A
wonderful author of books for childen. I was first introduced to her writing through the Indian in the Cupboard series, which tells the story of two boys and a
magic cupboard that brings to life plastic
action-figures. My father read all four of these books to my family, acting out the
dialog and really making the story come
alive. All her books lend themselves really well to being read aloud, and there are a lot of audio versions of the books actually recorded by the
author herself.
I met her at a book signing for The Mystery of the Cupboard, and she seemed like just the kind of person you'd read about in one of her stories -- quaint, friendly and British.
According to an inside book cover:
"Ms. Banks was born in London. After studying at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, she acted and wrote for the repertory stage. Later she turned to journalism, becoming one of Britain's first women television news reporters. During this time she also wrote her first novel, The L-Shaped Room. In 1962 she emigrated to Israel and lived for nine years in a kibbutz, where she married and had three children. She now lives in England with her husband."
As far as I know, the books she has written include:
Melusine
One More River
Broken Bridge
Moses In Egypt
The Indian In The Cupboard
The Return Of The Indian
The Secret Of The Indian
The Mystery Of The Cupboard
The Key To The Indian
Letters To My Israeli Sons
Harry The Poisonous Centipede
Harry The Poisonous Centipede's Big Adventure
The Fairy Rebel
The Magic Hare
King Midas
The Farthest Away Mountain
I, Houdini
Angela And Diabola
Maura's Angel
Alice-by-Accident
The L-shaped Room
The Backward Shadow
Two is Lonely
Fair Exchange
Dark Quartet