Megan Whalen Turner, Author Extraordinare
"Much like the books of Ursula K. Le Guin, Joan Aiken, Diana Wynne Jones, or even Frank R. Stockton, Turner's work holds strong appeal for both adult and young adult readers." from the introduction to The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror (St. Martin's Griffin, 2004)
Ms. Turner has also published a book of short stories, Instead of Three Wishes, and most recently has a short story appearing in The Firebirds, an anthology of short stories by fantasy fiction authors.
There is not much info on Ms. Turner out there, and that seems to be deliberate on her part. While respecting her privacy, I have attempted to gather all the little bits of info out there in cyberspace here, in one central location, for her fans. Her preferred bio, which appears in numerous places online, is, in total:
Megan Whalen Turner is married to a professor and often relocates when he needs to do research. They have three children.
Contents: Megan Whalen Turner
Wikipedia on Megan Whalen Turner
Megan Whalen Turner (born 1965) is an American author of fantasy fiction for young adults. She received her BA with honors in English language and literature from the University of Chicago in 1987.1 She is best known for The Queen's Thief series of novels. The first book in the series, The Thief, won a Newbery Honor award. The second and third books in the series are The Queen of Attolia and The King of Attolia. The fourth, A Conspiracy of Kings, will be published by Greenwillow Books, an imprint of HarperCollins, in 2010. She has also published a collection of short stories, Instead of...
Why You Must Not Miss The Thief
The Thief is a great family read-aloud!
Unfortunately I can only review the first book here, because it would be impossible to review the second and third without unforgivable spoilers to the first - but trust me: each one is better than the last!
Please, do yourself a favor and read the first before you read any reviews of the subsequent books!
The Thief (The Queen's Thief, Book 1)
Amazon Price: $6.99 (as of 12/31/2009)
After publicly boasting that he can steal anything and pledging to prove it by stealing the seal ring of the King of Sounis, young Gen lands himself in prison when he afterward seeks to prove his skills by displaying the stolen seal to an agent of the king.
After a suitable term in prison, the magus of the king releases him because he needs just such a thief - skilled but not too smart - for a secret trip to a neighboring kingdom for a heist that may change the fate of the three kingdoms of Sounis, Attolia, and Eddis.
As it turns out, nothing is what it seems in this witty, fast-paced page turner that is suitable, appropriate, and engrossing for adults down to junior high, and even for elementary age as a read-aloud.
You will enjoy it even more the second time around as you pick out the subtle clues and foreshadowing that are intricately laced throughout the story to provide the delightfully suprising conclusion.
The Thief is fantasy in a medieval-style world set in an ancient-Greece-like landscape, complete with gods and goddesses who may or may not be taking a hand in mortal affairs.
Read the first pages of The Thief now!
Books by Megan Whalen Turner
"YES!!!
Gen WILL return in a fourth Thief book. No, we don't know when yet."
Articles on Megan Whalen Turner
We know a little about this very private author.
- Shannon Hale's Squeetus Blog Interview
- An nice, long email conversation between Megan Whalen Turner and Shannon Hale, author of Princess Academy and Austenland, on Hale's blog Squeetus.
Revealed: Yes, YES, YES! Ms. Turner is working on a fourth Thief book! - Sci Fi Wire Interview & Article
- "Attolia Isn't Fantasy as Usual": Sci Fi Wire, a news service of the Sci Fi Channel, posts an article with Megan Whalen Turner interview and review of The King of Attolia.
- AuthorTracker: Megan Whalen Turner
- Sign up here to receive news about Megan Whalen Turner, including books, events, and promotions.
Awards for Megan Whalen Turner's Books
The Thief saga has won a lot of recognition!
1997 Newbery Honor Book Award
1997 American Library Association List of Notable Books
1997 Best Books for Young Adults, Young Adult Library Services Association
1996 Blue Ribbon List, Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
1996 Horn Book Fanfare List
1997 Books for the Teen Age (Nathan Straus Young Adult Center, New York Public Library)
1997-1998 Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award Master List
1997 Junior Library Guild Selection
The Queen of Attolia
2000 Booklist Top 10 Fantasy Books for Youth
2000 Blue Ribbon List, Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, Blue Ribbon List
2001 New York Public Library Books for the Teen Age
2000 Parents' Choice Fiction Gold Award
2000 Parent's Guide Honor Award
2001 A Chosen Book of the Cooperative Children's Book Center
The King of Attolia
2006 Horn Book Fanfare List
2006 Horn Book starred review
2006 School Library Journal Best Books
2006 School Library Journal starred review
Ingram suggested list
Kirkus pointer review
2007 Top Ten Books for Young Adults, Young Adult Library Services Association
2007 Finalist for the Andre Norton Best Young Adult SF/Fantasy Award
Instead of Three Wishes
1995 Booklist Editors' Choice List
1996-97 Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award Master List
Megan Whalen Turner on eBay
The Thief Saga and other Turner books at reduced prices.
Fetching new data from eBay now... please stand by
Current and Future Fans Shout Out!
Megan Whalen Turner on Squidoo
Tell us when you became a fan of Megan Whalen Turner, or when you are going to become one!
-
Reply
- CoolFoto CoolFoto Aug 10, 2009 @ 6:15 pm
- Good job of sharing your feeling about this author. Sorry, but I must admit I am not a fan of fantasy in books. I do sometimes enjoy it in movies.
-
Reply
- Joan4 Joan4 Jul 30, 2009 @ 5:57 am
- Adding to my list of books to read!
-
Reply
- BigGirlBlue BigGirlBlue Apr 19, 2009 @ 4:20 pm
- This is a great Who page. I love reading about authors new to me. Best wishes
-
Reply
- adez7 adez7 Feb 27, 2009 @ 11:15 am
- I am a huge fan of yours, and I have never said that of anyone! Five stars and blessed!
-
Reply
- RickBasset RickBasset Feb 20, 2009 @ 11:41 pm
- Great lens! Nicely done!
Welcome to the "Books On Squidoo" group!
-
Reply
- enslavedbyfaeries enslavedbyfaeries Jan 20, 2009 @ 9:11 pm
- I haven't heard of this author before, but after reading your review I'll definitely check it out and recommend The Thief to my daughter. I suspect we may have the same taste in books, so I trust your opinion. :)
-
Reply
- tandemonimom tandemonimom Sep 14, 2008 @ 10:14 am
- Shellylynn, YES she is supposed to be working on a fourth Thief book. I have been unable to find info on a deadline, but in her interview with Shannon Hale (see above) she says it is forthcoming.
-
Reply
- shellylynn90 shellylynn90 Sep 14, 2008 @ 4:44 am
- Love these books! Found them when my son brought home the thief from his school library. I just fingished the last one (about an hour ago) and miss Gen already. Does anyone know if there will be more?
-
Reply
- WhitePineLane WhitePineLane Aug 16, 2008 @ 9:56 pm
- Great lens! I hadn't heard of this author or her books, but now my two tweeners and I will be checking them out!
-
Reply
- ratopiangirl ratopiangirl Jul 31, 2008 @ 11:44 am
- The Thief is one of my FAVORITE ALL TIME BOOKS! 5 stars, thanks for this lens!
- Load More
Look for Megan Whalen Turner books here!
Used prices ... or FREE for swapping!
Other YA Fantasy Fiction
If you enjoyed The Thief you might enjoy ...
Book of a Thousand Days
When Dashti, a maid, and Lady Saren, her mistress, are shut in a tower for seven years for Saren's refusal to marry a man she despises, the two prepare for a very long and dark imprisonment. As food runs low and the days go from broiling hot to freezing cold, it is all Dashti can do to keep them fed and comfortable. But the arrival outside the tower of Saren's two suitors-one welcome, and the other decidedly less so-brings both hope and great danger, and Dashti must make the desperate choices of a girl whose life is worth more than she knows.
Amazon Price: $12.21 (as of 12/31/2009)
Fairest
Larger than most humans in Ayortha, 15-year-old Aza feels like "an ugly ox . . . a blemish." But in a kingdom devoted to song, Aza's voice is more beautiful and powerful than most; she can mimic any voice and throw the sound. At the king's wedding, Aza is blackmailed by the new queen, a poor singer, into a Cyrano de Bergerac arrangement: when the queen sings in public, Aza secretly provides the sound. As the queen's treachery deepens, Aza is astonished when the handsome prince initiates a friendship. In subtle details, Levine slowly reveals that the roots of the richly imagined story are cleverly tangled in the fairy tale "Sleeping Beauty."
Amazon Price: $6.99 (as of 12/31/2009)
Dragonhaven
Viewing dragons as fire-breathing, non-sentient animals with gigantic appetites for livestock, humans have hunted them for centuries, and now they survive only in a few wilderness havens. Jake Mendoza has grown up at one such haven, the Smokehill National Park in the American West, and has inherited his scientist parents' commitment to the park's secret inhabitants. When he rescues an orphaned baby dragon, he sets in motion a cascade of events that may eventually save these top predators from extinction.
Amazon Price: $12.23 (as of 12/31/2009)
Princess Ben
Benevolence is not your typical princess and Princess Ben is certainly not your typical fairy tale. With her parents lost to unknown assassins, Princess Ben ends up under the thumb of the conniving Queen Sophia, who is intent on marrying her off to the first available "specimen of imbecilic manhood." Starved and miserable, locked in the castle's highest tower, Ben stumbles upon a mysterious enchanted room. So begins her secret education in the magical arts: mastering an obstinate flying broomstick, furtively emptying the castle pantries, setting her hair on fire . . . But Ben's private adventures are soon overwhelmed by a mortal threat facing the castle and indeed the entire country. Can Princess Ben save her kingdom from annihilation and herself from permanent enslavement?
Amazon Price: $10.88 (as of 12/31/2009)
The Phoenix Unchained (Enduring Flame, Book 1)
When the need arises, mages of various types appear--wild mages, high mages, and knight mages, to name a few. In this first book of a new trilogy, young Tiercel is trying to make sense of his dreams. He sets out with his best friend, Harrier, in hopes of finding a wild mage who can help him. William DufrisÕs rich narration ranges from nonchalance to quiet anxiety as Tyr is thwarted at every turn. Dufris also conveys HarrierÕs edgy vigilance as he looks out for his friend. DufrisÕs nuanced characterizations, especially of Harrier and Tyr, capture their uncertainty as well as their conviction that they must find their destiny.
Amazon Price: $20.40 (as of 12/31/2009)
More YA Fantasy Fiction
If you like Megan Whalen Turner you might enjoy ...
Princess Academy
When it is announced that the prince will choose a bride from their village, 14-year-old Miri, and other eligible females are sent off to attend a special academy where they face many challenges and hardships as they are forced to adapt to the cultured life of a lowlander. They are cut off from their village by heavy winter snowstorms. As their isolation increases, competition builds among them. Plenty of suspenseful moments that peak and fall build into the next intense event. Miri discovers much about herself, and uses her special talents to save herself and the other girls from harm. Each girl's story is brought to a satisfying conclusion, but this is not a fluffy, predictable fairy tale, even though it has wonderful moments of humor. It is an intricate, multilayered story about families, relationships, education, and the place we call home.
Amazon Price: $12.23 (as of 12/31/2009)
A Great and Terrible Beauty (The Gemma Doyle Trilogy)
Gemma, 16, has had an unconventional upbringing in India, until the day she foresees her mother's death in a black, swirling vision that turns out to be true. Sent back to England, Gemma is snubbed by powerful Felicity, beautiful Pippa, and even her own dumpy roommate Ann, until she blackmails herself and Ann into the treacherous clique. Gemma is distressed to find that she has been followed from India by Kartik, a beautiful young man who warns her to fight off the visions. Nevertheless, they continue, and one night she is led by a child-spirit to find a diary that reveals the secrets of a mystical Order. The clique soon finds a way to accompany Gemma to the other-world realms of her visions "for a bit of fun" and to taste the power they will never have as Victorian wives, but they discover that the delights of the realms are overwhelmed by a menace they cannot control. Gemma is left wi! th the knowledge that her role as the link between worlds leaves her with a mission to seek out the "others" and rebuild the Order. A Great and Terrible Beauty is an impressive first book in what should prove to be a fascinating trilogy.
Amazon Price: $9.99 (as of 12/31/2009)
Tithe: A Modern Faerie Tale
Sixteen-year-old Kaye Fierch is not human, but she doesn't know it. Sure, she knows she's interacted with faeries since she was little--but she never imagined she was one of them, her blond Asian human appearance only a magically crafted cover-up for her true, green-skinned pixie self. First-time author Holly Black explores Kaye's self-discovery and dual worlds in her riveting, suspenseful novel. The book has its faults: it slips into shock-value mode; the descriptions are often overwritten (sunset on the water looks like the sun slit his wrists in a bathtub); the language is overly, unnecessarily explicit; and the writing often unpolished. Still, the story's pull is undeniable, and readers under its spell will be hard-pressed to put the book down.
Amazon Price: $8.99 (as of 12/31/2009)
The Tiger Rising
12-year-old Rob Horton finds a caged tiger in the woods behind the Kentucky Star Motel where he lives with his dad. The tiger is so incongruous in this setting, Rob views the apparition as some sort of magic trick. Indeed, the tiger triggers all sorts of magic in Rob's life--for one thing, it takes his mind off his recently deceased mother and the itchy red blisters on his legs that the wise motel housekeeper, Willie May, says is a manifestation of the sadness that Rob keeps "down low." Something else for Rob to think about is Sistine (as in the chapel), a new city girl with fierce black eyes who challenges him to be honest with her and himself. Spurred by the tiger, events collide to break Rob out of his silent introspection, to form a new friendship with Sistine, a new understanding with his father, and most important, to lighten his heart. This novel is about cages--the consequences of escape as well as imprisonment. The story and symbolism are clear as a bell, and the emotions ring true.
Amazon Price: $5.99 (as of 12/31/2009)
Wicked Lovely
Melissa Marr adds elegantly to the sub-genre of Urban Faery with this enticing, well-researched fantasy for teens. Wicked Lovely takes place in modern-day Huntsdale, a small city south of Pittsburgh whose name evokes the Wild Hunt of mythology. High school junior Aislinn and her grandmother have followed strict rules all their lives to hide their ability to see faeries because faeries don't like it when mortals can see them, and faeries can be very cruel. Only the strongest faeries can withstand iron, however, so Aislinn prefers the city with its steel girders and bridges. She takes refuge with Seth, her would-be lover, who lives in a set of old train carriages. But now Aislinn is being stalked by two of the faeries who are able to take on human form and are not deterred by steel. What do they want from her?
Amazon Price: $12.23 (as of 12/31/2009)
Squid Angel Blessings!
Many thanks for
SquidAngel blessings from
Thanks to tagsforkids for his angelic SquidArt.
Squidoo logo is a trademark of Squidoo LLC. Graphics, Squidart and Squidoodles © 2008 by tagsforkids (Steve Thompson).
Some rights reserved. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 License.
Automatically Donate to Your Favorite Charity!
Join Squidoo, make money, and donate to your favorite charity ... all at once!
Part of the proceeds from this lens will
automatically go to make a donation to
Heifer International,
working to solve global poverty.
Doesn't that feel good?
Join Squidoo now
to start making donations to your favorite charity ... AND money for yourself!
by tandemonimom
Explore related pages
Newbery Medal Winners, 2000-2009- Amazing things are happening in the world of children's literature. Authors are...
Author Eloise Jarvis McGraw, Newbery Honoree- Do your kids need something new to read? You want something that spins a killer...
books4teens- More teen girls read than teen boys. Is this because fewer books are written for...
My Favorite Books...Pre-Teen & Teen Years- I never was an avid reader, like many claim to be either now or in their earlier...
Best Book Reviews For Teens And Young Adults- Welcome to Best Book Reviews For Teens And Young Adults, my lens about my beauti...
Teen Reading - The Penguin "Children's Library Collection"- From the title, I expected this to be a collection of picture-books and bed-time...
