Thomas, Frances 1943-

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THOMAS, Frances 1943-

PERSONAL: Born October 21, 1943, in Aberdare, South Wales; daughter of David Elwyn (a teacher) and Agnes (a teacher; maiden name, Connor) Thomas; married Richard Rathbone (a university professor), 1965; children: Harriet, Lucy. Education: Queen Mary College, London University, B.A. (with honors), 1965. Politics: Labour Party.

ADDRESSES: Home—London, England. Agent—David Higham Associates, 5-8, Lower John St., London W1R 4HA, England. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER: Writer. Former school teacher.

AWARDS, HONORS: Tir na n-Og Prize, 1981, Welsh Books Council, for The Blindfold Track, 1986, for The Region of the Summer Stars, and 1992, for Who Stole a Bloater?; Whitbread First Novel runner-up award, 1986, and Welsh Arts Council Fiction Prize, 1991, both for Seeing Things; Scottish Arts Council Award, 1999, for Supposing.

WRITINGS:

FOR YOUNG PEOPLE

The Blindfold Track (first novel in Taliesin trilogy), Macmillan (London, England), 1980.

Secrets, illustrated by L. Acs, Hamish Hamilton (London, England), 1982.

A Knot of Spells (second novel in Taliesin trilogy), Barn Owl Press (Port Talbot, Wales), 1983.

Dear Comrade (for young adults), Bodley Head (London, England), 1983.

Zak (for young adults), Bodley Head (London, England), 1984.

The Region of the Summer Stars (third novel in Taliesin trilogy), Barn Owl Press (Port Talbot, Wales), 1985.

Cityscape (for young adults), Heinemann (London, England), 1988.

Jam for Tea, Collins Educational (Glasgow, Scotland), 1989.

The Prince and the Cave, Pont Books/WJEC Welsh History Project, 1991.

Who Stole a Bloater?, Seren Books (Bridgend, Wales), 1991.

The Bear and Mr. Bear, illustrated by Ruth Brown, Dutton's Children's Books (New York, NY), 1994, published in England as Mr. Bear and the Bear, Andersen Press (London, England), 1994.

Supposing, illustrated by Ross Collins, Bloomsbury Books (London, England), 1998, published as What If?, Hyperion Books for Children (New York, NY), 1998.

Polly's Running Away Book, illustrated by Sally Gardner, Bloomsbury Books (London, England), 2000, published as Polly's Really Secret Diary, Delacorte Press (New York, NY), 2002.

Maybe One Day, illustrated by Ross Collins, Bloomsbury Books (London, England), 2001, published as One Day, Daddy, Hyperion Books for Children (New York, NY), 2001.

Polly's Absolutely Worst Birthday Ever, illustrated by Sally Gardner, Delacorte Press (New York, NY), 2003.

I Found Your Diary, Anderson Press (London, England), 2004.

FOR ADULTS

Seeing Things (novel), Gollancz (London, England), 1986.

The Fall of Man (novel), Gollancz (London, England), 1989.

Christina Rossetti: A Biography, Self Publishing Association, 1992, Virago (London, England), 1994.

ADAPTATIONS: Who Stole a Bloater? was dramatized by Jackanory on BBC television in 1993.

SIDELIGHTS: Author Frances Thomas was born in Wales and grew up in London, England. She was educated in a convent school before attending London University. She began writing in 1980.

Thomas began her writing career, appropriately enough, with a historical fantasy set in her homeland. Referring to the Celtic epic, The Mabinogion, for inspiration, Thomas decided to write about the legend of Taliesin. The Blindfold Track, the first of Thomas's three books on the subject, follows the adventures of the boy Gwion, who is abandoned as a child, raised by a prince, and taught by Merlin the magician, eventually becoming the famed bard Taliesin. Margery Fisher of Growing Point wrote that in this retelling, Thomas depicts a "modern psychological view of a boy growing up" in a time now veiled in legend. Although School Librarian contributor Dennis Hamley felt that the dialogue was too "modern-sounding," Junior Bookshelf reviewer R. Baines called Thomas's first tale "a well-written, absorbing and enjoyable book." The Blindfold Track won the 1981 Tir na n-Og Prize, and Thomas followed this success three years later with a sequel, A Knot of Spells, which tells how Taliesin leaves his position as bard to the king of Powys in order to protect the twin children of a queen who is dying in another Welsh kingdom. "The book mingles high politics and archaeology, military exploits and romantic affections," according to Fisher of Growing Point, who added that this time the magical elements of Taliesin's story are "subordinated" in favor of concentrating on the characters' relationships. In this complex tale, noted Junior Bookshelf contributor D. A. Young, an "enthusiasm for all things Welsh on the part of a reader" is helpful in maintaining interest in the involved storyline.

Thomas, who has educated dyslexic children in her home, has also written other books for young readers that feature a present-day setting. Dear Comrade follows the written correspondences between Kate Bannister and Paul Miles as they slowly grow to love each other despite their completely opposing political views (he leans to the right, and she to the left). Kate and Paul argue about the law and other political matters, never coming to a consensus (though they do change their views a little), so that the reader must decide for himself who is in the right. Dennis Hamley, writing in School Librarian, found the two characters "convincing, funny and moving."

Thomas's next young adult novel is Zak. Told from the perspective of a teenager named Mark, Zak is about teens who are unhappy with who they are. Mark is bored silly by his life at school and at home, until a new kid named Zak comes to his school. Zak impresses everyone with his stories of living in Los Angeles with his father, whom he insists is a famous rock star. But when Mark visits Zak's home, he realizes the lies behind these stories. The book ends with Zak's disappearance and Mark going back to his original best friend and making amends. Young readers "will sympathise with the boredom and be entertained by Mark's contempt for adults," Margaret Campbell said in School Librarian.

In Cityscape Thomas demonstrates again her ability to write in different genres: in this case, science fiction/fantasy. Fifteen-year-old Debra Stober discovers on her route to school that an old Jacobean mansion has doors that lead to cities in other worlds. She "travels" to a world in the future ruled by the Guardians, who suppress their people by denying them the right to read books. Debra becomes attracted to Cal, a handsome man who is leading a democratic rebellion that needs Debra's help because she knows how to read and write. By teaching these people to read, Debra gains a new sense of purpose and inner pride that inspires her to accept the dangerous mission of going to the Poison Tower where the Guardians have secreted away all the books. The Guardians are overthrown, but Debra is disillusioned when she later returns to the city to discover that Cal is becoming just as corrupt as the Guardians were. Debra rejects the other world in favor of her home, to which she returns to begin a relationship with a new boyfriend. "Among the proliferation of metaphors for growing up," commented Fisher of Growing Point, "the image of alternative cityscapes provides valid insights into teenage personality and problems."

In addition to novels like these, Thomas has written picture books for young children, including Secrets and the more recent The Bear and Mr. Bear. Secrets is a simple story about "the social need for discretion and self-control," according to Growing Point reviewer Margery Fisher. It tells how two boys seek out their own secret when a friend refuses to tell them hers. The Bear and Mr. Bear is a sensitive tale about a man who takes pity on a dancing bear that is abused by its trainer. He buys the bear and sets him loose on the grounds of his home. The man, who is called Mr. Bear by the town's children because of his grumpy disposition, empathizes with the sad bear, and man and animal find solace and comfort in each other's company. School Library Journal contributor Tom S. Hurlburt called the book a "heartfelt, uplifting story."

In 2002, Thomas published Polly's Really Secret Diary, starring a young girl who writes, "This is my Running Away Diary." Polly is fed up with her life: her hamster has run off, her three-year-old sister is getting on her nerves, her best friend has dumped her for someone else, and her mother is pregnant and preoccupied. Polly keeps track of the money she is collecting to run away, and provides a running commentary on all the people who annoy her. A School Library Journal reviewer praised the book's British flavor, as well as Thomas's humor and energy.

Having written historical fantasy, realistic young adult novels, fantasy for teens, and picture books for small children, Thomas has proven her diversity as a writer. Thomas continued to demonstrate her versatility by also writing novels for adults, publishing her first biography for adults in 1992, Christina Rossetti.

Thomas once told CA, "I love writing for children—it's great fun, and I think they're the best and most inspired readers. I write because it's a process of finding out about things and also because I enjoy it enormously. I don't really have a special writing process—the only way to write is just to get down to it, even if you don't feel especially inspired."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, January 15, 1995, pp. 938, 940; July, 1999, John Peters, review of What If?, p. 1955; June 1, 2002, Kelly Milner Halls, review of Polly's Really Secret Diary, p. 1726.

Books, autumn, 1998, review of Supposing, p. 21; autumn, 2001, review of Polly's Absolutely Worst Birthday Ever, p. 18.

Books for Keeps, November, 1987; November, 2001, review of Polly's Running Away Book, p. 25.

Books for Your Children, spring, 1985, p. 18; summer, 1995, p. 21.

Center for Children's Books, September, 1999, review of What If?, p. 3; October, 2001, review of One Day, Daddy, p. 79.

Children's Book Review Service, August, 1999, What If?, p. 163.

Growing Point, September, 1980, p. 3767; January, 1983, pp. 4004-4005; May, 1984, p. 4263; January, 1989, pp. 5092-5093.

Junior Bookshelf, August, 1980, p. 201; February, 1983, p. 34; June, 1984, p. 146; February, 1985, pp. 49-50; December, 1988, pp. 297-98; February, 1995, p. 12.

Kirkus Reviews, June 1, 1999, review of What If?, p. 890.

Publishers Weekly, December 12, 1994, p. 62; June 18, 2001, review of One Day, Daddy, p. 80; June 3, 2002, review of Polly's Really Secret Diary, p. 88.

School Librarian, June, 1981, p. 157; June, 1983, p. 143; June, 1984, pp. 153-154; March, 1985, p. 63; winter, 2001, review of Polly's Absolutely Worst Birthday Ever, September, 2001, p. 207.

School Library Journal, March, 1995, p. 187; September, 2001, Carolyn Janssen, review of One Day, Daddy, p. 207.

Times Literary Supplement, November 25, 1983.