Patrick Skene Catling

Patrick Skene Catling (born 14 February 1925) is a British journalist, author and book reviewer, best known for writing The Chocolate Touch in 1952. He has written 12 novels, 3 works of nonfiction and 9 books for children.

Background
Catling was born and schooled in London and was educated there and at Oberlin College in the United States. Catling served in the Royal Canadian Air Force as a navigator and as a journalist at The Baltimore Sun and The Manchester Guardian.

He has traveled extensively. His present home is in the Republic of Ireland. He continues writing books, and writes reviews for The Spectator, The Telegraph, and other publications.

Career
His first publication of The Chocolate Touch in 1952 received enthusiastic responses from several reviewers. Catling has since written dozens of books, and has developed the popular The Chocolate Touch character John Midas into the children's book series: John Midas in the Dreamtime (1986), John Midas and the Vampires (1994), John Midas and the Radio Touch (1994), and John Midas and the Rock Star (1995). Of John Midas in the Dreamtime, School Library Journal wrote, "...children who have been dragged around tourist sights will relate to John's boredom".

Selected works

 * The Chocolate Touch
 * Better Than Working
 * John Midas in the Dreamtime
 * The Exterminator
 * Jazz, Jazz, Jazz
 * The Experiment
 * Best Summer Job
 * Tourist Attraction
 * Freddy Hill: The Story of a Modern Man of Pleasure
 * Eskimo Surprise
 * Chocolate Magic
 * The Catalogue
 * John Midas and the Vampires
 * John Midas and the Radio Touch
 * A Trunkful of Tricks
 * John Midas and the Rock Star

Journalism

 * Review of