Book Quiz with 10 questions about Author

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Books Quiz - Author - Catherine Cookson (Questions)

Explore Catherine Cookson’s gritty novels, set in working-class northern England, and discover how her powerful characters and life stories made her one of Britain’s most borrowed authors.

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Fascinating Fact:

Cookson became one of the most borrowed authors in British public libraries, holding the top position for many years and remaining extremely popular even after her death.

In Specialist Books quizzes, you can test what you know about Catherine Cookson’s life, settings and characters. Her stories often follow tough lives in North East England and hard-won hope.

Key Terms

Prolific author: A writer who produces a very large number of books in their lifetime.
Regional fiction: Stories strongly linked to a particular place, its people, accents and traditions.
Borrowing figures: Statistics showing how often books are taken out from libraries.

Frequently Asked Questions (Click to see answers)

Who was Catherine Cookson and what is she known for?

Catherine Cookson was an English novelist best known for powerful stories set in working-class North East England. She wrote over ninety books that became favourites with many readers.

What themes appear in Catherine Cookson’s novels?

Her novels often explore poverty, class, family conflict, illness and resilience. Many characters face hardship, but the stories usually include courage, loyalty and the chance of a better life.

Which Catherine Cookson book is a good place to start?

Many readers begin with famous titles such as The Fifteen Streets or The Mallen Streak. These books show her typical settings, emotional drama and focus on family struggles.

Try These Related Quizzes

Cookson was born in which area of England?

[ ]	Merseyside
[ ]	Teesside
[ ]	Tyneside
[ ]	Wearside

In later life, after a spell living in the south of England, Cookson and her husband settled in which market town in Northumberland?

[ ]	Alnwick
[ ]	Corbridge
[ ]	Hexham
[ ]	Morpeth

What is the title of the 1952 novel centred around the O'Brien family?

[ ]	The Thirteen Streets
[ ]	The Fourteen Streets
[ ]	The Fifteen Streets
[ ]	The Sixteen Streets

Which novel was adapted for television in 1999, with Carli Norris in the title role?

[ ]	Tammy Trotter
[ ]	Terri Trotter
[ ]	Tilly Trotter
[ ]	Tracy Trotter

In the Mallen Streak trilogy, what was the Mallen Streak?

[ ]	A flash of white hair
[ ]	A footrace
[ ]	A horse
[ ]	A steam locomotive

In the 1978 TV adaptation of The Mallens, who played Donald Radlet, the illegitimate son of Thomas Mallen?

[ ]	John Alderton
[ ]	John Duttine
[ ]	Robson Green
[ ]	John Thaw

In the 1957 novel Rooney, what is the title character's job?

[ ]	Bus driver
[ ]	Dustman
[ ]	Farm labourer
[ ]	Fisherman

Which Cookson character made her first appearance in the 1954 novel A Grand Man?

[ ]	Mary Ann
[ ]	Mary Beth
[ ]	Mary Jane
[ ]	Mary Rose

What was the title of Cookson's first short story, written when she was only eleven?

[ ]	The Wild Gypsy Girl
[ ]	The Wild Irish Girl
[ ]	The Wild Servant Girl
[ ]	The Wild Welsh Girl

10.

Cookson met her husband Tom in which town?

[ ]	Bournemouth
[ ]	Brighton
[ ]	Eastbourne
[ ]	Hastings

Books Quiz - Author - Catherine Cookson (Answers)

Cookson was born in which area of England?

[ ]	Merseyside
[ ]	Teesside
[x]	Tyneside
[ ]	Wearside

She was born in Tyne Dock, South Shields, in what was then County Durham, in 1906

In later life, after a spell living in the south of England, Cookson and her husband settled in which market town in Northumberland?

[ ]	Alnwick
[x]	Corbridge
[ ]	Hexham
[ ]	Morpeth

Corbridge is 16 miles west of Newcastle and 4 miles east of Hexham

What is the title of the 1952 novel centred around the O'Brien family?

[ ]	The Thirteen Streets
[ ]	The Fourteen Streets
[x]	The Fifteen Streets
[ ]	The Sixteen Streets

The book is set in East Jarrow where Cookson lived as a child

Which novel was adapted for television in 1999, with Carli Norris in the title role?

[ ]	Tammy Trotter
[ ]	Terri Trotter
[x]	Tilly Trotter
[ ]	Tracy Trotter

There are three books featuring Tilly Trotter - Tilly Trotter, Tilly Trotter Wed and Tilly Trotter Widowed

In the Mallen Streak trilogy, what was the Mallen Streak?

[x]	A flash of white hair
[ ]	A footrace
[ ]	A horse
[ ]	A steam locomotive

All the male Mallens had it; it was said to carry a curse

In the 1978 TV adaptation of The Mallens, who played Donald Radlet, the illegitimate son of Thomas Mallen?

[ ]	John Alderton
[x]	John Duttine
[ ]	Robson Green
[ ]	John Thaw

The adaptation was based on the three novels, The Mallen Streak, The Mallen Girl and The Mallen Litter

In the 1957 novel Rooney, what is the title character's job?

[ ]	Bus driver
[x]	Dustman
[ ]	Farm labourer
[ ]	Fisherman

John Gregson played Rooney in the 1958 film version

Which Cookson character made her first appearance in the 1954 novel A Grand Man?

[x]	Mary Ann
[ ]	Mary Beth
[ ]	Mary Jane
[ ]	Mary Rose

The book is about Mary Ann's childhood and growing up in Ireland with an alcoholic father