Comments on: Old favorites.

By: Kelly Klem

Kelly Klem — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 00:36:04 +0000

Speaking of reciting every detail – my 15 year old really LOVES a good plot, especially about spies (so much that she wants to work for the C.I.A.). She remembers every detail so vividly that she will take twice as much time to share it with me than it would take for me to read the darn book, myself!

By: Kristin Laughtin

Kristin Laughtin — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 21:15:38 +0000

I was the same way; I devoured so much historical fiction as a youngster, and many of the same books! I’d save up my allowance to get every Baby-Sitters Club book as it came out, and read all the American Girl books through Addy. My favorite writer was Scott O’Dell, and I must have read ISLAND OF THE BLUE DOLPHINS eighty times along with his other works. As I got older and started shifting more toward fantasy I read a lot of Cynthia Voigt (JACKAROO, THE WINGS OF A FALCON, etc., and eventually her whole series about Dicey, though it wasn’t fantasy), and then I shifted toward science fiction and have loved it ever since. I’d really like to start reading more historical fiction again.

By: Donn

Donn — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 18:47:16 +0000

I think part of the appeal of historical books for children is the “stranger in a strange land” aspect, and part of the challenge of writing them is to make it not-so-exotic as to be alien, and yet not-so-recognisable as to be banal.

And seems like whatever trend was passing through when you were growing up, a bunch of writers hit that spot dead on for you.

(My personal favourites growing up were mystery stories. Sherlock Holmes, Hercule Poirot, Father Brown…)