Kenneth Oppel author page

Kenneth Oppel biography

Kenneth Oppel is a Canadian author known for his work in children’s and young adult fiction. He published his first novel, Colin’s Fantastic Video Adventure, in 1985. Oppel gained international recognition with the Silverwing series, beginning with Silverwing in 1997, followed by Sunwing (1999), Firewing (2002), and Darkwing (2007). The Silverwing series has been translated into multiple languages and adapted into an animated television series.

Oppel is also the author of the Matt Cruse trilogy, which includes Airborn (2004), Skybreaker (2005), and Starclimber (2008). Airborn won the 2004 Governor General’s Award for English-language children’s literature and the Michael L. Printz Honor from the American Library Association in 2005. Skybreaker was named a New York Times bestseller and received the Canadian Library Association Book of the Year for Children Award in 2006.

Other notable works by Oppel include This Dark Endeavour (2011) and Such Wicked Intent (2012), both part of the Apprenticeship of Victor Frankenstein series. This Dark Endeavour was shortlisted for the Governor General’s Award and the Canadian Library Association Book of the Year for Children Award. Oppel has also written Half Brother (2010), which won the Canadian Library Association Book of the Year for Children Award in 2011.

His more recent publications include Bloom (2020), Hatch (2020), and Thrive (2021), which form the Overthrow trilogy. Oppel’s books are published by HarperCollins and Simon & Schuster. In 2016, he received the Vicky Metcalf Award for Literature for Young People, recognising his body of work.