by Barbara Newhall Follett
Back cover description:
Everyone at one time or another wants to get away from the everyday world, and this is the story of a girl who did so. She fled from her family to the meadow, then to the sea, and then to the mountains. Where she next journeyed and what happened to her there is a mystery filled with wonder.
My thoughts:
This might be the most unusual children's books I've ever read - for a lot of reasons:
First, it was written ninety years ago by a child prodigy named Barbara Newhall Follett - she was nine years old. (It was published three years later, in 1927.)
Secondly, it would be amazing for any child of that age to write something worthy of publication; the young Follett's work has stood the test of time as one of the most remarkable children's stories of all time.
Thirdly, the most unfortunate of circumstances caused the strange and still unsolved mystery of the author's disappearance in 1939. Some have said it was not surprising, given the finale of this book!
I would recommend this book to readers of all ages, but it is nearly impossible to find. Thanks to my editor friend, Laura Johnson, for loaning me her copy of this rare and valuable book.
To learn more about the story of the enigmatic Barbara Newhall Follett - click here:
http://www.npr.org/2010/12/18/132135938/barbara-newhall-follett-disappearing-child-genius
