At home, Dad can pretend that Fred is developing, learning and growing at an average rate. Also below his determined Nichols’ Family Standards “lazy bums…Irish-Catholics.” Certainly vocal with his opinion, he nevertheless does not seem to stand out to the family, or the community, as a particularly obnoxious, racist fool.Īlthough Abby’s mother has many bad days with “her mind stuck thinking” of two tremendous losses that left permanent holes in her heart Dad wants a son. His daughters aren’t allowed to befriend a girl because her parents emigrated from Quebec-she’s “French”, not “white”. As one memory leads to another, her life unfolds like a map.Ībby’s father feels that Maine should be “white”. The centenarian’s story begins on a summer evening in 1930. Initial intrigue blossomed into complete captivation as Abby’s narration revealed an inexplicably sweet, strong and resilient girl-a compassionate, sympathetic soul-in spite of circumstances. Her favorite thing to do is to make clothes for children. Her hobbies are reading, sewing, and needlework.

Since ending the BSC series in 2000, Ann’s writing has concentrated on single novels, many of which are set in the 1960s.Īfter living in New York City for many years, Ann moved to the Hudson Valley in upstate New York where she now lives with her dog, Sadie, and her cats, Gussie, Willy and Woody. They inspired her to become a writer herself. Travers, Hugh Lofting, Astrid Lindgren, and Roald Dahl. Some of her favorite authors at that time were Lewis Carroll, P. Even before she was old enough to write, she would dictate stories to her mother to write down for her. Sometimes Ann names her characters after people she knows, and other times she simply chooses names that she likes.Īnn has always enjoyed writing. But many of her characters are based on real people. All of Ann's characters, even the members of the Baby-sitters Club, are made up. Many are written about contemporary problems or events. Some are based on personal experiences, while others are based on childhood memories and feelings. She's now a full-time writer.Īnn gets the ideas for her books from many different places. After graduating from Smith College, Ann became a teacher and then an editor of children's books. She grew up in Princeton, New Jersey, with her parents and her younger sister, Jane. Ann Matthews Martin was born on August 12, 1955.

Better to Wish by Ann M. Martin