Responding to the recently posted new ‘interview with Rosemary Sutcliff’, Helen writes:

1997 Newbery Honor Book children’s author Megan Whalen Turner (author of the historical fantasy series The Queen’s Thief) was a Rosemary Sutcliff fan.  She writes about this in the afterword of her first novel, The Thief:

“…writes historical fiction the way Rosemary Sutcliff used to.  If Sutcliff‘s name keeps appearing, it is because she [is] one of the authors who have influenced me the most.”

“If a writer has inspired me, I like to make a reference to their work inside my story …The Thief has an indirect quote from The Eagle of the Ninth.  If you read it you will find an object there whose description I have copied as closely as I can for The Thief.”

This item—the Aquila family Dolphin Ring—features in many of Rosemary Sutcliff‘s Roman Britain books. Turner goes on to list The Eagle of the Ninth, Warrior Scarlet, The Shield Ring and Knight’s Fee on her list of favourite ‘old ‘books.

More information

The Newbery Medal, named after the eighteenth-century British bookseller John Newbery, is awarded annually by the US Association for Library Service to Children to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children. At the same time some runner-up books are called Newbery Honor Books.

This is the full list of ‘old’ children’s books that Megan Whalen Turner recommends—”This is just a quick list of some of my favourite old books”.

• Around the World in 80 Days, Jules Verne
• Puck of Pook’s Hill, Rudyard Kipling
• The Enchanted Castle, E, Nesbit
• The Treasure Seekers, E. Nesbit
• Half Magic, Edward Eager
• The Eagle of the Ninth, Rosemary Sutcliff
• Warrior Scarlett, Rosemary Sutcliff
• The Shield Ring, Rosemary Sutcliff
• Knight’s Fee, Rosemary Sutcliff
• The Wolves of Willoughby Chase, Joan Aiken
• Midnight is a Place, Joan Aiken
• Go Saddle the Sea, Joan Aiken
• Howl’s Moving Castle, Diana Wynne Jones
• Charmed Life, Diana Wynne Jones
• Drowned Ammet, Diana Wynne Jones
• The Children of Green Knowe, L. M. Boston
• The Secret of the Twelves, Pauline Clark
• The Crime of Martin Coverly, Leonard Wibberly
• Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Time, Jane Louise Curry
• The Perilous Gard, Elizabeth Marie Pope
• The Sherwood Ring, Elizabeth Marie Pope
• The Dancing Bear, Peter Dickinson
• The Weathermonger, Peter Dickinson
• Heartsease, Peter Dickinson
• Playing Beatie Bow, Ruth Park
• The Princess and Curdie, MacDonald
• The Princess and the Goblins, MacDonald
• Mocassin Trail, Eloise Jarvis McGraw
• Little Britches, Ralph Moody
• Tom’s Midnight Garden, Phillipa Pearce
• Minnow on the Say, Phillipa Pearce