Alan Albert Gibbons (born 14 August 1953) is an English writer of children's books and campaigner known for his advocacy of libraries.

[3] Best known for writing children's and young adult fiction, Gibbons has written over 60 books, which have been translated into dozens of languages.

[6] In addition to his writing, Gibbons is a frequent speaker on education and literacy issues, and has appeared on numerous television and radio programs.

In Socialist Review, Michael Rosen said that Gibbons’ novels focus mainly on the lives of "working-class children and teenagers".

[8] He strongly criticised the Conservative and Liberal Democrat Coalition Government's austerity policies and funding cuts, which would see almost 800 public libraries close.

[9] As part of this campaign, Gibbons initiated countrywide 'read ins' to protest against library closures, which he described as a "cultural crime".

[11] This rapidly won the backing of many organisations for an annual event on the first Saturday in February, and eventually evolved into National Libraries Week.

[13] In addition to his work as a writer and library campaigner, Gibbons is a lifelong socialist and trade unionist.

[17] During his time in the Labour Party, Gibbons served on Momentum's National Coordinating Group for two years and spoke at many left-wing rallies and events including The World Transformed.

[5] In 2016, Gibbons was given the Fred and Anne Jarvis Award by the NUT for his campaigning to defend school libraries.