About the author and her times
Jane Aiken was born in England in 1924 on Mermaid street in Rye, Sussex. Born into a family of writers and poets, it is really not a surprise that she became one at an early age. What is surprising is how good she was. Homeschooled until the age of 12, Jane spent her early years reading and writing and exploring the downs above her village with her mother and siblings. This was the time between the world wars. After four short years of formal schooling, Jane published her first full-length novel and never looked back. Unlike her mother, Jane never attended university but became a professional writer instead.
What she wrote
Most of the books that Jane Aiken wrote were for young adults, but her books are not those sexually-charged, overwrought books you generally find in the YA section of a library today. These are just simply exciting, well-written stories for teens (middle school and up), and their parents. She did write some picture books as well and adult fiction, but I only read her young adult books as a child.
The Wolves of Willoughby Chase Series
- The Whispering Mountain (1968), a prequel to the series
- The Wolves of Willoughby Chase (1962)
- Black Hearts in Battersea (1964)
- Nightbirds on Nantucket (1966)
- The Stolen Lake (Dido Twite) (1981)
- Limbo Lodge (1999)
- The Cuckoo Tree (1971)
- Dido and Pa (1986)
- Is (1992)
- Cold Shoulder Road (1995)
- Midwinter Nightingale (2003)
- The Witch of Clatteringshaws (2005)
Why I love her books for children
Jane Aiken is an author from my childhood. She wrote that amazing series entitled, “The Wolves of Willoughby Chase.” The series begins in the fictitious reign of James the Third of England. Yes there are loads of wolves, and adventure and excitement. And there is phenomenal writing. That is what makes Jane Aiken the first on my list. Her stories are so well crafted and so descriptive. I simply lived in the worlds of her stories as a child.
The best way to teach writing is to read, read, and read some more. This teaches vocabulary and cadence and flow and story structure in a way that no amount of theory can.
So give Jane Aiken a try in your homeschool!
And now, the Link Party!
First, my wonderful co-hosts:
AMANDA HOPKINS AT HOPKINS HOMESCHOOL
CHRISTINE HOWARD AT LIFE’S SPECIAL NECESSITIES
DAWN PELUSO AT SCHOOLIN’ SWAG
JENNIFER KING AT A PEACE OF MIND
KIMBERLEY LINKLETTER AT VINTAGE BLUE SUITCASE
KRISTEN HEIDER AT A MOM’S QUEST TO TEACH
LORI HOOTEN AT AT HOME: WHERE LIFE HAPPENS
WENDY ROSS AT LIFE ON CHICKADEE LANE
YVONNE BILLIAN AT THE LIFE WE BUILD
Now, the rules (don’t worry, they are really simple):
- Write a blog post and then hop over to the linkup and add your post!
- Grab a blog button for your post.
Blogging Through The Alphabet Link Party
Instructions: Select all code above, copy it and paste it inside your blog post as HTML
3. Take some time to read the other great posts if you have the time and spread some encouragement and appreciation with a comment or two!
Together we can help each other increase our traffic, read some interesting tips and ideas, and spread some good cheer that will help us start off our weekend!
7 Responses
I’ll have to check into her books. (I see our library system has 3 or 4 of them)
Yay! Let me know what you think!
What age would you say her books are for? My daughter is 8 almost 9 but they seem interesting enough for me to check out!
My kids loved these when they were 9 and 10, but I would read the first one yourself first just to be sure. 🙂 I would love to know what you think!
I enjoyed the Wolves of Willoughby Chase, as did my lad. thanks for the pleasant reminder.
You are so welcome, Annette! I had a sneaking suspicion that you knew this series. 🙂
I grew up loving wolves — thanks for the reminder of these books!!