Abandoned, alienated and homeless - the perils of being in children's literature

In an article in the most recent edition of Children's Literature in Education, Goodbye yellow brick road,  available via our SUPrimo, the authors Melissa Wilson and Kathy Short, report on their analysis of prize winning children's literature between 2003 to 2007 and claim that in writing for children, childhood is no longer carefree, with home as a safe haven, from which they set out on an adventure, but rather home is the source of abuse, abandonment and uncertainty, where parents are absent, ineffective or dysfunctional. In a response in today's Guardian Francesca Simon proposes that the trend is simply a solution to the perennial problem that children's literature requires the removal of parents in order for the action to take place in an adult free theatre - and that in modern settings it is simply not possible for children to roam freely as they did, in for example, Swallows and Amazons.
Perhaps it is just that modern children's literature reflects a realism previously absent, in many areas where childhood was previously idealised, and that today's readers enjoy and identify with this realism.

(Guest post by Alison Forde)

Word Pool

Word Pool is a great site with lots of children's literature ides. You can sign up for their newsletter - the latest one has new books added to their First and Second World War and Refugees lists (see our Refugees list too), and lists of books with a disabled main character. Plus there are tips for potential writers and on organising authors visits to schools, and news of Usborne's writing competition for children.

Nicola Morgan and aspiring writers

I've noticed that An awfully big blog adventure, as well as having links to individual authors, has a page marked For aspiring writers. This is a blog by Nicola Morgan which she introduces by saying: " I hope you are here because of a burning need to be published, a passion for reading and a desire and ability to connect with readers. I am here because, if you are a wonderful writer, I want you to be published, as avid readers grow from brilliant books and we all want avid readers."

Nicola writes fine books for teenagers herslf - check out our holdings - for example, Fleshmarket (Hodder, 2003). Set in 1820s Edinburgh, home of the notorious body-snatchers, Burke and Hare, the story opens with a woman undergoing surgery before any sense of pain control or hygiene had been introduced. The woman’s son cannot forget what happened and seeks his revenge. Morgan writes about the past again in The highwayman’s footsteps (Walker, 2006), but also writes about the future, e.g. Sleepwalking (Hodder, 2004) is set in a future world where every emotion is regulated and there is no pain, no suffering and no evil.