in Brazil, 1974) The trilogy Geef me de ruimte (Give me space) – about the Hundred Years War between England and France Geef me de ruimte (Give me space, 1976), Triomf van de verschroeide aarde (Triumph of scorched earth, 1977) Het rad van fortuin (Wheel of fortune, 1978) Stad in de storm (City in the Storm, 1979; Zilveren Griffel 1980) – about Utrecht in the Year of Disaster 1672 Wij zijn wegwerpkinderen (We are throw-away kids, 1980) De gouden dolk (The golden dagger, 1982) – about the second crusade, 1147–1149 Hasse Simonsdochter (1983) – about Jan van Schaffelaar's wife Wonderkinderen (wonder children, 1984) about two especially gifted children The trilogy Kinderen van Moeder Aarde (Children of Mother Earth) a futuristic novel set ten centuries after World War III, describing the struggle between utopian Thule (Greenland, after a climate change made it prosperous) and Baden (militaristic European nation) Kinderen van Moeder Aarde (1985), Het helse paradijs (Hellish Paradise, 1987) Het Gulden Vlies van Thule (The Golden Fleece of Thule, 1989) De val van de Vredeborch (Fall of the Freeburgh, 1988) Een bos vol spoken (A forest full of ghosts, 1988) Het wonder van Frieswijck (The miracle of Frieswijck, 1991) De stomme van Kampen (The Mute of Kampen, 1992) – about the mute painter Hendrick Avercamp De doge-ring van Venetië (The Doge-ring of Venice, 1994) – about a trip to Venice to obtain an important relic for an abbey. Saartje Tadema (1996) – about an orphan girl in the Amsterdam orphanage Vrijgevochten (Fought free, 1998) – about a sailor boy who is captured as a slave Gekaapt! (Hijacked!, 2003) Thea Beckman prize After her death, the Historisch Nieuwsblad (historical newspaper) renamed the "Bontekoe-award" (a prize for the best historical youth book, established in 2003) as the Thea Beckman Award. In 2004, it was awarded to Benny Lindelauf for his book Negen open armen (nine open arms). In 2005, it was given to Belgian authors Jean-Claude van Rijckeghem and Pat Beirs for the novel Jonkvrouw. External links Biographical note and interview (in Dutch) by Lemniscaat (publisher) 1923 births 2004 deaths Dutch children's writers Dutch science fiction writers Writers from Rotterdam Dutch women children's writers Gouden Griffel winners