The Mystery of the Missing Owser (Robot and Rebecca) [Paperback]

Jane Yolen (Author), McCrady (Illustrator)

Book Description

Series: Robot and Rebecca

Rebecca and her mechanical companion investigate the mysterious disappearance of two rare, dog-like animals known as owsers.

Product Details

• Paperback: 88 pages
• Publisher: Random House Inc (P) (October 1981)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0394848322
• ISBN-13: 978-0394848327
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 5 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,162,827 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Born and raised in New York City, Jane Yolen now lives in Hatfield, Massachusetts. She attended Smith College and received her master's degree in education from the University of Massachusetts. The distinguished author of more than 170 books, Jane Yolen is a person of many talents. When she is not writing, Yolen composes songs, is a professional storyteller on the stage, and is the busy wife of a university professor, the mother of three grown children, and a grandmother. Active in several organizations, Yolen has been on the Board of Directors of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, was president of the Science Fiction Writers of America from 1986 to 1988, is on the editorial board of several magazines, and was a founding member of the Western New England Storytellers Guild, the Western Massachusetts Illustrators Guild, and the Bay State Writers Guild. For twenty years, she ran a monthly writer's workshop for new children's book authors. In 1980, when Yolen was awarded an honorary Doctor of Law degree by Our Lady of the Elms College in Chicopee, Massachusetts, the citation recognized that "throughout her writing career she has remained true to her primary source of inspiration--folk culture." Folklore is the "perfect second skin," writes Yolen. "From under its hide, we can see all the shimmering, shadowy uncertainties of the world." Folklore, she believes, is the universal human language, a language that children instinctively feel in their hearts. All of Yolen's stories and poems are somehow rooted in her sense of family and self. The Emperor and the Kite, which was a Caldecott Honor Book in 1983 for its intricate papercut illustrations by Ed Young, was based on Yolen's relationship with her late father, who was an international kite-flying champion. Owl Moon, winner of the 1988 Caldecott Medal for John Schoenherr's exquisite watercolors, was inspired by her husband's interest in birding. Yolen's graceful rhythms and outrageous rhymes have been gathered in numerous collections. She has earned many awards over the years: the Regina Medal, the Kerlan Award, the World Fantasy Award, the Society of Children's Book Writers Award, the Mythopoetic Society's Aslan Award, the Christopher Medal, the Boy's Club Jr. Book Award, the Garden State Children's Book Award, the Daedalus Award, a number of Parents' Choice Magazine Awards, and many more. Her books and stories have been translated into Japanese, French, Spanish, Chinese, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Afrikaans, !Xhosa, Portuguese, and Braille. With a versatility that has led her to be called "America's Hans Christian Andersen," Yolen, the child of two writers, is a gifted and natural storyteller. Perhaps the best explanation for her outstanding accomplishments comes from Jane Yolen herself: "I don't care whether the story is real or fantastical. I tell the story that needs to be told."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars good book, June 1, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: The Mystery of the Missing Owser (Robot and Rebecca) (Paperback)

The Robot and Rebecca is a great book. It is filled with space aliens and robots. The book starts at Rebecca's house on her 9th birthday. That day her grandmother gave her a robot for her birthday present. The book is about crimes that Rebecca and the robot figure out.
And along the way you find codes to UN code.
I like Rebecca because she is not afraid of anything and tries to help anyone who needs it.
I think the illustrations were great because if it was hard to understand I could look at the pictures.
I also thought the story was very descriptive because it told about every character.
I think age 8 to adult should read it because there were a lot of hard words that I could not read.
At the beginning it was very boring because the author only talked about Rebecca's birthday presents. I kept reading it and it got much better because there was much more exciting things happening.

Ally age 9