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Library | Call Number | Status |
|---|---|---|
Searching... McMinnville Public Library | Alexander, L. | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Mount Angel Public Library | + ALEXANDER | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
Falling in with a roguish doctor, his dwarf attendant and an urchin girl, Theo embarks on an unforgettable adventure in the kingdom of Westmark. An American Book Award, An ALA Best of the Best Books for Young Adults, A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year.
Author Notes
Lloyd Alexander, January 30, 1924 - May 17, 2007 Born Lloyd Chudley Alexander on January 30, 1924, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Allan Audley and Edna Chudley Alexander, Lloyd knew from a young age that he wanted to write. He was reading by the time he was 3, and though he did poorly in school, at the age of fifteen, he announced that he wanted to become a writer. At the age of 19 in 1942, Alexander dropped out of the West Chester State Teachers College in Pennsylvania after only one term. In 1943, he attended Lafayette College in Easton, PA, before dropping out again and joining the United States Army during World War II. Alexander served in the Intelligence Department, stationed in Wales, and then went on to Counter-Intelligence in Paris, where he was promoted to Staff Sergeant. When the war ended in '45, Alexander applied to the Sorbonne, but returned to the States in '46, now married.
Alexander worked as an unpublished writer for seven years, accepting positions such as cartoonist, advertising copywriter, layout artist, and associate editor for a small magazine. Directly after the war, he had translated works for such artists as Jean Paul Sartre. In 1955, "And Let the Credit Go" was published, Alexander's first book which led to 10 years of writing for an adult audience. He wrote his first children's book in 1963, entitled "Time Cat," which led to a long career of writing for children and young adults.
Alexander is best known for his "Prydain Chronicles" which consist of "The Book of Three" in 1964, "The Black Cauldron" in 1965 which was a Newbery Honor Book, as well as an animated motion picture by Disney which appeared in 1985, "The Castle of Llyr" in 1966, "Taran Wanderer" in 1967, a School Library Journal's Best Book of the Year and "The High King" which won the Newberry Award. Many of his other books have also received awards, such as "The Fortune Tellers," which was a Boston Globe Horn Book Award winner. In 1986, Alexander won the Regina Medal for Lifetime Achievement from the Catholic Library Association. His titles have been translated into many languages including, Dutch, Spanish, French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Norwegian, Serbo-Croation and Swedish.
He died on May 17, 2007.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (2)
Kirkus Review
Alexander's latest once-upon-a-time adventure, unfolded this time with no recourse to magic, brings Theo, an orphaned printer's devil and a true innocent, up against a repressive government that has policemen break into the printing shop, kill his master, and destroy the press--all because they've accepted an order from a traveling quack, the self-styled Dr. Absalom. Theo, in the melÉe, knocks out an officer, fears he's killed him (and agonizes later because he'd momentarily wanted to), and so becomes a fugitive. (When he goes to report the incident, a sympathetic local policeman as much as orders him to flee.) For a while Thee travels reluctantly with Dr. Absalom himself, a likable rogue also known as Count Las Bombas, and becomes fond of Mickle, a street waif they pick up along the way. Later Thee falls in with a band of revolutionaries, though it's a while before he recognizes what they're up to, and he remains impartially perplexed over their opposition to monarchy per se vs. the more moderate position of their temporary ally, the exiled but loyal court doctor who just wants to get fid of the king's tyrannical chief minister Cabbarus. Cabbarus, we've learned, seized power while the distraught king grieved unendingly for his presumably dead daughter--but he's brought down now when Mickle's true identity is revealed. During the final unmasking, Thee appeases his conscience by risking his life to save that of the hated minister; and in the end he is closer to the monarchy than he'd ever expected to be. A cavalier treatment of the political questions raised earlier, but a colorful and nimbly executed adventure. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Gr. 5-7. A fast-paced adventure in a mythical land finds a boy joining a band of travelers and learning the complexities of people, life, and justice.