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Erick Berry (1892–1974)

Author of Leif the Lucky: Discoverer of America

56+ Works 521 Members 6 Reviews

About the Author

Includes the names: Erick Berry, Allena Best

Image credit: Wikipedia

Works by Erick Berry

The Winged Girl of Knossos (1933) 46 copies
HAY-FOOT, STRAW-FOOT (1954) 26 copies
Nancy Herself (1935) 14 copies
Horses for the General (1956) 11 copies
Cynthia Steps Out (1937) 10 copies
Honey of the Nile (1938) 10 copies
The King's Jewel (1957) 6 copies
The Polynesian Triangle (1968) 5 copies
Lock Her Through (1940) 3 copies
Girls in Africa (1929) 3 copies
Homespun (1937) 2 copies
Whistle Round the Bend (1941) 2 copies
Sunhelmet Sue, (1936) 1 copy
penny-whistle (1930) 1 copy
There is the Land (1943) 1 copy
Forty-Seven Keys (1949) 1 copy

Associated Works

Around the Corner (1948) — Illustrator — 39 copies
Garram the Hunter: A Boy of the Hill Tribes (1930) — Illustrator — 36 copies
Good Stories (1940) — Illustrator — 33 copies
Along the Way (1940) — Illustrator — 24 copies
Fun in Story (1940) — Illustrator — 23 copies
The Apprentice of Florence (1933) — Illustrator — 17 copies
Watergate: A Story of the Irish on the Erie Canal (1951) — Illustrator — 17 copies
Spooks, Spooks, Spooks (1966) — Contributor — 13 copies
Little brown baby (1940) — Illustrator — 12 copies
Writing Books for Boys and Girls (1952) — Contributor, some editions — 5 copies
A Year to Grow (1946) — Illustrator — 3 copies
Bittersweet — Illustrator — 3 copies
The Camp at Westlands (1941) — Illustrator — 3 copies
Nancy Sails — Illustrator — 2 copies
Fiddle away (1942) — Illustrator; Illustrator, some editions — 2 copies
Wings of Courage and Other Stories for Girl Scouts (1941) — Contributor — 1 copy

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Reviews

1934. Berry (Allena Champlin) draws from the Icarus myth, incorporates Ariadne, Theseus, and others, to tell a lively story of Inas, daughter of the brilliant Daedalus, leaving readers with a happy ending. Berry includes illustrations drawn from Cretan artifacts. Reads like a modern novel, and is one worth bringing back into print.
 
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mebrock | 2 other reviews | Aug 17, 2023 |
A neat re-telling (sort of) of the Theseus and Ariadne myth, through the eyes of Daidalos' daughter. The writing isn't earth-shattering or anything, but it's a fun story nonetheless.
 
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electrascaife | 2 other reviews | Dec 16, 2017 |
The Winged Girl of Knossos isn't actually a new book. It was written in 1933 by Erick Berry, pen name for Evangel Allena Champlin Best. It was a Newbery Honor Book but was sadly out of print for many years. Thankfully, Paul Dry Books has reprinted it because I haven't been able to stop thinking about it since I finished reading it a couple of weeks ago.

The "winged girl" is Inas, daughter of Daidalos. He is an inventor who longs to soar like the birds and she is an adventurer who does everything from sponge diving to bull jumping. Their home is ancient Crete, under the reign of King Minos. This story brings to life an era that time has turned into myth. Ariadne, the labyrinth and the minotaur, and Theseus are all real and they all have their places in Inas' tale.

Not only did Berry use an impressive vocabulary but she knew the right amount of tension to keep readers of all ages engaged and the historical setting is incredibly accessible. Best of all, the strong, active female character of Inas was truly ahead of her time. I suppose this is why the book received Honors. I keep thinking about the various adventures, the setting, the idea that myths come out of facts.

http://webereading.com/2017/09/new-ish-release-winged-girl-of-knossos.html
… (more)
½
 
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klpm | 2 other reviews | Sep 21, 2017 |
I'd read this (many times) as a teenager - was reminded of it and found it. And, amazingly, it's as good as I remembered (a lot of my teen books just aren't). It's got a lot more to it than I remembered, too. I remembered him being a drummer boy, and the English officer (only I thought it was a group) writing Yankee Doodle as a joke on these raw Provincials. I'd forgotten he had run away to join the army - and I thought it was Revolutionary War, not before that when the American army was still more-or-less (or officially, at least) British. Si's machinations to get a meal and a place with the army are fun, and his and his friends' adventures with army life and army drill and signals are beautifully drawn (both in words and in pictures). This is one I'm really glad to have found again. Oh, and as a bonus - it gives some early verses (possibly the original...who knows?) for Yankee Doodle and talks about the tune (which is apparently ancient - it was old in Medieval times, according to the foreword). Lots of fun!… (more)
½
1 vote
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jjmcgaffey | Oct 10, 2008 |

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Works
56
Also by
18
Members
521
Popularity
#47,687
Rating
½ 3.4
Reviews
6
ISBNs
25
Languages
1

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