Robert Swindells

Robert E. "Bob" Swindells (born 20 March 1939) is an author of children's and young adult literature. Born in Bradford, the first of five children, Swindells worked for a local newspaper after leaving school aged 15. He served with the Royal Air Force and held various jobs before training as a teacher. His first novel, When Darkness Comes (1973), was written as his thesis while in training. Swindells combined writing with teaching until 1980 when he took up writing full-time. He first won the Children's Book Award with Brother in the Land (1985), a novel set in a post-apocalyptic world. Swindells was a supporter of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament and is quoted as saying that the work "... came out of my own anger and frustration ... you can’t kill selectively with nuclear weapons, you wipe out millions of people ..." Swindells also won the award for Room 13 (1990), Nightmare Stairs (Short novel, 1998) and Blitzed (Younger readers, 2003). His young adult novel Stone Cold (1993), which dealt with homelessness, won the Carnegie Medal in 1994.Swindells is married and has two daughters and three grandchildren.

---

Featured Books, with extracts by Robert Swindells

Just a Bit of Fun
Robert Swindells
Interest Age 14+ Reading Age 8+. Perfect to enjoy around Halloween, in fact at any time when you want to read something more than a bit scary.  Harley loses his little brother and sister out trick or treating, but when...
Featured in: 14+ readers | Dyslexia-friendly
Format: Paperback - Released: 15/09/2009
Info   Extract   Wishlist   Compare Price   Buy

The First Hunter
Robert Swindells
Interest Age 11+ Reading Age 8+. Powerfully told, The First Hunter captures the harsh world of early hunters who survive by stealing the meat that the big cats kill. But can they develop a skill of their own which will...
Featured in: 11+ readers | 14+ readers | Dyslexia-friendly | Reluctant Readers
Format: Paperback - Released: 25/06/2009
Info   Extract   Wishlist   Compare Price   Buy

Shrapnel
Robert Swindells
A gripping wartime drama from master storyteller and multi award-winner Robert Swindells.  World War Two is raging, bombs rain down on Britain and brave young men fly their fighter planes against enormous odds. Gordon wishes he was one of them unlike...
Featured in: 9+ readers | Ebooks
Format: Paperback - Released: 01/01/2009
Info   Extract   Wishlist   Compare Price   Buy

Brother In The Land
Robert Swindells
An after-the bomb story. Teenage Danny is one of the unlucky ones, a survivor, one of those who have come through a nuclear holocaust alive. In Shipley, an ordinary town in the North of England, there are still some other survivors to be...
Featured in: 11+ readers | Ebooks
Format: Paperback (b Format) - Released: 01/12/1994
Info   Extract   Wishlist   Compare Price   Buy