James Albert Needle was born on 8 February 1943 in Portsmouth,[1] where he also grew up, coming from a family with strong naval and military connections.
After studying to becoming a journalist and despite poor grades in English, he moved to the northwest of England at age 20 to work for the Daily Herald newspaper.
His best-selling novel is The Bully, which has been translated into multiple languages and is a set text in schools in South America.
[6] Needle also wrote a parallel to The Wind in the Willows, called Wild Wood, which retells the story from the perspective of the stoats and weasels who rebel against the established social order, thus offering a critique of the politically conservative message of Kenneth Grahame's novel.
[13] Needle lived in Uppermill, Saddleworth, near Oldham and West Didsbury, Manchester in the northwest of England, and had five children.