From: Steven Engelfried <sengelfried>
Date: Wed, 22 May 2002 13:41:05 -0700

I second Susan Patron's mention of Sid Fleischman. What first comes to mind when I think of him is his distinctive voice. And as I've been thinking about funny authors this month, it's often that indefinable (at least by me) "voice" that plays such a big part in humor. With Fleischman, you know there's fun and laughter and roaring adventure coming, even before you even get to the actual funny stuff, because of his rich storyteller's voice. Often that comes through also in the dialogue of the characters, as well as the narration. Bruce Clements' "I Tell a Lie Every So Often" and the just published sequel "A Chapel of Thieves" have a sort of Fleischman-esque hero narrating. He has an eloquent, but at the same time down-home style, and is naive and pointedly ironic in turns. The vegetarian cowboy in "The Sunshine Rider" by Hardman brings the same flavor to his story. I guess they're all descendants of Mark Twain, but for every book like those, that pretty much hit the mark, there are a bunch that try for that type of humor and manage a few funny bits, but still lack the consistent comic voice that makes someone like Fleischman so thoroughly enjoyable.

Steven Engelfried, Children's Division Librarian Beaverton City Library 12375 SW 5th Street Beaverton, OR 97005 503R6%99 sengelfried at ci.beaverton.or.us
Received on Wed 22 May 2002 03:41:05 PM CDT