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Having grown up in Galway and Donegal, Siobhán Parkinson has lived most of her adult life in her native Dublin. She studied English literature and German at Trinity, and went on to take her doctorate in English literature. She has worked for many years as an editor, a profession that very closely resembles that of writing. She concentrates more on her writing these days, but is also a very active member of the writers-in-schools scheme, and she gives workshops in creative writing and talks on her work in all sorts of situations. She has held various writing residencies and she is currently co-editor of Inis -- The Children's Books Ireland Magazine. Her books have won numerous awards and been translated into lots of languages, her favourites being Latvian, because it is so different, and Japanese, because it is back to front.
Apart from reading and writing, she is very fond of eating and sleeping. Her favourite place is bed. Obviously, she is not a cross-channel swimmer. She is a big fan of the Great Indoors, including crackling fires, warm rugs and lots of candles. Her ambition is to be old, so that she can sit in a chair all day and eat chocolate and nobody can expect her to go out to work.
Her husband, Roger Bennett, is a woodturner and teacher, and her son Matthew is almost grown up. Being her son didn't do him too much harm, he claims, but time will tell.
Her first two books, The Dublin Adventure and The Country Adventure, were aimed at the 6-9 age group and were very well received. Her third book for the same age group was The Leprechaun who Wished he Wasn't.
With her fourth book, Amelia, Siobhán wrote for the older age group, 10s through young teens. Amelia was an immediate bestseller and was shortlisted for the 1994 Bisto Award. The sequel, entitled No Peace for Amelia, was published in October 1994, and also became a bestseller. Siobhán also wrote All Shining in the Spring, a non-fiction account of a baby who died. Written from personal experience, it is intended for children, families and carers involved with the situation of the death of a small child.
Sisters ... no way! was published in October 1996. A modern story of very reluctant step-sisters, written for the young teen market, it has become a bestseller. Sisters is designed as two books in one, each book telling the story from the other sister’s point of view. It won the Bisto Book of the Year award in 1997.
Four Kids, Three Cats, Two Cows, One Witch (maybe) was published in October 1997 and was described by Robert Dunbar as 'one of the best Irish children's books we've ever had'. It won a Bisto Merit Award.
Siobhán's next book, The Moon King, also won a Bisto Merit Award and was on the iBbY Honour List 2000, in Ireland's first year as a member of iBbY. It was selected for use in the Ireland in Schools project in British schools.
Breaking the Wishbone saw another move in Siobhán's writing. It is a gritty story of the challenges facing four homeless teenagers in modern Dublin. Call of the Whales , was shortlisted for the Reading Association of Ireland Award 2001. Animals Don't Have Ghosts is the sequel to the popular Cows Are Vegetarians .
Her latest novel The Love Bean has been described as 'a great comedy romance' and tells the story of two parallel love triangles between twin sisters and a foreigner, set thousands of years apart.
Links
Siobhán's personal website
Wikipedia page for Siobhán
Interviews
Researching Call of the Whales
Writing Sisters ... no way!
Extracts
Amelia
Chapter 1: Teatime in Kenilworth Square
Breaking the Wishbone
Samantha
Four Kids, Three Cats, Two Cows, One Witch (maybe)
Chapter 1: Persuading Elizabeth
The Henny Penny Tree
Littlest, Middling and Tall One
Kate
A chapter from 'Kate'
The Love Bean
Lydia keeps something from Julia ...
The Moon King
Chapter 2: Dandelion Girl Meets the Banshee (or Not)
No Peace for Amelia
Teatime in Casimir Road
Sisters
Ashling's Diary: Wednesday 2nd April
Cindy's Diary: Wednesday 2nd April
Resources
Amelia
Teaching guide from O'Brien Teaching Guides Collection 1
Teaching ideas for fifth class from O'Brien Reading Programme
Breaking the Wishbone
Teaching guide for Breaking the Wishbone from O'Brien Teaching Guides for Second Level Schools.
Call of the Whales
Teaching guide from O'Brien Teaching Guides Collection 3
Teaching ideas for sixth class from the O'Brien Reading Programme Supplement
Four Kids, Three Cats, Two Cows, One Witch (maybe)
Teaching ideas for fifth class from O'Brien Reading Programme
Teaching guide from O'Brien Teaching Guides Collection 1
Text units and two resource units developed by Ireland in Schools and the Key Stage 3 National Strategy are available on the Staffordshire Learning Net
Kate
Teaching guide to the novel by Peter Heaney
The Leprechaun Who Wished He Wasn't
Teaching ideas for second class from O'Brien Reading Programme
The Moon King
Teaching ideas for fifth class from O'Brien Reading Programme
Teaching guide from O'Brien Teaching Guides Collection 2
A workbook for use in year 6 by Susan Lyme-Wright for Ireland in Schools and the Key Stage 3 National Strategy is available on the Staffordshire Learning Net
No Peace for Amelia
Teaching guide from O'Brien Teaching Guides Collection 2
Teaching ideas for sixth class from O'Brien Reading Programme
Sisters
Teaching guide for Sisters ... No Way! from O'Brien Teaching Guides for Second Level Schools.
A study unit written by Pam Orford for Ireland in Schools and the Key Stage 3 National Strategy is available on the Staffordshire Learning Net
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