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WORK TITLE: Ludlow Lost
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: http://twopigeonspress.com/dunne/
CITY: Montreal
STATE: QC
COUNTRY: Canada
NATIONALITY: Canadian
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Married.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Writer.
WRITINGS
SIDELIGHTS
Kate Robinson Dunne is a Canadian writer. She is based in Montreal.
In 2017, Dunne released her first novel, Ludlow Lost, a fantasy novel geared toward middle-grade readers. The protagonist of the book is a boy named Ludlow Osgoode. On the day that he turns eleven years old, Ludlow is abducted by a fairy. The fairy brings Ludlow on the Anathema, a ship whose captain is a creature called Morag. Morag is a banshee, whose screeching voice is a notable characteristic. She has determined she must have twenty-five kidnapped children on the Anathema, and Ludlow is one of those twenty-five. Though Morag is fearsome enough, the other creatures on the ship are also frightful. The crew members are goblins with terrible body odor. The fairy, named Adhair (nickname, Harry) has been working with the goblins, Raghnall and Berneas. Harry believes the three of them are partners. However, when she arrives on the Anathema with them and Ludlow, Raghnall and Berneas lock her in a crate along with Ludlow. It is revealed that Morag instructed Raghnall and Berneas to trick Harry, as she believes that Harry cannot be trusted. Morag is right not to trust Harry because Harry is only obeying Morag’s order to kidnap children out of fear. Harry has no desire to harm children on her own accord. After Ludlow processes his captivity, he quickly begins to harness the knowledge he has learned from books to help him devise an escape plan. The plan he concocts includes participation from Harry and even Raghnall. The book includes humorous sections devoted to descriptions of specific types of fantastical beings that appear in the narrative. Among the creatures profiled in those sections are mermaids.
Reviews of Ludlow Lost were favorable. A Kirkus Reviews critic commented: “There’s a charming matter-of-factness to the humor throughout.” The critic continued: “Ludlow is a smart, winning protagonist that bookish young readers will identify with and root for.” The same critic concluded by describing Ludlow Lost as “a delightful novel.” Catherine Thureson, contributor to ForeWord, called it “lighthearted story.” Thureson added: “Ludlow Lost is a charming debut, sure to entertain and delight those who appreciate wit and humor in their fantasy.” Writing on the Readers Favorite website, Patricia Bell remarked: “This fast paced tale by Kate Robinson Dunne is a brilliant and exciting read from cover to cover. The adventure begins from the very first page and continues throughout the story.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
ForeWord, August 27, 2017, Catherine Thureson, review of Ludlow Lost.
Kirkus Reviews, July 1, 2017, review of Ludlow Lost.
ONLINE
Ludlow Lost, http://twopigeonspress.com/ (April 30, 2018), author profile.
Readers Favorite, https://readersfavorite.com/ (July 10, 2017), Patricia Bell, review of Ludlow Lost.
Kate Robinson Dunne’s first published story was a journal entry about her grandmother that she wrote at the age of seven, and which was featured in her school board’s literary anthology. Many stories read and written later comes Ludlow Lost, Dunne’s first novel, still honouring her grandmother and the grandchild who loved her so dearly. A sequel is slated for spring 2019.
She lives just north of her hometown of Montreal with her husband, two dogs and the fairy she keeps in her pocket.
QUOTED: "There's a charming matter-of-factness to the humor throughout."
"Ludlow is a smart, winning protagonist that bookish young readers will identify with and root for."
"a delightful novel."
Dunne, Kate Robinson: LUDLOW LOST
Kirkus Reviews.
(July 1, 2017): From Book Review Index Plus. COPYRIGHT 2017 Kirkus Media LLC http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Full Text:
Dunne, Kate Robinson LUDLOW LOST Two Pigeons Press (Indie)
A young boy takes part in a magical adventure involving fairies, goblins, banshees, mermaids, and other creatures in Dunne's middle-grade fantasy debut. This modern-day fairy tale instantly conjures up a feeling of enchantment and warmth with its beautifully evocative opening sentence, "On Ludlow Osgoode's eleventh birthday, he was kidnapped by a fairy." Soon, he finds himself trapped in a crate with that same female fairy named Adhair, aka Harry. It's clear that the abduction isn't going exactly according to Harry's plans, because Raghnall and Berneas, the goblins who she'd thought were her henchmen, have locked her into the crate as well. Upon arrival at their destination, the goblin ship Anathema, Harry learns that its banshee captain, Morag, had ordered the goblins to betray her. It seems that Morag hadn't trusted Harry to grab Ludlow on her own; this was prescient on Morag's part, as the fairy has no interest in kidnapping children--she only follows Morag's commands in order to stay alive. This leaves Ludlow, a resourceful young bookworm, to come up with an escape plan that involves not only Harry, but also Raghnall. In this engrossing tale, Dunne consistently intersperses "facts" throughout the narrative about the numerous magical creatures that populate her fictional universe, most of which offer unique, funny spins on classic fantasy figures. For example, at one point, she explains that all mermaids "hate to be called 'fishface.' " There's a charming matter-of-factness to the humor throughout, which readers may find to be reminiscent of the late Douglas Adams and other British fantasists. Throughout, Ludlow is a smart, winning protagonist that bookish young readers will identify with and root for. A delightful novel that could comfortably sit on a shelf beside beloved works of children's literature.
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"Dunne, Kate Robinson: LUDLOW LOST." Kirkus Reviews, 1 July 2017. Book Review Index
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http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MA...
Plus, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A497199546/GPS?u=schlager&sid=GPS& xid=f64cfccc. Accessed 23 Apr. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A497199546
2 of 3 4/23/18, 10:37 PM
QUOTED: "lighthearted story."
"Ludlow Lost is a charming debut, sure to entertain and delight those who appreciate wit and humor in their fantasy."
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MA...
Ludlow Lost
Catherine Thureson
ForeWord.
(Aug. 27, 2017): From Book Review Index Plus. COPYRIGHT 2017 ForeWord http://www.forewordmagazine.com
Full Text:
Kate Robinson Dunne; LUDLOW LOST; Two Pigeons Press (Children's: Juvenile Fiction) 12.99 ISBN: 9780991816163
Byline: Catherine Thureson
Ludlow is a bright young man who, on his eleventh birthday, is kidnapped by a fairy. He is taken aboard a ship called the Anathema, which is captained by a screaming banshee named Morag and crewed by smelly, and very forgetful, goblins.
Morag is intent on kidnapping twenty-five children, though her purpose in doing so is a mystery. With no allies and no resources, and trapped in the middle of the ocean, Ludlow must plan his escape.
Ludlow Lost is a fantastical adventure that is a great deal of fun to read; it is written in a crisp style with a wonderfully dry sense of humor. The story is full of mythological creatures, or "creatures human beings don't believe in but exist just the same," and provides amusing facts to describe each -- fairies are generally selfish and untrustworthy, goblins are affable but possess very poor memories, and mermaids scare every other creature that lives in the ocean.
Important underlying themes include friendship, trust, and, perhaps most significantly, dealing with loss. Ludlow often dreams that he is back home on his birthday, but there is no cake or presents, and everyone around him is sad. He simply cannot remember why. He awakens too soon to make sense of the sadness, but the curiosity of these dreams lingers in the background of this otherwise lighthearted story.
Ludlow Lost is a charming debut, sure to entertain and delight those who appreciate wit and humor in their fantasy.
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
Thureson, Catherine. "Ludlow Lost." ForeWord, 27 Aug. 2017. Book Review Index Plus,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A502036042/GPS?u=schlager&sid=GPS& xid=8de3105d. Accessed 23 Apr. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A502036042
3 of 3 4/23/18, 10:37 PM
QUOTED: "This fast paced tale by Kate Robinson Dunne is a brilliant and exciting read from cover to cover. The adventure begins from the very first page and continues throughout the story."
Ludlow Lost
Ludlow Lost
by Kate Robinson Dunne
Children - Grade 4th-6th
282 Pages
Reviewed on 07/10/2017
Buy on Amazon
Author Biography
Kate Robinson Dunne is the author of the middle grade novel, Ludlow Lost, the first book in the Osgoode Odyssey series. She lives just north of her hometown of Montreal with her husband, two dogs, and the fairy she keeps in her pocket.
Book Review
Reviewed by Patricia Bell for Readers' Favorite
Ludlow Lost by Kate Robinson Dunne is a children’s fantasy about an eleven-year-old boy, (who is small for his age) named Ludlow, who gets kidnapped by a fairy and a couple of goblins, and brought to a ship which is captained by a banshee named Morag. Ludlow is taken on quite a journey and learns more than a few things about mythical creatures, or should I say, creatures that humans do not believe in. Throughout the tale, Ludlow meets a fairy, goblins, a mermaid, a banshee, and ghost water. During his adventure to break free from the clutches of the evil banshee, Ludlow learns quite a bit about these creatures that humans do not believe in. He also learns that, many times, things aren’t always as they seem.
This fast paced tale by Kate Robinson Dunne is a brilliant and exciting read from cover to cover. The adventure begins from the very first page and continues throughout the story. I absolutely love how the story is narrated in such detail that the reader gets a personal connection with each of the characters. Adhair (Harry) is my favorite. She’s a fairy, who, for a little thing, has a lot of grit. She made me giggle more than once. In short, Ludlow Lost by Kate Robinson Dunne is my all-time favorite children’s story. Much applause to Kate for her amazing imagination and ability to bring characters to life in a special sort of way. I hope to read many more adventures from this author.
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