Lauren St John (born December 1966) is an author born in Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe. She is best known for her children's novels including The White Giraffe and Dead Man's Cove which won her a Blue Peter Book Award in 2011.

Lauren St John
BornDecember 1966
Gatooma, Rhodesia (now Kadoma, Zimbabwe)
OccupationAuthor
Notable workThe White Giraffe
Notable awards2011 Blue Peter Book Award

Life and career

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Lauren St John was born in December 1966 in Gatooma, Rhodesia (now Kadoma, Zimbabwe).[1] When she was eleven, St John and her family moved to a nature reserve called Rainbow End's farm in Gadzema. It was later the focus of her memoir, Rainbow's End[2] and many of her children's books are influenced by the nature reserve in which she grew up.[3]

After studying journalism in Harare St John moved to London where she was the golf correspondent for The Sunday Times for almost a decade.[4]

In 2011, St John won the Blue Peter Book of the Year Award for her book Dead Man's Cove, about an eleven year old girl called Laura Marlin who becomes a detective. It is the first in a series of books.[5] Dead Man's Cove was also shortlisted for a Galaxy National Book Award for Children's Book of the Year.[2] The book was optioned by Centurion Television in 2016.[6]

As well as writing, St John has also done work with the wildlife charity, Born Free Foundation. She became involved after contacting the Foundation while she was running a school conservation project called Animals Are Not Rubbish in 2009.[3]

Children's fiction

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Early Readers series

  • Shumba's Big Adventure (2013) ISBN 1444008021
  • Anthony Ant Saves the Day (2015) ISBN 1444008048
  • A Friend for Christmas (2016) ISBN 1444008064
  • Mercy and the Hippo (2017) ISBN 1444008099

Animal Healer series

Laura Marlin mysteries

Wolfe and Lamb Mysteries

Stand-alone novels

Young adult fiction

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The One Dollar Horse series

Stand-alone books

Adult fiction and non-fiction

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Fiction

Non-fiction

  • Rainbow's End: A Memoir of Childhood, War and an African Farm (2007) ISBN 0743286790
  • Hardcore Troubador: The Life and Near Death of Steve Earle (2002) ISBN 0007161255

References

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  1. ^ "Lauren St John". Simon & Schuster. Retrieved 13 September 2017.
  2. ^ a b "About Lauren". laurenstjohn.com. Retrieved 13 September 2017.
  3. ^ a b "How We Met: Virginia McKenna & Lauren St John". The Independent. 3 July 2011. Retrieved 13 September 2017.
  4. ^ "Lauren St.John books and biography". www.waterstones.com. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  5. ^ "Mystery tale wins Blue Peter book prize". BBC News. 2 March 2011. Retrieved 13 September 2017.
  6. ^ "Lauren St John moves to MCB in four-book deal". The Bookseller. Retrieved 13 September 2017.