Buckley-Archer, Linda

PERSONAL: Born in Sussex, England; married; children: two. Education: Undergraduate degree; studied for a doctorate at London University.

ADDRESSES: Home— London, England.

CAREER: Has worked as a freelance journalist for the London Independent and other newspapers, and as a French teacher.

WRITINGS

Gideon the Cutpurse: Being the First Part of the Gideon Trilogy (novel; for children), Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers (New York, NY), 2006.

Also author of radio scripts, including Gideon the Cut-purse, Pearls in the Tate, One Night in White Satin, and Brief Encounters.

ADAPTATIONS: Gideon the Cutpurse was adapted as an audiobook, Simon & Schuster, 2006.

SIDELIGHTS: Linda Buckley-Archer initially intended her first children’s novel, Gideon the Cut-purse: Being the First Part of the Gideon Trilogy, to be a radio play; but her children’s enthusiastic response to readings in progress led her to develop it as a novel. The time travel story takes Peter and Kate, two modern-day twelve-year-olds, back to 1763 England via a mishap with an antigravity device being developed by Kate’s father. Fortunately, the device went back in time with them. As a result, Peter and Kate have high hopes of returning to their own time, until the machine is stolen by the nefarious thief known as the Tar Man. Gideon, a former thief, helps the two children track down the Tar Man as the children’s parents frantically search for them. “Readers will be eager for the sequel to this exciting time travel adventure,” asserted Paula Rohrlick in Kliatt. Jennifer Mattson, writing in Booklist, commented that the author proves herself skilled at portraying “the pistol-waving encounters with highwaymen and chases through London’s underbelly.” Melissa Moore concluded in School Library Journal that “this novel is a rare gem.”

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES

PERIODICALS

Booklist, August 1, 2006, Jennifer Mattson, review of Gideon the Cutpurse: Being the First Part of the Gideon Trilogy, p. 63.

Bookseller, June 3, 2005, “Global Children’s Deal for Simon & Schuster,” p. 13; April 21, 2006, “DVD Trailer for Gideon,” p. 10.

Kirkus Reviews, June 1, 2006, review of Gideon the Cutpurse, p. 569.

Kliatt, September, 2006, Paula Rohrlick, review of Gideon the Cutpurse, p. 8.

Publishers Weekly, June 19, 2006, review of Gideon the Cutpurse, p. 63.

School Library Journal, July, 2006, Melissa Moore, review of Gideon the Cutpurse, p. 97; October, 2006, review of Gideon the Cutpurse, p. S58.

ONLINE

Authortrek.com, http://www.authortrek.com/ (December 17, 2006), brief profile of Linda Buckley-Archer.

BookLoons.com, http://www.bookloons.com/ (December 17, 2006), Hilary Williamson, review of Gideon the Cutpurse.

Gideon Trilogy, http://www.thegideontrilogy.com/ (December 17, 2006).

London Times Online, http://www.timesonline.co.uk/ (December 17, 2006), Amanda Craig, review of Gideon the Cutpurse.*