Philip Pullman

Children's Literature

The "Who Wrote That?" series offers middle and teen readers information about the lives of favorite authors. The books describe each writer's childhood, family, and experiences that led him or her to writing. Major works are explored, including critical reaction, while the writer's own comments and recollections are frequently included. As a child, Pullman lived in Rhodesia, Australia, Wales, and England, storing up sensory impressions and experiences that would later surface in his writing. He loved to read and soon discovered art, music, poetry, theater, and especially, the power of stories. Readers may be surprised to learn that Pullman found his education at Oxford "completely useless" (though Oxford later inspired settings in his books and became his home). Instead he learned to write by teaching children and honing his storytelling skills on them. Beginning with plays for children, Pullman went on to write historical novels (one even based on a penny dreadful) and his famous triliogy, "His Dark Materials." From that trilogy, Northern Lights (1996) won the Carnegie Medal and The Amber Spyglass (2002) won the Whitbread Prize for best children's book and best book of the year. The most interesting parts of this biography are Pullman's own comments on his work, his firm commitment to atheism, and his advocacy for teaching children through reading, writing, and telling stories. Each volume in this series ends with a chronology, short summaries of the writer's most popular books and best-known characters, complete lists of works and major awards, and a bibliography. 2006, Chelsea House, Ages 12 up.
—Barbara L. Talcroft

School Library Journal

Gr 6-9-Engaging cover portraits introduce readers to these prolific writers. Wide margin space results in a clean, neat appearance and ease of reading. Black-and-white and color photos and "Did you know-" sidebars break up the texts. Chapters cover childhood experiences, how books and reading enriched the subjects' lives, countries they resided in, activities, favorite subjects, jobs, marriage, teaching, theater, and inspirations. Unfortunately, Pullman has a number of typos. For biography reports, and for general reading enrichment, these titles will be useful additions.-Augusta R. Malvagno, Queens Borough Public Library, NY Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.