Sheila Lavelle
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Sheila Lavelle | |
|---|---|
| Born | Sheila Edmundson[1] 1939[2] |
| Died | (aged 62)[2] |
| Genre | Children's literature |
Sheila Lavelle (née Edmundson, 1939–2001), was an English children's writer. She is best known for the Ursula Bear and My Best Fiend series; the latter was a best-seller.[2][3][4][5] In 1993, she was described as "one of the most successful children's authors in Britain".[6]
Sheila Edmundson was born in 1939 in Dunston, Gateshead.[1][2] She attended Dunston Grammar School.[1] She trained to be a teacher in Birmingham.[2]
Career
Lavelle worked as a teacher in infant schools for ten years.[5] She stopped teaching after becoming ill.[2][6] Her first book was Ursula Bear (1977).[2][5] She had previously written fiction for magazines.[6] In 1991, she said that she wrote four or five books each year.[7] By 1994, she had published over forty books.[8]
In 1991 Lavelle was awarded the 1990 East Kilbride Children's Book Award.[3][5][9][10] Following the award, she visited 22 local schools to talk to children.[3]
Lavelle said of her writing that "My experience as a teacher been invaluable. I know the reading capabilities of young children and know from my own experiences of the classroom what kind of stories go down well".[1] She said "I do not write down to my readers or keep the vocabulary simple. Children need a challenge when reading to extend their own vocabulary".[11]
The My Best Fiend series is described by Julie Cross in Humor in Contemporary Junior Literature (2010) as "featur[ing] the antics of Angela, a deliberately transgressive, even cruel girl, whose practical jokes are relayed and narrated by her friend Charlie, who frequently suffers at the hands of Angela".[12] The East Kilbride News described the series as "very funny ... [with] wicked and inventive humour".[3]
One of her books, The Chocolate Candy Kid (1986), was included in the "Toppers" series for reluctant readers, published by Marilyn Malin.[13]
Her books were read as audiobooks by Jill Bennett.[5] In 1991 My Best Fiend was read on BBC Radio 5 by Annabelle Lanyon.[4] In 1991, there was a plan to televise the My Best Fiend series.[5] Most of Lavelle's books were illustrated by Thelma Lambert.[5]
In 1993, Lavelle said she visited about twenty libraries and schools a year to talk to children about her books.[14] She attended book fairs too.[5]
Reception
Julia Eccleshare, writing in The Guardian, recommended Lavelle's Ursula Bear (1977), "the delightful story of a little girl who can turn herself into a bear with the help of a magic spell she has learnt from a library book".[15] The Signal Review of Children's Books said of More Adventures of Ursula Bear (1983) that "The stories of a little girl who can turn herself into a bear are much enjoyed by older infants".[16] New Books for Boys & Girls wrote of The Disappearing Granny (1985) that "Sheila Lavelle's gift for lively dialogue and brisk action makes this a good choice for younger readers".[17] Dorothy Butler, in Babies Need Books (1988), called Everybody said No! (1978) "uproarious".[18] The Junior Bookshelf said of Calamity with the Fiend (1994) that "Sheila Lavelle has a nice line in malapropisms which should amuse the more sophisticated".[19]
Personal life
Lavelle was married to Derek; they had two children.[2][5] In 1989 she and her husband moved to Borgue, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland.[5][20][21] They had previously lived in Buckinghamshire.[22]
She died in 2001, aged 62.[2]
