The Hen
A writer of over 100 children's books, best known for The Hundred-Mile-an-Hour Dog.
Jeremy James Strong (18 November 1949 – 4 August 2024) was an English writer known for his children's books. Strong wrote and published over 100 novels for children and young adults and is best known for his children's series The Hundred-Mile-an-Hour Dog. His work were known for humour, wordplay and has been described as encouraging "reading amongst ordinary children." Strong won the Children's Book award in 1997 and his books have been adapted for television including the BBC's There's a Viking in My Bed.
Lore & Background
Jeremy Strong was born in New Eltham in London on 18 November 1949. His parents were Charles Strong, a pharmacist, and Una, a primary school teacher. He had two brothers, Michael and Aidan, and a sister, Jenny. He attended Wyborne Primary School, east London, Haberdashers Aske's Boys' School and the University of York where he first studied music before changing courses to English. After graduating, he became a primary school teacher whilst still pursuing his ambition to become a writer. His first teaching position was at Sevenoaks, Kent in 1976. He became deputy head teacher at Birchwood primary and then headteacher of Culverstone Green primary. Strong published his first book Smith's Tail, a picture story for young children in 1978. Strong left teaching in 1991 and wrote full-time for the rest of his life.
Reader's Guide
Strong married his first wife Susan Noot, a teacher, in 1973 and they had two children together, Daniel and Jessica. They divorced and in 2006 Strong met Gillian Dean and they married two years later. Strong has two stepdaughters, from his second marriage, Rosa and Isabel. He lived in Bradford-on-Avon, with his wife and their two cats and four hens. Strong died from bone cancer on 4 August 2024. He was 74 years old.
More in Characters
Elsewhere in Beware of Chicken
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced