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Anna Ciddor
Author, Illustrator, Online - Virtual Visits
Anna Ciddor inspires audiences with her passion for uncovering historical secrets and turning them into gripping narrative, and her lively presentations are filled with ‘show-and-tell’ and audience participation. In 2021, Anna won the Nance Donkin Award for Children’s Literature. Her newest book, A Message Through Time is coming out in April 2023. It is a gripping adventure that immerses readers in a world filled with excitement, laughter, and amazing (and accurate) historical detail about life in Gaul in ancient Roman times – and also brings a Roman girl into the present! It is a stand-alone companion to The Boy Who Stepped Through Time which was short-listed for the Aurealis Award and long listed for the AHA Historical Novel Prize. Anna has written and illustrated nearly 60 books, including the best-selling Runestone, a historical fantasy, The Family with Two Front Doors, a story based on her grandmother’s childhood in 1920s Poland, and 52 Mondays, inspired by Anna’s childhood memories of 1960s Australia.
Read more at www.annaciddor.com
What other jobs have you had?
Believe it or not, my first career was as a senior school maths teacher, but I always had a creative side as well, (my maths was a bit creative too!). When I had kids, I took a break from teaching and decided to have a go at getting a book published. The rest is history…
What themes are recurring in your work?
I love research, so my books are always based on some amazing truth I have uncovered – usually about another time or place because I am obsessed with the past.
What have been the highlights of your career?
It’s been an unreal and exciting joy to have several of my books chosen by kids for children’s choice awards, to win three Notable Book Awards from the Children’s Book Council and be shortlisted twice for the Speech Pathology of Australia Book of the Year. It’s a thrill every time I receive emails from readers telling me how much they love something I’ve written, or how my books have set them on the path to reading and enjoying books.
Testimonials
Anna Ciddor was fantastic!
Our year four to six students were so engaged. Anna’s presentation was targeted to exactly the right student level. Both students and teachers thoroughly loved her presentation and is lining up to borrow her books. Anna’s presentation was one of the best we ever had.
Anna spoke to the Grade 5 & 6 students about her new book “The Family with Two Front Doors”. I have never seen a group of students so engaged. Anna tailoured her presentation to exactly the right level. Both students and teachers were thoroughly enthralled. The presentation was engaging, educational, informative and moving. Anna brought props which really made the story come alive. Students asked thoughtful and relevant questions of Anna at the end of her presentation. Our students cannot wait to get their hands on a copy of the book!
It was perfect! If only all visiting authors and illustrators were this good!
Your presentation was fascinating and I thought the way you linked the story with the research process and family connection was perfect.
I was inspired so much when you came in and how you turned family history into an absolutely amazing book! I really hope that one day I can do the same.
Anna had the audience locked on to her presentation from start to finish. She unfolded a fascinating story of literary detective work, tracing the lives of her Polish grandmother and her family, and the audience couldn’t wait for a formal question-and-answer period at the end — they threw in questions as the session went along, and she handled them brilliantly and honestly.