The Canterbury Tales

Geoffrey Chaucer was born in London in about 1342. He was valued highly by Edward III, who paid part of his ransom when he was captured fighting in France in 1360. He rose in royal employment, becoming a Justice of the Peace and was buried in 1400 in Westminster Abbey.

Born and educated in Enfield, North London, Geraldine McCaughrean is the youngest of three children. She worked at a London publishing house for ten years, and now works from home, in Berkshire. She has written around a hundred and sixty books, mostly for children. She has won numerous awards, including the Whitbread Book of the Year Children's Novel Award, The Guardian Prize, and the Carnegie Medal.