Hinton, Nigel (1941– )

English novelist. His experience as a teacher gave him insight into the minds and interests of young teenagers, and most of his work has been aimed at this age group. His book Buddy (1983) is the story of a teenage boy confused by the separation of his parents. The popularity of the novel resulted in its serialisation for television and the next novel in the trilogy, Buddy's Song (1989), was made into a film, scripted by Hinton, who also wrote nine songs included in the sound track. Buddy's Blues (1997) completed the trilogy.

Hinton was born in London, England. His first book, Collision Course (1974), was written originally as a story to read to a class. Other works include The Finders (1994; Children's Book Award), Out of the Darkness (1998), and Time Bomb (2005). Hinton has also written successfully for younger children.