Draft:Sarah Jones Clarke
American children's writer
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Sarah Jones Clarke (12 September 1840 - 3 June 1929),[1] who used the pen name Penn Shirley, was an American writer of several children's books.
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|  |
Sarah Jones Clarke | |
|---|---|
| Born | 12 September 1840 Norridgewock, Maine, U.S. |
| Died | 3 June 1929 (aged 88) |
| Pen name | Penn Shirley |
| Occupation | Author |
| Genre | Children's Literature |
| Years active | 1886-1902 |
Biography
Sarah Jones Clarke was born in Norridgewock, Maine, U.S. to father Asa and mother Sophie (Bates) Clarke.[1][2][3] After writing in children's magazines, she published her first children's book in 1886,[4] and a further 9 between then and 1902.
Her first book was Little Miss Weezy, about a young girl called Louise Rowe.[4] One contemporary review of the Little Miss Weezy books described the characters as "lovable and interesting" and the stories as "fresh and breezy, and inciting the best thoughts and ways of living, without being "goody good"."[5] Another wrote that with the publication of Little Miss Weezy "gave its writer a sudden reputation for making child-talk", while Little Miss Weezy's Brother "takes the little folks into its confidence at once and amuses them with a certainty that betrays a wondrous insight into the youthful mind."[6] Another review of Little Miss Weezy's Brother considered it "charming ... really quite comical, and underneath it all lies a good moral tone."[7] Another reviewer described him as "a real live boy [and] ... a worthy example for noble hearted lads to follow."[8]
The Little Miss Weezy series was followed by the Silver Gate series and the Boy Donald series.[9] The Silver Gate series featured the same family as the Miss Weezy series: the three Rowe children, Molly, Kirke, and Weezy, and twins Paul and Pauline Bradstreet.[10] While the first series was set in Massachusetts, the Silver Gate books were set on the Pacific Coast.[10]
Penn Shirley's sister, Rebecca Sophia Clarke, who used the pen name Sophie May, was also a children's author.[3][4][11] Her publishers, Lee and Shepard, used the sisters' relationship and Rebecca's more notable success as a marketing opportunity, mentioning in advertisements for Sarah's series that she is Sophie May's sister.[11][12]
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