Michelle Magorian

Which other authors do you enjoy? Discuss them here.
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Anita Bensoussane
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Michelle Magorian

Post by Anita Bensoussane »

The other day I was in London and went to Black Gull Books in Camden Lock, a well-stocked secondhand bookshop. For £1.00 I bought a short biography of (actually it reads more like an interview with) Michelle Magorian, author of Goodnight Mister Tom and Back Home . It's from Mammoth's "Telling Tales" series - the same series for which Gillian Baverstock wrote a biography of Enid Blyton. Michelle Magorian says that her favourite authors when she was a child were Enid Blyton and Arthur Ransome. When asked "Which book, either children's or adult, has influenced your life?" she replies: "So many books have influenced my life; Tolstoy's Anna Karenina, Six Bad Boys by Enid Blyton and Arthur Ransome's Swallows and Amazons." Interesting choices - I'd love to know more about how The Six Bad Boys affected her.
"Heyho for a starry night and a heathery bed!" - Jack, The Secret Island.

"There is no bond like the bond of having read and liked the same books."
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Re: Michelle Magorian

Post by deepeabee »

Serendipity! Good find! I wonder how Anna Karenina influenced her. I know it depressed me so much while reading it that it took me ages and it isn't a book I'd return to gladly. :|
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Re: Michelle Magorian

Post by Anita Bensoussane »

Anna Karenina is on my "to read" list - one of these days! Thomas Hardy's Jude the Obscure depressed me when I first read it, but I must be a glutton for punishment as I've read it again since!

Goodnight Mister Tom is a harrowing story, yet also heartwarming.
"Heyho for a starry night and a heathery bed!" - Jack, The Secret Island.

"There is no bond like the bond of having read and liked the same books."
- E. Nesbit, The Wonderful Garden.


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Re: Michelle Magorian

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I've loved Goodnight Mister Tom ever since I first read it at about the age of twelve. It was really instrumental in encouraging me to choose different authors to read, since up to then, although I read avidly, I tended to stick with the books and authors that I already knew well.

I remember reading Back Home too, but it didn't make much of an impact on me - I can barely remember it. Time for a re-visit, methinks!

Very interesting that Michelle Magorian lists The Six Bad Boys specifically as an influence on her. I too would love to know more about that.
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Re: Michelle Magorian

Post by Chrissie777 »

Spitfire wrote:I've loved Goodnight Mister Tom ever since I first read it at about the age of twelve. It was really instrumental in encouraging me to choose different authors to read, since up to then, although I read avidly, I tended to stick with the books and authors that I already knew well.
I was already 26 when I discovered "Goodnight Mr. Tom". My friendly and thoughtful bookseller in Braunschweig, Germany, recommended it to me, because she knew I'm very interested in WW II novels and WW II children's books.
It turned out to be the best find in 1981 (and I was buying lots of books in the 80's and 90's) and I reread it 7 times. The last time when I read it again, I created a map of Little Weirwold, Mr. Tom's house next to the church, Willie's school, the river with the spooky house next to it etc.
The scenes taking place in London with Willie's mother are very hard to read for me, but the rest of the book (before London and after London) is a wonderful reading experience. A book that makes you think about the topic (evacuation of kids from London during WW II) even long after you've finished it.

Here's my bibliography on Michelle Magorian books:

1. 1981 Goodnight, Mr. Tom
2. 1984 Back Home
3. 1989 Waiting for my Pants to dry (picture book, 32 pages)
4. 1990 Who's going to take care of me?
5. 1992 In Deep Water (short stories)
6. 1992 Not a Swan
7. 1992 Orange Paw Marks (poems)
8. 1993 A Little Love Song
9. 1998 A Spoonful of Jam
10. 2002 Jump (another picture book, 32 pages)
11. 2003 Be Yourself (short stories)
12. 2004 A Cuckoo in the Nest
13. 2008 Just Henry

There's one other WW II children's book that I also like. It's "The Kingdom by the Sea" by Robert Westall, from 1990.
I'm sure there must be more WW II books like "Time to go back" (1972) by Mabel Esther Allan which is located in Liverpool. But that's about it what I could find so far.
I would be glad about book tips on WW II.
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Re: Michelle Magorian

Post by Anita Bensoussane »

The Kingdom by the Sea is a marvellous book, Chrissie. Dreamy, yet at the same time chilling and unexpected.
"Heyho for a starry night and a heathery bed!" - Jack, The Secret Island.

"There is no bond like the bond of having read and liked the same books."
- E. Nesbit, The Wonderful Garden.


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Re: Michelle Magorian

Post by Chrissie777 »

Anita, that's what I still think today. And it's time for me to read it again.
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Re: Michelle Magorian

Post by Spitfire »

Chrissie777 wrote:There's one other WW II children's book that I also like. It's "The Kingdom by the Sea" by Robert Westall, from 1990.I'm sure there must be more WW II books like "Time to go back" (1972) by Mabel Esther Allan which is located in Liverpool. But that's about it what I could find so far.I would be glad about book tips on WW II.
I always enjoyed The Otterbury Incident by C. Day Lewis when I was a child. It's essentially a detective story narrated by one of the child protagonists and set in a UK town during WW2, and although the boys go to a private school and their town is not bombed, the whole story is saturated with the evidence and impact of the War - though mostly in a social, almost genteel way. It's an excellent read.

I'm sure you know of Carrie's War by Nina Bawden, which is pretty much considered a classic, in the UK anyway.

Then there's The Silver Sword by Ian Serraillier, first published 1956 - very well worth a read in my opinion. It tells the story of three siblings as they escape from a Warsaw devastated by war and try and reach Switzerland.

Also set in and around Warsaw is But Can The Phoenix Sing by Christa Laird, about a teenage Jew, Mischa, who survives by pretending to be Aryan. It's been a while since I've read it, but I found it very gripping, very re-readable.

Dawn of Fear by Susan Cooper is a really good read too - it's very simple, suitable for younger children, and very absorbing. It shows how the war was exciting for some children at first who only saw the preparations and fuss, and were too young to understand the horrible reality of it.

I also enjoyed When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit by Judith Kerr, of which you doubtless know already.

Some of the Biggles books are set during World War Two - I don't know if you like that sort of thing...

...and so are some of the Chalet School Books...

More recently The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne landed on the literary scene. Most people seem to rave about it, but frankly - shock horror - I don't like it, and think it's over-rated as a story.

I loved The Kingdom By The Sea too, but as often is the case with WW2 books, it stirs up some feelings and emotions which I don't always deal well with. Robert Westall has also written other stories set during WW2 - I've only read The Machine Gunners which was very, very good.
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Re: Michelle Magorian

Post by Chrissie777 »

Isn't Susan Cooper the SciFi author for kids?
I read Judith Kerr's trilogy of WW II as well. The family had a very hard time in WW II England first, but eventually things got better for them.
I read one or two books by Bawden, but "Carrie's War" was not among them.
We only have the DVD of the "Striped Pyjama", but not yet watched it.
Thank you very much for these great tips!
I just made a list of them and will get them hopefully soon.
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