Philippa Pearce Philippa Pearce (1920–2006) was an internationally bestselling and award-winning British author of children's books. Her most famous work is the time-slip fantasy novel Tom's Midnight Garden, which won the 1958 Carnegie Medal from the Library Associaion, recognising the year's outstanding children's book by a British subject. Pearce was four times a commended runner-up for the Medal. The peculiar relationship between the old and the very young is a constant theme in Pearce's writing. The unexpected delight of two small grandsons late in her life gave her a renewed burst of creative energy. She called being a grandmother a privilege, and a rare, almost inexplicable pleasure. Pearce died in December 2006. Read More Read Less