Lynne Reid Banks was born in London, England, on July 31, 1929. "How ungallant to publish one's birthday, but the Library of Congress has it in every blooming book, so I suppose there's not much I can do about it."¹

"I was the only child of highly contrasted and interesting parents. My father was a Scottish doctor who'd been born in India; my mother was a gifted actress, once a star of the London stage, born in Dublin, she'd lived through the Easter Rebellion, about which--among many other fascinating subjects--she told me exciting stories. Because of those she told me about her stage career, there was never a doubt in my mind that I would become an actress. Drama and English were the only school subjects I cared about or in which I was any good. I was definitely a 'C' student in everything else.

"For some odd reason, my...