Iain Lawrence
Iain Lawrence spoke to me with gentle kindness on the phone from Gabriola Island, BC. A veteran of many interviews, he answered all my questions with the same patience with which he approaches research and writing. He is very open when discussing his work and was quite forthcoming when I asked his about what he is working on at the moment. His love of dogs has prompted a new book about a boy whose older brother is killed in an accident. Later a stray dog appears and the young boy becomes convinced that it is really his brother returned to him. The detailed plot line is characteristic of all of Mr. Lawrence's works.
His newest book The Convicts, the first in a trilogy that he calls his "C" stories, will be followed by The Cannibals, and The Castaways. In it the sea plays as important part as it has in many of his previous novels, including The Wreckers, The Smugglers, and The Buccaneers. He is an inveterate sailor who has owned a fleet of boats through the years and has enjoyed sailing with his partner, Kristin, and his seafaring dogs. With his extensive knowledge of sailing and diligent research, he brings great authenticity to the writing of his novels and an unmistakable love of the sea itself. His characters reflect his own love of such books as Treasure Island, and other classics of his youth. The draw of the sea provides the sense of adventure that Mr. Lawrence requires for his books and the extensive plotting fleshes out the storyline with such details as to make everything he writes come off the page in experience that is enthralling.
The development of the plot is the starting point as he sets out to begin a novel. His plots have become more complicated as his writing has grown through the years; but, his work is primarily story-driven and his interest is in the characters themselves. While he does not consciously implant moral issues to be resolved they are a very big part of his writing because they reflect the real human experience, especially in his historical approach. He does all of his work on the computer. He plays classical music while he works. When he told me that the music is usually plays is Vivaldi's Four Seasons and The Planets, I could imagine the swell of words pouring out to the music's ebb and flow.
Much of his work has a good deal of darkness from the history and the plot line, but Mr. Lawrence himself is not at all a "dark" person. He does find that when he has been doing a lot of research and writing about particularly "dark stuff," that his dreams are invaded by the ugliness and he needs a break! His research reveals many of the ugly details of how children have been treated throughout history. I specifically asked him about a scene from The Convicts in which a young boy, a prisoner on a prison ship, is blinded with a needle by one of his fellow prisoners. He did report that this was based on a true incident he came across in his research. He readily admits to being an Anglophile and thus many of his books are set in "jolly old England." His research is aided by a friend, a librarian, who loves to delve into the crevices of history for juicy tidbits sure to capture a reader's attention.
Mr. Lawrence does not read fiction while he is writing, but does enjoy reading contemporary authors such as Gary Paulsen and Jerry Spinelli. At the moment he is reading Shirley Jackson and finding her to be an inspiring writer. He quickly pays homage to Robert Louis Stevenson as an inspiration from his early reading days and recognizes that he was greatly influenced by having been read aloud to as a child. He wants his own books to be the kind of thing families would share and that young people would want to re-read later as they grew in understanding of some of the terminology of the sea and some of the deeper issues in the stories.
Despite his soft spoken demeanor, it is obvious that Iain Lawrence is a real adventurer at heart and quite capable of bringing the excitement of classic adventure stories to life in the twenty-first century. A man who could construct a full sized, working boat entirely of paper is well equipped to build fascinating stories to capture readers of many ages.
Contributor: Sheilah Egan
To learn more about Iain Lawrence visit http://www.randomhouse.com/features/iainlawrence/
Reviews
B for BusterIain Lawrence
The accomplished Canadian author Iain Lawrence follows his moody The Lightkeeper's Daughter with an insightful story about the stresses of Allied bombers during World War II. His young hero, Kak, is really young. He has lied about his age and enlisted at sixteen to become a wireless operator for a bombing squad flying out of England. With youthful exuberance, he bounds off on his first night flight over Germany--to return as old as the rest of his prematurely aging crew. The fatality rates are disastrous, and as his missions pile up--shortening the odds of survival--Kak finds the courage to continue only through the wisdom of the flight base's pigeoneer. Through loving the birds that fly with each plane, Kak finally bonds with his fellow crew members. The evocative cover art, the useful maps of the European theater of war in 1943, and the expansive Author's Note at the end of the book are all icing on the cake of Lawrence's moving story. Kak is a believable character who brings to life the drama, pain, and moral issues of fighting blindly against a known enemy. 2004, Delacorte, $15.95. Ages 12 up. Reviewer: Kathleen Karr (Children's Literature).
Best Books:
Best Books for Young Adults, 2005; American Library Association YALSA; United States
Bulletin Blue Ribbons, 2004; Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books; United States
Capitol Choices, 2005; The Capitol Choices Committee; United States
Kirkus Book Review Stars, May 15, 2004; United States
Publishers Weekly Book Review Stars, July 5, 2004; Cahners; United States
School Library Journal Book Review Stars, July 2004; Cahners; United States
State and Provincial Reading Lists:
Manitoba Young Readers' Choice Book Award, 2005-2006; Nominee; Manitoba Tayshas, 2005-2006; Reading List; High School Level; Texas
ISBN: 0-385-73086-1
ISBN: 0-385-90108-9
The Buccaneers
Iain Lawrence
Adventure on the high seas with bloodthirsty pirates and buried treasure is sure to pique the interest of the most reluctant reader. Seventeen-year-old John Spencer is on his first voyage to the West Indies, and tales of pirates and cannibals have excited him as well as instilled fear. Twenty-one days out and a thousand miles from England, the Dragon rescues a lone sailor adrift in a boat. The man, Horn by name, tells a strange and haunting story of his ship, The Apostle, being overtaken by pirates and of his flight from terror. The mysterious stranger carries with him a chest in which are replicas in a bottle of all the ships he has sailed on, each of which has met destruction when he was no longer onboard. To John, Horn is a hero of incredible strength and a superb sailor; to others he is a Jonah and should be put off their small vessel. Under Captain Butterfield's orders, the Dragon sails on with Horn onboard but when they come upon the Meridian Passage and her mummified crew, they begin to suspect that Horn is not what he seems. The Dragon is pursued through the Caribbean by the pirate ship; her crew is felled by sickness and death and stranded on an island where a treasure is said to be buried. Written in first person and sprinkled with salty dialogue, this engrossing nautical tale is riveting--a real page-turner. The third installment of the author's "High Seas Trilogy," this cliffhanging yarn stands on its own. This reviewer will definitely read The Wreckers and The Smugglers, the companions to this adventure. 2001, Delacorte, $17.99 and $15.95. Ages 12 to 16. Reviewer: Beverley Fahey (Children's Literature).
Best Books:
The Best Children's Books of the Year, 2002; Bank Street College of Education; United States
Children's Book Sense 76 Picks, Winter 2001; Book Sense 76; United States
Publishers Weekly Book Review Stars, July 2001; Cahners; United States
State and Provincial Reading Lists:
Manitoba Young Readers Choice Award, 2003; Nominee; Manitoba, Canada
Red Maple Award, 2004; Nominee; Ontario, Canada
ISBN: 0-385-90008-2
ISBN: 0-385-32736-6
The Convicts
Iain Lawrence
Three legged horses, grave robbers and adventures at sea, this book has it all. After Tom's father is taken to prison, it is up to Tom to provide for the family. He sets off to find a way to pay off the family's debts. On his wanderings, Tom encounters a blind man and finds a diamond. He pockets the diamond, and thus the adventure begins. Tom meets Worms who drives a three-legged horse and robs graves. He is taken to Darkey and her boys, and then is falsely accused of cutting the blind man's throat. After the accusation, Tom is put on a ship with other convicts where he meets Midgely and the two try to escape. The novel has the feel and tone of a Dicken's novel for teens. Young boys will love the mystery and darkness that starts on page one and encompasses the entire novel. 2005, Delacorte Press/Random House, $17.99. Ages 10 to 14. Reviewer: Mindy Hardwick (Children's Literature).
After Tom Tin's father is sent to debtors' prison, Tom goes in search of Mr. Goodfellow, the man responsible for his father's misfortune. A chance encounter with a body snatcher and a case of mistaken identity results in Tom being sent to a prison boat. He and his fellow prisoners are to be transported to Australia . . . unless they can escape first! Amidst the squalor of the prison ship, Tom makes some friends, learns to be courageous, and uncovers some family secrets that explain the crimes for which he was unjustly convicted. Tom Tin's story is gripping, realistic, and very entertaining. The plot moves fast, but is never confusing or contrived. The historical details appear to be thoroughly researched and the characters are well-drawn. Lawrence's story is a worthy heir to the adventure tradition of Robert Lewis Stevenson and the like. 2005, Delacorte Press, $15.95. Ages 10 up. Reviewer: Amie Rose Rotruck (Children's Literature).
Best Books:
Kirkus Book Review Stars, April 1, 2005; United States
Publishers Weekly Book Review Stars, April 4, 2005; Cahners; United States
ISBN: 0-385-73087-X
ISBN: 0-385-90109-7
Ghost Boy
Iain Lawrence
Wherever fourteen-year-old Harold goes, people point and jeer, calling him "ghost boy" and "maggot." Harold is an albino, and in small-town Liberty, on the Canadian prairies, he stands out, although he wishes to be invisible. Then the circus comes to town--and Harold runs off to join it. He is thrilled to be taken under the wings of Princess Minikin, a motherly midget, and her kind but hideously hairy friend the Fossil Man. The prescient Gypsy Magda and the Indian legends of Thunder Wakes Him Up fascinate him. He eagerly anticipates meeting the Cannibal King, another albino. But Harold longs to be normal, not one of the "freaks" of the circus, and when Flip, an attractive and flirtatious bareback rider, offers him a chance to work with the elephants, Harold is eager to prove his worth and impress her. This leads to both triumph and tragedy; against the odds Harold teaches the huge beasts to play baseball and then an accident on the ball field strikes down someone he cares for. Harold learns to look for what lies beneath people's surfaces, and he returns home changed and wiser. Lawrence, the author of The Wreckers and its companion The Smugglers, draws on his childhood in Western Canada here, and he creates a weird and wonderful portrait of a ragtag circus traveling across the prairies just after WW II, of performers tinged with strange sorrows, of a lonely boy desperately seeking a place he belongs. No one is quite what they first appear to be, and Harold's exotic experiences are a backdrop to his hard-won understanding of himself and those around him. Readers will suffer and celebrate along with Harold, and like him come away with somewhat more of an idea of what exteriors, both freakish and normal, can conceal. KLIATT Codes: J--Recommended for junior high school students. 2000, Random House/Delacorte, 328p, $15.95. Ages 13 to 15. Reviewer: Paula Rohrlick (KLIATT Review, September 2000 (Vol. 34, No. 5)).
Best Books:
Best Books for Young Adults, 2001; American Library Association-YALSA; United States
Children's Catalog, Eighteenth Edition, Supplement, 2003; H.W. Wilson; United States
Kirkus Book Review Stars, October 15, 2000; United States
Middle and Junior High School Library Catalog, Supplement to the Eighth Edition, 2001 ; H.W. Wilson; United States
Middle and Junior High School Library Catalog, Supplement to the Eighth Edition, 2002 ; H.W. Wilson; United States
Notable Books for Children, 2001; American Library Association-ALSC; United States
Parent's Guide to Children's Media, 2001; Parent's Guide to Children's Media, Inc.; United States
Publishers Weekly Book Review Stars, September 2000; Cahners; United States
School Library Journal Book Review Stars, September 2000; Cahners; United States
School Library Journal: Best Books, 2000; Cahners; United States
State and Provincial Reading Lists:
Manitoba Young Readers Choice Award, 2002; Nominee; Manitoba, Canada
Tayshas High School Reading List, 2002; Texas
ISBN: 0-385-32739-0
The Lightkeeper's Daughter
Iain Lawrence
Canadian author Lawrence chooses an irresistible milieu--an isolated island lighthouse--then peoples it with a family so dysfunctional that the end result reads more like a current adult literary morality tale than an offering for young people. Seventeen-year-old Squid returns to her island home with her fey three-year-old daughter in the opening scene, setting off immediate alarms in the reader. Modest mathematics proves that something is awry. It is. But is little Tat the lovechild of an incestuous relationship with Squid's equally fey dead brother? Or is a stray kayaker to blame? Try as he might to prove the latter, all the beached whales and nature fests that symbolically follow can't justify Lawrence's conclusion in either his or the reader's eye. The end result is a nicely written but unsatisfactory story of doom and gloom in the Pacific Northwest. 2002, Delacorte, $16.95. Ages 12 up. Reviewer: Kathleen Karr (Children's Literature).
Best Books:
Best Books for Young Adults, 2003 Top Ten; American Library Association-YALSA; United States
Kirkus Book Review Stars, July 1, 2002; United States
Middle and Junior High School Library Catalog, Supplement to the Eighth Edition, 2003; H.W. Wilson; United States
Publishers Weekly Book Review Stars, August 5, 2002; Cahners; United States
School Library Journal Book Review Stars, September 2002; Cahners; United States
Senior High School Library Catalog, Sixteenth Edition, 2003 Supplement, 2003; H.W. Wilson; United States
State and Provincial Reading Lists:
Tayshas High School Reading List, 2003-2004; Texas
ISBN: 0-385-72925-1
ISBN: 0-385-90062-7
Lord of the Nutcracker Men
Iain Lawrence
Iain Lawrence's Lord of the Nutcracker Men takes place during WWI when young Johnny is sent to live with his Aunt in a small village. Johnny's mother is nursing and while she misses him and sends constant mail, Johnny's father's letters are more compelling. His father is a toy-maker who has joined the army and it is clear from the beginning that he adores and misses his young son. He is also eager to do his duty. He sends Johnny warm letters, each accompanied with a small wooden figure that relates to his war experiences. Here the author sets up a wonderful structure. We have a lonely boy waiting on these letters and a father's need to comfort. Gradually, there is a shift that perfectly represents the distortions caused by war. Johnny's fathers begin with enthusiasm, enters boredom as he waits for deployment, and later his letters and the toy figures are dark, haunting, and grim. His need to write of the horrors he sees eclipses his tenderness. His desperation to express his love is frightening, rather than cheering. Lawrence uses these letters to show not just war, but Johnny's life. Johnny begins as an innocent, confused by war and having to make his way with an elderly aunt and village life he doesn't understand. Johnny plays with these little men, pitching battles, and making a friend who seems much more knowledgeable about how war is fought. Gradually, he comes to believe that the way he plays with these figures magically changes his father's war. The reader's wonder shifts, too. One begins by imagining Johnny reacts because he is in that magical-child god-like stage. Soon, however, you have to question the uncanny parallels. Johnny's haunting play, developmental changes, and his village experiences, cause him to lose his innocence in a way that parallels his father's more horrific changes. But that's not all there is to the plot line. There are minor characters who make the village real, all of these lives intertwining until Johnny becomes a part of this community and changed because of it. He dislikes an elderly school teacher and cuts his beloved flowers down. This man tutors him in academics and life until Johnny grows to love him and is torn apart when admitting his misdeed. Nothing is simple in this story, not characters, relationships, war, nor the author's expression and weaving together of all these themes. 2002, Delacorte, $15.95. Ages 10 up. Reviewer: Susie Wilde (Children's Literature).
When World War I begins, Johnny's father leaves England to fight on the Western Front, while Johnny is evacuated to the country. There he marches the wonderful Nutcracker soldiers his father has carved for him against a make-believe enemy. But as the war continues, his father's letters reveal that war is more than a game to play. The letters contain additional carved soldiers, resembling those his father encounters, which Johnny joins in battles. But Johnny begins to worry that these battles are having a mysterious relationship with what is actually happening in France. The events both in France and England are sobering, making for a gritty realism in an engrossing story with fully fleshed characters, as Johnny gains maturity and World War I comes alive. 2001, Delacorte Press/Random House Children's Books, $15.95. Ages 10 to 16. Reviewer: Sylvia Marantz (Children's Literature).
Best Books:
The Best Children's Books of the Year, 2002; Bank Street College of Education; United States
Children's Book Sense 76 Picks, Winter 2001; Book Sense 76; United States
Children's Catalog, Eighteenth Edition, Supplement, 2002; H.W. Wilson; United States
Kirkus Book Review Stars, July 1, 2001; United States
Middle and Junior High School Library Catalog, Supplement to the Eighth Edition, 2002 ; H.W. Wilson; United States
Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People, 2002; National Council for the Social Studies NCSS; United States
Publishers Weekly Best Children's Books, 2001; Cahners; United States
School Library Journal: Best Books, 2001; Cahners; United States
State and Provincial Reading Lists:
Beehive Award, 2003-2004; Nominee; Utah
Maine Student Book Award, 2002-2003; Nominee; Maine
Virginia Young Readers Program, 2003-2004; Nominee; Middle (Grades 6-9); Virginia
ISBN: 0-385-72924-3
The Smugglers
Iain Lawrence
John is sixteen and eager to sail. He falls in love with the Dragon, a ship said to be evil, and heeds no warnings in sailing it to London for his father. He becomes a smuggler to try to avenge an acquaintance's death. This book is well written and the reader can almost smell the sea air and feel the rise and fall as it goes over the waves. It is fast paced, factual, and vivid. If you don't feel the conflict, the suspicion, and the thrill of being a smuggler while being aboard the ship, you have no adventure within your heart. Fiction. 1999, Delacorte, 183p, $15.95. Kathleen Roseboom (Heart of Texas Reviews (Vol. 12, No. 4)).
Best Books:
Best Books for Young Adults, 2000; American Library Association-YALSA; United States
The Best Children's Books of the Year, 2000; Bank Street College of Education; United States
Books for You: An Annotated Booklist for Senior High, Fourteenth Edition, 2001; National Council of Teachers of English; United States
Bulletin Blue Ribbons, 1999; Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books; United States
Children's Book Sense 76 Picks, Winter 2001; Book Sense 76; United States
Children's Catalog, Eighteenth Edition, 2001; H.W. Wilson; United States
Middle and Junior High School Library Catalog, Eighth Edition, 2000; H.W. Wilson; United States
Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers, 2000; American Library Association-YALSA; United States
ISBN: 0-385-32663-7
The Wreckers
Iain Lawrence
This historical novel takes readers to the treacherous coast of Cornwall in the last century, where impoverished villagers, entitled by law to salvage shipwrecks, actually illegally lure ships to the rocks and then murder all survivors from the ship to claim the booty. It is narrated by John, a 14-year-old, who is on his father's ship when the wreckers perform their treachery. John escapes certain death, as he sees villagers murder his shipmates, and by good fortune is aided by a young girl, Mary, and her uncles. John discovers that his father is alive, imprisoned in a culvert where rats eat away at his foot. The relentless plot keeps John on the move, trying to free his father, to prevent other wrecks, to discover who is the person orchestrating the evil--all the while hiding to survive. It is a good, old-fashioned kind of story, with a challenging vocabulary, and many themes and historical details that teachers could expand upon. John is amazingly resourceful and brave, as is his new friend Mary, and YA readers will like that aspect of the story. KLIATT Codes: J--Recommended for junior high school students. 1998, Delacorte, 191p. 22cm. 97-31625, $15.95. Ages 13 to 15. Reviewer: Claire Rosser (KLIATT Review, May 1998 (Vol. 32, No. 3)).
Best Books:
Best Books for Young Adults, 1999; American Library Association-YALSA; United States
The Best Children's Books of the Year, 1999; Bank Street College of Education; United States
Booklist Book Review Stars, June 1 & 15, 1998; United States
Books for You: An Annotated Booklist for Senior High, Fourteenth Edition, 2001; National Council of Teachers of English; United States
Books in the Middle: Outstanding Books, 1998; Voice of Youth Advocates; United States
Bulletin Blue Ribbons, 1998; Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books; United States
Capitol Choices, 1998; The Capitol Choices Committee; United States
Children's Book Sense 76 Picks, Winter 2001; Book Sense 76; United States
Children's Catalog, Eighteenth Edition, 2001; H.W. Wilson; United States
Editors' Choice: Books for Youth, 1998; American Library Association-Booklist; United States
Kirkus Book Review Stars, 1998; United States
Middle and Junior High School Library Catalog, Eighth Edition, 2000; H.W. Wilson; United States
Notable Children's Books in the Language Arts, 1999; National Council of Teachers of English; United States
Publishers Weekly Book Review Stars, June 1998; Cahners; United States
School Library Journal Book Review Stars, June 1998; Cahners; United States
School Library Journal: Best Books, 1998; Cahners; United States
Awards, Honors, Prizes:
Edgar Allen Poe Awards Nominee 1999 Best Juvenile Novel United States
Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction for Young People Winner 1996 Canada
State and Provincial Reading Lists:
Evergreen Young Adult Book Award, 2001; Nominee; Washington
Lone Star Reading List, 2000-2001; Texas
Maine Student Book Award, 1999-2000; Nominee; Maine
Manitoba Young Readers Choice Award, 2001; Nominee; Manitoba, Canada
Rebecca Caudill Young Readers' Book Award, 2003; Nominee; Illinois
Red Cedar Book Awards, 2000-2001; Nominee; Fiction; British Columbia, Canada
Red Maple Award, 2001; Nominee; Ontario, Canada
South Carolina Book Awards, 2001; Nominee; Junior Book; South Carolina
William Allen White Children's Book Award, 2000-2001; Nominee; Grades 6-8; Kansas
ISBN: 0-385-32535-5
Added 05/31/05
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