Cornelia Funke

Although Cornelia Funke is one of Germany's best-selling children's book authors, she was relatively unknown in the United States until The Thief Lord was published in September 2002. The publisher and managing director, Barry Cunningham, received a letter from a bilingual (English and German) young girl living in England, who wanted to know why her favorite author wasn't published in English. Barry set about the task of tracking down the latest title from Cornelia Funke, Herr der Diebe. When he published its English translation, The Thief Lord, it was an immediate success!

She has written over 40 books, including the highly acclaimed Dragonrider and Wild Chicks series, and her books have been translated and sold in many countries. The Thief Lord has won many awards both in the US and throughout the world. Cornelia Funke's success in America has been matched internationally, demonstrating the universal appeal — and power — of her storytelling.

Her next novel, Inkheart, takes her audience into the heart of imagination itself. It tells the story of Meggie, and her father Mo, who both possess an extraordinary gift - they can read a book out loud and bring the characters to life! The result is a page-turning thriller, a wonderfully satisfying piece of storytelling, replete with mystery and magic.

Cornelia Funke graduated from the University of Hamburg in Germany, where she received a degree in education theory. She then completed a course in book illustration at the Hamburg State College of Design. Following that, she worked as a designer for board games and as an illustrator of children's books, which inspired her to become an author herself. Aside from her novels, Funke works for the German state television channel ZDF. Cornelia Funke lives near Hamburg, Germany with her husband Rolf, her daughter, Anna, and her son, Ben.

Website: http://www.corneliafunke.de/en.html