Jenny Nimmo (born January 15, 1944) is a British author of numerous books for children, including many fantasy and adventure novels, beginning reader books, and picture books.
Her The Snow Spider won the Smarties Prize (1986) and the Tir na n-Og Award (1987), The Stone Mouse was highly commended for the Carnegie Medal (1995) and a number of her other books have received or been shortlisted for children's book awards. Her current series is the Charlie Bone series, in which the main character Charlie Bone's magical talent embroils him in the sinister intrigues of his new school. Originally intended as a quintet, the series has been extended to eight books.
Jenny Nimmo was born in Windsor, Berkshire, England. She was an only child, and her father died when she was five. According to a short article by the American publisher of the series, Nimmo was a voracious reader as a child, which led her to write her own stories to share with friends.
After working for a time in theater, Nimmo worked for several years with the BBC. Part of that time was spent adapting other writers' stories for television. Her first book, The Bronze Trumpeter, began life as a television script.
In 1974, she married David Wynn Millward, an artist and illustrator. She has three children and currently lives in Wales, sharing her time between writing and helping her husband with a summer art school.