Tributes paid to 'brilliantly talented' Jeremy Strong

The children’s author Jeremy Strong has died aged 74, with Scholastic paying tribute to the "inspiring" storyteller.

Strong was born in 1949 in south east London and studied English at York University, after which he became a teacher and headteacher. He became a full-time writer in 1991, writing over 100 books for children with a focus on middle-grade and was published by both Puffin and Scholastic.

Puffin editorial director Horslen, edited Strong over many years. "In a career spanning six decades, Jeremy Strong proved himself time and again to be the king of comedy," Horslen told The Bookseller. "Over more than 100 books, he demonstrated a laser instinct for what kids find funny, honed by his years as a primary school teacher. That time in the classroom also fostered a lifelong passion to, as he put it, ’encourage reading amongst ordinary children’. 

"His books delivered an irresistible blend of anarchic energy, clever wordplay and hilarious characters that could tempt even the most reluctant reader." 

Horslen added: "At his many thousands of public events, Jeremy was brilliant at talking to children, making them laugh, bringing his stories alive. In private, he was intelligent, thoughtful, unfailingly courteous and, above all, kind. Always quick to credit those who supported his books – teachers, librarians and booksellers – he often made light of his considerable talent. But the millions of sales speak for themselves." 

Strong’s books sold 1.6 million books for £6.3m, according to Nielsen BookScan. His bestselling titles included The Hundred-mile-an-hour Dog, My Sister’s Got a Spoon Up Her Nose, Viking at School, My Brother’s Famous Bottom and The Indoor Pirates on Treasure Island (all published Puffin). 

Horslen added: "Few authors have brought more delight to children – and more children to books – than Jeremy did, and none have done so with more playfulness and glee. He will be sadly missed by his publishers, his fellow authors and, above all, his lucky young readers.

Strong signed a deal earlier this year with Scholastic for Fox Goes North, a fable about friendship and “saying goodbye to the ones we love”. The publisher described Strong as “a wonderful writer and we were honoured and privileged to be working on his final book, Fox Goes North, which will be published posthumously this autumn”.

Scholastic group managing director Catherine Bell said: “Jeremy was a wonderful writer who did so much to inspire and engage children with books and reading for the sheer joy of it. Starting his career as a primary school teacher, Jeremy became a brilliantly talented storyteller whose empathy, warmth and humour always shone through his work, often using his teaching experiences to great humorous effect.”

She added: “More recently, we have been privileged to work on his very last book, Fox Goes North. A beautiful, poignant and reflective story that is a fitting epitaph to a wonderful career and a life well-lived. Our thoughts are with Jeremy’s family at this sad time.” 

Strong’s longtime literary agent Anthony Goff at David Higham said: “Jeremy had a phenomenal career lasting more than 40 years and with over a hundred books published. Children adored his humour and many people have told me that their love of reading started with his books. In person he was gentle and kind, and he had a sense of fun that matched his writing exactly. Representing him has never been anything less than a complete pleasure.”