To recognize literary blasts from the past, I started an "Oldie But Goodie" series to recognize memorable books I read that were published back in the day.
“I'm
not quite sure how I ended up being somebody who wrote more of the
page-turner style books. I think it's because every time that I've
started writing a book, I feel an urgency and I think that is
conveyed to the reader as well, the urgency of wanting to get through
the story and wanting to tell that story. So I think that is what
probably drives the 'thriller' nature of the books that I've
written.”
-Margaret Peterson Haddix
RUNNING OUT OF TIME (Simon & Schuster), by Margaret Peterson Haddix, is a middle grade novel (that could also pass for young adult) that was published in 1995. This story centers on 13-year-old Jessie, who believes she is growing up in a rural Indiana village in 1840. In the beginning of the story, it is revealed that a number of children in her village have caught diphtheria, a disease that can be deadly. Jessie’s mother tells Jessie that she must escape from the village to help the sick children get access to medicine. Ma also reveals that the village they live in- the only world that Jessie has known- is actually a historical preserve that has gone haywire, and the villagers living here- grown-ups and children- are being held captive here. Outside, in the real world, it is 1996 and the overseers of this “historical preserve” have been withholding medicine from the villagers.
Without giving away major spoilers, I believe the author might have written this story to hint at a personal conviction. If my assumption is correct, she successfully conveyed her message without talking down to or overwhelming me, the reader, with it. I’m generally unenthusiastic about stories that are unable to grab me, and at the same time, are blatantly pushing a message or idea, even if it is one that I personally agree with.
RUNNING OUT OF TIME, on the other hand, hooked me with an element of intrigue right from the first chapter with Jessie’s observations of the mysterious village and the secret Ma was ready to share. The message of the story (or at least the one I picked up on) was artfully woven in- it was a visible thread rather than a distracting pattern that repeatedly called attention to itself.
As a reader and writer, what story elements do you think should be included in a first chapter? What fictional stories with "messages" have you liked and/or not liked?
-Margaret Peterson Haddix
RUNNING OUT OF TIME (Simon & Schuster), by Margaret Peterson Haddix, is a middle grade novel (that could also pass for young adult) that was published in 1995. This story centers on 13-year-old Jessie, who believes she is growing up in a rural Indiana village in 1840. In the beginning of the story, it is revealed that a number of children in her village have caught diphtheria, a disease that can be deadly. Jessie’s mother tells Jessie that she must escape from the village to help the sick children get access to medicine. Ma also reveals that the village they live in- the only world that Jessie has known- is actually a historical preserve that has gone haywire, and the villagers living here- grown-ups and children- are being held captive here. Outside, in the real world, it is 1996 and the overseers of this “historical preserve” have been withholding medicine from the villagers.
Without giving away major spoilers, I believe the author might have written this story to hint at a personal conviction. If my assumption is correct, she successfully conveyed her message without talking down to or overwhelming me, the reader, with it. I’m generally unenthusiastic about stories that are unable to grab me, and at the same time, are blatantly pushing a message or idea, even if it is one that I personally agree with.
RUNNING OUT OF TIME, on the other hand, hooked me with an element of intrigue right from the first chapter with Jessie’s observations of the mysterious village and the secret Ma was ready to share. The message of the story (or at least the one I picked up on) was artfully woven in- it was a visible thread rather than a distracting pattern that repeatedly called attention to itself.
As a reader and writer, what story elements do you think should be included in a first chapter? What fictional stories with "messages" have you liked and/or not liked?
