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MINI-BIKE HERO
Paperback
Published January 1, 1984
15 people want to read
About the author
Claire Mackay
19 booksClaire Mackay’s writing career was not particularly discernible until she wrote her first novel, Mini-Bike Hero, in response to her youngest son's request for a story about his obsession. And to Claire's continuing astonishment "it was accepted, published, became a best-seller, and turned my life upside down. Until that event I had never once thought that I could write for young people."
Encouraged by fan letters and publishers, Claire wrote five more novels and four non-fiction works. Claire was commissioned by Annick Press to write The Toronto Story (1990). Claire was the perfect person to undertake this job since her own roots in the city run so deep. Her ancestors trekked north from the United States in about 1791, and one of them fought in the War of 1812. Her grandmother sold ribbons at Eaton’s in 1900, and her father had an office in the Gooderham (or Flatiron) building that is featured throughout the book.
Claire has also written First Folks and Vile Voyageurs in the Horrible Canadian History series (Scholastic) and was the editor of the anthology Laughs (Tundra).
Despite her many published books Claire still regards her own writing career as something of an accident, and is bemused by the whole thing. "I am not sure yet what kind of writing I'm good at,” claims Claire. “But I am profoundly certain that I was supposed to be a writer; it just took me a long time to get at it!"
Claire lives in Toronto.
Encouraged by fan letters and publishers, Claire wrote five more novels and four non-fiction works. Claire was commissioned by Annick Press to write The Toronto Story (1990). Claire was the perfect person to undertake this job since her own roots in the city run so deep. Her ancestors trekked north from the United States in about 1791, and one of them fought in the War of 1812. Her grandmother sold ribbons at Eaton’s in 1900, and her father had an office in the Gooderham (or Flatiron) building that is featured throughout the book.
Claire has also written First Folks and Vile Voyageurs in the Horrible Canadian History series (Scholastic) and was the editor of the anthology Laughs (Tundra).
Despite her many published books Claire still regards her own writing career as something of an accident, and is bemused by the whole thing. "I am not sure yet what kind of writing I'm good at,” claims Claire. “But I am profoundly certain that I was supposed to be a writer; it just took me a long time to get at it!"
Claire lives in Toronto.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
July 1, 2017
When I received this book as a part of a give-away in an attempt to save them from the trash I took a quick glance at this one and cringed at the thought of reading it. And I have surely, surely tried to avoid this one but looking like the smallest of the ones I have leftover for YA fiction I chose to take it work and left it there where I was in need of a book today since I finished another quite unexpectedly with nothing else to fall back on.
I keep having to remind myself that this book took place in 1974 so the writing back then was a bit more innocent, a bit more repetitive and things weren't like what they are now. And since it took place in Canada there was one spot that had me wondering what the author was talking about (something about plugging up a car).
Otherwise the writing was short, simple and easy to understand while making the book a quick read. There were a few pictures - black and white - to give you a look into yesterdecades but it was one of those if you have read books from that timeframe then you have almost read them all.
And the one thing that tickles me is how all the "do-gooder readers" may have reacted to this book if it had been modern since of the lies, deceptions and the sneakiness of the main character even though it leads to a successful ending.
I keep having to remind myself that this book took place in 1974 so the writing back then was a bit more innocent, a bit more repetitive and things weren't like what they are now. And since it took place in Canada there was one spot that had me wondering what the author was talking about (something about plugging up a car).
Otherwise the writing was short, simple and easy to understand while making the book a quick read. There were a few pictures - black and white - to give you a look into yesterdecades but it was one of those if you have read books from that timeframe then you have almost read them all.
And the one thing that tickles me is how all the "do-gooder readers" may have reacted to this book if it had been modern since of the lies, deceptions and the sneakiness of the main character even though it leads to a successful ending.
Displaying 1 of 1 review