Vivien Alcock was an author of children's books. Born in Worthing

Worthing

Worthing is a large seaside town with borough status in West Sussex, within the historic County of Sussex, forming part of the Brighton/Worthing/Littlehampton conurbation. It is situated at the foot of the South Downs, west of Brighton, and east of the county town of Chichester...

, West Sussex

West Sussex

West Sussex is a county in the south of England, bordering onto East Sussex , Hampshire and Surrey. The county of Sussex has been divided into East and West since the 12th century, and obtained separate county councils in 1888, but it remained a single ceremonial county until 1974 and the coming...

 in England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

, her family moved to Devizes

Devizes

Devizes is a market town and civil parish in Wiltshire, England. The town is about southeast of Chippenham and about east of Trowbridge.Devizes serves as a centre for banks, solicitors and shops, with a large open market place where a market is held once a week...

 in Wiltshire

Wiltshire

Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...

 when she was aged 10. She then studied at the Oxford School of Art.

She was married to author Leon Garfield

Leon Garfield

Leon Garfield was a British writer of fiction. He is best known for his historical novels for children, though he also wrote for adults...

, with whom she adopted a daughter, named Jane after Jane Austen

Jane Austen

Jane Austen was an English novelist whose works of romantic fiction, set among the landed gentry, earned her a place as one of the most widely read writers in English literature, her realism and biting social commentary cementing her historical importance among scholars and critics.Austen lived...

. They met during World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, when Vivien was an ambulance driver. Her first book was The Haunting of Cassie Palmer which was followed by The Monster Garden and others.

Written Work

• The Haunting of Cassie Palmer (1980)
• The Stonewalkers (1981)
• The Sylvia Game (1982)
• Ghostly Companions: A Feast of Chilling Tales (1984)
• A Change of Aunts (1984) - short story
• The Cuckoo Sister (1985)
• Travellers by Night (1985)
• Wait and See (1986)
• The Mysterious Mr. Ross (1987)
• A Kind of Thief (1988)
• The Monster Garden (1988)
• The Thing in the Woods (1989)
• The Trial of Anna Cotman (1989)
• The Dancing Bush (1991)
• Singer to the Sea God (1992)
• Othergran (1993)
• The Face at the Window (1994)
• The Wrecker (1994)
• Time Wreck (1996)
• The Silver Egg (1997)
• The Red-Eared Ghosts (1997)
• Stranger at the Window (1998)
• A Gift on a String (1998)
• Ticket to Heaven (2000)
• The Boy Who Swallowed A Ghost (2001)

The Stonewalkers was also made available on audio cassette.

Awards

• Horn Book Honor List
  Horn Book Magazine
  The Horn Book Magazine, founded in Boston in 1924, is a bimonthly periodical about literature for children and young adults. It began life as a "suggestive purchase list" prepared by Bertha Mahony Miller and Elinor Whitney Field, proprietresses of the country's first bookstore for children, The...
  
   1985 for Travellers by Night
• Notable Book of the Year, American Library Association Notable Books, 1985 for Travellers by Night
• Notable Book of the Year, American Library Association, 1986 for The Cuckoo Sister
• Notable Book of the Year, American Library Association, 1988 for The Monster Garden
• Best science fiction/fantasy Book, Voice of Youth Advocate, 1988 for The Monster Garden
• Horn Book Fanfare Best Books of the Year 1989 for The Monster Garden
• Horn Book Fanfare Best Books of the Year 1993 for A Kind of Thief
• Carnegie Medal
  Carnegie Medal
  The Carnegie Medal is a literary award established in 1936 in honour of Scottish philanthropist Andrew Carnegie and given annually to an outstanding book for children and young adults. It is awarded by the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals...
  
   shortlist for The Trial of Anna Cotman

External links

• Vivien Alcock's Obituary in The Guardian
• The writings of V Alcock