From: Steven Engelfried <sengelfried>
Date: Tue, 16 Jul 2002 11:44:17 -0700

I've been trying to think of some common features of the Australian children's books that I've enjoyed. I can't really come up with much, but I did notice that two of my favorites, plus one recent title I liked, are told with letters. I just finished
"Feeling Sorry for Celia," by Jaclyn Moriarty. In some ways it's pretty typical YA stuff, but the imagined letters from "The Association of Teenagers," "Best Friends Club," and others that point out the hero's supposed flaws are very original and funny. Then there's "Penny Pollard's Letters" by Robin Klein, which I haven't read for years, but thought at the time that it was hilarious. Something about dead rats I think? And "Letters from the Inside" by John Marsden is one of the best epistolary novels I've ever read. Two girls correspond, and one is in prison, though the other doesn't know this at first. The letters between those two girls feel very real, especially the way they don't reveal everything (and even tell lies) in the beginning. The ending, where we get to read the letters of only one of the girls is very powerful and works so well specifically because of the letter device.


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 Tue 16 Jul 2002 01:44:17 PM CDT