I grew up in the days when there were two television channels to choose from, sometimes a third when the wind blew just right, so I read a lot of books. On Saturdays, we drove down to the small library in Merrillan , Wisconsin. I can't imagine there was much funding for books in those days, and their shelves consisted of a lot of old books. So over the years I discovered fabulous children's classics. The Five Little Peppers series was a favorite, but the ones I loved the most were the Oz books by L. Frank Baum. Many people think, mistakenly, that there was only one book, the one made into the movie The Wizard of Oz. But that volume was actually not one I enjoyed very much. I still love those books, like Ozma of Oz and Tiktok of Oz, and collect them when I can off of Ebay. They are easily the most beloved books of my childhood.
So, I'm feeling a bit sheepish that I had not discovered Gregory Maguire's Oz books until last week. I was in the Portland airport and I went into Powell's to buy a book. The mass market paperback of Wicked, with lovely green pages, jumped out at me. Of course I'd heard of it before, I just hadn't considered it to be something I'd like. But I bought it. And I loved it. I feel like, once again, I'm submerged in a world of old friends. A different version of Glinda, to be sure, but it's like my favorite books from childhood have been rewritten to satisfy my adult tastes. That doesn't happen every day.
I met Gregory Maguire at ALA in 2007. He had a children's book out, and he signed an ARC for my daughter. He actually commented on her unusual name, asking me where I came up with it. Now I feel so dumb that I had no idea he'd already written the books which brought my childhood favorites back to life. I would have thanked him profusely.
But all this has been a lesson about characters. That, despite me thinking of my characters as written, done, their story over when the book says The End, is it really the end? Maybe they will never show up in a book again. Then again, what would L. Frank Baum say to that?
7 comments:
Stephanie,
I think I was vaguely aware that there were more Oz books, but now I'm going to have look for them! You're right, books and favorite characters are like old friends. The best we can hope for is that our characters will become old friends for our readers.
Your post reminds me of all the "reviews" I read on Amazon and the like from adults commenting on treasured books from childhood rediscovered and reread as adults, then passed on to a new generation of readers. I just read Henry Reed's Journey for the same reason -- to revisit the thrill of reading I enjoyed as a child. You're right, the characters definitely stay with us!
What a welcome reminder of going to the library in Wisconsin, Stephanie. We had more choice in our library in Eau Claire, but I'm sure we read some of the same favorites. The Kerlan Collection at the University of Minnesota has an extensive Oz collection that you'll have to check out next time you are back in the midwest.
I'm a Five Little Peppers fan, but never read the Oz books. It's high time! One of my pleasures as a parent was sharing books I'd loved as a child. Some times I could hardly wait for my daughter to be old enough for a book. Your post was a nice reminder that I don't need an excuse to read these now.
Edie, you should check them out. Such fabulous lands and characters. Mark, I think you're right. The characters we meet as children just become part of who we are. John, I've always wanted to go to the Kerlan collection to see the Oz stuff. Christy, I love the Five Little Peppers. I find old editions on ebay. Tim thinks I have enough. Never:)
Edie, you should check them out. Such fabulous lands and characters. Mark, I think you're right. The characters we meet as children just become part of who we are. John, I've always wanted to go to the Kerlan collection to see the Oz stuff. Christy, I love the Five Little Peppers. I find old editions on ebay. Tim thinks I have enough. Never:)
What an interesting thought to imagine that one's characters might live again in someone else's words. I hadn't thought of that. I think the characters in OZ have become so classic in my mind, that they are words without an author-- which is just a childhood notion. When I was growing up, I never connected real people to books-- the books lived and spoke by themselves. But to imagine now taking these characters or one more contemporary and bringing it to life in a new way.... hmmm... I have not read MacGuire-- but my daughter has read all of his books and she used to know all the songs from Wicked by heart.
Post a Comment