An Author And A Very Cute Teddy Bear

About a month ago, I wrote a letter to Anthony Horowitz. I had just received a postcard from another author, Bill Bryson, and I felt like writing to another author. (Here’s a review of one of Anthony Horowitz’s books.)

Friday, February 10, 2012

Dear Mr. Anthony Horowitz,

            I am a 15-year-old girl who is a total bookworm and I love your Alex Rider series. I read a review of the series in The Ultimate Teen Book Guide and thought, “Hmm, those books sound interesting!” But I didn’t read them right away. Then one day at the library, I needed some more books to read and I decided to try at least the first Alex Rider book. And then I read Stormbreaker and regretted not reading it earlier. I’m not normally a fan of spy/adventure novels, but your series is fantastic!

            My favorite character is Yassen. I liked him even before I found out he was actually kind of good and wanted to help Alex because he knew Alex’s father. I also like Alex, Jack, Mrs. Jones, and Smithers!! Smithers’s “last and most brilliant gadget” was amazing! [The sentence afterwards was deleted because it contained spoilers about the gadget.] I love his gadgets, his sense of humor, and how he is really the only person Alex can trust at MI6.

            My favorite villains are Damian Cray, Julius Grief, and Razim. The end of Scorpia Rising just feels so epic, with Alex and Julius chasing after each other. I think that book ends very realistically: Alex is still sad, but is starting to get better.

            My favorite books in the series are Eagle Strike, Stormbreaker, and Scorpia Rising. I think Eagle Strike is my favorite because it has a lot of both my favorite character and favorite villain.

            I read that you might write another Alex Rider book about Yassen. I think that is a great idea! I would love to read it! Have you ever thought about writing some Alex Rider short stories?

            Which is your favorite Alex Rider book? And which character is your favorite and which character do you love to hate? Which book and character were the most fun to write, and why? Also, how did you get the idea for the series, and for each individual book?

            I would really love to be an author when I am older, and I love to write right now. Why did you want to become an author? What are your favorite and least favorite parts of being an author? Who or what inspired you to write?

            What was your favorite book when you were a kid, and what is your favorite book now? What other recent ‘Young Adult’ books do you really like?

When I was still reading the series for the first time, my brother (who normally reads only nonfiction) sometimes grabbed the books out of my room before I had even read them, because he liked them so much!

            I haven’t read your other books yet, but I plan to sometime soon, because I hope they will be just as good as Alex Rider!

Sincerely,

[name removed]

Then, a few days ago, I got a letter back! It was a form letter, but I still thought it was cool that he even wrote back. There was a little pin included with the letter, in the shape of the publishing company’s logo.

Unfortunately, the clasp on the pin is stuck and I have to fix it. It’s so cute (and nerdy, because an author sent it to me)!

Next, I think I’ll write to Linda Newbery or Kirsten Miller. I included the links because right now, you are probably thinking, Who are they?! 🙂