Siobhan Dowd
Siobhan Dowd passed away in August 2007 after a long fight with breast cancer. In her short career, she was nominated for a number of awards, including the 2007 Carnegie Medal and the BookTrust Teenage Prize, and went on to win the 2007 Branford Boase Award and the 2007 Bisto Eilis Dilon Award, both awards that recognise an outstanding debut, for A Swift Pure Cry. In early 2007, Siobhan was nominated one of the top 25 Authors of the future as Waterstone's celebrated their 25th Anniversary.
Books
A Swift Pure Cry
Author: Siobhan Dowd
Publisher: Random House
Interest age: 12+
Reading age: 12+
Loosely based on the real life case of the Kerry babies, powerful imagery and lyrical prose is woven throughout this unforgettable, outstanding and ultimately hopeful novel.
Bog Child
Author: Siobhan Dowd
Publisher: Random House
Interest age: 12+
Reading age: 12+
This is a beautifully written coming-of-age tale, which deals with themes of mortality, peace and sacrifice.
Solace of the Road
Author: Siobhan Dowd
Publisher: David Fickling Books
Interest age: 13+
Reading age: 13+
Holly Hogan, 'delinquent care-babe with a crack-pot past' is trying to settle with yet another set of foster parents, but their neat, ordered life is uncomfortable and stifling.
The Guggenheim Mystery
Author: Robin Stevens (based on an idea by Siobhan Dowd)
Publisher: Puffin Books
When Ted Spark's Aunt Gloria is framed for the theft of a painting from the Guggenheim Museum, he must race through the streets of New York to find the real culprit. An exciting and heartwarming tale from Robin Stevens, continuing the legacy of late author Siobhan Dowd.
The London Eye Mystery
Author: Siobhan Dowd
Publisher: Penguin
Interest age: 9+
Reading age: 9+
Ted likes the weather, he also likes statistics and routine but his life is thrown into disarray when his Aunt Gloria and cousin Salim arrive, like a hurricane, to stay in London en-route to a new life in New York.
The Pavee and the Buffer Girl
Author: Siobhan Dowd Illustrator: Emma Shoard
Publisher: The Bucket List
Interest age: 10+
Reading age: 10+
Jim's from a traveller family and has never been to secondary school, but one day his dad says he has to go - and it's horrible. Stunningly illustrated by Emma Shoard, this short story by the late Siobhan Dowd is full of sensitivity and subtle, deft storytelling.
The Ransom of Dond
Author: Siobhan Dowd
Illustrator: Pam Smy
Publisher: David Fickling Books
Interest age: 9+
Reading age: 9+
The last of Siobhan Dowd's novels, this is a wonderfully atmospheric story, that will sweep readers away to the wild, windswept island world where it is set.