By Jan Pease
Part of my job is to read book reviews written by library
professionals. Occasionally I receive a
book review from a friend of mine, Raechel, who is now 17. I have a few other young friends who will
write a book review, mostly in the summer.
The reviews and the reviewers are all delightful.
Raechel reviewed “Bella at Midnight,” by Diane Stanley. Here are Raechel’s words:
“This is one of my (many) favorite books, though it is
simple. “Bella at Midnight” is a twist
between the fairytale Cinderella, and the life account of Joan of Arc, in a
very clever and well-written way. It is
fiction, written in first-person, told “by” many of the different characters in
the book. Each character is well built
up by the author, making the book all the easier to get into. I love this book, and have read it numerous
times, enjoying it each reading!”
Diane Stanley both writes and illustrates children’s
books. She is famous for her picture
book biographies, but she also tells her own versions of classic fairy
tales. It isn’t surprising that she
includes a Joan of Arc theme because one of her beautifully illustrated
biographies is that of Joan of Arc, published in 2002. Litchfield library owns 10 books by Diane
Stanley, and many more are available through Pioneerland Library System. Ms. Stanley has won many awards, including
the Orbis Pictus Award for
Outstanding Nonfiction from the National Council for Teachers of English, and she
is the recipient of the Washington Post/Children's Book Guild Award for
Nonfiction for the body of her work. Her
books routinely receive starred reviews in professional journals, and are
nominated for, and receive, awards in many of the U.S. state book awards, from
Maine to California. 
Ms. Stanley is an example of a wonderful, hard-working artist
and author who hasn’t won the “big” awards, but is recognized for the
excellence of her work. I can’t
understand why she hasn’t won the Newbery for one of her novels, or the
Caldecott for illustrations in a picture book.
Visit her website, dianestanley.com. Her website shows what an artistic author
can do with animation and information.
Her story is interesting. She
began her professional life as a medical illustrator, illustrated many
children’s books, and now writes novels for children and young adults. She says
of writing, “It’s as if I entered the field of children’s books through the art
door but ended up in the writing room. I’m very comfortable there.”
I’m glad that Raechel re-introduced me to Diane Stanley’s
works. My goal now is to make her a
household name. See you at the library!
