Manchester City Library

The literary world bid a sad farewell to many familiar names during the course of 2011.  Among them:  Dick King-Smith and Florence Parry Heide, known by thousands of children for their memorable characters such as Ace, the very important pig and Princess Hyacinth.  The animals of Redwall said a final goodbye to creator Brian Jacques, whose beloved stories have been translated into twenty-eight languages. More recently, adult science fiction/fantasy fans lost Anne McCaffrey, whose Pern series started won her both the Hugo and Nebula award, and earned her the honor of being the first female science fiction author on the New York Times best seller list. And who can forget Mad-Libs?  A subtle way to teach parts of speech, pulled out at many a party, geared toward all ages, and guaranteed to cause many laughs.  Co-creator Leonard Stern, who passed away in June, was also a television screenwriter for such classic shows as Get Smart and The Honeymooners. Many a budding artist was taught to draw by Lee J. Ames, who wrote 26 books in all as part of his Draw 50 … series.  One other notable that has had a huge impact on the literary world was Michael Hart.  While he may not have been a household name, his invention certainly is – he invented the electronic book, or ebook.  To all the writers we lost this year, on behalf of your many fans throughout the world, thank you for your wonderful stories.  You will all be missed.