Nicky Singer

Nicky Singer
Born	(1956-07-22)22 July 1956 Chalfont St Peter, Buckinghamshire, England
Died	17 June 2023(2023-06-17) (aged 66) Brighton, East Sussex, England
Occupation	novelist playwright librettist
Alma mater	Bristol University
Period	1993-2020
Subject	bullying terrorism loss climate change
Notable awards	Blue Peter Book Award 2002
Spouse	James King-Smith ​ (m. 1983)​
Children	Roland Edmund Xavier
Website
nickysinger.com

Nicky Singer (22 July 1956 - 17 June 2023) was an English novelist, playwright and librettist known best for her young adult books that often tackled controversial or sensitive subjects.

Early life and education

Singer grew up in the village of Chalfont St Peter, England. ^[1] She showed an interest in writing from a young age, winning a chocolate bar for a story she wrote aged 6. ^[2]

She attended Queen Anne's School and went on to study English at the University of Bristol, graduating in 1978. ^[3]

Her father died suddenly when she was 14, which she cites as a "trigger event" in her life, teaching her not to take life for granted. ^[2] At 16 her godfather encouraged her to write a cantata adaptation of Jonah and the fish which went on to be her first published work. ^[4] Her mother died when Singer was 17, leaving her in loco parentis for her younger sisters. ^[4]

Death

Nicky died on 17 June 2023 in Brighton following a stroke; she was 66. ^[1]

Published writings

• To Still the Child (1992) ^[5]
• To Have and to Hold (1993) ^[6]
• What She Wanted (1997) ^[7]
• My Mother's Daughter (1998) ^[8]
• Little Book of the Millennium (1999) ^[9]
• Feather Boy (2002) ^[10]
• The Innocent’s Story (2003) ^[11]
• Doll (2003) ^[12]
• Gem X (2008) ^[13]
• Knight Crew (2009), ^[14] transformed into an opera of the same name in 2010.
• Under Shifting Glass (2011) ^[15]
• The Flask (2012) ^[16]
• Island (2015), ^[17] originally commissioned as a play for The National Theatre
• The Survival Game (2018) ^[18]
• The Wind in the Willows (2020), illustrated by Anna Shuttlewood. ^[19]

Awards and honours

• The Innocent's Story - Nominated for the Carnegie Medal in 2006
• The Flask - Nominated for the Carnegie Medal & UKLA shortlist for age 7-11 and Student Shadowing Vote Winner ^[20]
• Feather Boy - Blue Peter Book of the Year Award (2002) in the categories of "Book I Couldn't Put Down" and "Book of the Year", ^[21] British Academy Children's Awards best children's drama (2004) ^[22]

References

1. Riddell, Chris (2 Aug 2023). "Nicky Singer obituary". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 2 Aug 2023. Retrieved 21 Jan 2023.
2. "An Interview With Nicky Singer". The Letterpress Project. Archived from the original on 21 Jan 2024. Retrieved 2024-01-21.
3. Brown, Lauren (27 June 2023). "Award-winning author Nicky Singer dies aged 66". The Bookseller. Archived from the original on 21 Jan 2024. Retrieved 21 Jan 2024.
4. "Interview: Nicky Singer". www.thejc.com. Archived from the original on 21 Jan 2024. Retrieved 21 Jan 2024.
5. Singer, Nicky. To Still the Child. Virago. ISBN   9780094710900.
6. Singer, Nicky (1995). To have and to hold. Virago. ISBN   9781853818493.
7. Singer, Nicky (1997). What She Wanted. Phoenix Books. ISBN   9780753800454.
8. My Mother's Daughter. Phoenix Books. 5 Oct 1998. ISBN   9780752804781.
9. Singer, Nicky (1999). The little book of the millennium. Headline Publishing. ISBN   9780747264590.
10. Singer, Nicky (2002). Feather Boy. HarperCollins. ISBN   978-0007332007.
11. Singer, Nicky (20 December 2003). The Innocent's Story. HarperCollins. ISBN   978-0007179367.
12. Singer, Nicky (2003). Doll. HarperCollins. ISBN   978-0007179367.
13. Singer, Nicky (2006). GemX. OUP. ISBN   978-0192742018.
14. Singer, Nicky (2009). Knight Crew. CB editions. ISBN   978-0956107329.
15. Singer, Nicky (2011). Under shifting glass. Chronicle Books. ISBN   9781452109213.
16. Singer, Nicky (2012). The Flask. HarperCollins. ISBN   9780007438761.
17. Singer, Nicky (2015). Island. Caboodle Books. ISBN   978-0992938963.
18. Singer, Nicky (2018). The Survival Game. Hodder Children’s Books. ISBN   978-1444944532.
19. Singer, Nicky (2015). The Wind in the Willows. HarperCollins. ISBN   9780008147266.
20. "Estate of Nicky Singer - C&W Agency". cwagency.co.uk. Retrieved 2024-07-17.
21. "BBC - Press Office - Blue Peter Book Awards 2002". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2024-01-21.
22. "Children's in 2004 | BAFTA Awards". awards.bafta.org. Retrieved 2024-07-17.