Celebrate the life of award winning author, Lloyd Alexander

Today, at the age of 83, fantasy novelist Lloyd Alexander passed away. Alexander enchanted thousands of children with his magical mythical world of Prydain and won the Newbery Award for the last title in that series, The High King. Alexander has several other fantastical titles that children will also adore, below are just a few:

For ages 10 -14:

The Gawgon and the Boy
A Semi-autobiographical account of Alexander's childhood. David's elderly Aunt Annie, (The Gawgon) is as frightening as a snake-haired Gorgon. Now his tutor, he's sure she will be the end of him.

The Arkadians
To escape the wrath of the king and his wicked soothsayers, an honest young man joins with a poet-turned-jackass and a young girl with mystical powers on a series of epic adventures.

Gypsy Rizka
Living alone in her wagon on the outskirts of a small town while waiting for her father's return, Rizka, a Gypsy and a trickster, exposes the ridiculous foibles of some of the townspeople.

The Cat Who Wished to Be a Man
Written before the Chronicles of Prydain, introduces readers to Gareth, a magical cat, and his human friend Jason, who travel to the past, visiting nine different eras all over the world, including ancient Egypt.

For Younger Readers:

The House Gobbaleen
A wise cat rescues his dimwitted master from a cantankerous, conniving goblin in this turnabout tale of luck and the folly of wishes. A perfect marriage of waggish dialogue and droll art

How the Cat Swallowed Thunder
Cat is left alone and told to behave, but his curiosity leads to a very messy cottage. He does a nice job cleaning up while eating the last piece of evidence - a small corn kernel. He discovers it is no regular piece of corn when a loud rumbling belows from his stomach!

The Fortune Tellers
This original folktale set in Cameroon is full of adventure and sly humor. Lloyd Alexander's story of a young man visiting--and then becoming--the village fortune-teller is brought to vibrant life with some of Caldecott Medalist Trina Schart Hyman's most memorable artwork

Read more about Lloyd Alexander:
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