Sadly (and perhaps remissly) Katherine Rundell – winner of the Blue Peter book award 2014 for best story – did not include any of Rosemary Sutcliff’s characters in her recent ’10 of the best orphans’ at The Guardian’s children’s books site. She might have chosen Beric in Outcast, Jestyn in Blood Feud, Randall the dog-boy in Knight’s Fee, Hugh Copplestone in Brother Dusty-Feet. (And what are the others I have forgotten?).
She chose:
- Mowgli, The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling
- Cinderella
- Cat Chant, Charmed Life by Diana Wynne Jones
- Anne, Anne of Green Gables by L M Montgomery
- Alex Rider, Stormbreaker by Anthony Horowitz
- Harry, Harry Potter by JK Rowling
- Lyra, His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman
- Sophie, The BFG by Roald Dahl
- Peter, Peter Pan by J M Barrie
- The Fossil Sisters, Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfield
ROSEMARY SUTCLIFF (1920-92) 
Hugh in “Bonnie Dundee”, Lovell in “Witch’s Brat”, Tamsin in “Armourer’s House”, both Frytha and Bjorn in “Shield Ring”, Owain in “Dawn Wind”, Red Phaedrus in “Mark of the Horse Lord” and of course Artos in “Sword at Sunset” and so on — in fact, maybe the question should be which of Sutcliff’s heroes weren’t orphans? :) The hero as orphan making his way in the world is of course a traditional fairy story and/or mythic trope.
LikeLike
Thanks. see http://wp.me/p42Yg-2L4 now!
LikeLike