1934-2011 |
Madeleine L'Engle introduced me to fantasy, but it was Diana Wynne Jones that hooked my on YA Fantasy for life. She wrote characters that I related to as a child, and still do as an adult. Of how many writer's can you say that? She wrote for a range of age groups (I remember being frustrated as a child when I accidentally picked up a Middle Grade read when I was looking for a Young Adult), including novels for adults.
To this day, one of my favorite books is her Fire and Hemlock. It was the first book I ever read that dealt with parental mental health issues from a child's point of view. It wasn't overly serious, but it was another complication with which the heroine had to deal. The book has a "believe in yourself" type of message, but doesn't clobber you over the head with it. Once a year or so I re-read this book to remind myself to never let anyone control me through my own embarrassment.
Her books ranged from magical worlds to worlds with a little magic and I love them all ...and still have more works of hers yet to read. I am saddened, however, that her creative genius has left us, for no one had a voice quite like hers.
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