Good to find someone else who discovered Jean Little. When I was 9, my sister bought Look Through My Window for me for Christmas. I loved it, then discovered Mine For Keeps, which I read over and over. Fortunately, the library carried all of her books when I was young; now I think they are buried in the "nostagia" section. I grew up feeling like I personally knew Sal and Kate and Emily and Elsje, and a little bit of what it felt like to have cerebral palsy. Over the years I have bought most of her books at library sales so I have the hardbacks with the great illustrations that I grew up reading. I just wish there were more authors like her around. Thanks!

posted by booksallover at 2:21 am (EST) on Jan 22, 2008

Thanks for the kind words about the Oz books. I'm glad you enjoyed them.

posted by EdwardEinhorn at 10:13 am (EST) on Aug 28, 2007

Hi! Thanks for being my LibraryThing friend. It's nice to meet you.

Lisa :)

posted by LPlumley at 5:38 pm (EST) on Aug 22, 2007

Hi, I just saw your username and had to come and visit. Coincidently I just found a copy of my all time favourite Jean Little book Mine for Keeps last weekend at an old used book store. I snatched it up with great delight and chattered on to my husband about how special the book was to me. My mother used to volunteer at my elementary school library and she brought it home for me to read. I was so enthralled that I read it over and over. And then to my absolute delight Jean Little actually came to our school library (this was in the '60s) and I met her. She was the first author I'd ever met and I was so awed and excited I just stood there gaping at her. It was a very special moment.

It's very cool to "meet" others who enjoy her work so much, almost everyone I meet has never heard of her.

posted by katylit at 11:15 am (EST) on Aug 4, 2007

Hi JL! Yes, I'm afraid I'm an Aiken completest with quite a few to go. I've read most of the novels but still need to read a lot of her story collections. (I'm less fond of short stories.) I'd always thought she was a children's author until the past several years. Read her first 4 or 5 Dido adventures as a child, over and over.

Ruth M. Arthur is a British author, yes. I was haunted by A Candle in Her Room (evil doll book) and located it via the Booksleuthers on Abebooks about four years ago, which got me hunting down her others. If you like moody, eerie, British/Scottish, supernatural, time travel, ghost books, you'll LOVE her. She's got her own odd style, and she always writes in first person, but there's something about her.... Some of her books are outright spooky or magic, and some are more moody and eerie. Portrait of Margarita, Requiem for a Princess, The Autumn People, and Saracen Lamp, if you can get ahold of it--I highly recommend those for a start. Oh, and A Candle in her Room.

posted by Sasha_Doll at 9:58 am (EST) on Aug 4, 2007

A fellow BookMooch person, just peeking through your library. Mary

posted by tobiejonzarelli at 6:51 am (EST) on Jul 29, 2007

Is the Jean Little Library your personal lending library? If so, the idea is very intriguing.

posted by Darrol at 8:22 am (EST) on Jul 20, 2007

wow, we already have over 100 books in common! thanks for sharing your link on bookmooch, i much enjoyed looking through your library.
erin.

posted by shakespearelibrary at 7:19 pm (EST) on Jun 25, 2007

You have a letter from her! Wow. (Is she, er, still living?)

posted by picardyrose at 8:16 pm (EST) on Apr 21, 2007

I love Jean Little's books, especially "Spring Begins in March."

posted by picardyrose at 8:00 pm (EST) on Apr 20, 2007