Francesca Simon

b. 1955

1 series 32 books in order 1994–2010

Francesca Isabella Simon MBE (born 23 February 1955) is an American-born British author who resides in North London. She is best known for creating the Horrid Henry series of children's books. Simon was born in St. Louis, Missouri, and grew up in California. She studied at Yale and Jesus College, Oxford, where she majored in medieval studies and Old English. She worked as a journalist for publications including the Sunday Times, Guardian, Mail on Sunday, The Daily Telegraph, and Vogue (US). Simon was inspired to write by Anthony Trollope. After the birth of her son, Joshua, in 1989, she began writing children's books full-time. She has published over 50 books, with the Horrid Henry series selling over 25 million copies and being translated into 24 languages. Simon lives in London with her husband, Martin, and their son. Their Tibetan spaniel, Shanti, is featured in the short story "Shanti," included in the 2014 anthology Paws and Whiskers. In 2019, an opera based on her book The Monstrous Child was staged at the Royal Opera House. The opera, composed by Gavin Higgins with a libretto by Simon, tells the story of the Norse god of the dead, Hel, as an angry teenager.

Born

1955

Active years

1994–2010

Known for

Horrid Henry

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