JACK SHEFFIELD
WATERSTONE'S AUTHOR OF THE YEAR 2007
Jack Sheffield was born in Leeds, Yorkshire and his first job, a `pitch boy' involved carrying buckets of boiling bitumen tar up a ladder to repair roofs. He was headteacher of a number of schools in Yorkshire. He is married and has five daughters. Jack is a keen sportsman, having played rugby union for many years and is an avid cricket fan. Yorkshire Cricket Club, of course!
Jack is currently writing VILLAGE TEACHER, the fourth in the series.
DEAR TEACHER (Hardcover: Bantam Press: 29th January 2009)
It's 1979: Dallas is enthralling the nation on TV, Mrs Thatcher has just become
prime minister, Abba is top of the pops, and in the small Yorkshire village
of Ragley-on-the-Forest, Jack Sheffield returns for his third year as headmaster
of the village school. Jack and his staff struggle to keep a semblance of
normality throughout the turbulence of the school terms, as once again the
official School Log fails to record what is really going on beneath the seemingly
quiet routine. Ruby the caretaker discovers her Prince Charming; Vera the
school secretary gets to meet her hero, Nicholas Parsons; and Jack, to his
astonishment, finds himself having to stand in as a curiously skinny Father
Christmas. Jack also finds himself, at last, having to choose between the
vivacious sisters Beth and Laura Henderson.
MISTER TEACHER (Hardcover: Bantam Press: 28th January 2008)
It is 1978 and Jack Sheffield begins his second year as headmaster of a small
village primary school in North Yorkshire. There are three letter on his desk
- one makes him smile, one makes him sad and one is destined to change his
life forever. This is from nine-year-old Sebastian, suffering from leukaemia
in the local hospital, who writes a heartbreaking letter addressed to 'Mister
Teacher'. Jack tries to help, and so begins a journey through the seasons
of Yorkshire life in which the school is the natural centre of the community.
There's a colourful cast of characters who accompany Jack through the ups
and downs of the school year including Vera, the school secretary who worships
Margaret Thatcher and whose greatest ambition is to become President of the
Women's Institute; Ruby, the 20-stone caretaker who sings like Julie Andrews;
and Dorothy, the coffee shop assistant who is desperate to be Wonder Woman.
Most of all, there is the lovely Beth Henderson, a teacher from a nearby school,
who with her sister Laura presents Jack with an unexpected dilemma ...
UK & BC: Tranworld
German rights: Luebbe
US and translation: Marjacq Scripts
TEACHER, TEACHER (Transworld, 21st June 2007)
It's 1977 and Jack Sheffield is appointed headmaster of a small village primary
school in North Yorkshire. So, begins Jack's eventful journey through the
school year and his attempts to overcome the many problems that face him as
a young and inexperienced headmaster. The many colourful chapters include
Ruby the 20 stone caretaker with an acute spelling problem, a secretary who
worships Margaret Thatcher, a villager who grows giant carrots, a barmaid/parent
who requests sex lessons, and a five-year-old boy who's language is colourful
in the extreme. And then, there's also beautiful, bright Beth Henderson, who
is irresistibly attractive to the young headmaster...Warm, funny and nostalgic,
"Teacher, Teacher" is a delightful read that is guaranteed to make
you feel better, whatever kind of day you've had.
