Marguerite de Angeli | Author

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Common Knowledge

Canonical name: de Angeli, Marguerite
Birthdate: 1889-03-14
Date of death: 1987-06-16
Gender: female
Occupations: children's book author
autobiographer
singer
children's book illustrator
Awards and honors: Regina Medal (1968)
Distinguished Daughter of Pennsylvania (1958)
Short biography: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margueri...

Marguerite de Angeli, née Lofft, was born in Lapeer, Michigan, and grew up in Philadelphia. At age 15, she began to sing professionally and left high school for more musical training. In 1910, she married John Dailey de Angeli, a violinist, with whom she had six children. In 1921, she began studying drawing and soon went on to illustrate first a Sunday school paper and then national magazines such as The Ladies' Home Journal. She illustrated books for authors including Dorothy Canfield Fisher. She published her own first book, Ted and Nina Go to the Grocery Store, in 1935. Over her 50-year career, she became one of the best-known and most highly-acclaimed author/illustrators in American children's literature. She won the Newbery Medal in 1950 for her most famous book, The Door in the Wall. She published her autobiography, Butter at the Old Price, in 1971.
Nationality: USA
Birthplace: Lapeer, Michigan, USA
Places of residence: Collingswood, New Jersey, USA
Place of death: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Toms River, New Jersey, USA
Map Location: USA

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131 reviews

agentx216 151 reviews

The Door in the Wall by Marguerite De Angeli

After not really liking Adam of the Road by Elizabeth Janet Gray, I was a bit hesitant with this one as I saw similar plot areas in a similar setting. However, this was its own story and offered a few areas of enjoyment when looking over the whole scope of the story. This was a family read for us which I always have a soft spot for stories we do together as a family and it's interesting to see how a story from 1949 can resonate with younger kids (9 and 7 year old girls) and us big kids. The show more style and pacing is not something you'd have today. There's no anachronistic language or politics or behaviors. De Angeli does a great job of keeping some of the "ye ol'" language in while still allowing it to be readable and her naming of time period accurate items made the story seem a lot older than I thought it was - in a good way.

What impressed me the most was de Angeli's main character Robin going through the character growth arc that he did. There are small moments which the character chooses to make choices that either allows him the possibility to grow and get outside of his own head or to stay festering in self-loathing and frustration. And like any normal boy youth, he succeeds and fails and often times without even realizing it. And as the reader this was true for me too. Other than one really big set piece that shows his arc leading up to this moment these small shifts in characters ring true the meaning of the book's title of having a simple door in the wall he's facing to either go through or not. In fact, I really wasn't sure I was going to be overly poisitive with the story until the ending where you got to see his more mature choices that he would have never made in the beginning. And the final chapter is really a stand out one to pause and added to the bulk of our family reading discussion. This isn't a story like The Three Musketeers where it's swashbuckling and intrigue. It's a simple story that lends to the discussion about virtue when learning, how to tackle adversity, and how youth is not an excuse for sentimental immorality.

Brother Luke and minstrel John Go-in-the-Wynd join Robin on his journey. Brother Luke is a regular, pious friar who encourages Robin without brow beating him but pushes him where he needs to be encouraged. The minstrel also offers assitance as a friend without being condescending to Robin. There's no liar-revealed-trop here or friends-to-enemies-to-friends-again. In fact, the only diservice that I think is done is from the cover of my copy that makes all three seem silly looking and a bungling comedy is about to take place.

I think this book for us moderns is a sleeper that might stay with you a bit longer if you let it. If your nihilism and sarcasm can be staved off for a bit, you'll be able to enjoy this book of virtue living in the small moments that drive our big character moments. Final Grade - B show less

Dec 22, 202560 other reviews

honeyspur 21 reviews

Thee, Hannah! by Marguerite De Angeli

My family has Quaker roots, so if you were like me, you probably found yourself with a copy of this fun, candid story of a Quaker girl growing up in her community. She loves her life, but is also honest about what she does not like. This makes for an engaging and relatable narrative.

I did not practice Quakerism, so this was a cool look into it's traditions and beliefs. I could understand more my great-grandparents, who lived in it's traditions their entire life.

Hannah is a joyful character show more and begins to really cherish her life and particular struggles and even her non-Quaker neighbors.

The illustrations in this book are sweet, feminine and rich with color. The historical picture the reader may be able to see in their own reading, is cool too. show less

Nov 2, 201512 other reviews

blbooks 1,481 reviews

Thee, Hannah! by Marguerite De Angeli

First sentence: Hannah stopped talking for a moment to listen to the night watch cry out the time. She heard the cry again, going on down the block, "Nine o'clock," and went on talking.

My thoughts, part one: Thee, Hannah may have the dimensions of a picture book, but it is not a picture book. It is not an early chapter book. Yes, it has illustrations--occasionally--but consider it more a novel in a very odd format.

Premise/plot: Hannah, our heroine, is a Quaker. Hannah spends most of the show more novel feeling out of sorts about that. Why can't she dress like others? Why can't she talk like others? Why can't she be more like others? She isn't necessarily questioning faith--just how that faith is lived out. And not questioning in a twentieth-century or twenty-first century way. Hannah is not deconstructing. She's just wanting to wear a different kind of bonnet, a bonnet more like her friends wear. She dreams about owning a red dress, for example. Or having a sash like her friend has. The book doesn't have much of a plot--not really. It's just Hannah being Hannah day after day, week after week, month after month. It does offer a glimpse of the Quaker way of life in the nineteenth century. But is that a plot? Maybe. Maybe not. The most eventful event of the novel is when Hannah helps a runaway slave. (Her family--like many Quakers--were part of the underground railroad).

My thoughts: I like historical fiction, generally. I like classics, mostly. I wasn't expecting this to be so text-heavy because of the [deceptive] picture book format. Maybe this was not an unusual format or layout in 1940. The novel is definitely a quiet, simple book. Definitely character driven and not plot-driven. Will the novel be easy to sell to children in 2023? I doubt it. I think the book could still be enjoyed by readers of various ages, but it will be a special reader that will be the best match.

I do think that religion and spirituality are rarely tackled in modern writing and publishing. So it was nice that faith was so matter-of-fact in this story. show less

Aug 17, 202312 other reviews

Cheryl_in_CC_NV 15,288 reviews

Bright April by Marguerite De Angeli

Well worth reading even now, though at this point it would be more historical fiction, rather than contemporary fiction. A bit too earnest, and nice, perhaps, and the reference to 'your people' has to be explained to today's readers as a no longer valid viewpoint* but I did thoroughly enjoy reading about the different characters, and their experiences, and setting, and of course I adored the artwork.

*The idiom 'your people' was used with good intent by the teacher in the story. She show more recognized that children of different ethnic backgrounds would probably relate better to heros and role models from their presumed culture.

But nowadays that's too much of a presumption to make. There are Black Jews, there are African-Americans who don't ever have to face racism directly, there are Whites who face awful bigotry from those who would call them 'white trash' or 'hillbilly.' There is no (stereo)typing to justify 'your people.'

And besides, people like Crispus Attucks are heroes first and foremost, to all of us. Their race and/or culture is relevant to their story, of course, but it is not relevant to the impact of their efforts on our lives. If he's a 'black male' hero, fine. But I'm a white female, and I can feel proud to know that there is a *human* capable of such courage. show less

Oct 18, 20243 other reviews

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