Hester Burton facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Hester Burton
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Burton's hometown of Beccles, Suffolk
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| Born | Hester Wood-Hill 6 December 1913 Beccles, Suffolk, England |
| Died | 17 September 2000 (aged 86) Oxford, Oxfordshire, England |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Language | English |
| Nationality | British |
| Genre | Children's historical fiction |
| Notable works |
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| Notable awards | Carnegie Medal 1963 |
Hester Burton (born December 6, 1913 – died September 17, 2000) was a British writer. She was famous for writing exciting historical fiction books for children and young adults. Her stories often took place in the past. In 1963, she won a special award called the Carnegie Medal for her book Time of Trial. Many of her books had cool drawings by Victor Ambrus.
Contents
Hester Burton's Early Life
Hester Wood-Hill was born on December 6, 1913, in Beccles, a town in Suffolk, England. Her father was elected the town's Mayor three times. A mayor is a leader of a town or city.
From 1925 to 1936, Hester went to Headington School, Oxford and then St Anne's College, Oxford. There, she earned a special degree in English. In 1937, she married Reginald W. B. Burton. He was a professor of ancient Greek and Roman studies at Oriel College. They had three daughters together.
Hester Burton's Non-Fiction Books
In 1949, Hester Burton wrote a book about Barbara Bodichon. Barbara was a woman from the 1800s who fought for women's rights and education.
Hester also worked for Oxford University Press, a famous publishing company. She helped create books for high school students. She also helped edit the Oxford Junior Encyclopaedia, which is like an encyclopedia for younger readers.
Hester Burton's Fiction Novels
Hester Burton's first children's novel was The Great Gale, published in 1960. She got the idea for this book from a terrible flood that happened in 1953 in her home county of Suffolk.
Her books often explored important historical events. For example, To Ravensrigg was about the slave trade. No Beat of Drum and Otmoor for Ever were about the Captain Swing riots. These were protests by farm workers in the 1830s who were upset about their unfair lives.
Hester sometimes wrote about similar topics for different age groups. Beyond the Weir Bridge was for teenagers. A book called Through the Fire covered similar ideas but was for kids aged six to nine. Many of her stories were set in Suffolk or involved the sea and ships.
Hester liked to tell her stories from the point of view of just one person or a small group. She felt this made the stories feel more real. She once said that a writer of historical fiction should "limit this range of vision." This means focusing on what the characters themselves would have known and seen.
Many of her books, like No Beat of Drum and A Time of Trial, showed how unfairness in society affected her characters. Her characters often wanted to challenge these problems. Education was also a very important theme in her books.
Hester was always interested in women's issues. Her novels often featured strong and independent girl characters. The pictures on her book covers often showed these brave female characters.
The Oxford Encyclopedia of Children's Literature says that her novels feature "heroines with strong opinions." It also notes that her books often deal with "class tensions and social justice." This means they explore how different groups of people in society got along and whether everyone was treated fairly. Her books are "unsentimental," meaning they tell the truth without being overly emotional. They are stories about ordinary young people caught up in big national events.
One of Hester's daughters shared a fun fact: "I could always tell when Mum had another book on her mind. She would start to cook the meal while still wearing her overcoat and hat!"
Hester Burton's Death
Hester Burton passed away on September 17, 2000, in Oxford. She was 86 years old.
Fiction Books for Older Readers
- The Great Gale (1960): Also called The Flood at Reedsmere. This story is about the North Sea flood of 1953.
- Castors Away! (1962): Set during the Napoleonic wars.
- Time of Trial (1963): About the importance of free speech in the early 1800s.
- A Seaman at the Time of Trafalgar (1963): Another story set during the Napoleonic wars, focusing on life at sea.
- No Beat of Drum (1966): About social unrest in 1830 and people being sent to Van Diemen's Land (now Tasmania) as punishment.
- In Spite of All Terror (1968): Takes place at the start of the Second World War, including the Dunkirk rescue and children being evacuated from cities.
- Thomas (1969): Also known as Beyond the Weir Bridge in the US. This book is set during and after the English Civil War.
- The Henchmans at Home (1970): Also called The Day That Went Terribly Wrong: And Other Stories. It's about family life in Victorian Suffolk.
- The Rebel (1971): Set during the time of the French Revolution.
- Riders of the Storm (1972): Explores themes of education and unrest in 18th-century England.
- Kate Rider (1974): Another story from the English Civil War, focusing on the Siege of Colchester.
- To Ravensrigg (1976): About the Liverpool slave trade.
- A Grenville Goes to Sea (1977): Set in Nelson's navy.
- When the Beacons Blazed (1978): About the time of the Spanish Armada.
- Five August Days (1981): A modern adventure story.
Fiction Books for Younger Readers
These books were part of the Antelope Series, made for readers aged six to nine.
- Otmoor for Ever (1968): Jake and his brother Seth try to stop local landowners from fencing off common land in Otmoor.
- Through the Fire (1969): This book shares themes with Thomas. It's about the difficulties faced by Quakers (a religious group) during the Restoration period. Rachel and Will travel to London with their father to help friends who are in prison, but they get caught when the Great Fire of London breaks out.
- Tim at the Fur Fort (1977): Set in early 1800s Canada. Tim works as an accountant for the Hudson's Bay Company in what is now British Columbia. He dreams of being an explorer. When a disease hits Fort Frederick, Tim must prove himself by going on a very dangerous journey.
Non-Fiction Books
- Barbara Bodichon (1949): A short book about Barbara Bodichon, a 19th-century woman who was a feminist (someone who supports equal rights for women), an artist, and an educationalist (someone who works in education).
- Coleridge and the Wordsworths (1953): Part of the Oxford Sheldonian English Series.
- Tennyson (1954): Also part of the Oxford Sheldonian English Series.
