Mirjam Oldenhave
Ten a Penny (Voor jou tien anderen)
Mirjam Oldenhave is not just a popular children’s author – she’s also a foster parent. This was how she came to meet Cynthia van Eck (17), an orphan whose heartrending life story she relates in Voor jou tien anderen. Using a minimum of words and carefully selected episodes, she transforms the events to create a gripping narrative that operates on different levels. It’s a tragicomedy that touches the heart.
Cynthia begins her story with the bare facts: “There were three bedrooms in the flat: one for Mama Riet, one for her daughter Mia and one for her foster children […] When people brought a child to her, Mama Riet always said yes, as she had a big heart. But she also had a small flat, so the floor of the third bedroom was covered with mattresses and airbeds.” The deep tragedy of Cynthia’s situation only gradually dawns on the reader.
Poverty-stricken Mama Riet is completely incapable as a foster parent: no school, dry bread for dinner, the television test card for entertainment and threats of a child molester when the children quarrel.
The realisation that these children view their situation as normal and are “perfectly happy” with Mama Riet is a painful jolt for the reader, as is Cynthia’s anguish when the child welfare organisation intervenes and Mama Riet declares that children like Cynthia are “ten a penny”. Cynthia’s story then develops into a quest for love and self-confidence. Oldenhave’s talent for writing ensures that this quest is a very moving one.
Voor jou tien anderen by Oldenhave is the second book in Querido’s extraordinary new Slash series: YA novels that are based on the true, remarkable life stories of young people, written with the aim of introducing more realistic social issues into books for young Dutch readers and, hopefully, enticing more adolescents to read. Oldenhave has accomplished this task with great success.
Publisher
Querido
Singel 262
NL - 1016 AC Amsterdam
TEL. +31 20 551 12 62
FAX +31 20 639 19 68
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.querido.nl
Publishing details
Voor jou tien anderen (2008, 126 pp)
Age: 12+
Biography
Mirjam Oldenhave (b. 1960) has written over twenty children’s books and is best known for her amusing, realistic stories, such as Donna Lisa (1999, which won a Vlag en Wimpel award) and Mees Kees. She is widely respected for her writing skills and has an admiring host of young readers, which is no surprise. Her life as a foster parent and her previous work experience (ten years as a drama therapist for problem children) have given her perfect insight into children and their concerns. She lives with her husband in Amsterdam, where she combines her writing with work as a tutor at the SCRIPTplus writing academy. Voor jou tien anderen (Ten a Penny, 2008) is a fine demonstration of her talent.
Her books are light-hearted and full of sparkle, with surprising twists and adventures, meeting the first requirement which children have about a book: to provide reading pleasure. Although Oldenhave doesn’t shy at more weighty topics her main strength lies in telling fast-paced, exciting, humourous stories.
Website: www.mirjamoldenhave.nl
Quotes
An impressive novel […] Oldenhave’s skill has become mastery in this book. In spite of the restrained narrative style, you can feel that she is present in this book with heart and soul.
NRC Handelsblad