Chrissie Wainright Author Study LIBM 5013 Annotated Bibliography of Author Mark Haddon Haddon, Mark. (n.d.). Retrieved November 22, 2020, from http://www.markhaddon.com/kidsbooks.htm Mark Haddon’s personal website does not appear to be updated frequently, but it has sections for his writing and for his art. The writing section is further divided into children’s books, articles about Mark Haddon, and his work for adults. He also includes a links page with things that influence him. It does include personal photographs, including one of Mr. Haddon as a child with the ice cave that inspired one of his beloved children’s books. Haddon, Mark. (n.d.) Retrieved November 22, 2020 from https://www.instagram.com/mjphaddon/ Mark Haddon’s Instagram account features his art, photos, and brief story snippets that he shares with his readers. It would be a great resource for anyone wanting to understand the author better. Haddon, M. (2004, April 11). Mark Haddon on his best seller, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. Retrieved November 22, 2020, from https://www.theguardian.com/books/2004/apr/11/booksforchildrenandteenagers.features3 In this article from The Guardian, Mark Haddon discusses his book, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, and how it compares with his earlier work of books for children. He also describes his primary influence while writing this book, Jane Austen, and how she writes her characters with an empathy that makes them still relevant today. Haddon, M. (2010). Boom! (or 70,000 light years). New York: David Fickling Books. Awards: N/A Reading Level: 2nd - 3rd grade Genre and Sub-genre: Fiction/ Science Fiction Diversity: This book supports the diverse needs of readers in several ways. The main character’s family is dealing with a chance in their economic status. His father has lost his job and his mother found a better paying job, so they are learning to deal with a shift in gender roles. It also describes the main character’s relationships with his best friend and his sister in a dynamic and interesting way as the adventure develops. They learn that they are capable and brave through their delightfully wacky adventure. Review: This book was originally published as “Gridzbi Spudvetch!” in 1992. Thanks to some devoted readers, Mark Haddon decided to rewrite it and publish it with a title that was a little easier to understand. This is a crazy adventure story starring an English boy named Jim. While trying to figure out if he was going to be expelled from school, he and his best friend Charlie stumble onto two of their teachers speaking an incomprehensible language. Charlie, who is unable to let it go, spies on them diligently. Jim, who admits that spying on the teachers is an insane idea, nevertheless helps his friend. They discover the teachers are actually aliens and they are stealing people to repopulate their planet. It is a highly improbable adventure and yet will appeal to children precisely on those terms. Charlie disappears, and Jim is determined to find him. To avoid being captured by aliens, Jim and his older sister Becky steal a motorcycle and drive all the way to Scotland to follow the clues Charlie left. Jim ends up going to outer space, escaping aliens again, and then saves the earth from being blown up. It is truly a bizarre adventure and yet it is very appealing. Jim has a hard time focusing in school, and Charlie is always getting into trouble, and still they manage to foil aliens and save each other. Jim’s relationship with his family also improves. He used to fight all the time with his sister, but they stick together when danger strikes. His father, who lost his job and has to deal with his wife becoming the breadwinner in a shift of their expected roles, learns to cook thanks to Jim buying him a cookbook and shows that learning new things can bring pride and new opportunities. It’s a wonderful story that I think would really appeal to reluctant readers. It would make a hilarious and engaging read aloud. Mark Haddon is definitely a master of humor. Haddon, M., & Axtell, D. (2014). The ice bear's cave. [Kindle for iPhone Version 6.33]. London: HarperCollins Children's Books. Retrieved from www.amazon.com. Awards: N/A Reading Level: K – 1st grade Genre and Sub-genre: Fiction/ Picture Storybook Diversity: This book is not particularly diverse. It uses imagination nicely, and is a nice, lighthearted story with an anthropomorphic bear. It does include both boys and girls, and it does a nice job of describing the Northern Lights and animals of the artic. Review: This beautiful picture book tells an idyllic story of the perfect snow day. The boys and girls in the story wake up to a lovely winter day. They dream up an arctic expedition, and after a hearty breakfast head out into the snow. Their father tells them they might even find the Ice Bear’s cave. After a busy day of sledding, they dig a tunnel and find the Ice Bear of their father’s story. He tells them all about his artic habitat. The illustrations are beautiful and include ice mountains, caribou, whales, seals, and the Northern Lights. This book could be used in conjunction with a lesson on arctic animals and the environment. It is a nice story of an idyllic childhood day in England. I do not think it would be particularly relatable to people who have no experience of snow activities, but it could be a fun way to introduce those concepts if you bear in mind cultural differences. I would not recommend purchasing this book. It does not appear to be currently in print, although it is available as an e-book. Also, it feels a little like the Goldenbooks of the 1980s in style. There are other choices that would probably appeal more to current audiences. Haddon, M., & Birmingham, C. (2009). Footprints on the moon. Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press. Awards: N/A Reading Level: K – 2nd grade Genre and Sub-genre: Non-Fiction/ Picture Storybook Diversity: This book addresses the diverse needs of readers by describing a historic event and the effects it had on the author. The tone is full of wonder and excitement, and the dreams inspired by astronauts and the lunar landing were life changing. Review: This beautifully illustrated picture book offers a window into wonder and imagination as inspired by scientific discovery. The narrator of the story is a young boy who is fascinated by space. Like many children he is deeply interested in learning everything he can about the subject of his fascination. He reads library books and magazines, and he stares at the moon and dreams. The book takes place during the time of the Apollo 11 mission when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the moon. Rather than focusing on the astronauts themselves, it takes the viewpoint of the author and all those who were still on earth but who were forever changed by the historic event. The illustrations are soft and dreamy, and when the boy dreams of being on the moon with the astronauts a child-sized astronaut is added to the picture of the moon. It is beautiful and really looks like a dream. I would certainly recommend this book. It would connect nicely to a study of space as it mentions many interesting facts, like names of the planets, places on the moon like the Bay of Rainbows, and the Sea of Tranquility. I also love how he ends the book with his perspective as an adult, how the idea of astronauts and the moon is just as inspiring, and that the footprints of astronauts are still there. It could inspire some great creative writing. Mark Haddon. (n.d.). Retrieved November 22, 2020, from https://www.famousauthors.org/markhaddon This website provides a brief biography of Mark Haddon, including his early life, work as an artist and cartoonist, and a list of his works.
