Lloyd Alexander, author

LLOYD Alexander (83), a prolific writer of children’s books including the five-book series ‘The Chronicles of Prydain’, died on Thursday.

The final book in his Prydain series, ‘The High King’, won the Newbery Medal from the American Library Association in 1969, being recognised as the best children’s book of the year. Another book in the series, ‘The Black Cauldron’, was named a runner-up for the medal in 1966, a status now known as a Newbery Honour Book.His final novel, ‘The Golden Dream of Carlo Chuchio’, is scheduled to be published by Holt in August.The publisher described it as an adventure in the tradition of Middle Eastern folk tales.Alexander joined the Army at the start of World War II.His experiences in the area inspired many of his books.Nampa-APAnother book in the series, ‘The Black Cauldron’, was named a runner-up for the medal in 1966, a status now known as a Newbery Honour Book.His final novel, ‘The Golden Dream of Carlo Chuchio’, is scheduled to be published by Holt in August.The publisher described it as an adventure in the tradition of Middle Eastern folk tales.Alexander joined the Army at the start of World War II.His experiences in the area inspired many of his books.Nampa-AP