SUBSCRIBE
SUBSCRIBE
SLJ Blog Network +
  • 100 Scope Notes
  • A Fuse #8 Production
  • Good Comics for Kids
  • Heavy Medal: A Mock Newbery Blog
  • Teen Librarian Toolbox
  • The Classroom Bookshelf
  • The Yarn
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • About/Contact
  • Fusenews
  • Reviews
  • Librarian Previews
  • Best Books
    • Top 100
    • Best Books of 2022
    • Best Books of 2021
    • Best Books of 2020
    • Best Books of 2019
    • Best Books of 2018
    • Best Books of 2017
    • Best Books of 2016
    • Best Books of 2015
    • Best Books of 2014
    • Best Books of 2013
  • Fuse 8 n’ Kate
  • Videos
  • Press Release Fun

April 16, 2012 by Betsy Bird

When the Wynne Jones

April 16, 2012 by Betsy Bird   12 comments

Generally speaking I don’t do much in the way of blog tours.  They’re a-okay for other folks but a heckuva lot of work when all is said and done.  Really, it takes someone particularly spectacular to get me to participate in one.  Someone divine.  Someone extraordinary.  Someone, let’s face it, who’s dead.

Diana Wynne Jones fits the bill, wouldn’t you say?  I am one of those pitiable souls who discovered her not as a child or teen but as an adult in library school.  If I’m not too mistaken I think my roundabout reading list at that time caused me to read her books in the order of Howl’s Moving Castle (before the movie, mind you), Dogsbody, Archer’s Goon, Fire and Hemlock, Castle in the Air, and many others.  Of these, I’m one of those freaks who prefers Archer’s Goon to anything else she wrote.  I acknowledge that it’s one of her weirder plot twists but I don’t care.  It had a goon.  Ipso facto, awesome.

SCROLL TO KEEP READING THIS POST

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

I was told that I could write about any aspect of Jones’s life for this post today, and I did have an inkling of an idea.  What always struck me funny about her was that she led a far more interesting life than most of the fantasy writers out there.  You see, she had this strange propensity for falling in with other great writers for children.  Few can say they’ve made connections to the authors of the 19th, 20th, and 21st century but Jones was one of the few.

Right now I’m working on a book for Candlewick alongside fellow bloggers Jules from Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast (did you see that marvelous post she did on Jan Thomas and Anita Lobel?) and Peter from Collecting Children’s Books (if you grew up near a famous author or illustrator you should tell him now!).  The book we’re all toiling away on is about the true stories behind your favorite children’s books and writers.  As you might imagine, DWJ features prominently.

Now the trouble with this post is that on the one hand I want to tell you all the juicy tidbits involving Jones.  On the other hand, I want you to buy our book when it comes out (next year?).  So let’s settle on a compromise.  I’ll tell you which authors and such she came in contact with.  The details are easy enough to find out there if you’re desperate for them but I’ll not say too much.

And now . . .

Famous Folks and Diana Wynne Jones

John Ruskin – Actually his story is closely tied to that of Kate Greenaway (and what a tawdry affair that was!) but Ms. Jones did have the distinction of personally destroying some of his art when she was a kid.  A fine beginning!

Arthur Ransome – Yelled at Diana’s mom.  And he was probably right to have done so, though he did not seem a very jolly fellow.

SCROLL TO KEEP READING THIS POST

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

Beatrix Potter – Reportedly yelled (or worse) at one or more of Diana’s sisters (yelling at the Joneses was clearly de rigeur if you were a famous children’s author living in the Lake District) though I have reason to believe that it may not have been Beatrix but her mom who did the deed.

C.S. Lewis – Diana went to his lectures when she attended Oxford.  Liked him quite a lot.

J.R.R. Tolkien – Didn’t like him.  Not as a lecturer anyway.

Neil Gaiman – To hear the members of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America tell it, in his early days Neil would follow Diana about like a lost puppy.  And hey, if you’re going to wish for anyone’s magic to rub off onto you, Ms. Jones would be an excellent choice.  Clearly it must have worked too.

If you can think of other great authors that crossed paths, either inadvertently or directly, with Ms. Jones I’d love to hear about them.  Regardless, she didn’t really need to meet any of these people to be great.  She was simply the best by dint of writing like nobody else.  If you’d like more biographical information about Ms. Jones I suggest you check out the article Wrestling with an Angel and this autobiographical sketch from Something About the Author.

By the way, those of you who hanker for a couple Jones books of your own but have always found her covers (at least in America) to be a bit lacking, there is good news.  The Firebird imprint of Penguin is releasing Fire and Hemlock, A Tale of Time City and Dogsbody (my personal favorite) all with brand new bright n’ shiny covers.  Eh, voila:

Purdy.

Filed under: Uncategorized

SHARE:

Read or Leave Comments
Diana Wynne Jones

About Betsy Bird

Betsy Bird is currently the Collection Development Manager of the Evanston Public Library system and a former Materials Specialist for New York Public Library. She has served on Newbery, written for Horn Book, and has done other lovely little things that she'd love to tell you about but that she's sure you'd find more interesting to hear of in person. Her opinions are her own and do not reflect those of EPL, SLJ, or any of the other acronyms you might be able to name. Follow her on Twitter: @fuseeight.

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Posts

March 2023

Announcing the Stinetinglers Winner! The Kettle's Dark Secret by Clara J.

by Betsy Bird

March 2023

Bologna Presentations: IBBY Doing the Good Work That Needs to Be Done, Worldwide

by Betsy Bird

February 2023

Sydney Taylor Book Blog Award Tour Interview: Featuring Mari Lowe of Aviva Vs. the Dybbuk!

by Betsy Bird

January 2023

The Top Ten Most Disappointing Edibles and Potables of Children's Literature

by Betsy Bird

January 2023

Announcing the 2023 Newbery/Caldecott/YMA Pre-Game Show!

by Betsy Bird

ADVERTISEMENT

SLJ Blog Network

100 Scope Notes

One Star Review, Guess Who? (#184)

by Travis Jonker

A Fuse #8 Production

Review of the Day – Trees: Haiku from Roots to Leaves by Sally M. Walker, ill. Angela McKay

by Betsy Bird

Good Comics for Kids

Review: Nat the Cat Takes a Nap

by Esther Keller

Heavy Medal

March suggestions: early Mock Newbery possibilities

by Emily Mroczek-Bayci

Teen Librarian Toolbox

Here Be Monsters: On Horror, Catharsis, and Uneasy Truces with Yourself, a guest post by author Rebecca Mahoney

by Karen Jensen, MLS

The Classroom Bookshelf

The Classroom Bookshelf is Moving

by Erika Thulin Dawes

The Yarn

Newbery Medalist Amina Luqman-Dawson visits The Yarn

by Colby Sharp

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Articles on SLJ

Presenting the NCTE 2021 Notable Poetry Books and Verse Novels

Bank Street Announces 2020 Cook Prize and Irma Black Award Winner

Bank Street Names Irma Black Award Semifinalists

SLJ Reviews of the 2023 Youth Media Award Winners

Fantasy Award Contenders Layer Identity and Imagination | Pondering Printz

About Betsy Bird

Betsy Bird is currently the Collection Development Manager of the Evanston Public Library system and a former Materials Specialist for New York Public Library. She has served on Newbery, written for Horn Book, and has done other lovely little things that she'd love to tell you about but that she's sure you'd find more interesting to hear of in person. Her opinions are her own and do not reflect those of EPL, SLJ, or any of the other acronyms you might be able to name. Follow her on Twitter: @fuseeight.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jeanette W. Stickel says

    April 16, 2012 at 4:22 am

    I look forward to the book about some favorite children’s book writers – but next year is a long wait! Thanks for the tidbits of information to hold us over.

  2. rockinlibrarian says

    April 16, 2012 at 12:21 pm

    Oh, I must be a freak too, Archer’s Goon is one of my very favorites, also! It doesn’t get nearly enough love from the wide world. Then again, Jones herself doesn’t get nearly enough love from the wide world. At least in relation to her brilliance.

  3. DaNae says

    April 16, 2012 at 2:23 pm

    How I hope in life she was addressed as “Queen of the Fantastic.”

  4. Maureen E says

    April 16, 2012 at 2:32 pm

    Megan Whalen Turner! DWJ actually introduced her to her editor. See here: http://bookaunt.blogspot.com/2011/03/loss-of-diana-wynne-jones.html, although it’s also indirectly referenced in a bunch of other places.

  5. Dan says

    April 16, 2012 at 2:55 pm

    I just started reading her work as an adult, starting with Howl’s Moving Castle, and yeah, I was prompted by the (excellent) movie. Just started House of Many Ways

  6. Jennifer Schultz says

    April 16, 2012 at 4:13 pm

    Maybe this could be the start of a new game: Six Degrees of Diane Wynne-Jones.

  7. Sarah Rees Brennan says

    April 16, 2012 at 4:23 pm

    Who wouldn’t follow Diana Wynne Jones about like a lost puppy?

  8. Kate Coombs says

    April 17, 2012 at 12:17 pm

    Archer’s Goon is fantastic, esp. the goon! As is Dogsbody–I love the new cover. The old one was kind of bland.

  9. :paula says

    April 18, 2012 at 12:07 am

    Eww, that Ruskin and Greenaway story. “Couldn’t you draw some of your little girls without the nightgowns?” The Victorian era was hard on so many people!

    • Elizabeth Bird says

      April 18, 2012 at 12:58 am

      Yup. But to her credit she was hopelessly in love with him and still didn’t do it.

  10. Cheryl @ Tales of the Marvelous says

    April 24, 2012 at 2:06 am

    I have somehow entirely neglected Archer’s Goon, but now this reference to a weird plot twist makes me want to finally get around to reading it…

    And I LOVE the connections between Diana and other authors. I didn’t realize until she died how many of my favorite authors knew her personally, because they all started writing about her on their blogs. Neil Gaiman posted a picture of himself and Diana, and casually mentioned that Robin McKinley took the photo…and my head exploded at the thought of that much talent in one place!

  11. Kristin Wolden Nitz says

    April 24, 2012 at 11:52 pm

    Robin McKinley recently posted a remembrance of Diana Wynne Jones on her blog: http://robinmckinleysblog.com/2012/04/23/diana/

ADVERTISEMENT

Archives

  • External Links

    • A Fuse #8 Production Reviews
  • Follow This Blog

    Enter your email address below to receive notifications of new blog posts by email.

    This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

    This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

    Primary Sidebar

    • News & Features
    • Reviews+
    • Technology
    • School Libraries
    • Public Libraries
    • Age Level
    • Ideas
    • Blogs
    • Classroom
    • Diversity
    • People
    • Job Zone

    Reviews+

    • Book Lists
    • Best Books
    • Media
    • Reference
    • Series Made Simple
    • Tech
    • Review for SLJ
    • Review Submissions

    SLJ Blog Network

    • 100 Scope Notes
    • A Fuse #8 Production
    • Good Comics for Kids
    • Heavy Medal
    • Neverending Search
    • Teen Librarian Toolbox
    • The Classroom Bookshelf
    • The Yarn

    Resources

    • 2022 Youth Media Awards
    • The Newbery at 100: SLJ Celebrates the 100th Anniversary of the Award
    • Special Report | School Libraries 2021
    • Summer Reading 2021
    • Series Made Simple Spring 2021
    • SLJ Diverse Books Survey
    • Summer Programming Survey
    • Research
    • White Papers / Case Studies
    • School Librarian of the Year
    • Mathical Book Prize Collection Development Awards
    • Librarian/Teacher Collaboration Award

    Events & PD

    • In-Person Events
    • Online Courses
    • Virtual Events
    • Webcasts
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Subscribe
    • Media Inquiries
    • Newsletter Sign Up
    • Content Submissions
    • Data Privacy
    • Terms of Use
    • Terms of Sale
    • FAQs
    • Diversity Policy
    • Careers at MSI


    COPYRIGHT © 2023


    COPYRIGHT © 2023