Author Robert Westall was born in Tynemouth, England on October 7, 1929. He grew up during World War II and his childhood experiences inspired much of his work. He studied Fine Art at Durham University and Sculpture at the Slade School of Art in London. Before becoming a full-time author in 1985, he worked as an art teacher. His first novel, The Machine Gunners, was published in 1975 and won the Carnegie Medal. Some of his other awards include The Carnegie Medal in 1982 for The Scarecrows, the Smarties Prize in 1989 for Blitzcat, and the Guardian Award in 1991 for The Kingdom by the Sea. He died on April 15, 1993. Lawrence is director of the Lamar Dodd Art Center.