Anthony Horowitz was born in 1956 in Middlesex. His family were Jewish. When he was young, he lived an upper-class lifestyle.<nowiki></nowiki> Horowitz was overweight and unhappy. He enjoyed reading books from his father's library. At the age of eight, Horowitz was sent to a boarding school. The school was called Orley Farm. It was in Harrow, Middlesex. There, he entertained others by telling them the stories he had read. Horowitz said that his time in the school was "a brutal experience". He said that he was often beaten by the headmaster John Ellis.