill-gotten gains!
October 2020 Book of the Month | What a witty feast of sing-song verse and visuals this is. Chris Riddell’s vibrant characters whish and whoosh in rhythm with Neil Gaiman’s rambunctious rhymes to create a hearty banquet befitting a pirate crew. The swaggering story begins when a brother and sister are introduced to their babysitter, a certain scar-faced, grey-haired, peg-legged ship’s cook called Long John Mc Ron. Moments after their parents have left, Long John opens the door to an entire crew of hungry pirates, and so he does what any respectable ship’s cook would do – he cooks up “Pirate Stew! Pirate Stew! Eat it and you won’t be blue. You can be a pirate too!” With a rib-tickling twist that will send readers into fits of giggles, Pirate Stew is buccaneering blast of a book that demands to be read aloud, acted out and treasured like ill-gotten gains!
Award-winning Neil Gaiman brilliantly weaves a spell-binding story taking readers up and away on a wild fantasy in which dinosaurs and space travel happily coexist. And all because…Dad has to go out and by the milk! Chris Riddell’s line illustrations capture the invention perfectly. Children of all ages (and lots of childish grown-ups) will be swept along laughing with glee as Dad tries to get the milk home...and possibly save the universe along the way!
Winner of the CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal 2016 | Award-winning Neil Gaiman shows all his story telling skills in this gripping fusion of familiar fairy tales told in a dark-hearted version with some original characters. Especially a bold-hearted queen. Not far from where the queen lives, a princess is under the spell of an enchantress who has put a whole country to sleep. Despite it being the eve of her wedding day, the bold queen decides to take action. Slipping into her mail shirt she arms herself with her sword and sets off out of the palace accompanied by the three dwarves who will lead her through the tunnels…The dark magic, great courage and spell-binding imagination that power this story is perfectly realised in Chris Riddell’s awesome illustrations.
A Julia Eccleshare Pick of the Month May 2017 Best-selling Neil Gaiman is renowned for his retelling of traditional tales. Here, he brings a delightful crispness and humour to a touching story of how an Indian princess who cannot see and never speaks is cured in a most unusual way. Divya Srinivasan’s illustrations centre of the tiger at the heart of the story and bring him vividly to life. ~ Julia Eccleshare Julia Eccleshare's Picks of the Month for May 2017 The Lotterys Plus One by Emma Donoghue King of the Sky by Nicoloa Davies A Story Like the Wind by Gill Lewis King Coo by Adam Stower The Tale of Angelino Brown by David Almond Cinnamon by Neil Gaiman The Big Bird Spot by Matt Sewell
Prize-winning Neil Gaiman tells a witty and touching story about gods and magic in Viking times. Having run away from home, Odd finds shelter in a little hut in the forest. Here, he meets a bear, a fox and an eagle all of whom seems determined to befriend him. Soon, Odd discovers these are no ordinary animals and that they badly need his help to save the City of Asgard from the Frost Giants who have invaded it. With his cheerful temperament and quick thinking, Odd is just the kind of imaginative hero they need and a wonderful battle for power unfolds. Chris Riddell's enchanting pen and ink illustrations throughout bring the magic to life.
Winner of the CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal 2016. A deluxe edition of the thrillingly reimagined fairy tale by the magical partnership of award-bedecked, bestselling Neil Gaiman and Children’s Laureate Chris Riddell. | Award-winning Neil Gaiman shows all his story telling skills in this gripping fusion of familiar fairy tales told in a dark-hearted version with some original characters. Especially a bold-hearted queen. Not far from where the queen lives, a princess is under the spell of an enchantress who has put a whole country to sleep. Despite it being the eve of her wedding day, the bold queen decides to take action. Slipping into her mail shirt she arms herself with her sword and sets off out of the palace accompanied by the three dwarves who will lead her through the tunnels…The dark magic, great courage and spell-binding imagination that power this story is perfectly realised in Chris Riddell’s awesome illustrations.
When Chu sneezes, big things happen, as fans of Neil Gaiman and Alex Rex’s charming picture books will know. A day out at the beach promises all sorts of fun, including ice cream served by a dextrous octopus, but when the sunshine tickles Chu’s nose the sneeze he sneezes is so massive it breaks the sea into pieces! Chu will have to sneeze again to put it right. Chu is a perfect picture book star, always at the centre of everyone’s attention, and happily causing chaos without ever meaning to, and children will love the silliness of his adventures. ~ Andrea Reece
When Chu sneezes, big things happen, as fans of Neil Gaiman and Alex Rex’s charming picture books will know. A day out at the beach promises all sorts of fun, including ice cream served by a dextrous octopus, but when the sunshine tickles Chu’s nose the sneeze he sneezes is so massive it breaks the sea into pieces! Chu will have to sneeze again to put it right. Chu is a perfect picture book star, always at the centre of everyone’s attention, and happily causing chaos without ever meaning to, and children will love the silliness of his adventures. ~ Andrea Reece
Winner of the CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal 2016 | Award-winning Neil Gaiman shows all his story telling skills in this gripping fusion of familiar fairy tales told in a dark-hearted version with some original characters. Especially a bold-hearted queen. Not far from where the queen lives, a princess is under the spell of an enchantress who has put a whole country to sleep. Despite it being the eve of her wedding day, the bold queen decides to take action. Slipping into her mail shirt she arms herself with her sword and sets off out of the palace accompanied by the three dwarves who will lead her through the tunnels…The dark magic, great courage and spell-binding imagination that power this story is perfectly realised in Chris Riddell’s awesome illustrations.
One of our Books of the Year 2014 Award-winning Neil Gaiman brilliantly weaves a spell-binding story taking readers up and away on a wild fantasy in which dinosaurs and space travel happily coexist. And all because…Dad has to go out and by the milk! Chris Riddell’s line illustrations capture the invention perfectly. Children of all ages (and lots of childish grown-ups) will be swept along laughing with glee as Dad tries to get the milk home...and possibly save the universe along the way! In addition to our Lovereading expert opinion for Fortunately, The Milk... a small number of children were lucky enough to be invited to review this title. Here's a taster....'a brilliantly funny and strangely weird time travel adventure.' Scroll down to read more reviews...
The griffin, the sunbird, manticores, unicorns - all manner of glorious creatures never captured in zoos, museums or photographs are packed vividly into this collection of stories. Neil Gaiman has included some of his own childhood favourites alongside stories classic and modern to spark the imagination of readers young and old.
September 2013 Book of the Month Award-winning Neil Gaiman brilliantly weaves a spell-binding story taking readers up and away on a wild fantasy in which dinosaurs and space travel happily coexist. And all because…Dad has to go out and by the milk! Chris Riddell’s line illustrations capture the invention perfectly. Children of all ages (and lots of childish grown-ups) will be swept along laughing with glee as Dad tries to get the milk home...and possibly save the universe along the way! In addition to our Lovereading expert opinion for Fortunately, The Milk... a small number of children were lucky enough to be invited to review this title. Here's a taster....'a brilliantly funny and strangely weird time travel adventure.' Scroll down to read more reviews...
Tenth anniversary edition of Neil Gaiman's modern classic, brilliantly illustrated by Chris Riddell, with a new foreword by the author. When Coraline’s family move into a new home, she steps through a door into another house which seems strangely familiar. It has many of the things she has at home but they are all strangely different. There is even a replacement set of parents. At first, Coraline likes her new home but she soon realises that the new parents are reluctant to let her go. Can Coraline escape? Will she ever get home? Not for the faint hearted, this is a fascinating and chilling story, exquisitely told.
Prize-winning Neil Gaiman tells a witty and touching story about gods and magic in Viking times. Having run away from home, Odd finds shelter in a little hut in the forest. Here, he meets a bear, a fox and an eagle all of whom seems determined to befriend him. Soon, Odd discovers these are no ordinary animals and that they badly need his help to save the City of Asgard from the Frost Giants who have invaded it. With his cheerful temperament and quick thinking, Odd is just the kind of imaginative hero they need and a wonderful battle for power unfolds. ~ Julia Eccleshare
Feisty in its hopes and wishes for a modern baby girl, this is also an enchanting lullaby which is warmly illustrated. The hopes for the baby girl include, “let her have brave days and truth”, “trust and delight in her youth” as well as “Grant her the wisdom to choose her right path, free from unkindness and fear.” Taken together, it is a heart-warming guide to life. A gorgeous book to share with your toddler and for children to be inspired by as they grow in confidence as young readers.
11+. Winner of the Carnegie Medal in 2010, shortlisted for the Kate Greenaway Medal in 2010, winner of Best Novel at the Hugo Awards 2009 and of the prestigious Newbery Medal. | Spooks galore in this brilliant and fantastic story of life in the graveyard. When Baby Bod escapes a murderer intent on killing his whole family, he is taken in by the graveyard ghosts. In eight chapters, each of which depicts every other year of Bod’s life, a separate story of Bod’s life unfolds and always in the background there is the sinister, haunting presence of a killer. Bod’s curious tale is a masterpiece of original, absorbing and unstoppable storytelling.
Winner of the CLIP Carnegie Medal 2010. Spooks galore in this brilliant and fantastic story of life in the graveyard. When Baby Bod escapes a murderer intent on killing his whole family, he is taken in by the graveyard ghosts. A stunningly original novel deftly constructed over eight chapters, each of which depicts every other year of Bod’s life, a separate story of Bod’s life unfolds and always in the background there is the sinister, haunting presence of a killer. Bod’s curious tale is a masterpiece of original, absorbing and unstoppable story telling. This edition is illustrated in a breath-taking fashion by Dave Mckean. Winner of the prestigious Teenage Book of the Year Award 2009. Winner of Best Novel at the Hugo Awards 2009 Winner of the 2009 prestigious Newbery Medal. 27th January 2009 - Gaiman was asleep in bed in Los Angeles this morning when he was phoned by the award's committee and told he had won. 'You are on a speakerphone with at least 14 teachers and librarians and suchlike great, wise and good people, I thought. Do not start swearing like you did when you got the Hugo. Afterwards he wrote: 'I might have imagined all of this, or they may have to do a sudden recount or something,' wrote Gaiman. 'But I think it probably happened. I mean, it's now 7:20am and I'm drinking tea and blinking happily at the world.'
Shortlisted for the CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal 2010. A father and child discover the joys of his crazy hair in this brilliant picture book. Bonnie tries to tame her father's hair, but to no avail, as birds and beasts of every type jostle for space amongst the curls and tresses of this hirsute book. A warm and funny conversational text combine beautifully with Dave McKean's edgy and dramatic illustrations to make this another perfect picture book by Gaiman and McKean. CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal SHORTLIST 2010: Judges’ comments A technically brilliant and highly imaginative book about daring to be different, which makes great use of colour and varying styles to surreal and often creepy effect. A fresh and incredibly clever picture book.
Film-tie-in edition to the weird and wonderful Coraline, which has just released as an animated film in the UK. When Coraline’s family move into a new home, she steps through a door into another house which seems strangely familiar. It has many of the things she has at home but they are all strangely different. There is even a replacement set of parents. At first, Coraline likes her new home but she soon realises that the new parents are reluctant to let her go. Can Coraline escape? Will she ever get home? Not for the faint hearted, this is a fascinating and chilling story, exquisitely told. Coraline is also available in paperback as well as a graphic novel edition
Winner of the Carnegie Medal in 2010 and winner of Best Novel at the Hugo Awards 2009. 2009 winner of the prestigious Newbery Medal. Spooks galore in this brilliant and fantastic story of life in the graveyard. When Baby Bod escapes a murderer intent on killing his whole family, he is taken in by the graveyard ghosts. In eight chapters, each of which depicts every other year of Bod’s life, a separate story of Bod’s life unfolds and always in the background there is the sinister, haunting presence of a killer. Bod’s curious tale is a masterpiece of original, absorbing and unstoppable storytelling. In January 2009 Neil Gaiman won American's most prestigious children's fiction prize, the Newbery medal, for his novel The Graveyard Book. 27th January 2009 - Gaiman was asleep in bed in Los Angeles this morning when he was phoned by the award's committee and told he had won. 'You are on a speakerphone with at least 14 teachers and librarians and suchlike great, wise and good people, I thought. Do not start swearing like you did when you got the Hugo. This was a wise thing to think because otherwise huge, mighty and four-letter swears were gathering. I mean, that's what they're for,' Gaiman wrote on his blog after the call. Gaiman's The Graveyard book is the story of Nobody Owens, known to his friends as Bod, who lives in a graveyard and is raised by ghosts. The Newbery, which picks 'the most distinguished American children's book published the previous year', has been criticised in recent weeks for being out of touch with its readers; the choice of Gaiman - a perennial bestseller - as winner, puts paid to claims that the judges favoured books with a limited appeal. Named in honour of 18th-century British bookseller John Newbery, the award was founded in 1922, with previous winners including children's classics such as Hugh Lofting's The Voyages of Dr Dolittle, Madeline L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time and Lloyd Alexander's The High King. 'I might have imagined all of this, or they may have to do a sudden recount or something,' wrote Gaiman. 'But I think it probably happened. I mean, it's now 7:20am and I'm drinking tea and blinking happily at the world.'
Winner of the Carnegie Medal in 2010 and winner of Best Novel at the Hugo Awards 2009 and of the prestigious Newbery Medal. Spooks galore in this brilliant and fantastic story of life in the graveyard. When Baby Bod escapes a murderer intent on killing his whole family, he is taken in by the graveyard ghosts. A stunningly original novel deftly constructed over eight chapters, each of which depicts every other year of Bod’s life, a separate story of Bod’s life unfolds and always in the background there is the sinister, haunting presence of a killer. Bod’s curious tale is a masterpiece of original, absorbing and unstoppable story telling. This edition is illustrated in a breath-taking fashion by Dave Mckean. In January 2009 Neil Gaiman won American's most prestigious children's fiction prize, the Newbery medal, for his novel The Graveyard Book. 27th January 2009 - Gaiman was asleep in bed in Los Angeles this morning when he was phoned by the award's committee and told he had won. 'You are on a speakerphone with at least 14 teachers and librarians and suchlike great, wise and good people, I thought. Do not start swearing like you did when you got the Hugo. This was a wise thing to think because otherwise huge, mighty and four-letter swears were gathering. I mean, that's what they're for,' Gaiman wrote on his blog after the call. Gaiman's The Graveyard book is the story of Nobody Owens, known to his friends as Bod, who lives in a graveyard and is raised by ghosts. The Newbery, which picks 'the most distinguished American children's book published the previous year', has been criticised in recent weeks for being out of touch with its readers; the choice of Gaiman - a perennial bestseller - as winner, puts paid to claims that the judges favoured books with a limited appeal. Named in honour of 18th-century British bookseller John Newbery, the award was founded in 1922, with previous winners including children's classics such as Hugh Lofting's The Voyages of Dr Dolittle, Madeline L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time and Lloyd Alexander's The High King. 'I might have imagined all of this, or they may have to do a sudden recount or something,' wrote Gaiman. 'But I think it probably happened. I mean, it's now 7:20am and I'm drinking tea and blinking happily at the world.'
A sensational graphic novel version of Neil Gaiman’s story which adds extra layers of fear to the already powerful narrative. When Coraline’s family move into a new home, she steps through a door into another house which seems strangely familiar. It has many of the things she has at home but they are all strangely different. There is even a replacement set of parents. At first, Coraline likes her new home but she soon realises that the new parents are reluctant to let her go. Can Coraline escape? Will she ever get home? Not for the faint hearted, this is a fascinating and chilling story exquisitely told in words and pictures. The animated film version of Coraline released in May 09 in the UK to tremendous applause. Coraline is also available in paperback as well as a film tie-in edition.
A terrific collection of richly imaginative short stories. These tales reflect Neil Gaiman’s innovative storytelling and his ability to play with material that is already familiar – as in his new take on the story of Humpty-Dumpty in which a hard boiled detective gets on the case.
Shortlisted for the Kate Greenaway Medal. What the judges said: A sophisticated and challenging graphic novel which employs striking images, collage and film stills to work with an extensive text for older readers. It has an edgy, fragmented feel, and this lack of cohesion reflects what is going on in the story, giving great synergy to the whole. A book with real visual impact, which takes us out of our comfort zone.
Prepared to be scared by this utterly brilliant romp of a story which is powerfully told in words and pictures. Lucy can hear all kinds of noises coming from the walls of the house. They are creeping, sneaking and crumpling noises and she knows they are NOT just mice as her mother says. Lucy knows that it is wolves. Soon the wolves grow braver; they come right out of the walls forcing the family to flee. Lucy knows that only she has the courage and power to get them to go back again. Can she succeed? Vibrant, comic illustrations capture the scare of the story perfectly and the satisfactory resolution! To view other graphic novels click here.
A World Book Day 'Recommended Read' for 2011 Visually dramatic, this is a hugely entertaining adventure perfectly tinged with an alarming subtext. Desperate to have his friend’s two goldfish, a boy swaps his father for them – despite the warning from his sister. Predictably, Mum is not pleased and demands he gets his dad back. But getting Dad back proves to be harder than you’d think as he has now been swapped for several other things since… Neil Gaiman and David McKean have created a story which is perfectly told in both words and pictures. To view other graphic novels click here.
When Coraline’s family move into a new home, she steps through a door into another house which seems strangely familiar. It has many of the things she has at home but they are all strangely different. There is even a replacement set of parents. At first, Coraline likes her new home but she soon realises that the new parents are reluctant to let her go. Can Coraline escape? Will she ever get home? Not for the faint hearted, this is a fascinating and chilling story, exquisitely told. Coraline is also available in a film tie-in edition as well as a graphic novel.
New York Times bestseller by award-winning writers Neil Gaiman and Michael Reaves. Joey Harker isn't a hero... Joey Harker is the kind of guy who gets lost in his own house. But one day, Joey gets really lost. He walks straight out of his world and into another dimension. This walk between worlds makes Joey prey to armies of magic and science, both determined to harness Joey's power to travel between dimensions. The only thing standing in their way is Joey - or to be more precise an army of Joeys, all from different dimensions... Now Joey must make a choice: return to the life he knows or join the battle.
What a witty feast of sing-song verse and visuals this is. Chris Riddell’s vibrant characters whish and whoosh in rhythm with Neil Gaiman’s rambunctious rhymes to create a hearty banquet befitting a pirate crew. The swaggering story begins when a brother and sister are introduced to their babysitter, a certain scar-faced, grey-haired, peg-legged ship’s cook called Long John Mc Ron. Moments after their parents have left, Long John opens the door to an entire crew of hungry pirates, and so he does what any respectable ship’s cook would do – he cooks up “Pirate Stew! Pirate Stew! Eat it and you won’t be blue. You can be a pirate too!” With a rib-tickling twist that will send readers into fits of giggles, Pirate Stew is buccaneering blast of a book that demands to be read aloud, acted out and treasured like ill-gotten gains!
October 2020 Book of the Month | What a witty feast of sing-song verse and visuals this is. Chris Riddell’s vibrant characters whish and whoosh in rhythm with Neil Gaiman’s rambunctious rhymes to create a hearty banquet befitting a pirate crew. The swaggering story begins when a brother and sister are introduced to their babysitter, a certain scar-faced, grey-haired, peg-legged ship’s cook called Long John Mc Ron. Moments after their parents have left, Long John opens the door to an entire crew of hungry pirates, and so he does what any respectable ship’s cook would do – he cooks up “Pirate Stew! Pirate Stew! Eat it and you won’t be blue. You can be a pirate too!” With a rib-tickling twist that will send readers into fits of giggles, Pirate Stew is buccaneering blast of a book that demands to be read aloud, acted out and treasured like ill-gotten gains!
Award-winning Neil Gaiman brilliantly weaves a spell-binding story taking readers up and away on a wild fantasy in which dinosaurs and space travel happily coexist. And all because…Dad has to go out and by the milk! Chris Riddell’s line illustrations capture the invention perfectly. Children of all ages (and lots of childish grown-ups) will be swept along laughing with glee as Dad tries to get the milk home...and possibly save the universe along the way!
Winner of the CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal 2016 | Award-winning Neil Gaiman shows all his story telling skills in this gripping fusion of familiar fairy tales told in a dark-hearted version with some original characters. Especially a bold-hearted queen. Not far from where the queen lives, a princess is under the spell of an enchantress who has put a whole country to sleep. Despite it being the eve of her wedding day, the bold queen decides to take action. Slipping into her mail shirt she arms herself with her sword and sets off out of the palace accompanied by the three dwarves who will lead her through the tunnels…The dark magic, great courage and spell-binding imagination that power this story is perfectly realised in Chris Riddell’s awesome illustrations.
In a hot, hot country, ringed with mountains on one side and jungle on the other, lives a princess called Cinnamon. Her eyes are made of pearls, which means that she is blind. And, for reasons her parents the Rajah and Rani cannot fathom, she will not talk. So they offer a reward to anyone who can teach Cinnamon to speak. People travel from far and wide to attempt it, but nothing works. Until a mighty tiger, huge and fierce, prowls into their palace and announces that he is here to teach the girl-cub to talk ... A mighty fable from Neil Gaiman, winner of the Newbery and Carnegie Medals, illustrated in vivid colour by up-and-coming talent Divya Srinivasan, and now out in paperback. Neil Gaiman's work has been widely adapted for film and TV, including films of Coraline and Stardust, and adaptations of American Gods, Good Omens (written with Terry Pratchett) and How to Talk to Girls at Parties are in the works for 2017.
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