WHISPERS FROM THE PAST
Posted on : 19-08-2009 | By : Ali Sparkes
In : General
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I know we are here to talk about new exciting books (such as our own!) but I know that one thing we all get asked a lot when we visit schools is what books inspired us when we were kids. I’ve got a whole list of them of course, but if I had to just grab one to save it from fire or flood, it would have to be The Whispering Mountain by Joan Aiken. Not least because this is now out of print (which is shocking and wrong!).
Most people will know Joan for her very successful Wolves of Willoughby Chase book, but this is my favourite. I’m guest editor of LoveReading4Kids.co.uk this month and Whispering Mountain is one of my top five books, so I’ve been able to offer up a review (do check it out HERE). It made me curious to have a look at Joan Aiken’s website. Sadly Joan died a few years ago but her lovely daughter Lizza is continuing her website and still answering fan mail from enraptured readers all over the world. It’s a gorgeous website and worth checking out just to see the ladybird running around Joan’s virtual desk! See it HERE.
How about the rest of you guys? And anyone else dropping in. If you had to save just one book from your childhood shelf, what would it be?
When I was about 10 I read what seemed at the time to be a massive, epic book. It was called The Hounds of the Morrigan.
It was written by an Irish writer – Pat O’Shea – and a lot of it was taken from Celtic mythology. I borrowed the book from the school library about half a dozen times, reading it at least twice each time.
It wasn’t until the internet came along that I was able to get my own copy – about two years ago, in fact – and reading it brought me right back to being 10 years old, curled up on the couch in my parents’ house.
It’s a funny, charming, thrilling, mysterious, scary book, and just writing about it now has made me want to go and read it again. If you can get your hands on a copy, make sure you do. It’s a big book, but there’s something magical on every page.
[...] Ali’s post the other day filled me with horror. Partly it was her question: If you had to save just one book from your childhood shelf, what would it be? If I was in that situation, I’d be a goner for sure. The oncoming fire/flood/apocalypse/seething tide of monster vomit would catch me still dithering in front of that shelf, unable to make a decision. [...]
It’s interesting that these books which have really impacted on us have NOT been the very well known ones…
That’s one of the things I love most about what we do. We don’t all have to be famous/filmed/whatever. The fact that our books are out there, and just might affect the people who find them in the same way as my favourites did when I was the age I write for… that’s very exciting!