Eva Ibbotson was born in Vienna in 1925 and moved to England with
her father when the Nazis came into power. Ibbotson wrote more than
twenty books for children and young adults, many of which garnered
nominations for major awards for children's literature in the UK,
including the Nestlé Smarties Book Prize and the Whitbread Prize.
Eva's critically acclaimed Journey to the River Sea won the
Smarties Gold Medal in 2001. Set in the Amazon, it was written in
honour of her deceased husband Alan, a former naturalist.
Imaginative and humorous, Eva's books often convey her love of
nature, in particular the Austrian countryside, which is evident in
works such as The Star Of Kazan and A Song For Summer. Eva passed
away at her home in Newcastle on October 20th 2010. Her final book,
One Dog and His Boy, was published in May 2011. A former broadcast
journalist, Downing Street political adviser and government
speechwriter, Joanna Nadin is the author of more than eighty books
for children and teenagers, including the Flying Fergus series with
Sir Chris Hoy, the bestselling Rachel Riley diaries, based on the
author’s teenage years, and the Carnegie Medal-nominated Joe All
Alone, which is now a BAFTA-winning BBC drama. She is also a
lecturer on the MA in Creative Writing at Bath Spa University.
Joanna has written three novels for adults: The Double Life of
Daisy Hemmings, The Talk of Pram Town, and The Queen of Bloody
Everything.
Gr 9 Up-In Eva Ibbotson's romance novel (St. Martin's Pr., 1985; Puffin, pap. 2007), Harriet Morton, 19, leads a boring, confined life on an estate in 1912 England because of her restrictive father and spinster aunt. Ballet class is one of the few things she has been allowed to enjoy. Hungry for more than the marriage her father has arranged for her, she sneaks off to join a ballet company tour to South America and meets colorful characters including the wealthy, but reclusive Rom Verney who changes her life in ways she never dreamed possible. Harriet is transformed from a sheltered, naive girl into a beautiful and talented woman and dancer. Patricia Connolly's near flawless narration features accents, tones, and pacing that transport listeners into Harriet's world. On only a few occasions, she continues speaking in the voice of the character for a few seconds at the beginning of a narrative segment. A fine choice for school and public libraries.-Stephanie A. Squicciarini, Fairport Public Library, NY Copyright 2008 Reed Business Information.
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